Slave Girl: Chapter 15 (Patreon)

After a brief rest we were on the road again with both of our spirits high.  Rosa is back to her talkative ebullient self which ends up slowing us down more than ever as she chats with other travelers and stops in the shady areas to look at any little thing that interested her.  I was happy I’d paid over a year in advance of taxes on my land from my uncle’s inheritance while I was in Rome, it might take us that long to get there at this rate!  I didn’t mind though, Rosa’s uplifting attitude made the time fly by.

The sun was beginning to get low in the sky as we are passing through yet another town.  This town was going to be a bit different though, I’d been planning this surprise for better part of the afternoon.  I was finally going to put my slave to work.  As we enter the still bustling main square I move off to a quiet corner and set down my pack.

“We don’t usually rest in towns.”  Rosa observes.

“This isn’t a rest.”  I say.  “I’ve got a job for you.”

“You do?”  She says curiously.

Untying the pack I pull the slender amphora of wine we’d received from Gaius from it and hand it to her.

She takes it by the handles and looks at me confused.  “You wish…to drink?”

“As much as I would like that, no.”  I say.  “It is weighing me down.  I want you to put that gift of gab to use and see if you can get a good price for this.  If you could even get enough for a few loaves of bread that would great.”  I sit down beside the pack, lean my back up against the wall behind us, fold my hands over my stomach and stretch my legs out.  “Buy whatever supplies you think we need.  I’ll be here relaxing.  You can rest up on my back later this evening.”

Slowly a smile grows on her pretty face.  It was a task.  Her first opportunity to really contribute toward our goal in a concrete way and she was more than eager to prove her worth.

“Don’t take too long now.”  I say.

“Yes Master!”  She says excitedly.  With that she takes the bottle of wine and hurries toward the market, her petite form quickly disappearing among the crowd.

With her natural charm I had faith she could sell the wine and, given that she was a businesswoman of sorts in her former life, I knew she’d get the best price she could for it.  What I was curious about though is how she would spend what she got.  Would it be practical or frivolous?  Either way I was curious to see, as long as a bit of food was obtained I would be happy.  I felt no ownership over the wine in the first place so losing it was no sacrifice.

It doesn’t take long, perhaps a bit longer than expected, when I see her trotting back toward me.  Her capelet flaps out behind her as she jogs.  In her left hand are two disks of stiff flatbread.  In her right…a long wooden flute.  Not food, not supplies, but a flute!  I was definitely disappointed.  She had failed my little test for her.  I had hoped she would have leaned toward the more practical, but a I suppose leopard cannot change its spots overnight.

She walks up and stands over me looking more than little pleased with herself.  She hands me one of the breads.

“Thanks.”  I say as I take it.  Biting down I hold it in my mouth and rise to my feet.  I sling on my pack and without a word the pair of us are heading South.  I tear a piece of tough bread off and chew it.  It was good, though with as hungry as I was anything edible would be.  Rosa nibbles on hers and spins the flute around her fingers in the other hand.  It isn’t until we are through the outskirts and back on the open road that I finally comment.  “Interesting choices.”

She holds the flute out and turns it left and right.  The sheen of varnish on rich tan brown of the instrument was pleasing to the eye.  Running along either side was a darker toned design of a winding vine carved into it.  “Not bad, huh?”

“A flute and two bread for a bottle of wine.  It’s…it’s more than I expected.”

“Ha!”  She exclaims.  “It took everything I had just to get the flute.”  Tilting her head to show me she says.  “I had to let him file some of my horns away too.  He wanted to use the powder in a lacquer.”  Looking over I then notice that her nubby little horns had been filed to sharp, slightly curving, points.  “Don’t worry Master, they’ll grow back normal pretty quick.  And it was worth it!”  She grins proudly.  “I can’t believe I got a flute like this for one bottle of wine.  I think the guy liked me.  He he he!”

Looking down at my half eaten bread I ask.  “Where did this come from then?”

“That.”  She points at it with the flute.  “Was got with this.”  She raises the instrument like a scepter and spins it once more.  “I am a very good flute girl.  And I know songs and styles the musicians up here haven’t even heard of.”  She tucks it up under her arm and continues to munch on her bread.  “I could have gotten more but I knew we needed to get moving.”

“You played for our bread?”

“Yep.”  She sinks her fangs into the food and rips off a piece to chew.  All it took was a bit of hunger and she was eating like a country girl.  “Mmm.”

“That is…brilliant!”  Not only had she gotten us some food, we now had a way of earning a bit of coin along the way.  She hadn’t simply passed the test, she exceeded all expectations.

“Mmm.”  She beams with a crumby smile.

“Did it hurt?  What he did to your horns?  Are you okay?”

She looks at me, touched by my concern.  “Didn’t feel a thing.”  She then takes another bite and shoots me a wink.  “Better be careful though.  They’re sharp.  I might gore you if you make me mad.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”  I chuckle.

I eat most of my bread and Rosa not quite half of hers then we pack the rest away for later.  With her hands free she brings the flute to her lips to play as we walk.  The cheerful chirping tune buoys our spirits and brings a bit more spring to our steps.  True to her word, she was very good.  The notes were true and clear, her deft slender fingers dance along the shaft never once missing their mark.  We are greeted with bright smiles by those passing by us on hearing the Rosa’s merry music.  She trots and spins and dances beside me despite how tired I knew she must be.  I’d never heard any of the songs she plays.  It was music from her homeland.  The scales and notes of them had an evocative exoticness about them that spurred the imagination.  In my mind’s eye I could imagine the chaotic streets of Alexandria.  Greeks, Persians, Jews, Egyptians and more haggling and jostling along narrow streets.  Gold bedecked elephants trundling along with turban wearing traders from the far East.  Ladies and men in brightly colored silks.  Students and scholars from every corner of the known world debating maths and philosophy and politics.  And there amongst all of it…this violet haired dancing demon girl playing her flute.

It’s not long before the music ends.  It was late in the day and Rosa had to preserve what energy she had left.

“That was amazing.”  I tell her, a smile still on my face.  “You’re quite a talent.”

“Thank you.”  She says as she spins the flute left then right.  “It’s a fine instrument.  I was lucky to find it.”

As we walk, the sky now a beautiful orange-pink, Rosa becomes more and more quiet.  Eventually she reaches over and tugs on my tunic.

I stop.  “Need a lift?”

“Yes please.”  She says in a tired voice.

“Of course.”  I kneel down.  Rosa climbs aboard as if it were second nature and I feel her warm lithe lovely body cling onto mine.  I secure her up on my back and rise to my feet then set off at a brisk pace.

Rosa hugs me around my chest and nuzzles into the back of my neck.  “Don’t you ever get tired?”

I pat her foot.  “We’ll stop soon.  I promise.”

Taking in a breath she says.  “Forgive me Master but…you stink.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“I’m sure I do too.”  She says.  “If we find a stream or pool I’d like to stop there for the night.  I need to wash these clothes.”

“They’re not that bad.”

“Listen Master, you men can be as filthy as you wish when you’re with the boys or by yourself, but you’ve got a woman in your life now.  I don’t care how poor we are, I’m not going to put up with a rancid man.”

“You sound like my mother.”  I chuckle.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”  She retorts, then, using her flute, she points forward down the road.  “Now find us some water!”

Jokingly I groan like a sullen teen being scolded.  “Yes Ma’am.”

She gives my neck a little peck, sending a wave of tingles out from the spot her lips touched, and hugs me tight.  “That’s my boy.”

Chapter 16