Coming back to the main room with the runes stored in his ring, Gregory looked at the worried eurtiks. “I’m sorry for what’s happened. I have other stops to make before we return to camp. Please be patient while I handle the things I need to.”
“Sir,” Belly said, looking down, “we can help if you want. Many of us have run errands for our previous owner.”
“I appreciate that, but most of these are things I need to handle personally.” Gregory exhaled slowly. “I just meant to find a cook to help the camp, not end up with slaves beholden to me… but we’re here now. I will do what is best for you.”
“Yes, sir…” Belly murmured.
Gregory gave them all another look, noting their lack of real personal property. They had the clothing on their backs and, at most, a small bag clutched in their hands. The seven women were a mixed lot of eurtik, and only Belly’s mother was older than thirty. The two sets of sisters were cheetah and cow eurtiks. The last two were a rabbit eurtik with floppy ears and a snake eurtik who kept tasting the air with her tongue.
“Captain, can I ask you to do me a favor?” Gregory turned to Willof.
“What are you asking for?”
Gregory produced a small bag of vela. “Can you take them to a clothier to get them at least outfitted with suitable clothing for a few days?”
Willof accepted the bag of coins. “That I can do. You’ll have to let Davis know to add in more supplies.”
“I’m going to the distillery first, and then to each stop he should be at for just that before I get back to my other tasks. Thank you.”
“You did a good thing. That man was not a good person,” Willof said. “All of you with me. I need a good clothier who will do the work without balking.”
“There’s one a couple of streets away who made these for us,” the rabbit eurtik whispered.
“Very good, Miss…?”
“Flopsy.”
Willof’s eye twitched; he knew how most people treated slave eurtiks, and that meant their names were always demeaning. “Flopsy, please show me the way. Magi Pettit is a good man. I can tell you some about him as we go. Your station in life has taken a tremendous step forward. You’ll see as you work with him.”
Gregory followed the group out, then mounted his horse and rode to the distillery. Eight more people would tax his budget from the empire, but he would pay for the increase out of his own pocket. He’d thrust himself into their lives, not even asking if they wanted him to. He would have to make things right for them.
Riding into the yard of the distillery, Gregory exhaled in relief, as Davis was still there. “Lieutenant! A moment, please.”
Davis’ head whipped around to find Gregory before he excused himself from the other conversation. “Sir?” Davis asked when he got closer.
“Increase the amount of drink and food we get,” Gregory said. “My pay going forward is to be diverted to account for the eight people I just brought under my banner.”
“Eight, sir?”
Gregory grimaced before he dismounted. “Let me start with the fact that the cook I was seeing first is a slave…”
Davis nodded slowly. “You could’ve just taken the two extra off him. I know why you did what you did, though, sir. He would’ve done it again later. It was best to remove him entirely. You could hand the slaves off to the mayor to find owners for?”
“No. I’ve met him and wouldn’t do that to people who’ve already had unpleasant lives.”
“I’ll arrange for more food and drink, sir. Two of them are cooks?”
“Belly,” Gregory hated the name, and it was clear in his tone, “and his mother. The other six are all barmaids who did what they were ordered. I’ll be making it very clear that they are not to be touched without clear, freely given consent.”
Davis leaned back slightly at the pressure leaking from the magi. “I’ll make sure it’s known, sir. I have strong feelings against coercion, as well. What will you task them with?”
Gregory looked away for a moment. “I don’t know, but I would value your advice.”
“We can make them camp helpers… for the short term, at least. They can run errands for the sergeants, or maybe even bring water from town. It’d help with cleanliness. One of them will need to be taught how to handle the wagon, but the boys can manage that.”
“If things don’t work out, I’ll see if my wives can help. We have three weeks before we go to the city, right?”
“Yes, sir. We leave the day before resupply, so we’ll arrive empty of goods. We’ll be bringing a full load from Grakle back out with us.”
“That might help… I’ll be starting them on conditioning. None of them are in great shape for the marching we’ll have to do.”
“Sir, I’ve come to understand that you want things to be better,” Davis said softly. “You might not have thought your actions through, but you did what was right. We can work on it from here. The women will have choices, choices they’d never have had if not for you.”
Gregory took a deep breath. “Thank you. I just hope I didn’t cause more problems for them. People in Gardenia will be very upset with me. I just closed a known establishment.”
