‘Should’ve brought some candles and rose petals with me to make this a little more romantic… ‘

  The young woman I had found after a few minutes of wandering aimlessly, is currently screaming as I seized her wrist and slid the ring onto her ring finger, weirdly the only one that fits.

  ‘She’s probably not going to walk at night by herself anymore after this. Really shouldn’t have been doing that to begin with.’

  “Sorry, but if you can understand me now please stop screaming, I’m not going to hurt you. I just have some questions”

  Her screams start slowly dying down to quiet sobbing as she collapses to her knees. That went better than expected.

  “Okay, I’m going to take the ring off and ask you a question that I want you to do your best to answer. Nod your head if you understand.”

  After a confirmation nod, I remove the ring and ask-

  “Where is the Carine Inn.”

  All I get from that is a confused look. Perfect. Putting the ring back on I ask again, also getting a confused look, but with a little more comprehension this time…

  “It should be next to the Lords residence, ma’am.”

  “Okay, where is the Lords residence from here”

  “About forty blocks that way.” As she points off to the side, hand shaking like a leaf.

  “Okay, next question. When I put the ring on you, other than being able to understand me, do you feel weird or different in any way?”

  She shakes her head, tears sparkling through the air. Okay, I’m losing her, I need to wrap this up. I slide a gold coin into her palm and continue-

  “I apologize but I have one last question. Where is the nearest place to eat that’s open right now?”

  Her eyes go wide at the sight of the coin. Tears drying up instantly she points down an alley-

  “There’s a tavern that way about five blocks called the Lizards Tale, ma’am.”

  Nodding my head I thank her for her patience, slip off the ring and saunter off down the alley.

  I try the ring on a couple more people along the way to make absolutely sure its not a trap. Once is a fluke, always test more than once.

  ‘Always test more than once, sorry mom.’

  One commonality of this world and Earth, is that nobody comes running when people are screaming. It’s always someone else’s problem. Fortunate for me right now.

  Deciding it’s safe enough I slip the ring on to my finger and feel… nothing. I don’t know what I was expecting.

  Pulling the journal from the prison out of my cloaks pocket, I check to see if it works on writing like it does with speech.

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  ‘Yep, this is so suspicious. I wonder how this ring was made, this would have been revolutionary on Earth.’

  Most of the loose papers I stuffed within are dry and boring financial reports. Before I can get too far into it I arrive before the entrance to the tavern. Pulling my hood down my face to hide my ears better I enter through the wooden door revealing a sparsely occupied dinning and bar area.

  Meandering through the tables I reach the bar to take a seat and order whatever is on the menu they have the largest amount of, a room for the night, and a tub of hot water for a sponge bath in the morning.

  Disappointed I learn that none of their tubs would come even close to fitting me, the average height of those around me has been tending towards under five feet five inches. Consequentially I have needed to duck under every doorway I’ve used so far, which has drawn more eyes and open mouths than I care to count.

  Having food for the first time in well over a month brings actual tears to my eyes, the server giving me uncomfortable looks as I refill the soup with tears from my ugly crying for several minutes as the weight of my new found freedom finally comes crashing down on me.

  I’m out of that prison, all three of them, there’s nobody here who can tell me what to do anymore… my Father isn’t here… I’m officially off the leash.

  ‘I’m FREE dammit!’

  After seven bowls of questionable soup I order three bottles of their strongest alcohol and carry them to my room for the night.

  Food and alcohol induced coma: 4 silver coins.

  One night of dreamless sleep: priceless.

  When I wake up from my alcohol induced stupor it’s still dark outside.

  ‘That’s not right, it should be morning already. Did I sleep through the day into the next night?’

  A couple hours later after a barely passable bath, staring out the window of my room from my bed, I notice the sun isn’t raising so much as it is being revealed by a couple of the moons in the sky moving out of the way, the sun at about the 10 am position by this point.

  ‘Right. This isn’t earth. I wonder what the tides here are like? Those moons are massive.’

  Having light again I figure it’s time to read the journal I stole, so I exit the room and head downstairs for breakfast, ordering a plate of eggs and some juice that tastes like pears and dirt.

  Going through the earlier entries doesn’t reveal over much, other than complaints about the politics of his position, and the desperation of superior officers about the state of humanity; the kingdom being on the verge of collapse, with their territory continually shrinking, references to several species that sound unreal: Spirit Wolves, Greys, The Corrupted, eventual arrival of the Two Conquering Emperors. Not my problem. Upon reading the most recent entries, the fire that had been burning within me about my new freedom is immediately snuffed out.

  The old leash has been exchanged for a new one.

  ‘Nononononononononono, I was free...’

  My vision starts swimming, I can’t breath. Grabbing the journal, I rip it in half and throw the two pieces against the wall as hard as I can, cracking the wood in the process.

  I can’t breathe.

  Collapsing to my knees I vomit and curl into a ball as I’m surrounded by concerned patrons.

  They’re saying something, but I can’t hear them. Their voices are so far away.

  That’s why they were denying me food, trying to make me weaker. When I was knocked unconscious and at my weakest they put a collar on me.

  I was in that cell for a week before I woke up.

  None of their restrictions were sticking though, feeling a backlash every time they tried. Only the most vague of their orders landing, one to restrict my powers as a so called fox, which obviously doesn’t do anything, and is why they took off the original manacles. Another that was the only way to prevent me from killing them and point me in the direction of their enemies while they break me down to give me more and more succinct direction.

  “You are forbidden from killing humans.” Was the way it was written on the collar in that weird script.

  My mind is a mess, thinking only of the inevitable. What’s to stop them from recapturing me and continuing their work? What do I do? I can’t think. I can’t breathe...

  Coming back to myself I realize I’ve been clawing at the markings on my throat, my neck already a shredded mess. I still can’t breathe. I need air.

  My eyes snap open finding myself surrounded by people with horrified looks on their faces, a couple yelling for another to go call for a doctor.

  ‘I need air.’

  Leaping from my curled up position I run for the door, shoving anyone and everything out of the way.

  ‘I need the sun on my face!’