Ereptus arrived at Gaylen's house early the next morning, the first hesitant rays from the sun only just starting to emerge. As promised, his old friend was waiting with the girl packed and ready, if not happy. In fact, she looked downright miserable.

"Gaylen," she pleaded. "Please. I don't want to leave. Let me stay here with you."

The older man shook his head. "No, poppet. You'll be better off in Messina. It's a peaceful city, and the Sorcerers can help you control your magic. This city is no place for someone like you. It's barely fit for bastards like me anymore."

"I can fend for myself! You know I can!"

Gaylen gave Ereptus a pained look over her head, and Ereptus sighed before stepping forward. "Come on, girl. We had better get going."

She whipped around and glared at him as if he was the reason for her having to leave. He scoffed inwardly. If it was his choice, he'd happily have left her where she was. But Gaylen was collecting on his debt, and Ereptus felt obligated to honour it. And there was something about the young girl that spoke to him. As much as he played with the idea of leaving her behind, because he really had no interest in a trip to Messina, especially while being in charge of someone else, it didn't sit well with him. Gaylen was correct that she didn't fit in Gor. If she truly knew magic, she was even less safe in a rough city like this. There were seedy people out there who would take advantage of magic users.

"Let's go," he repeated, impatient to get going before the city woke up.

Rain turned back to Gaylen. "I don't trust him," she said, obviously not caring who heard her.

"You probably shouldn't," Ereptus said, making the older man chuckle.

"He's a good man." Gaylen patted her shoulder reassuringly. "He will bring you safely to Messina and make sure you get settled."

She threw her arms around the older man and gave him a crushing hug before squaring her shoulders and taking the few steps over to Ereptus.

"I'm ready." It was barely more than a whisper, misery lacing her voice.

A moment later she yelped as Ereptus put his arms on her waist and hoisted her up on the horse he had 'borrowed' at the inn that morning. He'd decided that they should travel on horseback to make the trip go faster. The sooner they reached Messina, the sooner he could rid himself of this unwanted responsibility.

After a quick farewell to Gaylen, he mounted the horse to sit in front of Rain and they set off. As they were passing the city gates the city was slowly coming to life behind them as more people were waking up to start their daily routine. They rode in silence for most of the day. Ereptus didn't know how to talk to a young girl, and she seemed to have no interest in talking to him at all. She was only just barely holding onto his tunic to not fall off on the horse, unwilling to touch him. He was amazed that she was still upright, but also weirdly pleased that she didn't automatically trust him just because she had been told to. Maybe she wasn't too foolish after all.

They'd been riding for hours when she finally spoke. "How long will it take us to reach this place?"

"Maybe a week, maybe longer."

Silence again. Ereptus didn't mind. He was used to travelling alone, so he barely registered the quiet. As the sun set, they stopped just inside the edge of a small forest to make camp for the night. Ereptus rubbed the horse down and set a small fire to keep them warm, all while Rain stood off to the side, staring glumly.

"This should be one of the few nights we need to sleep outside," he told her a little while later as he handed her some bread and meat. "We should pass enough towns and villages to find an inn to stay at most of the time."

She nodded but didn't reply, and so they ate in silence. Now and then she would put a piece of bread or meat inside her tunic.

"What are you doing?" Ereptus finally asked her irritably when she put her last piece of bread away.

"I'm feeding Peeves."

"Excuse me?"

Rain stuck her hand inside her tunic and pulled out a blue-grey little beast.

"A lizard?" Ereptus laughed in surprise. "You have a pet lizard?"

"He's a dragon, thank you very much!" She huffed but petted the little lizard softly. It was small, no bigger than a rat, and had its tail wound around one of her fingers.

Ereptus scoffed. "Dragons are extinct. There have been no dragons since early in the First Age. The Dark God's followers killed them all."

She shrugged. "Well, Peeves is a dragon," she repeated stubbornly. "Not a stupid lizard."

Looking closer, Ereptus could see why she might think so. The little lizard did have a lot of dragon-like features with a very well-developed head, tiny scales, and spikes down its back. Its eyes were yellow with a black slit, much like a snake. Or lizard. He could have sworn the little reptile stuck its tongue out at him when it caught him observing it. Before he could pay it more attention the girl returned it inside her tunic, turned her back to him and lay down to sleep.

He stared at her small back for a moment. This was getting more and more peculiar. Not only did she supposedly possess magical powers, which was very rare, but she also had Elven heritage and now she had a pet wannabe-dragon lizard? What had he gotten himself into?