“Possibly, sir. The man was breaking laws, so it had to be done.”
“I’m going to complete my other errands. I’ll meet you back here with the others.”
“Yes, sir,” Davis saluted.
Gregory mounted his docile mare. “See you soon, Lieutenant.”
As Gregory rode away, Davis called Jim over to him. “There will be eight eurtik going back to camp with us. Make sure that one or two can find a place to sit in the wagon after we load it.”
“Eight eurtiks…? Slaves, sir?”
“Yes. The man who owned them was breaking laws, and our magi gathered them under his wing. They’ll be treated well, or he’ll be unhappy. It’ll all be explained back at camp. Just make sure that we have space, even atop barrels that are safe for people to perch on, if it’s needed.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I need to get more wine and food organized,” Davis said, then went to find Paul Vattakavanich, the manager of the distillery.
~*~*~
Willof had tabards made for the slaves so they now bore the clan emblem, informing Gregory that normal clothing would be delivered to the camp over the next few weeks for them.
No one rode in the wagon on the way back. Gregory spoke with the eurtiks during the trip, walking with them, his horse tied to the wagon. Belly’s mother was named Squeal, and when Gregory offered them the chance to change their names, they both did. Belly took the name Barny, and his mother went with Petal. Petal was in her forties and had been a cook for most of it; she promised to do her best, very grateful to be free of Bruce.
Flopsy, the rabbit eurtik, chose to keep her name, as she genuinely liked it. She told Gregory about how things had been at the Blushing Maid. Not many would pay to sleep with them, but if they did, the women could never deny the customer anything, even if it hurt them. She was cautiously optimistic about this new life she was being offered.
Hiss, the snake eurtik, opted to become May. She was curious about Gregory, since he didn’t smell like others. When he answered her questions, she even smiled; he didn’t rebuked or hit her. By the time he moved on, she was sure that life was going to be much better.
The cheetah eurtik sisters, Polka and Dot, didn’t think changing their names would matter. The pair were thin to the point of being unhealthy, obviously having been forced to stay that way. When Gregory asked, they told him how their food was half of the others. Their leanness coupled with their fur pattern had made them the most bought women on staff. Neither thought that a change in owner— especially to a magi— would improve their lives. They were sure the captain had lied about him earlier, but kept that to themselves.
Moo and Milk were eager to change their names. The bovine eurtik chose to be called Nammi and Netty. The pair were the largest of the eurtik, having been fed to plump them up. They were the polar opposite of the other sisters in body types, which got them bought often enough that neither wanted to be touched by men again. Their horns had been sawed off a handspan from their heads; they explained that their horns had been the only thing to tell them apart, so Bruce had them removed so he could fool the guards.
The conversations reaffirmed that Gregory had done the right thing. Society wouldn’t have found anything wrong with what Bruce was doing, but he had, and he’d acted to stop it. All he could do was his best going forward.
When they arrived back at camp, a crowd had gathered, as it was clear there were a lot more people. Gregory motioned Basal to take his horse so he could address the growing crowd.
“Men, we have more faces in camp starting today. We’ll be settling them in over the next few weeks. These eight are slaves, and their runes reside with me for now. You will treat them the way you would Rafiq. Do not harass them, or I will be displeased. I didn’t free them from a lawbreaker just to have my own men hurt them.”
He’d spoken loudly enough that even the men cooking could hear him. His gaze darted from squad to squad, making sure they’d all heard him.
“Two of them are cooks who will be taking that duty away from you.”
He had to pause when a small cheer went up.
“The other six might end up as runners for the sergeants. Just remember that they’re people who are under my protection. I know none of you would try to coerce them— my men are better than that. If any incident happens, I will become personally involved. On the unlikely chance one of them does something wrong, bring it to your sergeant and they’ll bring it to me. In time, they might find a better life with others, or they’ll be with us for years, so treat them accordingly. Any questions?”
Sergeant Glasson stepped forward. “Sir, where will they sleep?”
“I picked up a tent for them,” Gregory said. “It’ll be placed beside mine. They might have different accommodations later, but for now, this will help everyone.”
Glasson nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you.”
“Barny, Petal, if you want to go check in with the cooks, I think dinner is soon. They can show you the tent.”
The two pig eurtiks bowed to him before heading away.
