FF Chapter 26

Alex sleeps, while his roommate attends to personal business.

Chapter 26

      Jack woke up groggy. He hadn’t slept well. He rose to find Alex doing his daily routine, and walked right past the industrious kid to grab breakfast and leave.

      No one ever paid attention to him, ever since he was little he’d always learned how to stay out of sight. He wore bland clothes without any bright colour, but not all black either, that would make him seem suspicious.

      Being part of the school staff gave him some freedom too, like when he walked across the bridge to Sanel; no one stopped or questioned him. People at school just assumed he was there on personal business, and people in town assumed he was there for work. In a way, they were both right.

      He made his way toward The Capital, and found an unassuming shop by the side of the road, far enough away from the town that it was untouched during the fighting and explosion. An old wooden shack served as a storefront, while a small barn in the back held the merchandise, for this place offered horses for travel to The Capital. Usually these were reserved for officials or messengers, who would stop by to trade a weary horse for a rested one to continue on their journey, but Jack was an exception.

      He walked into the store and was greeted by a groan. The old man who ran the place knew him well; he’d been stupid enough to gamble against Jack many times before. After betting more than he could pay, Jack had offered the man a deal. He could come by anytime and rent a horse, without question, and he would have it back before nightfall. At the time the old man considered it a better alternative to losing his home, he still did, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

      He grudgingly gave Jack a horse, and the card player made his way to The Capital, then to its’ eastern districts, the merchant districts. He rode slowly through the dusty streets, ignoring the calls of merchants to stop and look at their wares. He didn’t want to spend any more time here than he had to.

 

      He found a three-story casino named ‘Lucky Dice’, and hitched his horse outside. The guards let him in without a word. The inside was very classy; catering to both those who could afford to lose, and those who couldn’t. Inside were ornate statues, fountains, majestic bouquets, and stylish furniture at which to gamble.

      Despite the time of day, early morning to noon, the place was busy; people losing fortunes left and right. Out of habit he scanned the crowd, spotting a few east targets, a few cheaters, some genuinely skilled players, and several too desperate to care which they were. He passed by them and climbed the stairs to the second floor.

      While equally ornate as its lower cousin, the second floor held a superior status. It was for ‘high rollers’, whose would gamble more in a day than some made in months. As impressive as the decoration on the first floor were, it paled in comparison to the tanks of water that lined a few of the walls of the second floor. While the containers themselves weren’t that impressive, inside them swam SawJaws; tamed Dan’darun! That alone was a spectacle, and added to the ‘elite’ feel of the second floor.

      He walked right through to the back unnoticed, and saw two large ornate doors. On them was a plaque that read ‘authorized personnel only’. He approached them without a second thought, opened them, and climbed the stairs to the third floor.

      The stairs ended in a hallway, which itself was bookended by even more lavish doors. He entered and approached the final door, although a bit more anxiously than the others. Outside was an immaculate butler, standing at a wheeled cart full of desserts, preparing tea.

      “Hello Deese.” Jack mumbled, walking up to the butler.

      “Why, hello Jackson.” Deese sounded genuinely surprised to see him, despite Jack having been summoned.

      “How is she today?” He asked, motioning to the door.

      “Not bad, but might be getting worse. Our masked friend just entered, and isn’t happy, which could make our mistress unhappy.” He lamented, testing his brew. Nothing but the best would be served to his lady.

      Jack smirked. “Oh yeah, I heard about a ‘masked fighter’ at Sanel. He had a beast gift to multiply himself, and got beaten into the ground by Whar.”

      Deese tried to hide a smirk as he warned “Yes, that’s the one, although I would refrain from bringing it up. It seems the scars from that particular fight have yet to heal.” With that he opened the door and the two entered.

 

      “I will not be humiliated again!” Captain Johnathan cried as the pair walked in.

      The room was luxurious, with a massive red bed on the back wall, and a golden trim on almost everything. A large dining table was in the center, and at it sat Luck herself in a comfortable chair that resembled a throne. The Hand remained completely composed in the face of the annoying fly buzzing in her ear.

      “I understand John, I really do, but such things take time. I cannot just snap my fingers and make you a god.” She explained softly, putting on her sweetest voice.

      “I don’t need to be a god; I just need to be stronger than Whar!”

      Deese scoffed as he wheeled the cart over. “Whar has spent his whole life hunting beast marks, at least eighty. After we doubled your previous level, you only have twenty, divided among however many clones you make with your beast gift.”

      “And you?” He accused.

      “My mistress has seen fit to bless me with sixty-four.” He smiled with pride while pouring Luck her tea.

      “Now now Deese” She jokingly chided “don’t be that way. Johnathan here is very important to us, and should be strong enough to carry out his part of the plan reliably.” She turned to him. “I will see what I can do. About ten more will have to suffice, as getting Dan’darun past Evil’s patrols is tough, and trying to outhunt his army would be even harder.” She seemed to give Jack an odd look as she offhandedly mentioned “That’s something we’ll have to deal with eventually, but regardless, I will secure some more power for you.” She smiled. “In exchange I will expect your part of the arrangement to go off without a hitch.” Her voice was noticeably colder, and Captain Johnathan swallowed hard.

      “You have nothing to worry about.” He said, before seeming to dissolve into nothing.

      Jack watched the spot where the man had stood. The Captain called his beast gift ‘one man army’. It allowed him to divide himself, and his power, into clones. One clone could be here arranging a deal with Luck while the original stood guard at the Kings’ side; or his clones could wear masks and fight in Sanel while the original rode to the rescue beside Gaius and Future. It was the perfect alibi.

