stance widening slightly.
‘You didn’t need to come Carina, I asked Rigel because I needed the extra muscle.’
‘You think he’d be here if I didn’t let him? He’s my acolyte, he’s given up his freedom to serve me. He can’t even scratch himself without my say so.’
A look of disbelief flickered over Finn’s face. His eyes darted to Rigel to confirm Carina’s accusation.
‘She lets me scratch myself. And pee. She lets me do that without asking,’ Rigel assured him with a grin.
Finn didn’t know what to believe and was shaking his head. Then he noticed the shift in Rigel’s face, the seriousness slowly descending across his features
‘I had to beg her,’ Rigel whispered behind his hand. ‘Just tell her how much.’
Finn looked between Rigel and Carina. He couldn’t see why his nephew would sign his life away for this bitch. But he had. He’d given up his life to undergo the procedure to make him an acolyte; faster than other men, more stamina, but at the cost of protecting a mage for the rest of his life. And his choice of mage … But that was the reason why he needed him now.
‘I can’t pay you with money,’ Finn revealed with a hint of defeat in his voice.
Carina didn’t even pause. ‘We’re out of here. I’ve got work to do at the Academy that is more important than sitting out in the woods in the middle of Firadon.’
Carina pushed between the two men toward the exit of the tent, her black robe engulfing her tiny frame and masking the sounds of her movement.
‘Wait.’ Finn exhaled loudly. ‘I don’t have money but I can offer something else.’
Carina stopped at the entrance of the tent, waiting expectantly for the captain to finally reveal what he should have offered in the first place.
‘You both know the ruins those book types are digging around in. For your services, the archaeologists have agreed, completely off the books mind you, that you can take anything magical that they find.’
Carina slowly turned around to face him. ‘The Academy cleaned those ruins out centuries ago, there’s nothing left.’
‘That’s what you think,’ he said with a smile.
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘The diggers found something, in fact, the discovery is the whole reason why I needed Rigel to come down. There’s a chamber, completely untouched, you can take your pick.’
‘No restrictions on what I can choose?’
‘None whatsoever.’
Carina paused to appear if she was weighing up the decision, despite the smile creeping onto her lips in giddy anticipation of finding something utterly brilliant down there. ‘Fine, we’ll take care of your problem.’
‘What do I get?’ Rigel asked.
Carina and Finn both turned to look at the acolyte, neither expecting him to inquire about payment after Carina’s bargaining, both of them expected that she had negotiated Rigel as well.
‘What do you want?’ Finn asked.
‘The chamber is full of valuable old shit?’
‘I’ll talk to them …’ Finn shrugged.
‘And tell them that I’ll take what I want.’
Rigel left Carina in the tent to sleep and went searching for his uncle. Pushing aside the flap, the warm night air blasted his face and he immediately looked up to the dazzling stars against the pitch-black sky.
Noticing that nearly all of the mercenaries were active as he went to the gate, Rigel wondered exactly why he had been asked to come to Firadon. Some discovery at the ruins wouldn’t make Finn post guards in the camp, the extra security would be needed at the site. Something had made him shift his priorities.
Finn was standing at the open gate, staring out into the shadows, his arms folded across his chest. Two other men of the company stood to either side, weapons in hand, focused on nothing but the captain’s face, as if watching the reflections in his eyes.
‘We really need to talk captain,’ Rigel said as he stopped by his uncle’s side, his eyes drawn toward the darkness.
The three men were so
‘You didn’t need to come Carina, I asked Rigel because I needed the extra muscle.’
‘You think he’d be here if I didn’t let him? He’s my acolyte, he’s given up his freedom to serve me. He can’t even scratch himself without my say so.’
A look of disbelief flickered over Finn’s face. His eyes darted to Rigel to confirm Carina’s accusation.
‘She lets me scratch myself. And pee. She lets me do that without asking,’ Rigel assured him with a grin.
Finn didn’t know what to believe and was shaking his head. Then he noticed the shift in Rigel’s face, the seriousness slowly descending across his features
‘I had to beg her,’ Rigel whispered behind his hand. ‘Just tell her how much.’
Finn looked between Rigel and Carina. He couldn’t see why his nephew would sign his life away for this bitch. But he had. He’d given up his life to undergo the procedure to make him an acolyte; faster than other men, more stamina, but at the cost of protecting a mage for the rest of his life. And his choice of mage … But that was the reason why he needed him now.
‘I can’t pay you with money,’ Finn revealed with a hint of defeat in his voice.
Carina didn’t even pause. ‘We’re out of here. I’ve got work to do at the Academy that is more important than sitting out in the woods in the middle of Firadon.’
Carina pushed between the two men toward the exit of the tent, her black robe engulfing her tiny frame and masking the sounds of her movement.
‘Wait.’ Finn exhaled loudly. ‘I don’t have money but I can offer something else.’
Carina stopped at the entrance of the tent, waiting expectantly for the captain to finally reveal what he should have offered in the first place.
‘You both know the ruins those book types are digging around in. For your services, the archaeologists have agreed, completely off the books mind you, that you can take anything magical that they find.’
Carina slowly turned around to face him. ‘The Academy cleaned those ruins out centuries ago, there’s nothing left.’
‘That’s what you think,’ he said with a smile.
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘The diggers found something, in fact, the discovery is the whole reason why I needed Rigel to come down. There’s a chamber, completely untouched, you can take your pick.’
‘No restrictions on what I can choose?’
‘None whatsoever.’
Carina paused to appear if she was weighing up the decision, despite the smile creeping onto her lips in giddy anticipation of finding something utterly brilliant down there. ‘Fine, we’ll take care of your problem.’
‘What do I get?’ Rigel asked.
Carina and Finn both turned to look at the acolyte, neither expecting him to inquire about payment after Carina’s bargaining, both of them expected that she had negotiated Rigel as well.
‘What do you want?’ Finn asked.
‘The chamber is full of valuable old shit?’
‘I’ll talk to them …’ Finn shrugged.
‘And tell them that I’ll take what I want.’
Rigel left Carina in the tent to sleep and went searching for his uncle. Pushing aside the flap, the warm night air blasted his face and he immediately looked up to the dazzling stars against the pitch-black sky.
Noticing that nearly all of the mercenaries were active as he went to the gate, Rigel wondered exactly why he had been asked to come to Firadon. Some discovery at the ruins wouldn’t make Finn post guards in the camp, the extra security would be needed at the site. Something had made him shift his priorities.
Finn was standing at the open gate, staring out into the shadows, his arms folded across his chest. Two other men of the company stood to either side, weapons in hand, focused on nothing but the captain’s face, as if watching the reflections in his eyes.
‘We really need to talk captain,’ Rigel said as he stopped by his uncle’s side, his eyes drawn toward the darkness.
The three men were so
Similar Books
