Chapter 6
To A New Beginning
Several days have passed since they found out Adolpha was pregnant. Wolf was back to sleeping in his cage during the day. Adolpha decided to keep the child. The head maid checked on her from time to time. Adolpha was happy and showed it to the maids.
In the house, Mike and Sam were always nervous. They began to talk about leaving the house before Lord Michael came back. Mike talks about going into hiding. Sam wanted to change their appearance. They drank much more.
After some time of talking, they realize that they could not escape. They knew Lord Michael was well connected with the underground world. This made them more scared and worried. They continued their discussions.
More time passed, and no word from Lord Michael. Sam and Mike have given up on their plan to run away. They settled on blaming Wolf for all the trouble. Sam would hang around the maids and help out. Mike just kept drinking.
One afternoon the head maid calls Mike. She wants him to get some supplies from the mainland. She was in Lord Michael's office. The head maid moves a book, and a secret door opens. There was a safe, and she walked to it. She pulls out the bracelet and activates it. The safe reacts and opens.
Inside the safe, there were some crystals and some gold coins. The head maid took one gold coin and closed the safe. She closes the hidden door and walks out of the room. Mike was heading upstairs and saw the head maid. The head maid gives him a list and the gold coin. Mike was a little drunk.
Mike takes the paper and coin. He goes downstairs and looks for Sam. He was in the backyard. Sam hears Mike calling him. He goes over, and they leave to the dock. Mike and Sam leave for the mainland.
On the island, the head maid was with Adolpha. She wanted to check her condition. Adolpha would throw up sometimes. Other times she didn't like what they ate. The head maid told Adolpha she knew how to care for pregnant girls.
She told her about what she used to do before working on the island. Adolpha began to trust her more and more. The head maid asked her again to go live in the house. Adolpha refused and told her the reason behind it.
Adolpha told her about her time locked up. She remembers the harsh lessons Lord Michael put her throw. The maids looked at her with mean expressions. The head maid felt sorry for her and let her do as she pleased. Adolpha thanked her.
Later that day, Mike and Sam came back from the mainland. The maids were in the kitchen preparing dinner. Sam brought them some of the supplies they got. Mike went to see the head maid. He gave her back the change, and the head maid paid him and Sam.
Mike also handed her some letters. He told her that they were from the townsfolk. They were letters celebrating the new year. The head maid took them and set them on a table. Mike left and went to the living room.
Mike was eating and drinking in the living room. Sam walked in, and Mike gave him his share of the pay. Sam began to drink and talked to Mike. They talk about living on the island. Mike was already over it.
At night Adolpha ate her dinner. The maid told her to eat everything. Adolpha didn't like some new foods that were in it. They said to her that the head maid put them in for her. After dinner, they bathed her and gave her clean clothes.
Adolpha pretended to go to sleep. The maids left her and headed back to the house. After some time, when the lights in the house were off, Adolpha got up and walked to the door. She opened the door and walked out. She took her blanket with her because it was cold.
Wolf was already waiting for her. They began their walk around the island. Adolpha talked about her family some more, but Wolf stayed quiet about his. Adolpha also started talking about names. Wolf listens to her happily say names.
More time passed, and it was the new year. Late winter 844, Wolf was sleeping in her cage. Adolpha was drawing on the wall of the cabin. She would talk to herself. The maids were outside hanging clothes. Mike was on a hammock sleeping.
The voice of Sam screaming drew their attention. Mike wakes up and sees Sam running to him. The maids see him running. Wolf stayed lying down and listened. Adolpha peaks out the window. Sam reaches Mike and catches his breath. He then shows him a letter.
Sam has opened it, but Mike could see Lord Michael's seal. Mike gets scared and takes it. He began to read it. Mike's eyes widen from reading it. The maids see him. The head maid comes out after hearing Sam yelling. She goes over to them.
