As it turned out, the storm that hit about an hour after we returned to the inn lasted three days. And what a storm it was. The rain had, indeed, been red and it had come down in sheets. We agreed that we would not be leaving till it passed, even if it meant that I would be behind on my plans. Kieran also convinced me that we should purchase a cart or wagon of some sort. He left to procure one for me on the third day, when the rain had slowed somewhat.

  He had been reluctant to leave but finally gave in when Rougier snapped that I was hardly going to be in any danger with him and Shinra keeping watch in this small inn, in the nice part of town, where the council had placed some not very discreet guards to make sure nothing happened during my stay.

  "She is more protected now than she has been since arriving in the Realm." Snapped the dragon from the table top where he sat munching on a bone like a dog. I did not let him know that he reminded me of a dog as I was sure that he would get mad, and he was cranky enough.

  So Kieran agreed and left to get my last minute dealings done. With any luck, as soon as the weather cleared and I had gotten all my items, we could be off and back to the castle. I was getting anxious and I was not completely sure why. Maybe it was the coming trip to the wastelands that was causing me to be nervous, or maybe it was the thought that I would soon be back on Hearth, reunited with my monsters and my friends. Either way, I wanted out of Froth and I was sick of waiting. Perhaps Rougier's sour attitude was rubbing off on me.

  "He should not be much longer Mistress." Purred Shinra where she lay on a rug, cleaning one of her over sized and deadly paws, the jewel on her forehead glinting in the candlelight. "And by the sound of it, the rain has slowed significantly."

  "Yes, you are right." I spoke calmly enough but still paced in a circle. We had the best room in the inn and it was quite spacious, so it was a pretty big circle.

  "I do not understand nervousness." Rumbled Rougier, sitting on a wardrobe and watching me walk in circles. "What is the point of it?"

  "So sorry we can't all be powerful dragons who don't need to fear anything or have anything to be anxious over." I sighed, rolling my shoulders hoping to relive the tension there.

  "You are right." He said drolly. "After all, you are just a weak and lowly demon queen to whom every being bows and grovels to. I can see how you and I have trouble relating." He bared his little fangs at me when I glared, flashing me his best approximation of a cheeky smile. "What exactly are you fretting over anyway? Kieran may not be as all powerful and mighty as we two amazing beings, but he is a capable enough young male."

  "I know that." I sighed. "It is not him that I am worried about." I pursed my lips and glared at the shuttered window, wringing my hands. "Its hard to explain, but I feel like something bad is happening back on Hearth. I don't know how I know... maybe I am some how sensing something through my bonds with Drogin and Vendaval, as week as they are right now. I don't know." I grunted irritably and sat at the end of my bed. "I just wish I was back there."

  "Do you not like Demonia, Mistress?" Asked the cat.

  "No, I think this place is pretty amazing." I said with a sigh. "Beautiful and full of wonder. I would love to explore some day. But, for now, I am needed else were."

  "I thought you didn't want to be needed anywhere." Chuckled the dragon.

  "I don't, but that doesn't change the feeling I am getting now does it?"

  "No, I would assume it does not. Can these pets of yours not look out for themselves?"

  "They are no more pets than you or Shinra." I corrected. "Vendaval is pretty competent, and I am sure he will look after Drogin for me..."

  "What of the others you spoke of?" Asked Shinra. "You mentioned that they were strong."

  "They are. Stronger than me at least. Not that that is saying much. Without you guys I'd have a hard time taking on even a weaker demon warrior."

  "People find strength in different ways." Said Rougier, being faintly kind for a change. "Fore those like me, we have indomitable strength, while ones such as that young Queen Felicity find it in kindness and wisdom, despite her tender age. And you should keep in mind that you yourself are not much older than she, despite how you appear."

  "I will have you know that, compared to my old body, I look young. Younger than what I am in human years at least. In this incarnation I look barely twenty-five, while I have nearly ten years on that number."

  At that Rougier laughed, loud for such a small form. "If you look at it as your new life being exactly that, then you are actually only a handful of months old."

