女神归来的夏天

Chapter 235: Journey to the Barony of James VI

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I look up from the fire, realizing that Sally will have to be my guide when we are in the Barony of James. Being around a place where you suffered heavy trauma isn\'t going to be easy. "Are you okay with being the guide once we reach the Barony of James? I know its location, but not the exact layout as you would." She raises her face out of her knees and rests her head against them as she looks at me. She has a thoughtful look in her eyes. Contemplating if she should. She lightly nods her head after a couple of seconds.

I turn my attention back to the fire and the mountains beyond them, where the sun is slowly rising. "I never thought I\'d be going back to that place... I always feared they\'d find me and drag me back... That was the only way I thought I could end up back... The idea of getting revenge on the James family is... Exciting..." She announces her thoughts now that I\'ve brought up the tough subject. I keep my gaze on the rising sun and mountains, and once I finally have a response, I turn my head and look at her. She has an ashamed look on her face.

She must think that getting revenge is wrong and being excited about it even more so. While many humanitarians and pacifists would agree with her shame. I don\'t. "You can feel however you want to about it, Sally. You can be scared. Eager. Excited. Nervous. It\'s okay to feel these things when we are doing what we are doing. Remember that this is just the first stop on the trip, once we are done in the Barony James. If you decide you want to continue killing all the ones that did you wrong. We will." There are many places a slave could end up being sent and returned.

I don\'t doubt for a second that Sally\'s willpower and defiance against her captors caused problems against the men that wanted to buy her and sell her. "I\'m all of those things and more... I feel like I\'m opening the pandora\'s box on something that I should just forget... When I think that, I think about all the innocent women that I\'ll be saving... All the slavers that will be stopped... When I think of that, my determination is overpowering all the others..." That\'s a good thing. She is doing the right thing. On earth, this wouldn\'t be possible.

I\'m sure if women could hurt their abusers and rapers after the fact, without any repercussion, they would. Gaia is different. While you can get in trouble for murder, many will let the killer of slavers go... It\'s a blight on this world billions disagree with. "I\'m proud of you for doing this." Her head darts up as I say that. I think she needs to hear this. "The strength of character you\'re showing is truly amazing. Your mother would be proud too." She opens and closes her mouth. Trying to find words. After a couple of seconds, tears start to form on the edges of her eyes.

She scoots over to me and lays her head against my shoulder. She turns her head and buries her face into my shoulder, and begins to let out soft cries. I wrap my arm around her and comfort her. "I miss her so much... I only have her journals... She died so soon after I was born..." Her pain is great. I felt the same when Hailey\'s dealer murdered my mother right in front of me. Being too weak and too much of a coward to move. Her pain is similar but different. She has a deep scar that will never go away. Her existence likely haunts her too.

I lightly rock her and give her all the time she needs to let her emotions out. To vent in any way she needs. "Your mother is looking down from Overworld. Smiling down on you. I know it. What mother couldn\'t be proud of you." She wraps her arms around me fast and squeezes me tightly into a hug. She sobs harder as she hears those words. After watching the sunrise as she cries, I notice that she is quiet now. I lift her gently off me and see she has cried herself to sleep. I lay her gently on the ground and pack up the tent. It\'s time we get a move on. It sucks I have to wake her.

As Cera wakes up Sally for today\'s trip. The Barony of James is trying to prepare for the worst. A woman of James\' family is laying plans to usurp her brothers and stop the horrible things her father created. Kelly James is trying to think of ways to get Slayer Zern on her side and not be killed. She has concluded with the information she has that the destination of Slayer Zern is, in fact, the Barony of James. She knows this cause the half-elf he is traveling with used to be a slave of the James family. One was treated very poorly. Worse than other slaves.

The foolishness of my father and brothers has come back to haunt the family. My only chance of survival is to try and speak to Slayer Zern before any of my brothers. Many of my spies have no information coming from my brother\'s estates. None of them know where or when Slayer Zern is supposed to be arriving in the Barony. "Should I contact the adventurers guild to increase security, my lady?" My trusted butler wants to increase the security around my estate. However, I don\'t think there is a mortal strong enough to hurt Zern.

It\'ll be a waste of gold and make us look hostile. "That won\'t be necessary. If he comes to my estate, I want there to be no reason to fight. We need a plan to be the first ones to speak to him. He needs to know that I\'m not like the rest of the James family. This is one of the only opportunities that I\'ll get to usurp the family and all the power our Barony holds." I\'ve had several plans coming together for the last several years, but this one has fallen into my lap and has everything I need to take the Barony and stop the evil corrupting it.

My butler lightly bows and proceeds to leave the room, so I\'m alone with my thoughts. "I know what I can do... I don\'t know if it\'ll work, though..." I lightly whisper to myself as I pull out some paper and ink. I dip my quill in ink and begin writing a letter to the king of Pleer and the king of Zenith. Both letters are identical and should prove some help. If either my king or Zenith king listens to reason, I\'ll have a little more help. I finish writing the letters and reread them to see if anything is missing. Nothing looks out of place.

I fold up the letters and send them via birds. I don\'t like sending things through magic or by a person. Potential enemies can easily intercept them. A bird is inconspicuous enough to get the job done easily. Gets to the targets after a few days and returns. I can only hope that Slayer Zern isn\'t here too early. I\'ll get an answer from my king before an answer from Zenith. I wouldn\'t be surprised if my king informs my brothers about my letter, but none of that will matter in the future. Slayer Zern is on his way here.

Suppose my king has any sense at all. He\'ll help me so Slayer Zern doesn\'t come to the capital to make a repeat Bellvia incident. I sit in my chair after the birds fade out of view. One is heading towards the country of Zenith, and the other is heading for our capital. I rub my temples, hoping that I can get some sort of help. If not, I\'m as dead as my brothers. "Would you like some refreshments, my lady?" My butler walks in, pushing a cart. Taking my mind off the current problem seems like a good idea. Focusing too much on one thing for a long time isn\'t good for your health.

My butler pours a cup of tea and puts a couple of plates of cake on the table. The aroma of the sweet cakes and tea ease my mind and relax me. Once he is finished, I start to eat the food and enjoy it calmly. The amount of time I\'ve spent planning for all this should be worth something. I pray to The Almighty Father that something works out for me. I want to make the James family great and pure. Not the way it is now. This is a chance that could change the future of the Barony, and maybe even the world of Slavery.