The head maid asks them about the ruckus they are making. Mike shows her the letter. She takes it and reads it. Her eyes show worry in them. She looks at Mike and Sam. The maids stopped working.
"It seems that the time has come."
Mike and Sam were nervous. Wolf could hear the shaking in their voices. The head maid told them what they were going to do. Adolpha was back to drawing on her wall. Mike agreed to help them clean. Sam was also going to help.
The head maid leaves them and goes over to the other maids. She gathers them and talks to them. Mike and Sam began to speak. Sam was scared that they would be killed. Mike told him that he would come up with a plan. Sam, with panic in his voice, shouts.
"You think he will be merciful? It's captain Harris we are talking about."
Wolf's ears perk up. His eyes open, and he gets up. Mike and Sam get scared hearing movement. They look at Wolf and think he was mad about them yelling. They apologize and walk back to the house.
Wolf lays down and concentrates. His ears twitch and move in the direction of sounds. He then hears the head maid talk to the other maids. She was giving them instructions. Sam and Mike walk past them and hear her talking.
"As I said, Lord Michael will be coming back soon. He sent a letter saying so. But before he comes, he will have a guest check on us. As some of you know him already."
The maids talk about who it could be. The head maid told them to quiet down. She then tells them who it was. The maids become worried and scared. They wanted to know if Lord Michael would be with him. The head maid said to them that captain Harris would be alone.
Wolf could not believe it. He remembers a voice in his head. A man greets him and laughs. Wolf gets scared and tries to calm down. The head maid told the maids that they would prepare a room for him. He was going to look after them until Lord Michael returned.
The maids calm down. The head maid told them that she would protect them. They didn't know what to say. The head maid told them to go back to work and distracted themselves. The maids go back to work but have an uneasy feeling.
That night when Adolpha and Wolf were on their walk, Adolpha noticed Wolf spacing out. She didn't know what had happened. She was talking, but Wolf was not paying attention. Wolf snaps out of it went Adolpha runs to the water and splashes him.
Wolf shakes it off and looks at her. Adolpha laughs and runs away. Wolf smiles and chases her. Adolpha gets tired, and they go rest. Adolpha asks Wolf about his family. Wolf only mentions that they were a happy family. They head back to the cabin.
The following day Wolf could hear that everyone was cleaning the house. He could listen to Sam and Mike argue about cleaning some sheets. He then hears that Adolpha feels sick. The head maid came out to check on her.
Wolf was worried but could not do anything. He heard the head maid say it was a slight cold. The head maid told Adolpha to stay in bed. She will bring her some medicine. Adolpha was upset but did what she was told.
The head maid brought her some medicine. Adolpha drank it, but it wasn't enjoyable. She did not like it. Adolpha was told to rest the whole day. The maids brought her some soup to eat. At night Wolf passed the cabin to see Adolpha. She wanted to go for a walk.
Wolf told her to stay and recover. Adolpha didn't want to. Wolf tells her to think of the baby. Adolpha stopped moving and lay in bed. She agrees with Wolf. Adolpha looked at the ceiling of the cabin. She remembers the top of her hut. Wolf said nothing and went on his patrol.
Wolf walks by the beach. He could see some boats out at sea. As he continued to walk, he began to remember fragments of his past. He heard voices from people he knew. Wolf stops and thinks about his situation.
After a while, he began to remember glimpses of things he did. Memories of fighting and Lord Michael was telling him what to do. This upsets Wolf, but he does not show it. He continues his patrol.
The sun was beginning to rise. Wolf walked back to his cage. He passes Adolpha's cabin. He thinks that she is still asleep. Wolf then hears talking coming from inside. He gets close to the cabin and hears Adolpha.
"Brother Ardolph will be your uncle and teach you many dumb things. Father will make you strong."
Adolpha laughs. She stops and tears up. She then mentions her mother and how she would have been fawning over them. Wolf kept listening to her. He is then reminded of some words from someone.
"We are free to choose where we go. No one can tell us we can't live with nature. We are our people…."