  "Stop teasing our mistress, small lizard." Growled the tiger as she narrowed her striking green eyes at him. "Perhaps, what you need, is a meal." She said to me kindly. "You may not have been using much mana these last few days, but you are also still a little under weight. I am sure it worries Kieran, as well it does me."

  "People telling me to eat again..." I huffed under my breath but agreed to head down for a bite to eat all the same. I did know that Kieran still worried over it, and it was his job to make sure I was well. If I looked sickly than it would reflect poorly on him, and, I would not want that.

  Shinra slipped back into my shadow and Rougier settled along my shoulders, never one to miss a meal. I may still be a little on the thin side, but he would be a little on the round side if he didn't lay off the sausages.

  I had just finished a bowl of vegetable soup, sitting at a table near an unlit fireplace, when Kieran returned. He entered in through the front door and threw back the hood of his dark cloak, water droplets falling to the floor. He glanced around the dining area and saw me waving him over.

  "How did it go?" I asked, pushing my bowl aside as he sat opposite me.

  "Glad to see you eat, even when I do not remind you." He laughed.

  "The cat reminded her." Yawned Rougier, tuckered out after his lunch of braised fish.

  "The cat has a name." I said icily but I was beginning to see that he made these snide remarks simply because he enjoyed our banter. I suppose it was a novel thing after being chained to a dead mountain for ages.

  "To answer your question, Lady Sin: it went very well. I managed to get us a very fine wagon, as well as the necessary gear for the horses to pull it. I have all your goods packed inside already and we are good to go as soon as the rain stops."

  "That's great!" I said happily. "Good job."

  Kieran smiled and bowed his head gratefully. "And the rain is all but stopped already. The wagon is well equipped to protect you from what little drizzle there is still falling if you would like to leave immediately? That way we will be halfway back to the castle by night fall."

  "I may be dry in the wagon, but what about you? I assume that you intend to guide the horses?"

  He laughed. "I do. But as I said, it is only a drizzle at this point. And time is running short. I know you hope to be on the way to the wastelands within the next three days. If we do not leave now, then we will be pushing it close."

  I sighed. "You are right, as per usual. Are you sure you are okay getting wet?"

  "Would you stop fussing." Huffed Rougier before Kieran could speak. "I'd imagine that he will not get any wetter than he already is from running around doing your errands today. What is a little longer out in the rain at this point?"

  I snapped my mouth shut because he was right. And now I felt bad for having Kieran running about all day.

  Kieran glared at my dragon. "It was my pleasure, as well as my duty to assist Lady Sin in these matters. Had it been done properly; I would have come here on my own and therefore been subjected to much more work. Weather Lady Sin is present or not does not affect the weather. As amazing as she is, I am still sure that she can not control the rain."

  "Alright, enough." I laughed. "The last thing I need is you both arguing about nothing. Very, well then, lets go. You are right that I want to be out of here and on our way; the sooner the better."

  "Then that is settled." He said looking relived. Maybe he too wanted to be on the way. "You head up and be sure we have not forgotten anything, and I will speak to the inn keeper as well as get the horses set away. You can leave everything to me."

  It was a rather menial task that he had set me, given that we really didn't have anything in the room. But I decided to follow through with it all the same, as I didn't want to discourage this side of Kieran that felt comfortable asking me to do things. It would be very annoying if all he was, was a 'yes' man after all. Even I knew that the last thing I needed was someone agreeing to everything I asked and offering no opinions. So, a useless search of the rooms it was.

  I decided that five minutes of looking was enough before heading out to the inn's stables. Kieran was just buckling the last strap that held Glendra into her new harness, allowing her and Breagol to pull the wagon that Kieran had managed to get us. Though, when I laid eyes on the so called wagon I may have stared open mouthed for a moment.

  "Is it not to your liking Lady Sin?" Kieran asked, a worried look on his face as he patted Glendra's dark red flank, the horses towering over him.

  "No, I like it just fine." I said, giving myself a little shake and chuckling.

  I had been expecting either an open backed cart with a bench to sit on, or perhaps something along the lines of what Emelda, the dragon newt dealer who gave me Drogin, drove- an A-typical covered wagon like they had in those old western movies. What I was looking at now was like the yacht of wagons. In fact, I was pretty sure it fell under the label of carriage more than a wagon.

