Custos Unicorium 2: Nova Turba~ New Company

Chapter Six: To Enter Lavetin

Our break put us outside Lavetin a while after sundown. It was chilly, and I had to pull out a second cloak. We all filed into a line behind Josephine as we approached the gate. 

"Do you have enough of a reason to enter Lavetin at night?" a guard asked.  

"We're the tracking mission form the village." I could barely hear Josephine's quiet voice. 

"Lots a villages 'round m'am. Not good enough." The guard's voice was rough. 

A sigh came from Josephine. "The village with the unicorn haven. We sent the haven's Messenger a while ago to prepare." 

"We have that, yes, but how do we know that's who you are?" 

"Do you have a list? A list of people allowed inside? Are we on that?" Josephine's voice rose above its usual level. Annoyance rang clearly inside it.  

"Why, yes we do m'am. What would your name be?" The guard's voice held some odd emotion. I was too tired to really think about it. 

"Josephine," she growled out her name. 

The guard eyed her up and down.  

"Well?" Josephine growled again. 

"You're on the list...but I can't let you in." 

"Why the hell not?" More growls, increased in volume, spouted from the leader of our group. 

"Can't m'am, can't let a female-led group in. If you've got there, a man, I might could let you in.  

Oh. That was it. Contempt lingered--no, saturated-- the guard's voice. A growl slid from my own throat, causing Black of Night to tense. 

"Rathor." The sound of Josephine's voice was barely a whisper, but it met the ears it was intended for. There was a flash of movement in the dark as Rathor's black horse trotted up to the gate. 

"Hello, kind guard," I could tell that his word 'kind' was forced, "I am Rathor, and since it seems as though I must, I will be your leader of our group so that we may gain entrance to Lavetin tonight." 

"The young lady, Josephine, the one that the group is listed under, she is with you?" the guard asked. 

"Yes." Rathor's tone was flat. Clearly he didn't approve of the guard's statement. We were all tired, and didn't have the energy or patience for a verbal fight. Edelia was already asleep, clinging to Edgar's back.  

A long silence was brought on by the guard as he seemed to contemplate our request. "You may enter," he finally growled. "I don't know how you stand your women to act like that, Rathor, was it?" The guard clearly meant all of us to hear his statement as we passed.  

Anger flared inside me, but sleep padded it in. By the time we got to the inn we were staying at I was nearly asleep. I missed Howl. Hell, if I'd had her with me I'd have slept on top of her. She wouldn't have minded. I didn't have her though, and Black of Night required me to struggle to stay awake long enough to fasten him into the stall of the inn's barn and make my way up to my room at the inn. 

The room held only three straw mattresses as far as sleeping places. I growled and grabbed the blanket off one and threw it in the corner. I added my two cloaks and lined coat as I took them off. It didn't make for a very malleable nest, but it would do. My pack and drying rabbit skin went between me and the door.  

Sleep encased me almost immediately as I laid in the nest. 

*************** 

The morning light shone harshly through the window and straight into my nest. Apparently I hadn't picked the best spot. After being so disoriented the night before I figured I'd better check the place out.