Wolf thinks hard about what he is going to do. He gets serious and makes up his mind. A thought of Adolpha and his child being separated and kept chained comes to mind. He taps on the window bars. Adolpha sees him and goes to him.
She sees that he has a serious expression. Adolpha asks him about it. Wolf tells her that he will help her see her family again. Adolpha was caught off guard and didn't know what Wolf said. She asks him to repeat it.
"I gave up on being free a long time ago. Seeing you and being with you has changed how I feel. I will not let you suffer any longer, and that child will be free to choose how he will live."
Adolpha was still not sure what to say. She then asks him why he is doing it. Wolf tells her about Lord Michael coming back to the island. Adolpha gets scared hearing it. Wolf tells her that he wouldn't be there for a while. Adolpha then asks him about his troubles.
Wolf looks scared and then tells her. He told her about a man named Arnold Harris. A captain in the human army. He works for Lord Michael. Adolpha wanted to know more about him. Wolf told her how he beat up enslaved people and made them submit to him.
Adolpha got more scared learning that he was going to be there. Wolf promised that she would go before he showed up. Adolpha looks at Wolf and wonders what he is going to do. Wolf sees Adolpha's worried expression.
Wolf told Adolpha not to worry and rest. He would come up with something. Adolpha was too afraid to sleep. Wolf reaches through the window bars and pats her on the head. Adolpha looks at Wolf and blushes. Wolf realizes what he did and pulls his hand back.
Adolpha goes to her bed and lays in it. She covers her head with the sheets. Wolf smiles and leaves. He walks back to his cell. The sun could be seen on the horizon. On the second floor, the head maid saw the whole thing.
Wolf sat in his cage and thought of ideas on how to escape. It was morning, and the maids came to check on Adolpha. They gave her breakfast and cleaned her up. After they left, Adolpha went back and lay in bed. The day went by, and night fell.
Wolf got out of his cage and went on his patrol. As he walked, he made a detour by the beach. He goes to a tree by the orchard and breaks some branches. He began to dig a hole. After he was done, he covered it with the branches and leaves.
Wolf then goes over to the beach. He sees the other island. There was a boat docked there. He saw no lights on. Wolf walks to the water and enters it. He began to swim to the island. It took several minutes to get there.
Once on the island, he quietly sneaks to the boat. Wolf looks around for anything useful. He sees rope and cloth rags. Wolf then leaves and heads back to the island. He was cold and shivering coming out of the water. Wolf gets to the orchard and breaks some more branches.
Wolf creates a fire and lays next to it. He shivers for a while. After he warms up, he sits. He previously picked up a rock. Wolf draws Mana and breaks the rock. It has become sharp. Wolf took a branch and began to shape it.
Once he finishes, he ties the rock with a rag and creates a spear. The sun was rising, and Wolf hid everything in the hole. He then began to walk back to the house. His collar reacts, and his magic gets sealed. Wolf goes back to his cell.
Another day passed, and it was night. Wolf walks out of his cage. He begins his patrol like usual. He makes his detour and heads to the hiding spot. He grabs the spear and heads out. This time he goes to another island. On this island, Wolf sees a shed with farming supplies.
Wolf takes some potato sacks and some rope. There were no tools in the shed. Wolf goes and walks around the island. He looks for foods that could last for a while. Wolf found some vegetables and took them. He finishes and leaves the island.
Wolf goes back to his island and hides the supplies. He warms himself around a fire and thinks about what to do next. After some thought, he leaves and continues his patrol before returning to his cage. Wolf lays down to sleep.
The next night Wolf gets ready to go on patrol. He stretches and begins to walk to Adolpha's cabin. He looked inside, but she was not there. Wolf goes around to the front door. Adolpha jumps out and shouts. Wolf steps back in surprise. Adolpha laughs at him.