  It was sized big enough that it fit the horses nicely and was made of a carved and molded black, lacquered, wood. It looked heavy and sturdy, and expensive as Hell. There was a bench with a silken cushion for the driver to sit on, and a hook that I could imagine a lantern hanging from at night. The cabin of the wagon had thick wooden doors and actual glass windows covered in red curtains. The doors had a series of vines and a kind of lily like flower carved into them, and silver, curved door handles, also designed to look like twined vines.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  I could tell by the sheer size of the thing that there would at least be a set of double benches in there, maybe even a freaking bed. Curious, I approached the house on massive wooden wheels and placed a hand on the door. It was smooth and almost shone, as if it were just made this day...

  Kieran chuckled and moved to stand next to me. He reached past and opened the door before holding out a hand to help me up into the thing. I laughed and accepted his hand, allowing him to help me up as if he were a footman. "I confess that I had asked Lady Felicity to use her communication stone to contact the maker before we left for Froth." He said as I gazed at the extravagant exterior. "I wished to get you something, and I was pretty sure, left to you to decide, you would have gotten something rather utilitarian."

  "I admit, that is what I thought you were going to get." I laughed, my eyes roving about the lavish interior. Eight people could sit comfortably on the two benches that faced one another, between them was even a long thin table, perhaps a foot by four feet in length. The seats were coved in the same luxurious fabric of the bench the driver would use and it looked amazing with the dark wood of the body. It looked like a freaking vampire's dream carriage. I literally could picture a vampire sitting in this. Or a demon I supposed. The though made me chuckle.

  "A Queen should travel as one. And you did mention at the presentation that you intended to do quite a bit of it, all without wing power." Said my butler, getting in behind me. "It is large enough to carry cargo as well. It can be loaded in from the back."

  "But how did a carriage maker get this done so fast?" I asked, awed and touch by his thoughtful gift. A gift bought with my own money, sure, but I loved it all the same. It was something I really would not have thought to get as I was usually fairly frugal by nature. Not because I believed that money should be conserved- it really should be though- but because I never had any money to spend on frivolous things so it never occurred to me to do so.

  "To have one made by hand would have been preferred and probably nicer, but I knew we were short on time. This carriage was made by magic. The craftsmen prefer to do it the traditional way but he offers to mold them with magic as well."

  "Its amazing." I said, flashing him a genuine smile. And my face didn't even crack! I'd have to tell Vale when next I saw him. He was certain that it would break if I ever did smile.

  "I approve." Agreed Rougier, getting up off my shoulder and hopping onto a bench seat. He made a few cats like turns before curling up to sleep.

  "I am pleased you like it Lady Sin." He said looking genuinely happy.

  I got out of the carriage so that I could help Kieran guide the horses and the carriage out of the stable and onto the wide street. Kieran protested at first, but he had begun to learn that if I did not give in quickly then I wasn't going to give in at all. I let him do most of the work in the end, as I had no clue what I was doing.

  As the butler double checked that the horses were secure, I took one last look around the street. The rain had all but stopped and the citizens had begun to venture out of their homes once again, eager to get back to what ever it was they needed to before the rain had kept them all inside.

  It wasn't the first time since coming here that I thought this, but I was surprised at just how many Reihan there were. Most were of lower class, even here when they made up most of the populace. Maybe because Felicity's mother had passed not so long ago, or maybe Felicity herself was just doing a good job with her mother's line, but living there I hadn't really noticed how different the demons with a Queen were from those without.

  At the castle everyone looked young and vigorous. They almost shone with vitality, even if they looked a little warry about the eyes. But here the people were clearly aging, even if it was at a much slower pace to the lives of humans that I was used to. And many looked warn out, sickly, and depressed. It made me upset to see it. Could nothing be done better for these people?

  "Something wrong my lady?" Kieran asked, no doubt seeing the look on my face. I apparently had no poker face whatsoever and could be read like a damn book. Probably came from never interacting with people unless I had to.

  "Not wrong..." I said a little sadly. "I was just thinking that the lives of people with out a Queen seem to be, I don't know... lacking I suppose. Is there not anything that can be done. Can't the queens get together to figure out a way to improve the lives of these people?"

