Agree To Buy A Slave.

"I will take a look at what you got." I smiled.

"All I can ask." The old man nodded.

"Here you go boys." The lady brought out two plates.

"Thank you ma'am." I dug in to the sausage. "So is the water affecting the lodge to?" I looked up at the lady.

"Some, we still get the real hunters come through here. It's the city folk and nobles who want cross the river. Truthfully its the kings death that hit us the hardest. He used to come out here to hunt and bring half the court with him. Every noble that wanted to kiss his ass would come with him on a hunt. When he came walking in here, let me tell you for a man his age he was still a damn good looking fellow. I would get wet every time he came through that door." She smiled.

"The king came in here?"

"And why wouldn't he?" She gave me a look.

"No, I didn't mean."

"Relax kid, shes just giving you a hard time." The old man gave a laugh and the lady smiled. "Everyone around here knew the king. He was a man of the people. A damn better ruler then his bastard born half brother will ever be. Lord Warrick made a name for himself as a great military leader no matter the number of men he had to sacrifice to get it. I rather fuck a porcupine then have to serve that man."

"If your that hard up Harry I can pay someone to find you a hedgehog to fuck." The lady behind the bar teased.

"You probably still charge me for it to." He grinned at her.

"Damn right I would." She replied. This place reminded me of home. Everyone knew everyone else.

We headed out to see the wagon wheel had been fixed. Harry paid the carpenter and we headed back across the river and down an old dirt road. I could see many of the farms where muddy or worst completely flooded. He had a decent size farm with a small barn which was luckily on higher ground. Least he had some live stock. Animals could be moved or sold.

"I got me quit a few cow girls." He led me in where I saw a few female minotaurs. They where more human looking then the males as was common with beast folk. The main difference was the ears and small horns. "They make good farm hands plus they can produce milk, not to mention their not bad eaten."

"What?"

"I am just messing. We haven't got that hungry yet. Besides they are like family to me. This ones Daisy. She is just now old enough to breed, so she can't produce milk yet. Old Brutus is her dad so I can't breed her with him but she comes from good stock. I would be willing to part with her for five silver."

"This here cat girl."

"Hello." She did a little bow as she kept her eyes down.

"She was caught stealing in the city and excepted servitude in place of rotting in prison for a few years. She is a hard worker though. I can go as low as three silver. The stone mason offered more for her but I am pretty sure why he wanted her for."

"Can you keep her here for a few days. Until I get back from the woods. Give her time to say all of her goodbyes and all."

"Sure, If you like." He nodded. I pulled out my coin purse and paid him.

"Thanks." I smiled handed over the coins. I wasn't sure what i was going to do with her yet but I would figure it out.

"No thank you friend." He said clutching the coins.

I headed back the way I came passing back by the farms when I heard screaming and took off into the woods and along the river until I found several kids playing in a shallow lake that had formed because of the river. They where trying to catch fish with a net though not having much.

"Hey mister." One of the kids waved and I waved back taking my hand off my sword. Last thing I needed was to get in a fight. I noticed something though and road around the lake and saw their was a good little drop off that lead back toward the original river bead that was more of a stream now. A couple of hours and a shovel and you could divert the water away from the road and back onto its normal course. Not that I had hours to dig, or a shovel for that matter but then I remembered something. I didn't have the book with me but the shaping sand spell. It took me a second to remember it and this wasn't sand but it was dirt. Wet dirt which made it soft.

"Flexilibus figura terrae." I said and made a little trench in the dirt which quickly filled with water as I dug it. I would never write a spell as useless again.

"Cool." One of the kids said and ran over. I kept going making a very small ditch toward the end of the hill. I didn't need to make a huge stream. I just needed to start it and the water would do the rest of the work. I finally got to the edge and the water began to run down hill. I went back and did it again making another trench and another as they washed away the dirt between and the flow increased until I saw a couple of fish follow the stream.

"Let me see the net. You take it that way and I will pull this way." I said and the oldest kid who took it and ran it across or little stream that slowly grew. The kids had to hold down the fronts to keep fish from getting out but in no time we had a net full of fish and a small water fall that was draining the lake. I helped the kids carry it back. Which meant me carrying it while I let the youngest ride the horse.

"Papa, look what we caught." The eldest boy ran to the carpenter.

"How in the world did you...?" The man looked at the net of fish.

"He helped us. He used magic." The boy said. I had grown that used to magic that I was surprised by people making a big deal about it as if I thought it was just natural now.

