“I saw what you did,” he said, not facing her. She halted, unsure how he knew she was there. He continued, “At the town centre, during the execution. I wanted to thank you for trying to help them. I know there wasn’t anything you could do, but you already did more than any other human would.”
It was scary how true that was. All the other humans merely watched. Some cheered as the axe came down. They treated it as a source of entertainment rather than an execution.
She sat beside him, crossing her legs. “I suppose, but there had to be something I could’ve done. That bitch Captain Falck will only kill more.” On top of the ones she already killed. She didn’t want to know that number.
She stared out into the water. “It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair.”
Theren finally turned to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Serra nearly jumped at the touch. It was forbidden for a slave to touch a human unless given authorization from his master. She should’ve felt tension and fear from his touch. Fear that he would be killed the moment someone caught them, but her body responded warmly, welcoming it. What was this feeling?
“You did everything you could. I wanted to tell you right then and there, but I couldn’t. I was forced to watch the whole thing because my master demanded me to. If I had the chance, I would’ve come straight to you.”
Serra didn’t think about all the other slaves who were forced to watch it. Captain Falck said it was to be an “example” to the others so they never thought about doing the same.
What was sad was that those slaves probably knew.
Is there really a concern for a slave rebellion? Is that why they were given such a harsh punishment? It made her want to investigate if there had been reports of any uprisings. With the way the country was going, a rebellion was the last thing anyone wanted, but… it was what was needed.
But… Theren wanted to be beside her during it. To support her? To join her against Captain Falck? She wanted to ask but she found little point to it. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage him to do something reckless. Stupid. Two deaths were already too much for her to handle. She couldn’t imagine seeing him on top of that platform.
He removed his hand. Her body chilled, missing the heat from his hand. “I knew those two, you know. Nylain and Velatha, they were in the same shipment as I was when we came here.”
“Where did you come from? I remember you said you were brought here from Osthollow.” It would only make it worse by asking. Theren knew who they were, what they were like before the execution. They probably had a family. A home. They were also ripped from it as Theren was. Knowing their past would weigh on her mind, feeding her rage like a starving animal.
“I was from a small village on the outskirts of Rocren. They don’t harbor slaves, but they also left us to fend for ourselves.”
“How old were you when they took you?”
“Six, I think.”
Six years old. He was only a child when they took him. She didn’t dare to ask him about his parents. She was already prying too much into his life. It would also bring back very painful memories for him. Deciding to change the subject, she told him about her family. How they died and how she met Finn. Then, she told him about being part of Grom’s crew.
Theren narrowed his eyes. “I have not heard good things about that man. Are you sure you want to work for him?”
She briefly touched the healing cut on her cheek. “Not particularly, but I have little choice now until I find something else. You see, one of our jobs backfired on us and now there’s speculation that we have a rat in our midst.” He said nothing, so she continued, “A friend of mine died during it. He was another one I couldn’t save.”
“You try to save everyone, don’t you? That is very selfless of you, if a bit unwise,” he said. Her mouth opened, ready to protest him, but before she could say anything, he continued, “I just mean that in this world, survival is everyone’s top priority. You could be killed trying to save another and I would never want that to happen to you.”
His concern was… unexpected. It was unclear if he just meant that he cared for her safety or if he valued her as a friend. They had only met once before when she had given him a sack of apples so he wouldn’t have to eat rotten food. Perhaps her kindness meant more to him than she realized. If their positions were switched, she imagined she would feel the same way. It was how she grew to love Finn so quickly. He had saved her from starvation on the streets. Finn was the only one who cared for her after her parents died. She had no other family to speak of.
“I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you either,” she said in a low voice as if making sure no one else heard. “But I don’t think you should be out here. If your master finds out you were gone—”
“He won’t. He never does, and I make sure of it. I apply a little sleeping agent in his wine if I decide to leave. I have him convinced he is a lightweight.” A smirk passed his lips as he stood.
Her jaw dropped. The risk he was taking doing that! She stood and lifted her chin toward him. “You have the nerve to tell me I’m being unwise and, yet you do that to your master? Do you have any idea what would happen if he found out?”
He leaned closer to her face, standing his ground. “I do, and I don’t care. I am a slave, Serra. I have no rights. No freedom to do as I please.”
His hard expression faded, turning into a soft, yet pleading look. “I don’t even have the right to care for anyone. Not even another slave. If my master found out that I harbored such feelings, he would kill them just to spite me.”
Serra leaned back from him. She was reminded of Nylain and Velatha, where Nylain tried to protect his sister. He loved her, and he was thoroughly punished for it.
The other day, she saw a slave with sickly child in her arms. Her master was letting her baby die so she could better serve him. Another life wasted.
The slaves weren’t allowed to care for others—even their own kin. More injustice. More unfairness. When will someone finally say, “Enough!” When will someone see what she saw and end this once and for all? Elf or human, they were people just like herself. They had feelings and aspirations. They could help build the country to make it a better place for everyone.
