“How about we do something for our little reunion? Do you remember, our, ah, little recreation? We wouldn’t have to worry about being disturbed. Your men are probably down with a fever.” His handsome face crumpled as if thinking. “But the goods that we captured are probably on your camp now, eh?” He paced around, deep in thought until finally he snapped his fingers and gave out a small ‘ah’.

“Pen?” the man called out.

A woman came out from somewhere in the darkness and walked towards the two men. She stood beside what seemed to be the leader of Unseen and when he opened his arm to invite her in, she snuggled comfortably as if they had done this many times before.

Lia felt dizzy watching the things that unfolded before her.

The scene that played out in front of her was different from what she thought. Well, she did not know exactly what she expected but definitely not something like this. Was Eldric part of the Unseen? Was he a spy? There was also the talk about goods and recreation.

And then, there was this woman. A young thinly-dressed lady with disheveled long hair. Where was she all this time? Worst, did she see Lia creeping in?

But most of all, she did not understand the look on Eldric’s face. When the woman called Pen came out, Eldric looked pale and pained. Anguished. Lia never thought she would see this look on his face. When Pen snuggled, he looked as if he wanted to burn these two people in front of him now.

“Do you remember her?” the man cocked his eyebrow at Eldric. “If my memory serves, you two had a fling together.” This last sentence was directed to Pen who was busy drawing lazy circles on his chest and not paying attention to anything. The man turned back to Eldric and smiled triumphantly when he saw the general’s reaction as though he was waiting for it. “She’s grown now, in a lot of ways. A lot better in bed than that time when you fumbled around. I’ll lend her to you, for old times sake.”

“You son of a bitch. What did you do to her!?” Eldric said, moving against the ropes.

That earned him a kick in the chest, right at one of his wounds. He tumbled back like a ragdoll as the other man cackled at the sight.

Lia felt sick. In the implied use for Pen. In the past that Eldric shared with these people. In what a young Eldric experienced. In the worn-out and powerless Eldric in front of her. She clamped a hand over her mouth to tone down the sob that escaped from her. It was all so wrong.

The leader pushed Pen lightly towards Eldric. “Go please your childhood sweetheart. Make him have a good time.”

She obeyed and removed her outer robe as she closed their distance. Eldric eyed her like a prey wary of the predator.

“What have you done?” Eldric asked the leader.

The leader shrugged. “The usual. But she has always been a perfect good so I kept her with me.”

Pen reached out, her face not showing any emotions. She did not even seem like she heard any of the conversation spoken around her. With her outer robe dislodged, she only wore a satin dress underneath that emphasized her curves. She reached out and tried to kiss Eldric.

Eldric tried to move his head away but Pen seemed to have anticipated that as she grabbed his head and forced her kiss. It was an open-mouthed kiss with lots of tongues but Lia neither find it romantic nor sensual. It was nothing of those she had seen on films or the handful of kisses she had. The kiss unfolding in front of her was like a predator ravishing her prey. It was painful to watch.

Pen cried out and stumbled away from Eldric, a hand over her mouth. This seemed to amuse the leader as he examined her lips. “My, my. What a naughty boy you have become.”

Eldric gathered all of his strength to stand but swayed. He cursed as he plopped down on the ground again.

Another round of laughter. Lia was getting sick of it now. That man was sick.

A slow clapped echoed in the air. “You are the first person who managed to stand straight even for a few minutes after inhaling that. How are you liking my newest product? This one is much better than the ones I’ve sent in that little town. But that’s not the point now. Come on, you still haven’t shown me the skills you’ve learned Eldric.” The leader seemed to thought for a while. “Perhaps you want a new breed eh?”

The man nodded his head at Pen who, without a word, walked towards Lia’s direction.