      Luck took a sip of tea before rising and embracing Jack. “Hello Jack, how are you today?”

      “Not too bad, the ride over was a bit bumpy.” He complained, uncomfortable at the hug.

      She released him. “Did anyone see you?”

      “Of course not.” Jack couldn’t hide the pinch of pride in his dull tone. “By the way, here’s my latest payment.” He took a bag of money out of his pocket and tossed in onto the table. A few coins spilt out, yet neither Luck nor Deese bothered to count them. However many it was, it wouldn’t be enough.

      Luck clasped her hands together in joy Jack knew to be false. “Oh Jackson, I knew you were the right pick. Your parents would’ve been useless, but your service is far more valuable than their debt to me.” He realized immediately she had no reason to say all this except to remind him of their deal, and his obligation to her. She’s trying to guilt him, weaken him, right before asking a favor. “Tell me, what have you learned about Alex these past months?” There it was.

      “He has an intense morning workout.” Jack took an offered seat at the table, and Deese was kind enough to pour him tea.

      “Growing up with who he did, I can only imagine.” Luck waved the anecdote aside. “I mean how is he? The events in Sanel must have taken their toll on him.”

      “Actually, it’s the other students that are making it hard for him. Any jealousy or fear they had has boiled over into hatred. They pick on him and persecute him at every opportunity. It seems the fact he refuses to fight back only spurs them on, since anyone else with a mark would’ve destroyed them by now.” They’re poking a sleeping lion just because they think it’ll never wake up.

      “Good.” Luck cheered. “Hopefully this sadness will spur him to consider my old proposal. Tell me, how does he feel about Future? Seeing his beloved ‘Uncle’ lash out like that must have done something.”

      Actually, seeing his uncle stand up for him so intensely did nothing to change how close they are. “Yeah, he seems to resent the old man for threatening Gaius and forcing all his friends away. Indol was taken to the library. He feels replaced.” He lied through his teeth. He avoided looking at Deese without making it obvious. He knew the butler couldn’t detect deceit with his beast gift, only a person’ strongest desire, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t start trouble; he was more perceptive than his mistress by a wide margin. Thankfully both he and Luck were distracted with the meal, preparing it and eating it respectively.

      “That I can use.” Luck smiled, taking a forkful of cake. “His friends and family having abandoned him, I can come to him as a caring mother and whisk him away to my sanctuary in the east, far away from here and Future’s little plan. Tell me, does he have anyone, anyone at all, at the academy supporting him?”

      Anastazia! “No one. He’s alone. I’m just his roommate.”

      Deese chose a moment when his mistress had her mouthful to speak up. “And do you play cards with him?” He asked with a smirk.

      Jack fingered the deck in his pocket. “Yeah.”

      “Using your marked deck?” Deese shook his head. “Shameful.” He smiled teasingly. All three of them knew his secret; each card in his personal deck was marked. The design on the back of each card was slightly different, imperceptible to the normal eye, but Jack had trained his well.

      “Only some of the time.” He shrugged. “Alex is horrible at cards no matter what we use or play. He actually seems to lose even worse when using his own deck…which is remarkable in its own way. He loses worse when I’m not cheating.” He mused into his tea with a brief smile.

      Luck wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Fitting; a pawn is terrible no matter what game it’s in.”

      Deese held up a finger politely. “If I may, ma’am, in chess a pawn can become very powerful if played well and given enough time.”

      Luck waved the point aside. “I don’t plan on giving him, or Future, enough time. Our little…what does Evil call it, our ‘poker game’, is coming to a close. You know, for all the stupid things my brother will do for a laugh, I do find the analogy fitting. After all, we all have secrets. It just depends whose secrets are better. I suppose that would mean I need a ‘royal flush’ to ensure my victory.” 

      Deese loaded the dirty dishes onto the cart. “It is the highest hand, but what would it consist of?”

      She smiled at Jackson “You would obviously be my ‘jack’ and Johnathan the ‘ten’, I suppose Deese would be my ‘king’, and I, of course, am the ‘queen’.”

      Deese smiled. “As flattered as I am, I believe our positions in the deck should be reversed, my lady.”

      “What about the ‘ace’?” Jack asked.

      She smiled at him coyly “My dear boy, you know I always keep an ace up my sleeve. Now there’s a wild card in play; Evil. I’m hoping you can help me with that Jack. How important or unimportant Alex is will be irrelevant if Evil and Future team up.”

      Jack realized what she meant. During his employ, he’d learned as much as he could about her powers. She could manipulate probability, but only so much, and at a limited distance. She also couldn’t change the impossible. No matter how hard she wanted she could never make a human breath water or fly, but making them dodge an arrow or find gold were easy. If she was so worried about her brothers allying, then she knows that if they did then the probability of her victory would be zero.

      A bad feeling gripped his stomach, and he knew it wasn’t the tea. “And what exactly do you expect me to do?”

      “After seeing the fight in Sanel, it’s become apparent to me that Evil’s army outclasses my own by an immeasurable margin. Just a fraction of his force was able to match and surpass my own.”

      “Whar was there.” Deese interjected.

      “Regardless, if he were to ally with me, our victory would be assured.” She couldn’t hide a childish smile. “After all…two Hands are better than one.” She giggled to herself, as both men supressed a groan.

      Jack, who was not ageless, didn’t have a beast mark, was non-threatening, and uninvolved in the Sanel skirmish; was given the task of being a messenger between the Hands. He wasn’t thrilled, but didn’t dare argue, and made his way to the southern side of the city, to the port, and Evil’s den.