Dwarfs in Adhelm were a rarity, and Serra knew the prejudice Finn faced every day, but he knew how to talk to people. He knew how to work his charm on others. Eventually, many of them became his friends. Elves like Theren had no such privilege. They were slaves, no more.
Slaves have no rights. Captain Falck’s words passed through her thoughts. While the captain was a pathetic excuse for a member of society, she was right about that. They truly didn’t have anything.
“I’ll try to find a way to help you,” she finally said. Theren stepped away from her, staring at his feet, then shook his head as if her words pained him.
“No one can help me.”
Before she could protest, he ran off, leaving his shoes behind.
Reluctantly, Serra returned home, where she found Caden and Finn sitting on the floor discussing something over a piece of paper in Finn’s hand. It looked like a letter, as it was bent in several places. They stopped when they saw her come in.
“We got a job,” Finn said. “Apparently, Grom got something big planned for the crew. Doesn’t say much, but to be at the docks by dawn tomorrow.”
Serra’s stomach turned, knotting in pain. She winced, placing her palm on her abdomen. Ignoring it, she took the offered letter from the dwarf and read:
Got a big job. Future’s looking good if this pulls through. Be at Summerport docks by dawn tomorrow.
“Sounds vague as usual. What do you think it is?” Serra said.
Caden shrugged. “Unfortunately, Grom has never been one to give details in his letters or to anyone, in fact. He keeps his plans close at heart. Maybe it’s to not get our hopes up too high or…”
“Or it’s something bad and he is afraid people will question his authority. He hasn’t been exactly kind to
any of us since that last big job we did,” she finished for him.
The silent reminder of the cut Grom put on her cheek weighed heavy in the air like smoke. She gingerly touched it, only to remove her fingertips when she saw Caden and Finn watching her. She was sure the cut would leave a small scar. One day, she would return that favor.
Caden spoke first. “So, where did you go? There’s sand or something on your boots.”
The idea of telling Caden where she was—particularly, who she was with—didn’t set well. While she did like Caden, she wasn’t sure where his loyalties lay. He has been with Grom for several years, and there was a chance that Grom would want to use him against herself and Finn. If he learned that she had become so… personal with a slave, he may tell Grom.
For now, she wouldn’t take that chance.
Grom made countless comments that he held no love for elves. He considered them nothing more than an object to sell, trade, and buy. They were merely things, not living, breathing people. Even thinking of those comments put a bitter taste in her mouth.
Though, Caden never said he agreed with Grom’s outrageous opinion on elves. In fact, he said he understood how she felt during the execution. It was more than she expected. Perhaps she was being too critical of him.
Serra decided that one day she would tell him about Theren, but not today. Whatever it was that drew her to Theren was a mystery. Just as quickly as it came, it may leave the same. There was little point in telling her companions about him now. Theren acted as though he wanted to keep himself away from her anyway. There was a chance she would never see him again.
That last thought made her pause.
She may never see him again.
Finn raised an eyebrow, only to shake his head, deciding not to ask. Serra was grateful for his understanding. As she’d grown older, Finn had learned to give her space when she was upset. That, or he just decided that fighting her wasn’t worth it.
About two years ago, she stayed out late one night, wanting to be alone after she heard a boy she liked got engaged. Rather than try to understand her feelings, Finn ended up yelling at her for staying out so late. The argument lasted for over an hour and ended in tears.
The next morning, Finn apologized and told her that life moves on, but she had her whole life ahead of her. “That pretty boy was pretty dull and weak. I will not hand you off to anyone who can’t protect you and take care of you,” he said.
Like any other family, they had fought time and time again. Varying degrees measured how bad or minor it was, but they always made up in the end. They knew they had no one else in this messed up world. Serra knew too well that she had no one else, but it was Finn’s potential loneliness that always brought her back to him within hours after a fight. He, too, had no family. They didn’t even know if his father was still alive after all these years.
Serra took a deep breath. “So, what have you two been doing?”
“I’ve been showing the big baby over here how to play cards,” said Finn.
“I am a full-grown man, thank you very much. I’m still learning the ropes. Of course, I’ll lose here and there. I won one game!” Caden argued.
She laughed. “Only because he let you win. I’ve been playing cards with him for too long to know otherwise.”
She remembered when Finn first taught her to play cards. He would purposely lose more and more to build her confidence. Then, when he felt she was ready, it became a war. Sometimes he would win, sometimes she would. It was never-ending on who was the better player. A fruitful challenge that never got boring over the years.
Finn chuckled. “Well, I had to get your confidence up somehow.” She sat cross-legged on the floor with her friends and passed out their cards.
The sky had been clear when they reached Summerport, which was unusual for this time of year. As the heat dissipated over the past few months, any sudden shift in the air covered the sea with fog.
