Rocco the Guard: Part Two (special preview)

I had my new schedule all planned out so that Rocco and his guards couldn’t trace me so easily. It took some effort and time, but luckily, thanks to Kali and her friends, we didn’t starve or anything. But I was bored, and for me, that was almost torture. With my new schedule and plan in mind I went back into the market. After being cooped up in the house for so long, I was excited to stretch my legs a bit.

I stopped at a booth outside where a woman had set up a blanket with handmade jewelry. I knelt down, looking for something for Kali. From the corner of my eye, I saw a guard posted in the market.

“What’s going on in there?” I asked the woman. “How com the market has royal guards now?”

“Not sure, been that way for a while now,” she said.

“Are they looking for someone?” I slid her some coin, which she took with an eager hand.

“Oh yes. They’ve been waiting for someone all this time.”

I eyed the woman closely before looking back towards the bracelets. “Can you tell me who?”

The woman’s hand stretched out, further than it should have been able to. But by then the coin I had handed her exploded, coating her in dark blue smoke. Hands shot out from under her clothing, revealing themselves to be Rocco’s.

“That’s cheap!” I hopped onto my staff and flew up above the market as the guards began swarming out of every corner. More of Rocco’s hands came from the roofs, they bridged between the buildings, and Rocco walked out across them. As I flew overhead, Rocco jumped, grabbing the end of my staff.

“How dare you?” I snapped at him. “Let go Rocco, shoo shoo.” I started pecking at his fingers with my sharp nails. Rocco held on, no matter how I flew or tormented him. I couldn’t shake him, he must have enchanted his gloves or something.

It was getting dark, and still Rocco was hanging on. I knew I had to get home and take care of Kali. But I couldn’t take Rocco into my home.

“I feel sick,” Rocco finally uttered.

“No wonder, you goon! I’ll set you down somewhere if you-” Right as I was offering him a laurel branch, he slipped from my staff. He fell towards the woods.

I sighed heavily and cussed under my breath, swooping down through the trees and catching him before he fell through any more branches, or forbid, the ground itself. I held heavy ass Rocco in my lap, grunting as I tried to keep him aloft. Rocco groaned, and his body was trembling.

“Fuck you, Rocco. Now I have to do this.” I flew on home, with no other choice than to take care of this idiot behemoth.

As i dragged him through the door I was greeted by Kali and her friends gawking. Their wide eyed shock was not lost on me.

“Is that-” Kali’s words choked off.

“That’s the Queen’s Grand Warden!” Alicia exclaimed with a certain sadistic joy in her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, could you kids open the basement door for me?” I huffed as I got him inside and dropped him on the ground. “Chik, can you take care of this intruder!”

“Intruder in the house! Intruder in the house!” Chik started yelling. The ground below Rocco moved, and as Kizzy opened the basement door Rocco was dragged downstairs. “Intruder in the dungeon! Intruder in the dungeon!”

Kali glanced at me. “We have a dungeon down there?”

“Yeah,” I huffed, dusting off my dress. “I haven’t had to use it as a dungeon, per se, but we keep out linen in it.”