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“Yeah. I guess.”
“I’m going to rest. Don’t follow.” He walked away from me and headed to the stairs. “I’ll hire someone with tech implants like Jaxon’s.” He left me downstairs as he headed up. I was tired myself and cold from the sea. By now I was convinced I was sick and should head to bed right now to rest but I had also noticed the perfect and perhaps rare opportunity. Thorsten had forgotten to lock the front door.
If I leave now, I could be at Jaxon’s place in two hours, and if he has access to a car then I may just make it back here before Thorsten knew I was gone.
I opened the door slowly and peeked out into the vast empty hallway which housed the entrances of the many Titan apartments here, took a deep breath, and walked out.
I half expected Thorsten to reach out and grab me as I trotted down the castle hall, but I made it to the elevator. I expected Gio or someone to scold me and tell me to return to my master, but no one stopped me in the lobby nor the courtyard, nor when I reached the massive castle doors. Was it always this easy?
Like a runner hearing the firing of the gun, I bolted down the street, running and running until my lungs burned, and the sight of the high castle was further in the distance.
Reaching the second level, I sat down on the bench for a break until I spotted the flying police drone announcing a curfew and urging everyone back to their homes. A curfew? I’ve heard nothing about a curfew in the days I was living in the lower level. Or was this the bane of living too close to our conquering titans?
I did what I could to evade catching the attention of the drones as I ran for the entrance to the third level.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
KAL
“Jaxon! Please come out!” I knocked on the shutters. His house was near the fifth and final level, near its own set of docks leading toward the sewers. The stench was unbearable, I didn’t know how Jaxon or anyone living here could stand it. After a minute of me banging on the door, a man with a bird face came to the door, it was Jo.
“You!” He gave me a look as if he wanted to tear me apart. He really had some nerve considering he was the one who sold me out.
“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not the one who tried to sell somebody here. You are!”
“They had us chained up in that shit hole. Jaxon was near death, and that monstrous titan was torturing me; what the hell was I supposed to do?! The moment I saw how he reacted to your holo, I knew just what I had to offer him to get us free.”
“My holo?”
“Jaxon’s holo of you. Gods, you probably don’t even remember letting him take one; you’re so into yourself. Though it looks like someone took you down a notch or two.” He pointed at my scar and covered eye.
I tried to remember the holo. Could it have been when we were fooling around with the recorder before he left Vanir all those years ago? It was such a throwaway moment. Not much of note happened. I couldn’t believe he saved it.
“Anyway, you’re doing well for yourself besides looking like a drowned rat.”
“Where’s Jaxon?” I said, already done with him. I felt a timer ticking above my head. I was hoping to be back before Thorsten discovered I was gone, but that was looking less likely.
Just when Jo would say something, most likely nothing that would help me, that beat-up old car pulled up, and the two who claimed to be Jaxon’s friends got out. I sighed, not prepared for this at all. I remembered what Thorsten said about the bullet that almost hit me. I needed to keep myself in check.
“Jo! For fucks sake!” Davi sauntered over, ignoring me. “I didn’t raise you to be like this!” He sighed. “Let’s go home.” He escorted the protesting Jo out the door. “Good thing you got away.” He acknowledged me for the first time. “I heard they do awful things to street rats like us. But I won’t apologize for saving my family first.”
They drove away without another word, leaving me standing in front of Jaxon’s small metal house alone. When I turned, Jaxon stood near the doorway. A thin black cigarette between his lips. “Kal.” He breathed, but he didn’t look at all happy to see me, but he stepped aside to allow me inside.
“Did you know they sold me?” I asked, closing the door.
“Only later, and he and I already traded our blows over that.” It wasn’t the cleanest of living areas. Like most of these houses, itwas full of tech, either from salvage jobs or pieces someone was paying him to fix. Whatever it took to make a dime. “I saw you a while ago at some fancy thrall party.”
“You saw me?!” I exclaimed.
“We were working on the way to save you. You have no idea how hard it was for me to hide near that castle. That bastard wasn’t letting you out so easily. And then like magic, you appeared. You seemed happy with him.” He punched a hole in the wall, contrasting the calm way in which he spoke. “My Kal would have hacked every damn thing in that place and freed himself if he had to; I don’t know who you are.”
“Thorsten—”
“So, it has a name? Didn’t think they had those.” He poured himself a clear yellowish green liquid, most likely booze made with seaweed.
“I don’t want to fight. Thorsten saved my life more than once. When your friends tried to kill me. Maybe he had his own reasons for doing it, but he looked out for me and made sure my father received medical care.”
“Why the hell would my friends want you dead?”
