Lament of the Slave

Seal

The silence that reigned in the temporary office of the City Guards Captain was quite awkward in itself. What weirded me out and something that sent shivers down my spine were the looks of four lieutenants. If their disbelieving stares were focused on Deckard alone, I would probably keep my mouth shut. With their eyes moving between him and me, I had to say something to break the silence.

"Um, time?" I know, not the smartest thing to say, and it needed a bit of clarification. "I mean, I was under the impression that we didn't have much time."

That worked.

Captain Rayden, clearly enjoying the confusion of her lieutenants, perhaps glad for Deckard, cleared her throat. "Grey's right. We only have a few minutes left. Maybe more, depending on Travis. So listen..."

"You want to make her his official apprentice," swordmaster Blaine stated as he figured out her intentions. Although disbelief was still visible on his face, he was already thinking logically about the situation.

Her gaze shifted on him for a brief moment. "Yes, because an apprentice is something the Sahal Empire can't just touch."

"Why?" I strained my ears. It didn't make sense to me. "Can't they just come in and say, 'Hey, that freak is an important asset to the Empire, she's coming with us!' or some shit like that? Is there anything Deckard could do about it? Besides attacking them."

My mention of him attacking somebody earned me a scowl from, say, my hypothetical future teacher.

"No, they can't," Janina breathed and squinted her eyes. "Deckard, are you for real?"

He turned to her, and when he spoke, he sounded unusually gentle. "Jan, I know you didn't believe, any of you, that this day would come, and looking back, I don't think I even wanted an apprentice. Why would I teach some brat what I learned? Shut the fuck up, Marcus....okay, I know why, but I thought I could do it myself."

"But you couldn't. You are still stuck." Marcus raised an eyebrow at him.

"Obviously." Deckard sighed, then with a hint of sadness behind his smile, he gestured to me. "When I first saw her, I saw myself. The way this girl faced a beast like Esu seemed similar to me and the fucking bottlenecks. Over the years, they've become this invincible beast I'm facing. So yes, something broke inside me, and I decided to take her on as my apprentice."

Well, the first time I've heard him put it that way. It took me by surprise, but most of all, it made me pissed.

"Of course, if she wants," added Deckard when he sensed my displeasure. Why didn't I like what he said? It felt like he was making decisions about me without me, as if it was a fact, without me agreeing to anything. Not to be completely unfair to him, it looked like I had little choice.

"I..." I took a breath, unsure of what to say. An apology? Agree? Or let my frustration and anger run free?

Rayden, ignoring my temper, didn't miss that I didn't get a proper explanation. "What Janina didn't tell you is that apprentices have a special status in the Sahal. In short, the first Emperor used to be an apprentice to a blacksmith, and when he founded the Empire, he saw this role as something to help the land and its people grow. At that time, there was a shortage of skilled craftsmen. In short, the status of apprentices hasn't changed since then."

"...and that means what?" I asked, my curiosity piqued but still doubtful.

"Unless the master renounces his apprentice, for which he is entitled to compensation or the apprentice themself will not leave their master, the Empire cannot touch them. The main point at the time was that they couldn't be drafted into the army, and yes, people have tried to take advantage of that, work around the system, and avoid recruitment. So it's not an iron-clad rule, but Esu himself wants Deckard to train you."