“Who goes there?” one man called out.

“I am a guest of Lord Cheree’s and this wench is more than a handful,” Cates laughed, turning so they could see his elbow length arm, while pretending to hold Tammy by the throat with the other.

“He’s a flesher,” the other man said, sliding to a stop well before he reached Cates.

“A hungry one. Would you like to join me party so’s I can get to me meal just a wee bit quicker?” Cates asked in a strange accent, bending forward, while laughing in a low deep voice.

“I’ll be for no fleshing,” the one that called him a “flesher” said while backing up.

“Hum, I think I could be givin’ ye a hand with the lassie. I ne’re minded a touch o scaber’s from time ta time,” the other man added, as he stepped in closer, proving he was more than use to the odor that penetrated every last speck of air in a hundred foot radius.

Derek slid in behind the man that was backing up, not able to stop watching his companion who was lifting one of Tammy’s breasts. Silently and with accurate skill, Derek dispatched the backing man without attracting the attention of the one about to fall.  Cates’ hand fell from Tammy’s throat as she pushed herself into the man’s hand. She ran her hand up the man’s skinny arm, told him she would do anything he asked if he would save her from the ‘flesher’, and then she winked at him, licking her lips. She quickly spit on the ground, and then, in a shocked manner snapped her head back around and whispered. “I hate the bastard.”

“I’ll save ye fer a wee toty, but Ah’m afraid the fleshers gets ta keep ye, luv,” he replied, closing his eyes and going in for a kiss.

The man’s eyes flew open as Tammy’s blade slid into the pit of his stomach, hilt deep. “But?” was all that the man was able to say before Sydney came down on the back of his head with the wide tip of his club. Blood flew across Tammy’s face as the man’s body fell into her. Cates reached out in time to grab her under the arm, before she ended up being the cushion for the man’s last trip over the wants of a woman. Everyone came back out, except Derek and Jacob who had taken off to scout the place out. Those of us left to wait their return, headed back into the scents of the forest, finding any type of escape from the putrid stench that clung to us like death itself. It was Fala that I kept my eye on, because he could feel those that were like him—but not. Whatever he meant by that. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to find out.

Chapter Six

The longer we waited, the more comfortable we became in the cover of the greenery, which shadowed our movements. Fala sniffed the air a few times, and his posture showed that he wasn’t worried about the area in which we moved about. I couldn’t believe how beautiful the landscape was with it being cold enough for us breeders to feel it. It was not bothersome, but where we had come from, the trees had changed in color and most had already lost their summer foliage. Here the leaves still clung to their branches but they had started to make their change. Jacob and Derek found us walking close to the area where they had found the entrance to the lower levels of the Lord’s estate. The thought of going back down didn’t thrill any of us.

“I had a feeling you wouldn’t stay by the tunnel,” Jacob smiled, as he whispered the direction to the secret panel.

“With a smell like that, who would have?” I shrugged.

As we moved closer to the edge of the dense forest, the top of the four-story monster house became clearer, and it was amazing. Even the elaborate details in the iron railings that circled the balconies on each level had impressions of twisting vines worked into its metal, much like the forest that surround it. Arched, ten-foot high windows looked over the balconies and all I could see had areas big enough to stand on, so they weren’t there just for the glamour of the estate itself. I couldn’t imagine what Angelica’s home must look like, if this was one of her lower in rank’s establishment. To the left of the back of the property was where we made our way across by way of the four foot high shrubs. On the other side we found coach after coach with driver and horse waiting for their master’s return.

“We’ll have to take this just like we did that bitch, Yvette,” Derek spoke low as he got closer to Cates and Jacob. “Start from the bottom and work our way up, you know, take as few as we have to at a time.”

“Are you sure you are not older than you say? Those were my thoughts exactly,” Jacob proudly nodded. “Everything in the cells will be too close to death to save. It will be best to give them peace. We know now that there will be these things called, fleshers?”

“That looks and smells like, Cates,” Tanda bashfully added, wrinkling her nose.

“Okay, peewee,” Cates said, rubbing the top of her head, as she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.

“Forgive me, but you truly smell worse than the hole,” she laughed low, desperately swiping at her hair.

We all cracked up at the truth behind Tanda’s statement, as Derek took Sydney and Garvin across the gravel driveway behind the coaches, then past the eave of a stone gutter. Afterwards, he came back to take two more until we were all lined up in the shadow of the wall, and quickly one by one through the small secret entrance, sliding down into a dark stench with the slight fear of falling into what we had recently climbed out of. I kept my eyes shut tight and my elbows pulled in to my sides as gravity took me down the slippery stone path that had a constant flow of water coming from somewhere up above. I felt my feet drop right before the rest of my body was completely airborne. A few seconds later Tanda screamed as I splashed down and went under, hitting something solid that pushed me back up in time to be hit by Tanda’s flailing limbs.

Sydney grabbed me by the back of my shirt and yanked, as Derek mimicked his action with Tanda, because they knew Tammy and then Cates would follow. Tammy went under right where Tanda had been seconds prior. Garvin tried to grab her and both were buried by the weight of Cates. Fala was on his way. Jacob managed to drag Garvin back, who had Tammy in a death grip around the neck, as Fala came crashing down right on Cates’ back, rolling them both back under and knocking Cates smooth out. “Hold his head up,” Jacob called out, seeming to panic in the darkness. He knew Cates was out, because he wouldn’t answer to his call. Everyone else had replied, letting the others know that they were okay, except Cates. He was more muscle than fat and hell to keep from sinking in the round cylinder-like tank that we were now in.

“Who has him?” Tammy yelled out.

“I do, and Fala,” I replied in a much lower voice. “He’s coming around.”

“Was this not on the map?” Derek sarcastically asked.

“Nothing like it. It must be a new drain system that has been added, or I’m sure it would have been there,” Jacob replied, striking his flint on the stone wall, causing a spark of light that vaguely showed our surroundings. “Feel around for a grate. There has to be a way for the water to drain out.”

              The water started moving so much that Cates went under several times, bringing him around even more. “Who landed on my back?” he asked, grimacing in pain. Fala looked at me, and then answered with a hand on Cates’ chest. “I think you may have popped my spine pretty good,” Cates said, trying to smile through the pain.

“I truly am sorry, but I thank you,” Fala smiled back, pleased that Cates wasn’t angry.

Cates looked over at me, shook his head, and mouthed, the words, “I was being facetious.”

I mouthed back, “I know.”

“Over here, about three feet down,” Derek said, slinging his cloak to the side. “There’s a cover and it’s on tight.”

He and Jacob were down for a long time, coming back up empty handed.  “Where are your two good arms when I need you?” Jacob asked, meaning the statement for, Cates.