Wolf asks if she is feeling better. Adolpha replays that she wants to go outside again. Wolf looked at her, and she looked healthy. Wolf told her he was doing something and needed her to stay in her cabin. Adolpha became upset and didn't want to. Wolf saw her upset face and let her follow. Wolf followed his usual patrol and let Adolpha play along the way. He thought of what to do in the meantime.
Wolf thought of escaping by boat. He looked at the boats near the docks he could see. Some of the boats were sailboats, while others were row boats. Wolf also thought about what else to take.
It became early morning, and Adolpha and Wolf sat by a fire. Wolf looks at Adolpha drawing on the sand. She was talking to herself. Wolf listened to talk about her family again. He feels happy and smiles.
Wolf takes Adolpha back to her cabin. She was happy being able to be outside. Wolf thinks of telling her what he was doing but does not. He leaves her and goes back to his patrol. The sun rises, and he comes back to the house.
Wolf goes to his cage and lays down. He takes a nap and wakes up in the afternoon. Wolf concentrates, and his ears pick up some chatting. It was Mike and Sam who were working outside. They were cutting some fruit from the orchard.
They talk about letters coming in. It details what they needed to do before Lord Michael returned. Lord Michael wanted the island clean. He was going to get the auction going as soon as he could. Wolf also hears that captain Harris is close to arriving.
Wolf waits for the night to continue his plan. Once nightfall, he gets out of his cage and gets started fast. He ran to the hiding spot and took his spear. Wolf then goes to the beach. He began to fish with the spear.
He waits patiently and throws the spear. He hits a fish and takes it. On land, he has some fish already. By the hiding spot, Wolf has some kind of rack. He comes over with his catch and places them on the ground. Wolf began to cut the fish and put them on the rack. He starts a fire and cooks them.
Wolf was busy that he didn't notice Adolpha looking at him. Adolpha approached him. Wolf senses her and looks up. Adolpha asks him what he is doing. Wolf stayed quiet. Adolpha gets close to him. She asks him again. Wolf tells her that it was a way to preserve food.
Adolpha saw that Wolf looked stressed. She wanted to comfort him but didn't know how. Wolf was working on making more rope. He also has coconuts. Adolpha sat next to him and looked at the fish being cooked.
Adolpha then spoke up about being scared of escaping. Wolf stopped what he was doing and looked at her. She has a sad look on her face. Wolf was quiet, and then he told her everything would be alright. Adolpha was not sure because she didn't know what he was doing.
Wolf thought about it. He didn't want her to feel stressed. He then told her his plan. He began by telling her that captain Harris was close to reaching them. The news of it worried her. He then said to her that he was gathering supplies for the trip. Adolpha looks and sees bags fill with things.
Wolf tells her that it is food and some plants. Adolpha sees a fishing pole and some rocks. Wolf tells her that they will travel by boat. Adolpha asks him about it. Wolf explains the other traps set up if they ever kidnapped her.
Adolpha was confused about what he said. Wolf explains better. Lord Michael told him about it. Her crystal would activate other traps on the other islands. He didn't know what they would do, but it was to prevent others from leaving with her.
Adolpha touches her collar. She asks if there are other traps. Wolf told her there was another trap if they took her to the ocean. He said that he could break that one. Adolpha didn't like hearing about how she was trapped, even if she would have escaped by herself.
Wolf began to pack more things into the sacks he stole. Adolpha wanted to know if she could help. Wolf told her to pack some other things. The sun was rising, and Wolf was packing the cooked fish. He packed them in banana leaves he got from an island.
Adolpha returned to the cabin to sleep. Later that morning, she was awakened by the maids. They had her breakfast ready. Adolpha ate it and fell back to sleep. The maids smiled and left her to sleep.
In the house, the head maid calls Sam and Mike. They show up, and she hands them the supplies list. Mike takes it, and they leave. The other maids have cleaned and prepared a room for Captain Harris. Two of the maids go to feed Adolpha.
