As we settled into the camp, Kyrah smiled beside me.
"I'm so jealous that you can talk to animals." She says
"I don't understand," I told her, slightly confused.
"I'm talking about when you were talking to that wolf elemental. You talked to her just like you talk to us." She says
"Oh wow, I didn't even realize I could understand her, and you guys couldn't. If I can talk to her, does that mean I can talk to other animals too?" I asked,
"I don't know why you couldn't." Says Kingston, "Try talking to Falcore."
I looked down at Falcore, curled up in Kingston's lap.
With a shrug, I said, "So Falcore, can you understand me when I talk?"
"I can," he replied with a slight nod of his furry head.
With a smile, I turned to Sly, who sat on the ground at Kyrah's feet. "What about you? Can you understand me?"
"Yes, human, I can understand you. Next time you try to attack my master, I will make your face unrecognizable," he said, baring his sharp teeth.
"You attack my master, and you will be turned into a pile of ashes, masked pest!" Said a deep smoky voice.
I looked over to my left, where Smaug was curled up on the ground, and he was looking at Sly with his teeth bared. A puff of smoke came out from his nostrils in a warning.
"Smaug, why haven't you said anything until now?" I asked him
"I didn't know that I could, master. I could understand what you said because of our bond. But I assume that the last time you leveled up, you gained the ability to speak to animals and beasts." He explained
Thinking back, I now remember when I was in the "womb, " the beastmaster's description said that I would gain the ability to charm and talk to animals. This was awesome!
The next day, the three of us continued our way toward Rochelle. This town was located at the base of one of the enormous mountains in Minerva called Dead Dragon's Carcass. This mountain was an ancient carcass of a dragon that fossilized over time, and from what I remember from looking at the map, the dragon's lair should be at the top.
Our journey stayed relatively peaceful for the next few days, but that didn't last long.
It was now late in the evening, and the three of us had split up to look for food when someone attacked me from behind, knocking me out cold.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself bound in thick chains made out of some black metal. I groaned as I moved to sit up, wincing from the pain that pounded from the back of my skull.
I was startled when I heard a groan; I looked to my left to find that Kyrah and Kingston had also been taken.
"Kingston! Kyrah!" I said, calling them, "Are you guys okay?"
Kingston was the first to sit up. The back of his hair was clumped together with dried blood, it looked painful, but I was glad he was okay.
"I think I will live," he mumbled.
"I'm okay too," groaned Kyrah as she sat up, "Where are we?"
I looked around but couldn't see because the sun had fallen and was now too dark.
"We are in bandit territory; this is a dungeon below their hideout," says an unfamiliar male voice.
Kingston's whole body tensed as he swung his head towards the male voice. He gasped loudly when he looked at the young man who was bound like we were. But unlike us, the young man had been here awhile and was nothing but skin and bones.
"Princely?"
The young man gasped in shock, "Kingston?"
Kingston rose to his feet and hurried over to his brother. With their arms bound, the boys gave each other an awkward hug, both crying at finally seeing each other again.
It was hard to tell how dirty Princely was, but I noticed he looked much like his twin brother, except for his dark blue eyes and long hair.
"Aren't you supposed to be at your wizard school?" Asked Princely, "How did you end up here?"
Kingston introduced Kyrah and me to his brother and explained how we ended up here.
"Hey Kingston, can't you use some kind of magic to melt these chains?" I asked, wincing as the metal chafed against the skin of my wrists.
"There is no melting these chains," Says Princely, "These chains are made of metal forged in dragon's fire, and they suppress magic, and the dragon's fire can only melt them."
Ugh, damn it! Speaking of dragons..." Hey, do you think they captured Smaug? And I don't have Scorpius with me either."
Both Kyrah and Kingston shook their heads.
"Hopefully, he got away in time. Wyvern's sell for a pretty penny on the black market." Explains Kyrah
Man, I hope he was okay.
I still needed to learn how long we were locked in the dungeon. But it had to have been at least a few days when suddenly we heard a commotion from above.
A loud growl from the dungeon's entrance made us gasp at the frightening sight.
