Family Meeting

Laying my hand on Colly’s shoulder I whisper to her. “Family meeting. We need to talk.”

Colly looks at Grub, the pair of them cackle, then back to me and says. “Yeth we do.”

I give her shoulder a supportive squeeze, that cackle already letting me know what it was she wanted to talk about. Was she thinking with her pussy over her brain? Probably. But that was her prerogative and this was hardly the group to start lectures against that kind of thing. Besides, this journey was quite literally about emancipation. It never sat right to me to fight so hard for Rosa and our daughter’s freedom while continuing to keep a slave myself.

As Rosa hears the three of us approach, her sharp ears or maybe her nose able to detect the difference between our footfalls and those of three crewmen, she takes a deep breath, opens her mouth and…just holds it open without making a sound. Or so I thought.

“Ooo!” Colly rubs her big tufted ears with a wince. “That’th quite the whithtle! Eep!”

“Whistle?” Cassie and I look at each other, confused. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Close enough.” Kreer says to Rosa. “I must say your vocal range is impressive.”

Rosa lets out a gasp and rubs her throat. “I think I’m done for today, teacher.”

Kreer straightens up and nods his bulbous head. “You’ve done well.”

“I have an excellent teacher.”

“And you are an exemplary student.” With that Kreer turns and marches away to begin getting the night watch set up.

“You seem to have made a friend.” I quip.

“I hope so.” Rosa smiles.

The group of us go below decks and, after checking on Catalus, we settle down into a tight circle as I shared the plight of the islanders. The three women listen as I give them an abbreviated version of my thoughts and fears on the topic. Rosa sits with her head against my arm and my hand on her lap, Danae resting her head upon her thigh. She gently traces her fingers over the back of my hand and palm and around my fingers as she listens. When I tell them about the monsters she pulls my around around her and snuggles tight to my side. Cassie, who sat facing me with her carving project sitting untouched on her lap, leaned closer to take in every word clearly, her face expressing many of the exact same emotions I felt in my heart. And Colly sat cross-legged, her big amber eyes wide with astonishment that I was actually thinking about taking this ‘hero’ thing seriously.

I finish with a long sigh and say. “If I hadn’t have looked into their eyes and seen their…hopelessness.” I shake my head. “I don’t know if I can ignore this.”

Once I had said my piece in its entirety there is a long moment of silence as they search their own hearts. I look from one to the other, wishing I could read their minds. I thought, at the very least, Cassie would be chewing me out by now for my foolishness. If anything she seemed to be lost in the deepest thoughts of all of them.

Collywaddle is the first to speak, simply stating. “Where Mathter goeth I go.”

I pet her hair. “Unless I was misreading what was happening up there between you and Grub you won’t be calling me ‘Master’ much longer.”

Her cheeks turning a darker shade of green she giggles. “Wath it that obviouth?”

“I could have seen it from shore.” I jest gently. “I will see you legally set free in Athens. You will be a free woman, Colly.”

She nods. “And I freely declare…where Mathter goeth I go.”

I look to Cassie who sat staring into my chest without really seeing me, lost as she was in her own thoughts. “I thought you’d be tearing me a second ass by now.”

She blinks, her eyes snap up to mine as she returns to the moment. “As convenient as that would be, no. I understand your dilemma, Quin.” She says. “I keep thinking about the minotaur creature. Had we not been there to stop it or had we fallen to it…it would have gone to my family’s home next.”

“If it wasn’t for us it never would have been activated.” I push back.

“That was only bad luck. At some point someone would have bled upon that symbol and activated the blood magic. Maybe not in this generation or the next, but eventually. And it would have my kin who were closest to the beast when it emerged.” Her eyes are haunted at the vision. “They’re farmers, Quin. They wouldn’t even know how to fight it. Just like that fishing village and these Scylla-spawn. By the time the politicians get off their Imperial asses that village will be wiped off the map.”

“So what are you saying?”

She sits up taller, hands on knees as her shoulders square. “We are strong, Quin. The strong protect the weak. We take Kreer and any man with combat experience and we help.” She nods to Rosa. “Rosa will stay aboard the Hostia Nigra and we…”

“You do not choose for me, my pet.” Rosa says firmly.

“My Lady…” Cassie begins.

“Do not take that tone with me, girl.”

“My Lady!” Cassie protests. “You are in no condition to be hunting monsters. I will not see you meet your end by some nautical monstrosity. If something happened to you this whole journey is for nothing.”

“Then you better protect me.” Rosa says as she pulls my arm tight around her slender body. “You’ll fight all the harder for me being there.”

Cassie sighs. “Rosa, please. This sort of thing is not your place. Maybe if we still had the bracelet…”

“According to some it’s not your place either.” Rosa says. “According to some you should be in a farmer’s kitchen right now.”

“That’s different.” Cassie bristles. “I’ve been trained to fight. And I only have myself to worry about.”

“You know that’s not true, my dear. You worry plenty. And Quin is right.” Pulling her magic rope out from under a nearby blanket she pulls it onto her lap and runs her hand over it. Her eye lock onto to coil. “I can see things even Kreer would struggle to see. I can do things wizards might spend a lifetime to try and achieve. I have my sister at my side. And I’ve yet to find a knot I cannot untie.” Running a hand down the fox’s red back she says. “You really think I would send my family into danger while I stayed behind?”

“Rosa.” Cassie says softly, struggling to be remain respectful. “Our daughter is inside of you.”

“Our daughter…” Rosa reaches up to stroke my cheek. “…is the child of Quintus Quintillianus. Her Amazon lineage flows through me to her. Warrior blood flows through her veins. She is a warrior in a family of warriors.” A hand across her belly she continues. “She cannot be born without me. And I cannot go on without you. Both of you. We do this together or not at all.”

“You will be plagued by more dreams.” Cassie says, though the sting of her argument was waning.

“I’ve had those dreams since my parents passed on.” Rosa says, her voice grim. “Scylla-spawn will be a welcome change of cast from Hydras and Harpies. If the nightmares are going to come they might as well have some variety.”

“My Lady.” I kiss her head between her horns. “You know Cassie’s not wrong here.”

“You too, my love?” She says. “No. She’s not wrong. But neither is she all the way right. To quote a wise woman I know, where Master goes I go.”

“Hey!” Colly sits up tall. “I’m the withe woman!”

We share a soft laugh among us. “We’ve got a week to prepare or change our minds.” I say. “If anything changes you tell me.” I put my large hand, palm up, in the center of our circle. Cassie slaps her hand down onto mine and grips it. Colly puts hers atop Cassie’s. Then Rosa feels down my arm and rests her dainty hand on top of them all. My long fingers grasp around the three small hands held in mine. “Together or not at all.” The others repeat the words then, with suspiciously perfect timing, Danae yips and there comes a breathy neigh from my steed. With a smile I say to the curtain. “Don’t worry, big fella. We haven’t forgotten about you.”

Together, united in our cause and in our family, we sit and talk a bit more. After a time we hear a few crew file by outside our curtain, careful now not to approach it. A few bid us a good night and we do the same back.

With a stretch I say. “I’ll take the floor.”

Rosa, who was still snuggled against me, says. “I think I’ll join you, my boy.”

I smile, already knowing I’d have a sweaty night with my Lady’s heat pressed against me.

“Top!” Colly calls out, already climbing to the upper hammock.

“It’s all yours.” Cassie grins, looking at Rosa and I. “There room for three down here?”

Grabbing her wrist I pull her close for a kiss, and a fierce kiss it was. “We’ll make room.”