Serra tried to see it as a blessing that this job was better than she had thought. There was a hope—a small hope—that Grom would learn to control himself after the loss of the last heist. It wasn’t the loss of Rafe that concerned him; it was the fact someone had been two steps ahead of him. He was too used to being ahead in any and every game, having been many steps further than his competitors, only to have tripped and lost a huge chunk of treasure in the process.
This time, Caden was forced to join with the job due to the loss of Rafe. They were shorthanded, and Grom was picky as to who he let into his web. Serra was convinced that he wouldn’t hire anyone else. The talk of a betrayal among the crew hadn’t ceased over the past few weeks, although they were mere whispers compared to the violent fights they once were. To that, Serra was grateful.
The crew was assigned to get cargo across the Little Sea to pick up and then return to a shipyard on the far side of Summerport. There was an abandoned building there that had been left to rot over the years, but Grom bought it a while ago to use for storage. This was the first time they would be using it.
It took them five hours to reach the beach on the other side of the Little Sea. No one bothered to tell Serra exactly where they were, only that she “needed to do her job.” Despite earning the trust of a select few crewmembers, they still suspected her of betraying them. Pain stung her chest as she heard the words. She felt as though she was back to the beginning with her crewmates.
She should’ve expected this. Between her and Finn, they were the most likely subjects for betraying the crew. They were still unknown to the others. Two months wouldn’t convince them otherwise, and the recent betrayal had everyone watching the other. If the traitor wasn’t found soon, the violence would start again. And this time, someone would point their accusations at Serra.
So, Serra did as she was told. She had let them all watch her carefully, like an eagle about to catch its prey. Finn shot a few glances toward her as they followed the others to the meeting place. They were to meet members of the unknown new client for the cargo.
When they arrived, the men were covered in black and gray outfits with red sashes across their waists. Their faces were covered by masks, leaving only their eyes visible.
One of them had walked past the others to her and Finn. Those eyes. There was something… lifeless about them. They were onyx with black veins stretching outward from his eyelids to his hairline.
He stared at Serra, narrowing his eyes. He was questioning why a woman was part of this crew.
Serra stared him down with the same disgusted look for a long moment. It was a small eternity between them. Unspoken threats were made in a single stare. When he backed off, his eyes softened slightly. She had earned his respect. She had stood her ground, unafraid.
He returned to the cargo collected on the sand with an empty cart next to it. Several of them were large enough to hold many pounds of whatever it was inside. That was the key to this meeting, as Caden explained earlier. They were to take the cargo and return it to the shipyard without question. It was said that the cargo was “delicate” and to be careful. If everything went well, payment would be made in full to Grom.
It made Serra wonder if Grom himself even knew what he was trading in. Was this a purchase that he was making and didn’t want them to know? It could’ve been weapons or supplies that he didn’t want any of his men to potentially steal. Despite herself, she understood Grom’s concern. If any of them messed this meeting up, they would be at the top of his list of suspects.
It was a test.
“You have the cargo. Do you also have our payment?” Benedict said, pushing his shoulders back with his chin high as if beckoning the man to try the same with him. The leader stood, unmoving. Benedict’s intimidation was clearly pointless to him.
“Of course,” the man said as if he were nothing more than a simple businessman. His voice was deep and rusty. He’d had played this game before too many times. He tossed a small bag to Benedict. “Half now and half after the job is done. My master was clear about the condi
tions to your leader.”
Benedict nodded once. If anyone had Grom’s trust, it was him. Serra wondered if that trust was misplaced. There was still a rat in their midst. Even in the most unlikely places, a betrayal could happen.
They moved the cargo, two by two, lifting the heavy boxes onto the cart. Finn was forced to roll the two barrels toward Serra, which she handed to Caden where he would organize them on the cart. It was a matter of minutes until the loading was done.
“Well, I see you have everything under control. One of my men will be at the shipyard to see to the final delivery. My master thanks you for this service. He will be most pleased,” the man said and left with his men.
Master? Not “boss” or “leader”? Grom usually worked with other local gangs in the city, and none of them ever referred to their boss as “master”. That title choice gave the impression they worshipped him, or that he controlled them in some way. It made Serra want to get out of there sooner than ever.
When she turned back to where the men had left, there was nothing. Not even tracks were made to prove their presence was here. A muffled cry came from one of the boxes. Serra shot back to the cargo to find nothing.
“You coming?” Finn’s voice startled her. She must have been hearing things. Seeing things.
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
She followed the cart, making sure nothing fell out, and glanced behind her several times to make sure she wasn’t hearing other things. The familiar knot twisted inside her gut. Something about those men was… off. Whoever this new business partner was, it couldn’t have been good. Serra stared at the cargo when they loaded it up on the ship. She was convinced she was hearing things.
“Serra, you all right? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost.” Caden asked, concern in his voice.
Rise of the Champion (The Champion Book 1) Page 6