Rain gazed at the man who was readying their horse to continue their journey. She didn't trust him. Not that she particularly trusted anyone, other than perhaps Gaylen, but this man made her nervous. His eyes were dark, almost black, and he was much too good at masking his feelings. There was no denying that he was a handsome man, tall and lithe with dark hair that fell to his shoulders, curling slightly at the collar of his tunic. A day's growth of stubble darkened his square jaw, only furthering the feeling that he belonged in the shadows.

Dressed all in black, he didn't look like someone trustworthy, though his clothes were of much better quality than one would have expected from a thief. He might be cleaner than most men she'd encountered, but no one ever said that cleanliness showed a man's personality. Her father had been almost obsessively neat, and he'd definitely not been a good man. She shuddered at the memory. That was a period of her life she'd rather not think about.

When he finished up and mounted, Ereptus motioned for her to join him. She trudged over feeling glum, only to have him unceremoniously pull her up by her arm, as if she weighed no more than a child. Once she settled behind him, her hands lightly holding onto his tunic for support, they set off. She'd told herself that she would not speak. The previous day she'd been so preoccupied with her anger and sadness at Gaylen sending her away that it hadn't been an issue. Today was different. She felt tired and deflated, and she soon grew bored.

"Ereptus?" Her voice was hesitant.

"Yes?" He threw a glance over his shoulder, possibly surprised that she was speaking to him.

"What is this place like?"

"This place," he repeated, his voice amused. "It's called Messina, the City of Peace."

She ground her teeth for a moment before trying again. "Right. What is Messina like?"

"It's at the centre of Erya and the seat of the Council and High King. Possibly the most peaceful city in all the kingdoms now, thanks to the King's Guard and Peacekeepers. They allow no one to bring weapons past the city gates. You'll be safe there."

"I was safe where I was." It grated on her that no one would listen to what she wanted. This wasn't her choice, they couldn't expect her to be happy about it. "Despite what you may think, I am fully capable of taking care of myself. I have done for years."

"You had help from Gaylen. Besides, you're a child. You shouldn't be running about in the city on your own. Especially not in a place like Gor."

"I am not a child!" Rain snapped. That seemed to stun him as he was quiet for a moment. She knew she was of moderate height, but by the Gods, she did not look like a child! "Even if I had been, you were once a child living on the streets of Gor, and you're obviously still alive."

"I hate to break it to you," Ereptus said, and she sensed that he was getting exasperated. "It's not the same. You can't compare a grubby boy running around on the streets to a beautiful girl. It may not be fair, but that's how it is."

Rain wasn't sure whether to be offended by his belief that she couldn't fend for herself, or thank him for the unintended compliment. "I've managed fine," she finally said. "I'm quick on my feet."

"Eventually you would meet someone quicker."

As much as she may want to argue, she had to admit that there was truth to his words. She still believed that she'd manage if caught, but neither Ereptus nor Gaylen did. It was exhausting trying to prove yourself. After all of her years with Gaylen, he had never once not worried himself sick when she went out on her own.

The horse slowed down, and she leaned over to look at the road ahead, but Ereptus' shoulders were too wide for her to see anything.

"Why are we slowing down?"

"There's a carriage standing still on the road up ahead. I think they have a damaged wheel."

Approaching the stranded vehicle they found a man, most likely the driver, trying to get the damaged wheel off, but it was a futile effort without assistance. Next to the carriage a beautiful lady was standing, wringing her hands. She was dressed in fine silks in what Rain assumed was the latest fashion, and her auburn hair was tied back in an intricate hair-do, laced with small pearls and gold chains.

"Can I help?" Ereptus offered, getting off the horse.

"Ah, good sir!" The driver said gratefully. "That would be most appreciated."

Between the two of them, it was a quick job to replace the broken wheel with a spare one from the back of the carriage. Ereptus had taken his fine tunic off to keep it from getting dirty or ruined, leaving him in a sleeveless, linen shirt. He was much stronger than Rain would have expected from his lean frame, his bare arms showing off some rather impressive muscles. She wasn't the only one who had noticed. The lady was practically drooling as they watched Ereptus help the driver attach the broken wheel to the back of the carriage to take home for repairs.

"You must allow me to thank you," the lady gushed when Ereptus walked back towards them, grabbing his tunic from the saddle of his horse and pulling it over his head. "Please ride with me in my carriage to the next town and allow your horse some rest."

"Thank you, my lady. We're much obliged." He smiled at the woman as he pulled his belt tight at the waist and she giggled girlishly.

While he tied the horse to the back of the carriage, the lady gave Rain a disdainful look and stepped in. It made Rain realise that she must look terrible to a fine lady, dressed in her patched hoses and dirty tunic as she was. She'd never cared much about her appearance, but even she could see that compared to the other woman she must look like something the cat had dragged in.