  It took Kieran a second to answer as he too watched the people mill about. Many gave my carriage admiring looks as they passed but most kept their eyes ahead and avoided catching anyone's eyes. "Maybe they could figure something out." He said slowly. "But, well, I do not think they will."

  "Why?"

  He sighed and patted one of the horses. "It is the nature of demon's my lady. We look out for our own, but it takes a deeply concerted effort to think of the many. We are self indulgent and self absorbed. And we have a lot of pride. Many of the people you see here would sneer at the thought of accepting charity out of pity. Most would wonder what the concerned party was looking to gain from the act. Would assume that they would forever be indebted to the other person."

  I could understand that, surprisingly. In my last life, if someone came up to me and told me that they could get me off the street, give me food and clean cloths and a nice roof over my head. I would also ask myself what their angle was. Would I find myself a slave to this person, either figuratively or even literally. Even if that some one really meant nothing but kindness by the act I would not trust in it. And I would feel week and shamed even. People should not feel that way. Logically speaking, I knew that there was no shame in getting help when you needed it. But that did not change the way a person felt.

  My chest ached for the people here who had lost something so fundamental to their existence. When ever I started my line, I would do all I could not to leave them behind. The thought made me think of the Queen that Felicity had mentioned, the one who was crazy old and had let her line die out. That seemed like a kindness to me now. When ever that Queen inevitably died, there would be no children left to wither in her absence.

  I looked at Kieran then. He was young, very young by demon standards, being less than a century old, and he still looked strong and vibrant. But would he continue to look that way? His Queen was dead after all. One day, he would get old and leave this world, leave me. The thought made my chest feel tight and I reached out a hand, fisting the sleeve of his white shirt. He looked down at it then up at my face, his eyes worried and questioning.

  "You will not leave me will you?" I asked, hearing the vulnerability in my own voice and hating it.

  Comprehension seemed to dawn on the butler and he gave me a small, sad smile. He took my hand and then got down to one knee, making me wince for his poor, immaculate pants. The man took his duties so seriously and always looked pristine. It made me feel grubby sometimes.

  "Lady Sin," he said softly, holding my hand in both of his and looking up at me. Had we of been on earth then I was sure the passers by would think he was proposing. The people here barley batted an eye, just seeing a servant addressing his master, even if most just assumed that I was a female, not a queen. "I can not know what the future holds for us, but I can swear to you here and now that every part of my life, and every moment that is left to it, is dedicated to you, and you alone. And I can swear that I will do my absolute best to be sure that that is for a long, long time." He smiled and lightly brushed his lips over my pale skin. My usually disdain in being touched did not raise its head so I did not protest. "If you were a normal Queen, then yes, in a few short centuries I would be old and of little use to you. But you are not like other Queens, my Lady Sin Andra, are you? I have no way of knowing what your unique abilities will do to your life or to my own, but I am willing to bet that it will be an adventure all the same."

  I chuckled weekly as he got back to his feet, my hand still held in both of his. "I do have a knack for getting in trouble it seems."

  'You do." He said with a mischievous smile, letting go with one hand so that he could lead me to the carriage and open one of the elegant doors. "I do know that the way you share your mana feels much the same why my mother once shared her mana with me. Unlike the Reihan you see here, I do have a queen. And you are that Queen Lady Sin. In every way that a queen can be except that we do not share blood. It is an unheard-of thing and so we can not know the ramifications of it, but for now I am going to go on believing that I will continue to be strong as long as you are still around for me to serve."

  I sat on the bench next to Rougier who had promptly fallen asleep and ignored our conversation completely. "Just rest in here and enjoy the ride. I am sure that it will be much more comfortable than the trip here had been." Kieran added with a laugh when I winced. It wasn't the first time I had ridden on a horse (It was totally, only, the second time) but it was the longest time. And these were big horses that took big strides. It was not smooth for someone not used to it and my back side still remembered the feeling. "We get to sit in comfort while poor Breagol and Glenda do all the hard work." He added with a chuckle, shutting the door with a small snick.