"I hope you like fish." I joked. It would probably be dinner for several families. "We made a little waterfall just up the way. It should redirect the water from the road at least. If not you can make it wider and block off whatever."

"Thank you sir. If you ever need any carpentry work I am your man." he offered his hand. I hadn't thought about it but he ran a sawmill that needed water to make it work.

"I will keep that in mind. You have a good day." I nodded and handed him the fish and helped the little one off my horse.

"You to sir." He smiled and carried the sack followed by the kids.

I had juts lost two hours off my trip but at least I felt good about it. I checked the leaf to see it had moved just slightly meaning I was closer but it could still be pretty far off. I took the road and went into the woods. It felt like home. Nothing but endless trees as far as the eyes could see. I cursed myself when I saw several deer but had no bow. After a few hours the leaf had turned sharply south south west so I went off road into the woods. It was well into the afternoon when I felt I was getting close but decided to call it a day and gathered rocks and sticks to make a fire and feed the horse a few apples and I ate one as well.

I was about to go to sleep when I saw a light. At first I thought it was a firefly or something but it grew larger and larger until it got close enough that I could tell it was a fairy. She flew close enough for me to see her and waved her arm as if for me to follow. I knew it was a bad idea. If I lost my campfire it take hours to get back here but I decided to follow keeping my eye out for the fire as we went. The moon was full and not a cloud in the sky which made navigation easier then if I was using a torch. We didn't get far when I saw a light. It wasn't a fire. The glow was bluish white with what looked like several faeries flying about. The fairy led me to the light which I soon realized was a pool of glowing water with a single tree in the middle. It was an Elderwood Tree. This was the making of a healing pool in its infancy.

I heard a giggle to loud to be a fairy and looked around but all I saw were trees. I heard a rustling of leaves and turned to see nothing but a small tree and nothing around it. There was something off about the tree though. For starters it was small. Only a slightly shorter then me and its shape seemed off. More like a slender hour glass figure. As I got closer I noticed it was more woman like in shape. I touched it and felt my hand run down over it. It was hard like wood but as smooth as any man cut wood I had ever felt. Suddenly two eyes opened and looked at me and it gave me a kiss and giggled.

"Found me." The dryad said she put her arms down and walked around me. A playful tone in her voice. She had small branches that looked like small antlers growing from her head with leaves growing from them. Vines ran down her body and wrapped around her. Flowers blossomed in her hair. Hiding some but not all of her body. I wondered how many small trees had I passed in my life that could have been nymphs in disguise. "It comes for our sap but I wonder if we should give it to him."

"You know why I am here?"

"Yes, mother said you would come, she has been watching you ever since you bathed in her milk. Like a child born a new." She smiled as she circled me. It took me a second to figure out what she meant.

"You mean the healing pool?"

"Yes, the mothers milk. This teat is small but the milk still just as sweet. We root here and drink or feel of her milk. This pool is ours, she told us you would come but not to take of our milk. Instead you desire or nectar. This interest us." She smiled as she ran her fingers across my chest.

"Who is us?" I asked.

"We are the forest and the forest is us." Another voice said. I turned to see another dryad moving behind me. This one was taller and older maybe. They playfully circled me as they giggled.

"Ah, now he sees." The first said.

"How many he wonders." The second replied as I looked around the pool to see several trees that could be more dryads. they were playing with me.

"We will give you our sweet nectar to use for the ends you seek and more to come." The first said running her fingers across my chest. "If you can get it from us that is."

"What do I have to do to get it?" I asked though already knowing the answer.

"Oh, many many things." She giggled and pulled me close kissing me. I could smell her. The scent of flowers in her hair, or what resembled hair anyways. I ran my hands on her body. Her skin was more supple now. Softer yet still firm. She giggled as she pulled away and took my hand leading me..

"Do you have a name?" I asked

"We do not use names, but you can call us whatever you like." She smiled.

"Ivy." I said running my hand over her body as I moved a leaf from the vines that ran over her body exposing her nipple.

"It will do." I looked for the other one but she was gone. "We wonder why you need such things?" She said tugging at my shirt. "Do they not get in the way?"

"Sometimes. Like now." I said and pulled off my shirt. She ran her hands over my chest and smiled as she ran her fingers over my scar. I suppose to her it had significance. I kicked off my boots and undid my breeches and let them fall as I stepped out of them.

"Oh no, the trunk is thick but the tree has fallen." She teased as she grasped my cock in hand. "What ever should we do."