“Lordza, wake up!”
My body slammed onto the floor, shaking from the impact. The world, reverberating around me, barely made sense. I’m on the floor. Why in Trianite’s name am I on the floor? I glanced around, wincing in pain. I was chained to a chair, lucky to have not fallen on top of it. But I was no longer alone. Two shadowy figures stood ominously by the table.
“I said—” Someone yanked me up by the back of the chair, “Wake. Up.” He raised his fist to strike me.
“Stop it, stop it. Dear Trianite, he’s all bloody now, eh?” The room was thick with smoke. “He’s your boss, you know. Treat him with some respect.”
Is that Valdrec? I shook my head. The blurry world soon came into focus. “Valdrec?” I gulped. “What are you doing here?” Are we still at sea? What happened?
Valdrec looked to the captain. “Get out of the room, eh?” He slammed the door on his way out. The ship rocked back and forth as I sucked in a whiff of cigar smoke, the stench upsetting my stomach. He lit another in front of me, then gestured for me to take it, before realizing that my hands were, quite literally, tied. “Hm… Lordza,” he sighed deeply. “Lordza, Lordza, Lordza. A stowaway? That’s not how my Manager should travel.”
My head leaned back on the wood. He’s going to fire me. Well, he’s probably going to kill me instead, but fire me first. I can’t believe I followed Zul onto that ship. I should’ve just stayed on the mainland. Figured out how to help her from there. It was stupid of me to try and go on this crazy adventure with her, not when I’m so set against her pursuing magic. I sighed. I’m not getting out of this one. Her words flashed across my mind.
“Don’t follow me. I don’t want to see you ever again.”
I shut my eyes, trying to close out the image of Zul’s face right before she jumped off of Kikrix’s ship. She looked so angry. So hurt. She’s never going to forgive me. My eyes scanned the room. Maybe I had this coming. Some twisted sort of justice…
“They treat you well?” Valdrec asked, setting his elbows on the table.
“As well as a prisoner deserves,” I opened my eyes again to face him. I might as well stare the man down as he decides my fate. Maybe he’ll take pity on me. “I shouldn’t have left. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone.”
He leered, his smile spreading further. “Mmm…” he pulled a long drag from his cigar, savoring every bit of its spice before speaking. “You shouldn’t have… yes,” he began, “but I’m not bothered, actually.”
I raised a brow. Like hell, Valdrec isn’t mad. I basically just committed treason. “Right,” I half-smiled.
“I’m serious,” he said, smoke billowing out his nose. His eyes bored into mine, digging deep into my soul. “What do your parents do, Lordza? Any other merchants in the family?”
What does that have to do with anything? “My mother sculpts pottery, and my dad was a Waterlord.”
“Was,” he licked his lips. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He squinted. “You were a lord once too, weren’t you? And then you… overclocked, I believe it was.” He huffed a laugh.
I rolled my eyes. “Please, don’t—”
“Battle of West Mystral,” he hastily interjected. “Right? Have I figured it out, or am I close?”
“Yes,” I clenched my fists, groaning from the pounding in my temple. “You got it right.”
“Oh, I’m not trying to berate you. Far from it.” Valdrec stood up from his chair and took out a key from his pocket. Undoing the lock behind me, he freed me from my chains and sat back down. Relief washed over me. I settled my arms in my lap, blood rushing back into them as I rubbed at my wrists. He continued, “I’m just trying to make sense of you, Lordza,” he sighed. “You see, I was fortunate. As a matter of fact, I came from a pretty good background. Before all this, I went to school and never once had to worry if there would be bread on the table when I got home. It was…” he shrugged, “different from most people’s upbringings.”
Why is he telling me this? Something didn’t sit right with me. Why now? “What does that have to do with me?” I asked flatly. A breath of air shot out of his nose in surprise, then he eased back into his seat and took another pull from his cigar.
“The problem with my upbringing, though, was never money. In fact, most people would be surprised to hear this but….” He tightened his lips, leaning back on his chair. “I think I can trust you, Lordza. You see, back when I was younger, all the kids in school loved playing at the park nearby. Not me. But, since I had to wait for my mother to get off work, that left me with three hours of down time. Three hours to fight for my goddamn life.” He took another drag from his cigar. “The kids loved picking on me, you see. I was the smallest and the plumpest, so of course I was an easy target. To make matters worse, whenever my so-called friends saw me get thrown down a hill, or suffer yet another barrage of rocks, they turned the other way. Why?” He asked. “Because that’s how society is. People are cruel. They are heartless. I don’t blame them, however. I wouldn’t want to get lumped in with the fat kid and beat up along with him.” He pointed his cigar at me. “So save yourself, Lordza. You have an affinity toward Zul, and I can admire that,” Valdrec started lazily, though his countenance quickly darkened, freezing me in place. But that has to stop today,” he emphasized. “Why, you may ask? Because, little Lori, I’m nothing like those kids. I won’t be throwing rocks at you. I’ll be throwing you off this ship with an anchor tied to your leg.” His toothy grin stretched across his face. “She made such hollow threats.” Chuckling to himself, he ignited the cigar again, sighing. “For years, you’ve been the best Manager of the Sea, so I can’t just go out and replace you as I did with other people.” He leaned forward, tobacco reeking from his breath. “Look, I know that this merchant job is the only thing you’re good at. Don’t screw this up for yourself, alright?” He leaned back once more.
Don’t screw this up? Just like I screw everything else up? Damn it, Valdrec. What choice do I have? I shifted from my chair, nodding once, “Fine,” I spat, “boss.” He smiled ruefully.
“Your new position is at Shellport,” he stated. “That should be far enough away from wherever Zul is at the moment, but I—” and for the first time since I met him, Valdrec stuttered, “I swear on my life, if you go and find trouble—if you wrong me just. One. More. Time—I will chase you down to the wastelands of Gedredul and end you.” He extinguished his cigar on the wood, ash sprinkling across the table. I’d rather you end me now. Go ahead. What else have I got to lose?
I shifted in my chair uncomfortably. “Yes, boss.”
Valdrec stood up and walked to the door. “Good, good. Now get moving.” He grinned. “You have a job to do.”