  So sturdy and large was the carriage, that it barely moved at all when Kieran climbed up on to the driver's bench. Worried that my horses were going to be under some kind of strain with the massive carriage, I reached out with my senses and felt for them. They could not speak, instead being connected to me more like how Drogin was. The communicated through telepathic, emotional, transmissions. They seemed well enough, however; a little hesitant around the unfamiliar carriage but eager to be moving. It was in their nature to enjoy their work, and now they had a new job to do and were looking forward to getting started. Satisfied that they were not under any undo stress, I retreated from their minds and settled back into the seat as the wagon jolted slightly and we began to move.

  The only downside to being inside while Kieran was outside was that we couldn't talk, and as much as I loved the snarky little dragon I had bound to myself, he was not the best conversationalist ever. Even less so while asleep. So, after a short time riding inside I decided to join my butler in the front. The rain had stopped completely now so I saw no reason to be inside all on my lonesome.

  "We should find a good location for the night, Lady Sin." Said Kieran after another hour of catting about nothing. Mostly about the differences between Hearth and Demonia. Kieran seemed fascinated at the concept of green grass and trees. I couldn't blame him, after all I was fascinated about Demonia's yellow grass and trees. Though it had Christmas tree like plants that were green and needled. But these trees bore a strange fruit that tasted a bit like lemons. "If it rains again, at least we have the carriage to take shelter in."

  It did not take us long to find a small clearing off the side of the road to make camp. And I was still surprised at how proficient Kieran was at roughing it. On our way to Froth we had not had to spend a night out in the wilderness, but we had stopped a couple times to eat and to water the horses, and both times the butler had wasted no time getting a small fire going and setting about getting a meal going. When I asked him about it, he had laughed and told me that his father had taught him how to survive in less-than-ideal circumstances over a single summer.

  "I will forever refer to it as the Summer of doom." He had laughed. Apparently, Garris had essentially dragged a young, teen aged, Kieran off into the wildernesses of Demonia where the spent several months scavenging for food, wrestling massive monsters, and sleeping exposed to the elements. He may have learned a lot that summer but what I gathered was that what he learned best was that he never wanted to do that again. I had a feeling that the butler kept himself so meticulous for more than just because he wanted to look smart. It was a way to deny that that time had ever happened and try and prevent it from happening again.

  "I hope I do not make you do this too often." I sighed as I sat on a log next to the fire I had just lit. the horses were tied to a near by tree, Shinra was curled up behind me like a midnight back rest, and Rougier was watching Kieran add chunks of a rabbit like creature to a travel pot where he was making us a stew. "I know you do not like being out camping too much."

  Kieran smiled and shook his head. "This is not so bad." He spoke. "Would I like to experience the summer of Doom ever again? No. But this is hardly the same as living off bugs for three months without ever getting to bathe or fearing that some great best would try and eat me in the middle of the night."

  I laughed. "I guess that is true. Still, I will do my best to be sure that we at least make it to an inn when ever we must leave the base."

  "I still do not understand this base you keep speaking of. Is it some kind of magical castle?"

  I had spoken of the Red Raven's and their enchanted base often enough. After all, I may not have called the place home for long, but it was the place that ever felt most like one to me. In this life or my last one.

  "Um, I'd say it is more like a mansion than a castle. But it is magical, yes. Apparently, it was made by a Hero of old. An ancestor of my friend Zach, who is currently an enchanter with the Red Raven's. It sort of has a mind of its own. I think that maybe I was feeling its mana flow, kind of like Garris, you and Felicity taught me to do, but I had no idea I was doing it back then."

  "Hmm. If it is a construct of mana and made from the mana of the world your soul originates from, you could have an affinity with it. Things made with mana and with strong emotions and intent can often grow, with time and continuous mana supply, into bigger and grander things."

  "It has been the Base for very magical people for quite some time as far as I can tell." I told him, hoping that I would be back in my small room in the noisy and boisterous base in less than two weeks time. I even missed Abs-for-Brain Vale and his need to beat me to a pulp at every given opportunity. I hadn't known the Raven's long, but they felt like they could become a sort of family to me if I gave them the chance.