Chapter 180

Chapter 180<~> Chapter 180

When I woke up the next morning Cecilia was sitting by the fire looking a little jittery. The moment I was in range to connect with her through the bond she snapped up and looked at me. A near-extreme amount of anxiety was coiled in the pit of her stomach and it was somehow connected to me.

"Are you okay?" I asked her as I walked up.

"Lilith we have to talk. But I... maybe we should do it once everyone else is up..."

I was concerned, I hadn't seen anyone react to the transformation this way before. I wasn't sure what was going on so I asked Bella to wake Morrigan before heading over to wake Torien and Silva. The two of them had set their tent up a little ways off so we wouldn't bother them last night.

"Hey guys, are you two up?" My voice caused some sudden shifting in the tent, apparently they had still been asleep.

The tent zipped open revealing the two naked women in their tent.

"Silva! Let me put some clothes on first!" Torien turned away covering her moderate breasts and crotch. I quickly turned away but it had been after I got a good look at Torien under her clothes. She did look quite a lot like her sister even under her clothing.

The rabbit demi-beastfolk looked groggy. "What? You told me that she's seen you naked before." Silva wasn't trying to be modest at all and stretched up in a way that I couldn't turn away from. Her muscular form really looked impressive and the white scars that covered her tanned skin added an exotic flair to her body.

"That's... different..." Torien replied with a pout.

I coughed and looked away. "It sounds like Cecilia has something important to tell us. I'm not sure what this is about but it sounds serious and she wanted me to gather everyone first. Sorry for uh, intruding and waking you so early."

Silva let out a large yawn. "...It's fine. We'll be there in a moment."

I nodded and walked away blushing. Seeing the two of them together like that was exciting a voyeuristic part of me I wasn't quite aware of. I had seen Torien naked before but it was different seeing the two of them in an intimate setting.

I sighed. Maybe I am becoming more of a pervert.

Feeling Cecilia's anxiety again sobered me up and distracted me from what had happened with those two. I wasn't sure what was wrong yet but I was concerned something had gone wrong with the transformation somehow. Nothing looked out of the ordinary and I had already transformed dozens of other girls by now but that didn't mean nothing could go wrong.

The atmosphere was awkward when I sat back down near the fire. Bella, Morrigan, and Theo didn't seem to know what this was about either so there was a lot of tension in the air while we waited for the other two to show up. Cecilia was still fidgeting but at least it didn't seem like her anxiety was growing any further, it had topped out just short of being a full-blown panic attack but at least it wasn't getting worse as we waited for the two others to join us.

After several long and quiet minutes, the two others finally joined us and sat down around the fire while looking over at Cecilia.

Silva sat heavily on a log that had been pulled over to use as a bench. "So, what is this about?"

Cecilia took a deep breath and steadied herself before looking right at me. "Since I woke up I've been thinking about the oath I took last night... and it seems to be compelling me to tell you something. Tarklin left me in Goldenhearth to spy on you..."

Her words brought out murmurs from everyone but she continued. "The oath I took says that I can't knowingly work against you. I didn't think that keeping an eye on you would be, but it seems the oath I took begs to differ..."

I rubbed my eyes before looking back up at her. "What do you mean by spying on me? What all did Tarklin send you to do?"

Raya raised a finger. "The uh, one that you have us do that burial ritual for?"

"The same. Oh uh, could someone tell her that later, it's important," I added.

I scratched the base of my horn. "Okay. How much can you trust the letters to be only between you and Tarklin?"

Cecilia shrugged. "Reasonably well. There are always people who sometimes try to intercept letters though."

I nodded. "Okay. Then tell him that I caught you spying on me but I'm still willing to tell him directly about some more of my secrets. Also, tell him that I'd like to know more about the prophecy you mentioned, we can call it an information trade. You can tell him where we're staying when we reach the capital so he can find us later."

She sighed. "So you aren't... too mad then?"

I shook my head. "I am a little mad but it's better that you were spying for him and not for someone else. Despite this... hiccup in our relationship, I still like Tarklin and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt here."

Cecelia let out a sigh of relief as her anxiety ebbed away.

"While we're all here and talking about important things, we should discuss a little more about the capital," Silva said. "It will be dangerous to be as free with affection and nightly activities as we have been while we're there. There's also the way you treat us in public." She finished with a knowing look toward me.

I frowned but I knew where this was going. "I'll have to treat more of you like actual slaves there, won't I?"

She nodded and a quick glance told me that the twins both agreed. One headache after another. "It'll really be necessary there?" I asked Torien.

She gave me a strained smile. "I'm afraid so. The people are much more... concerned about how slaves behave in the capital and I can't imagine the presence of the Tamin church will have mellowed any of that. It's more likely people are being even harsher toward their slaves in front of them since a majority of slaves in this kingdom are beastfolk."

"So what all does that mean again, I can't allow you to sit and eat with me, what else?"

Torien nodded. "Slaves aren't supposed to speak with anyone but their master in public, they shouldn't sit in any public restaurants or taverns, they must keep their collars on display at all times, though our outfits are already designed with that in mind. Since Morrigan and I are dressed as servants we get a bit more leeway on those things but we still aren't expected to speak without a specific command. Slaves aren't to touch or make eye contact with non-slaves though servants may touch non-slaves if performing their duties. They aren't allowed to enter any buildings alone, though they may enter first if with someone else. What else..." she paused to think.

This whole conversation was making me sick to my stomach and souring my mood but it would be important to know.

"What about adventuring slaves?" I asked.

Torien shrugged. "Mostly the same, you'll have to speak for us at the guild and any of our accomplishments will be attributed to you. That shouldn't matter much since we're already in your party I suppose but we'll be able to operate much less independently than we have been. I know you've been trying to keep us together with either you or Bella at all times but it'll be even more important going forward. And... no offense, Mimi, but being left alone with you would be a challenge as well..."

Mimi shook her head. "It's okay. I don't know what to say when people get angry. It's better if I didn't have to do that."

Torien looked relieved that Mimi had taken that well.

I sighed. "This trip is going to be a pain."