The creature looked like a mix between a wolf and a man wearing familiar-looking leather bracers on his arms and a green plaid kilt.
"What in all hell is that!" I asked Kingston, who had been standing to my left.
Kingston laughed nervously, "That my friend is a werewolf."
"Why is that werewolf wearing a skirt?" asked Kyrah
I watched in awe as the giant werewolf swung a vast sword taking out the guards as he approached us.
Once all the guards were down, we all gasped when the werewolf began to shrink.
It was a sickening sound as the beast's bones broke one by one and reshaped, revealing a familiar man I would recognize anywhere.
It was Lyall Wolfe, the man I had seen at the Hungry Hound.
Lyall gasped for breath as he finished his transformation, then lifted his head to sniff the air...Was he looking for someone?
The four of us watched in silence, terrified to make a sound as Lyall moved from one cage to another, using his sword to break the locks, freeing all the prisoners.
When he got to our cage, he froze when he saw me, cocking his head to the side, reminding me a lot of what dogs do when they are surprised.
"You are Lyall Wolfe, right?" I asked
The large man nodded, "Yes, do I know you?" he asked in a deep voice and a raised brow.
"We never met, but I saw you at the Hungry Hound a few weeks ago. I was there to ask the owner about a mission." I explained, "When I saw you there, I asked Damian who you were, and he said your name was Lyall Wolfe."
"Ah, I see; well, let's get out of here first, then we can talk more once it's safe. What is your name?" he asked.
"Harlow"
"We can talk more once everyone is safe, Miss Harlow, and please call me Wolfe; I don't care for my first name," he said, stepping back from the door.
After finding a set of keys one of the guards had, Wolfe unlocked our shackles. I sighed with relief when my wrists were free.
"Thanks," I said, looking up at you with a smile," And thank you for saving us."
After Wolfe set us all free from the shackles, we followed him down the hall covered in dead bodies. All the blood on the floor made it slippery, and the dead fish eyes of the fallen bandits will haunt me forever.
I shook my head from the onslaught of thoughts as we went through the basement.
"Hey.. um.Wolfe? Do you know where they would keep the stuff they took from us?" I asked
Wolfe stopped walking, looked back at me with his arms crossed, then raised an eyebrow. '"How the hell am I supposed to know? I came here on a mission to take out these bandits and to save the prisoners. I could care less about your stuff."
I cringed, taking a step back from the annoyed look on his face..." Oh, okay... I'm sorry."
Kyrah stepped in front of me with her hands clenched in anger." Hey dick head, there was no need to talk to her like that! Harlow just came out of the "womb" about a month ago; she is new to everything. And for the record, all you had to say was that you didn't know, asshole!"
Wolfe sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face covered in dried blood. His size and the nasty scars covering his body made him look like a demon straight out of hell.
With a groan, Wolfe motioned for us to follow. "Come on; I think I might have spotted the room you're looking for upstairs."
Quietly, the four of us followed Wolfe up the stairs. After looking through all the rooms, we finally found the armory where they kept all of our stuff. I hurried to the table, where I spotted Scorpius hugging her tight.
Scorpius materialized from the whip as I belted her back where she belonged.
"I'm so happy to see you again! I was worried when the bandits attacked; it's good to see that you and your friends are okay." Scorpius said, wrapping her pincers around my neck for a hug.
"I'm glad to see you too, Scorpius," I replied, hugging her back.
"Um...Harlow? I know you can see Scorpius, but we can't, and it looks like you're hugging yourself..." Says Kyrah
While the others found their things, I walked over to where Wolfe stood in the hall with his arms crossed. "Um, Mr.Wolfe?"
"What is it now, Miss Harlow?" He asked, scanning the halls for any signs of attack.
"I um. I just wanted to know if you could have seen a baby wyvern... Um... He is about the size of a large dog and is all black, with bright blue eyes." I asked, rubbing at my arm nervously.
He looked down at me, cocking his head as his dark green eyes looked me up and down. "No, I have not, Miss Harlow. Is this wyvern you're looking for, your beast partner?"
I nodded, "Yes."
"I should be able to find him now that I have my wand and grimoire." Says Kingston, "I need to look for Falcore anyways."