The rest of the day went by like usual. The sun begins to set, and Wolf gets ready to go out. Once it becomes night, Wolf gets out and heads to the hidden spot. He uncovers the supplies and takes the spear. Wolf was going to hunt some small animal.
While he was getting ready, he felt a presence. Wolf thought it was Adolpha. He looked up, and it was the head maid. Wolf gets startled and goes on the defensive.
The head maid walks over and takes a sit. Wolf has his spear and points it at her. The head maid smiles and tells him to relax. Wolf kept his guard up and sat on her opposite side. Wolf questions her about being there.
The head maid looks at the ocean and relaxes. She breaths in and exhales. Wolf was still cautious of her. She began to talk about Adolpha. She told Wolf that Adolpha has a small bump. Wolf didn't know what she meant.
The head maid laughs. She then tells him about her stomach. Adolpha has started to create life. Wolf then feels happiness. She then gets serious. He asks Wolf if he is serious about escaping. Wolf responds in a severe tone.
"Yes, I will escape with her and take her back to her tribe."
The head maid sees Wolf's determination and severe look. She asks him about his plan. Wolf tells her they will travel by sea and go around the human territories. She asks if he has a destination yet.
"No, not yet, one thing is for sure. I need to stay out of Lord Michael's underground connections."
The head maid thinks. She then tells him to head to the neutral territory of Kings Land. Wolf asks why. The head maid tells him that Lord Michael's influence there is limited. She also tells him that he could find help there.
Wolf asks the head maid about her telling him all that. Was she helping him but telling him what to do? The head maid's expression changed. She looks sad and exhausted. She looks at Wolf and tells him about herself.
"How long has it been, 10, 20 years since I started working for that man? Frankly, I can't remember. Day in and day out, I served and followed his orders. I have seen many enslaved women and children. All Lord Michael sees is money from them."
Wolf listens to her talk. The head maid talks about how she is like a slave like him. Wolf didn't understand. She tells him about the debt her family owes Lord Michael. To pay it off, she works for him. She reminds Wolf how cruel Lord Michael can be.
"I had three siblings, two brothers, and a sister. After my father became indebted to him, he could not pay. My father knew Lord Michael cheated him out of money. He was going to report him to the kingdom. Do you know what he did?"
She told him what had happened to her family. Her father was killed, and it was ruled an accident. Her brothers disappear and are found dead. His mother was turned into a prostitute while her sister was still young when she was taken.
Wolf didn't know what to say. The head maid told him how she found her younger sister and pleaded with Lord Michael to let her go. She then offers herself to him. He told her to pay the debt, and they would be free.
The head maid then told Wolf how she had been working for him. Her debt keeps increasing. She could not escape even if she tried. She keeps working for him to keep her sister safe.
Wolf then remembers his time locked up. Lord Michael would make him kill people, and he would fight in an underground fighting arena. Wolf asks her why she is helping him now. The head maid told him she was tired of seeing young girls forced to be enslaved.
She tells him the other maids were in the same situation. They were paying off a debt their families owed. She tells him they looked like nothing was wrong but were worried. Wolf offers to help them escape.
The head maid shakes her head. She tells him that their families would be in danger. Wolf quiets down. Wolf then asks if there is a way to help them. The head maid smiles. She tells him that she will keep them safe. She then tells him to make his plan work.
"I want you to get her out of here. Adolpha is still too innocent to be left locked up. She has much more to live for. Plus, I would like to see the face of that bastard when he sees what happened."
Wolf smiles and promises to protect Adolpha. The head maid then tells him to give her two days. Wolf asks her for what. She then tells him that she will teach Adolpha some things to help them. Wolf agrees to her demands.
The head maid gets up and dusts herself off. She began to walk back to the house. Wolf gets around to getting the supplies ready. The head maid gets home and heads to her room. She sits on her chair and looks out the window. Tears begin to fall from her eyes. She takes a letter from a drawer. She holds it tight.