Freedom

When the light fades, you find yourself in a forested area, along with everyone else. You look around, trying to get your bearings. Through gaps in the trees, you can make our what must be the city in the distance. You breathe a sigh of relief, as you turn to your companions.

“Well…now what?”

Still holding her head, Melora smiles. “Now we figure out how to get back to the village.”

You nod. “Didn’t plan this far ahead?”

Ferra shakes her head. “Getting to you was most important. Everything else was secondary.”

Neither she nor Sarah have let go of your hands, and show no signs of doing so. Ever perceptive, Alex notices. “Sooo…since we’re not in mortal danger, how about introducing us to the hottie on your arm?”

You chuckle. “I suppose that’s fair. As I mentioned, this is Sarah.”

Cassie bounces up, brightly yellow and pink. “Oooh, you’re pretty! Are you some kind of wolf girl?”

Sarah smiles. “I-I suppose I am. A hellhound, actually.”

Cassie gasps, eyes wide. “Wow, cool! And you helped Nicholas escape?”

Sarah shrugs, glancing at you. “I didn’t do much. Honestly, Nicholas is the hero here.”

You laugh, giving her hand a squeeze. “Sarah had been imprisoned for a long time. And I promised I’d bring her with me.”

Alex grins. “Hmmm, and exactly how close are you two? Just holding hands?”

Sarah bites her lip to hide her smile. You’re fairly certain she would be blushing if she didn’t have such dark skin. Melora looks between the two of you, and laughs. “So, you get ****, and come back with a new girl for our group?”

You nod. “I suppose, as long as Sarah wants to come with us?”

Sarah looks around at the other girls, who are all looking at her expectantly. Finally, she nods. “If…if you’ll have me, I’d love to. I don’t really have anywhere else to go.”

Releasing your hand, Ferra walks in front of the hellhound girl. Looking up, her orange glowing eyes meet the taller girl’s black and red ones. After a moment, the golem girl nods. “I like her. She should come with us.”

Sarah smiles at Ferra’s approval, understanding how important Ferra is to you. Before she can respond, however, Victor clears his throat. “As much as I hate to interrupt the touching moment, we’re still far too close to the city for comfort.”

You nod. “Fair enough. You know this trip better than any of us. What’s our next step?”

Victor looks off into the woods. “We head deeper into the forest. I know a spot we can set up camp and plan our next move. If we go now we’ll get there before nightfall.”

“Lead on, then. We’ll follow you.”

Victor nods, and heads out, the rest of the group following behind. As you walk, Melora comes up to you. “When we get a chance, we need to talk. While the Great One was trying to break into my mind, I was able to read some of his thoughts as well.”

You glance at her, surprised. “You read the mind of a god?”

She shakes her head. “More like I couldn’t avoid it, with his actions. I’ll explain later, once I sort it out myself.”