Evil Queen (Ruby Rose fan fic)

SEVEN (Iselen POV)

"Boss, do you need me to close the tavern tonight?" Little B yells from the other side of the counter trying to be heard over the noise. I get closer frowning.

"Do you need to leave early? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing wrong, boss. A messenger has arrived with an order and I need to deliver it before dawn, that's all." I shake my head, confused.

"I don't understand... we don't accept orders for delivery..."

"It's from the fortress, they want two casks of our best white wine and one of the young red wine you love... and they want them tonight as soon as possible so I was thinking of taking the small cart we use to carry our purchases from the port... We can't turn down a request from the fortress, can we?" A shiver runs down my spine when I picture what those vampires could do to us if they get furious. Damn, Little B has no idea what he's getting into.

"I'm going with you. Laila and Bou can close the tavern. No, no... I'm going with you..." I shake my head when I notice he's trying to complain. "You'll drive the cart and I'll be behind you sitting on the casks with my knife ready in my hand just in case we find some trouble, then we'll come back here and leave the cart and the donkey in the backyard; you can go home or sleep here tonight if you prefer..."

"Okay, boss... You're right, if I'm focusing on driving the cart I won't notice if someone attacks me to steal the cargo till it's too late... This looks like a two-person job." I nod relieved when I realize that I've finally convinced him that I should go with him, now it's time to explain Laila where we're going and why while Little B takes the casks out of the cellar. My waitress isn't pleased with the idea either but she knows we can't ignore and order from the fortress. Before we leave, I run upstairs looking for a coat for me and a thick cape for the boy... Nights are cold in Sala.

Although today isn't that bad, at least it doesn't rain heavily like two nights ago and, once we reach the main street that leads to the black gates, our small cart is easier to drive even if it's loaded to the brim. Little B keeps it in perfect condition and the shaft perfectly oiled, we don't make any noise while we climb the hill but I feel very uncomfortable sitting here on top of the casks trembling with cold while monitoring our surroundings.

"You must head to the side door..." a hooded figure is waiting for us and points at his right. He raises his head and I feel his eyes fixed on my face. "Please..." he says kindly. Little B nods and jumps to the ground in order to guide the donkey to the place we've been told where two more hooded figures are waiting. I can't help feeling a shiver when we cross the threshold of the gate but luckily they ask us to stop just a few yards from the entrance in a small patio that leads to a massive building, windows are dim-lit thanks to the candles on the inside and some human... or vampire shapes are peeping through the glasses, watching us. I jump to the ground too while the boy starts untying the ropes that are securing our cargo quietly, his hands shake a little and it's pretty obvious that he's nervous despite the vampires aren't looking at him... their eyes follow my movements while I walk to hold our donkey by the reins because it's kicking the ground restless.

I clear my throat quietly rubbing the neck of the animal and my errand boy rolls the first cask towards a small warehouse on one side of the patio guided by one of the hooded figures. The other one stays near me, staring at me, while the heel of my boot taps the ground anxiously although I can't say I'm feeling threaten, I don't sense hostility... only curiosity. There're more and more people looking through the windows and dozens of eyes are fixed on my back, I can feel them like a burn on my nape and can't help looking back uneasy. Little B comes back in order to take the second cask and roll it towards the warehouse, he doesn't seem as scared as I thought but it's pretty obvious that he wants to finish this task as soon as possible. A third hooded figure has got closer very quietly scaring the hell out of me when he seems to materialize out of thin air, he stares at me for some seconds and starts speaking with his mate in a low tone of voice.