"Come on, kid." Ereptus held the carriage door open for her. "Let's join the lady and spare our backs a few hours of horse riding."

The grin he gave her as she brushed past him made him look positively wicked, and it made her stomach flutter. Maybe she was about to be sick? She sat down in a corner of the carriage, on the opposite side of the lady, and a moment later Ereptus joined them, sitting next to the other woman. For the next few hours, Rain was treated to what seemed to be a game between Ereptus and the lady. They seemed to have forgotten her existence, only having eyes for each other. It seemed as if they were dancing, but with words instead of feet, and smiles, and fluttering eyelashes instead of music.

It was odd to see Ereptus this animated, smiling and full of charm. For as long as she'd known him - which admittedly wasn't very long - he'd been glum and surly, his expression hard to read. There was definitely no difficulty in reading his apparent admiration of the fine lady, as he sometimes whispered in her ear, making her blush prettily. The bits of conversation that Rain could overhear was almost laughable, Ereptus was sparing nothing in complimenting the lady on nearly everything about her. Rain would have called him a liar had he tried it with her, but the other woman seemed to drink up every word, her eyes never leaving him.

As daylight was fading, they finally reached a small town, and it was time for them to part from the lady and her carriage. Rain grumpily stood off to the side holding the reins of their horse as Ereptus took his time bidding the other woman farewell. Finally, he leaned in and whispered something in the lady's ear that made her blush and giggle, then bowed low and kissed her hand. Resisting the urge to make retching noises, Rain watched Ereptus walk towards her while the lady stared after him, her eyes dreamy. Taking the horse's reins, Ereptus kept walking, and Rain had to hurry to keep up with him.

"What's the rush?" she panted after they'd crossed two streets and taken a few turns.

Giving her an amused look, Ereptus spat something out in his hand, then looked at it. Curious, Rain peeked at the small item cradled in the palm of his hand. It was a golden ring filled with pale blue gemstones.

"This should give us some food and a roof over our heads for a few nights." He sounded rather pleased with himself.

Unable to help herself, Rain burst out laughing, which seemed to surprise her companion, who was staring at her.

"What is so entertaining?" He glowered at her.

"All of that sappy talking with that lady was just to get her ring?" Rain grinned. She probably looked like a fool, but she felt relieved that Ereptus hadn't actually been interested in that woman.

He shrugged, but couldn't quite hide his grin. "It's an easy way to keep their attention elsewhere."

"You have guts. I've stolen a few things myself, but I would never dare to steal something right off their finger!"

"It's not that hard. Although I suppose it might be a tad more difficult for you to get away with kissing a lady's hand."

Rain laughed again. Ereptus was looking at her with his dark eyes, but she couldn't determine what he was thinking. It almost seemed as if he wasn't sure how to handle her not being gloomy and disliking him.

They quickly found a less than honest man in a shabby store where they could sell the ring for a nice, round sum. After that, Ereptus took her to a tailor's shop.

"I think you should have some decent clothes before we reach Messina," he told her with a pointed nod towards her old, tattered clothing.

To his obvious surprise, she didn't protest. She'd realised it herself already. If she was starting a new life in a good city with good people, she probably needed some clothes that, if nothing else, were whole and clean. They were lucky enough that the tailor sold already made items along with the tailoring services, which was both much cheaper and meant they could pick it up straight away. Ereptus bought her a simple tunic with a sash to tie at the waist, a pair of hoses and new boots.

Giving her a few coins, he sent her ahead to get them a room at an inn while he wanted to pick up a few more things. After riding for two full days Rain felt dirtier than ever before, so after securing a room she made use of a small bathhouse behind the inn to wash away the grime and dust.

By the time Ereptus joined her in their room, she was sitting on her bed, dressed in her new clothes, brushing her long, wet hair. He closed the door behind him without taking his eyes off her. Sitting down on the bed opposite hers, he almost sat down on Peeves who had been slumbering there in his absence. Frowning, he picked up the little reptile and put him next to Rain on her bed, then sat down again on his own.

"How old are you, kid?" he asked, his face and eyes emotionless.

"Seventeen. Why?"

"I thought you were younger," he admitted gruffly. "Maybe twelve or thirteen."

She scoffed. "I wondered why you treated me like a petulant child."

"Well, you did kind of act like one."

The grouchy comment made her chuckle. "I suppose I did," she allowed. "I'm not sure if I should take offence, I don't think I look like a child."

Ereptus didn't reply, but she caught his quick glimpse at how her new tunic framed her body in a much more flattering way than her old, over-sized one had.

~~~~~~