"Awesome! Thank you, Kingston!" I threw my arms around him in a hug. His cute face turned blood red as I squeezed him tight.
A sudden low growl came from behind me, and a large arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me away from Kingston. I was shocked by the impulsive act as Wolfe tucked me behind his back, then stepped towards Kingston, growling as his chest swelled with anger.
What the hell?
I didn't know what was happening, but I reached out and touched Wolfe. "Hey, I don't know why you suddenly want to rip out Kingston's throat, but please don't hurt my friend."
Wolfe sighed, rubbed his face with his hands, then looked at me conflicted. With another sigh, he finally took a step away from Kingston.
"Are you okay?" I asked Wolfe as he walked past me, heading down the hall.'
"Not really, but I will worry about it later. Let's get out of here for now." He said, looking down at me gently, then shook his head, quickly replacing the lid on his emotions.
I nodded in understanding, then looked back at Kingston, Princely, and Kyrah, feeling confused. The three of them just shrugged, looking as confused as I was.
So, once again, we continued through the hideout and out the front door.
The outside was just as gruesome as the inside. Bodies of dead bandits were scattered everywhere, soaking the ground with their blood.
From our surroundings, we appear to be somewhere deep in the forest. However, I don't know enough about the geography of this place to know precisely where we were.
"Where are we?" I asked Wolfe
"We are about a day's worth of walking from the path that leads you to Rochelle, He says
"Oh, okay, thanks," I said with a smile, then frowned. I was getting apprehensive about Smaug.
Turning to Kingston, I asked, "Um, can you do that spell to help me find Smaug?"
Kingston nodded, "Yes, I need to hold your hand. I can use your bond with him to locate where he is."
"Oh, okay" with a shrug, I went to give him my hand when once again, Wolfe let out a growl, making both Kingston and I tense.
"What the hell is your problem?" I asked Wolfe. Why was he acting so damn possessive? It also didn't help that he was a dick one minute, then he looked at me so gently the next...
"Nothing!" he growled, crossing his arms, then turned around, so his back was towards us. "Just hurry up and do the damn spell."
With a sigh, I gave Kingston my hand; then, he began to chant the locator spell while holding the compass in his other hand. I was thrilled when the compass started to glow, and the arrow began to spin.
When the arrow stopped, the five of us followed the hand's direction.
We walked for about an hour when finally I heard a familiar voice in my head.
"Master?"
I froze midstep, "Smaug?"
There was a loud woosh from above, making us all look up. I sighed with relief as a familiar black wyvern dropped from the sky, with a white ferret and a raccoon on its back.
"Smaug!" I rushed towards the wyvern, throwing my arms around his neck. "I'm so glad that you guys are okay!"
"So I'm assuming that this is the wyvern you were looking for?" asked Wolfe as he stood behind me.
I looked at him with a smile, "Yes, it is. Thank you so much for helping us find him and saving us from those bandits."
Wolfe just shrugged, "It's no big deal. You were lucky I decided to go on this mission to eradicate those bandits."
I stood, then looked up at his handsome face, "Well, either way, thank you. And um... where are you heading next?" For some odd reason, I wouldn't say I liked the idea of him leaving. What was wrong with me?
He shrugged, then said, "I don't have a destination in mind; I tend just to wander."
"Well, you could always join us on the mission that was given to me by Damien," I told him, hoping that he would help us.
Wolfe crossed his arms, then raised his brow, "Oh really? And what is this mission he sent you on?"
I took a deep breath, then explained everything about the mission and what we learned about Princess Harley.
After I finished explaining everything, Wolfe hummed while scratching at his fuzzy chin while deep in thought.
I was surprised that he was thinking about this seriously and was even more surprised when he finally sighed, then said, "Okay, I will help you with this mission, but so that you know, this mission will probably get messy. When Hellen realizes what you are doing, she will do everything she can to stop you."
"I honestly don't know what's in store for us, but I was given this mission for a reason, and I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm going to try everything I have to finish it."
The corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile, then the handsome devil reached out his hand towards me then said, "Well then, let's get to it, Miss Harlow. Let's go save the evil queen."