“I need two men to set up their tent,” Gregory said as he summoned it from his ring.
Two men raised their hands, both partial eurtiks.
“Thank you. Once you have it set, I have cots and other sundries to be placed for them.” Gregory turned to look at the six women, who looked uneasy. “Ladies, none of my men will harass you. Just wait and we’ll get your tent set up. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss your tasks.”
All six bowed to him, shifting farther back so he was between them and the men.
Rafiq came out of Gregory’s tent and, seeing the other full-blooded eurtiks, he approached Gregory. “Gregory, might I speak with them?”
“Please,” Gregory said. “I never intended for this to happen, but I want to do right by them.”
Rafiq smiled. “That is who you are…” The slaves calmed to see another pure-blooded eurtik already there. “It’ll be okay. I’m sure you have many questions, and you wonder if you’ll be told the truth. I will stay with you and answer your questions.”
~*~*~
Rafiq stayed with the women, bringing dinner to them in their tent. That still had a lot of men wondering what purpose the eurtiks would serve in the camp, as none of them could see any reasons for them to be kept.
Gregory called a meeting of his officer core once the meal was over. The sergeants would have questions to ask and concerns to give voice to, and he wanted them aired before anything could fester.
Basal was shaken when Gregory went off to the lieutenant’s tent. The young man had been shocked that he’d brought slaves back to the camp. The magi had seemed against the idea of eurtik being lesser, but now, he was uncertain about Gregory.
“Let me tell you the story before we open up for questions,” Gregory said without preamble when everyone took a seat in Davis’ tent. “I stopped at the Blushing Maid to see about a cook…”
The others listened as Gregory talked. A couple of them, Glasson in particular, looked very unhappy about the women being forced to serve customers against their will. When Gregory finished, they were silent as they thought about what else could’ve been done.
“Now that you all know, you’re probably wondering why he didn’t hand them over to the mayor to deal with,” Davis spoke up. “None of you have met the man. He isn’t known for compassion toward people of lower station. They would’ve ended up in similar places, or possibly even worse places.”
“I don’t fault you,” Milton said, the half-dwarf looking thoughtful. “Adding eight more people might cause some resentment among the men. What’ll have to be cut for the new bodies to survive?”
“Nothing,” Gregory said. “I’m paying for their food, drink, and living space. My personal money, not unit funds.”
“That’ll help,” Townson said, rubbing his sharp chin. “I doubt any of the men will press them, especially not now that you’ve clearly called them yours. It might lead to problems when the men go on leave, though.”
“Cause them to seek out comfort women, you mean,” Bunson snorted. “They will, anyway. Women, drinking, and gambling have always been the soldier’s way of blowing off steam.”
“But more will go for women now,” Townson added, “which can lead to some of the worst scenarios our men can get into.”
“Explain, please?” Gregory asked.
“First, they might be accused of not paying by a woman’s guardian,” Bunson said. “That’ll almost always lead to a fight. It doesn’t matter if it’s a true charge or not.”
“Dead pimps are a blessing!” Glasson snapped. “Most of them keep the girls under the influence or beat them to keep them in line. If the men need that, they should go to reputable houses, not street women.”
“Cost is what drives them to the night-walkers,” Milton jumped in. “It’s always cheaper for a back-alley tumble than an established whorehouse.”
“And more likely to get them infected with the pox or itch,” Donald added, his yellow eyes narrow. “My men have been lectured about that. I won’t abide an idiot who lets his cock lead him into danger.”
“Might want to do the same,” Glasson nodded. “More so now.”
“What purpose will they even have here?” Milton asked, bringing the conversation back to the six women. “The two cooks have a job to do, but not the other six.”
“That’s one of the reasons for this meeting,” Gregory said. “I’d considered using them as runners for you. One per squad, under direct supervision of each sergeant.”
“Doing what?” Donald asked.
“Small errands, passing messages… anything that an able body can do.”
“Getting the men water while out on the course?” Townson asked.
“Things like that,” Gregory agreed. “They could even help with dinner, delivering food to the tables. That’s something they’re used to doing. It would give them a clear function and help them settle in, too.”
“Not sure about it, but I’m willing to give it a go,” Milton said. “Aether knows we’ll be an unusual unit as it is.”
“What if it doesn’t work out?” Glasson asked Gregory.
“That’s where things get tricky. I’m going to ask my wives for help when we get to Grakle. We might leave them with Mindie, and she can work on finding good people to care for them.”
“You believe it’ll be that easy?” Bunson asked.
“No. It’d take a lot of work on her part, but Mindie would see that it got done. My wives are just as focused on some subjects as I am.”
“Mindie is part-fox eurtik,” Willof added from his seat. “A magi healer who married Gregory and his other two wives.”
“Never did go into all the details about them,” Gregory muttered. “My first wife, Yukiko, has hints of snow owl eurtik blood. Jenn, my second wife, is part-dwarven. Mindie became our third wife, and is a part fox eurtik. All of us feel strongly about some subjects.”
The sergeants went quiet for a moment, with a couple of them exchanging glances.
“Sir, we’ll do our best,” Donald said. “Any problems will be brought straight to you.”
“Thank you. I know this will be difficult. It wasn’t what I intended to do, but not acting wasn’t possible for me when I figured out what was happening. A man who will break one slave law for his own benefit will break others.”
“Or worse,” Davis added. “Sir, considering your stance on things, what if they don’t want to do as you suggest?”
Gregory exhaled slowly. “Then I’ll have them stay as sequestered as possible until we get to Grakle. I won’t force them; it’ll be an offer they can refuse. If they do, I’ll try to see them given to an owner who can care for them.”
Everyone in the tent could see his jaw twitch at the phrase.
Glasson was the one who spoke, and it wasn’t a question, “You don’t like slavery.”
Gregory looked from person to person before he replied, “I don’t. Saying more than that can be seen as disloyalty to the empire. Even that being said can cause untold problems.”
“None of us will say a word,” Davis said firmly.
“I trust you, but this conversation shouldn’t take place. Not today, not while we’re beholden to hold the peace of the empire.”
Willof coughed. “Not in front of an officer of the empire, either. Now, nothing said crossed firm lines, but Gregory’s right. Even admitting you’re against slavery can cause backlash in some circles.”
Glasson bowed his head. “Sorry, sir. My father… was a slave. I kind of wish he’d met someone like you.”
“I wish they all could,” Gregory replied. “I’ll be out of training tomorrow. Run them as we have been.”
“I’ll handle it, sir,” Davis said.
“Thank you, Davis. Hopefully tomorrow, we can start a new page for these poor people.” Gregory stood, thanked the sergeants, then left them to talk without him.
Making it back to his tent, he found Basal sitting in the front room. “Basal?”
“Sir,” Basal said softly, standing up from the chair he’d been hunched in. “Did you need anything else tonight?”
Gregory could tell something was off, so he took a seat near the young man. “Sit. Tell me what’s bothering you, please.”
Basal slumped as he took his seat again. “I… you… the slav…” The sentence was fragmented as he tried to find the words, then just trailed off.
“Yeah,” Gregory sighed. “The new people?”
Basal nodded, not meeting Gregory’s eyes.
“We’ll do the best we can for them. They’ve been used by a bad man who held their slave runes, forcing them to do things they hated. He’ll be dead tomorrow, and I couldn’t just leave them with the mayor to be given to someone else who could do the same to them.”
Basal glanced up. “You didn’t want them?”
“No. I don’t want slaves, Basal. I wish I didn’t have Rafiq’s rune, either, but the academy forced us together. These eight… well, it was let them be handed off to another to be used or gather them in and hope I can give them something better. Maybe that’s prideful of me, but I’d like them to find a life worth living— one they choose— as much as they can.”
“Most of them are women…”
Gregory nodded, but his lips twitched. “I have three wives, beautiful women who I love with all my heart, Basal. I didn’t bring them here for base needs. If anyone tries that with them, I’ll come down like a mountain on the offender.”
Basal blinked, then shot to his feet and bowed low to Gregory. “Sorry, sir!”
“It’s fine, Basal. It tells me where your heart is, and it’s a good heart. I normally play a game or two with Rafiq before bed. He’s busy tonight, so would you like to stand in?”
“Me?” Basal asked, coming out of the bow.
“Yes, you. You and Hanz have been working hard. I got you both treats again, but forgot to hand them out. I’ll give them to you tomorrow. Tonight, we can play a game and just relax before we have to pick up our roles again.”
Basal smiled brightly. “Yes, s… Gregory. I’ll go get the Go board.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Gregory said.
