A Threat

It was hard for her to believe — let alone accept — that her son had actually done something so foolish and reckless. He'd always been so dedicated to his studies, never missing a single class or failing to complete a single homework assignment. And yet, Tav hadn't just ignored his professor's instructions. He'd caused a massive accident because of it. All because he didn't want to spend a bit of extra money. So, he tried to cut corners, chose the easier path to solve his problem. Sure, his intentions were as pure as could be. But still, he was wrong. And not only that, he had also disobeyed her orders.

Was Tav, deep down, the kind of boy who chose ease over what was right? Was he someone who preferred comfort to responsibility? If that were true… well, it wasn't her fault. Zadie had played her role flawlessly for the past eighteen years.

Maybe she'd underestimated the influence of the East. Maybe she'd misjudged what growing up in that cursed district could do to him. Or maybe… maybe she hadn't been as convincing as she thought. Maybe Tav had inherited more of her old habits than she realized.

As she groomed the horses in the royal guard's stables, Zadie let out a tired breath, her face drawn with worry and fatigue. She was probably overthinking it. Tav had made a mistake, and people made mistakes. It was part of being human. He wasn't perfect, even if he was in her eyes.

But even understanding that didn't ease the sting in her chest. Not only because of the accident itself… but because of the fight that followed. It was the first time she had ever raised her voice at her son. She'd gone too far. Sure, he needed to understand that what he did was wrong. But she could've made her point in a better way. A gentler way.

She paused and brought a hand to her forehead.

"Zadie?"

She turned to the voice, to her friend Liv.

"You okay?"

Of course she wasn't. Zadie wasn't just dealing with the fact that Tav had messed up and disobeyed her. There were also the heavy consequences of his mistake… and of her own choices. There was the money, the Seed, her deal with Benny, the return to a life she thought she'd left behind, the argument with Tav… Her mind was a mess.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to hit something. Unload all the fury burning inside her. But Liv had nothing to do with it.

A sigh slipped from her lips.

"I'm fine."

Liv placed a gentle hand on her tired shoulder.

"You don't look fine…"

Zadie forced a soft smile.

"Don't worry. I just had a fight with my son."

"With Tav?"

Liv raised an eyebrow.

"That's odd. You two never argue. Did something happen?"

"Yes…"

Zadie turned away, focusing again on brushing the horse's coat.

"I'm sorry, Liv, but I don't want to talk about it."

Her friend lowered her gaze.

"That's okay…"

"Hey!"

A shout echoed from the stable entrance, harsh. It was one of the guards watching the place — a big man with a clean and angry face, very different from Zadie's.

"You two get paid to work, not to gossip. Back to it."

Liv sighed in frustration.

"I'll go get the hay."

Zadie nodded.

"Alright."

Liv was a good friend. Not the closest she'd ever had, but it was nice having someone to talk to during this hellish job. Like Zadie, she was from the East too, so they had plenty in common.

Still, Zadie kept her at arm's length. She knew how the world worked, especially for people from the East. Friendships never lasted. None of hers ever had, at least. Sure, most of the blame was hers, but that only proved her point: people always left each other in the end. Even sons left their mothers when they grew up, and friends were no different.

Even so, she owed a lot to Liv. It was thanks to her that Zadie had managed to keep her sanity over the past years, amid all the pressure of her job and the exhausting environment of the Center. Maybe she should invite her over for dinner sometime…

"We'll see…"

Pushing those thoughts aside, Zadie focused on brushing the horses. Taking care of the stables wasn't the worst job in the world, honestly. The main challenge was avoiding the random piles of dung scattered here and there. Not easy for most people, since the place was so poorly lit. But for Zadie, who could see well in the deepest shadows, it was simple.

Being a Germinated had its advantages. She could endure far more demanding shifts, and she finished most tasks in half the time it took someone like Liv.

Her skills, however, would be much better used if she were in the royal guard, serving the king as a soldier, not as a horse caretaker or cook. Not only would she earn much more than she did now, but she'd also have better benefits, like living in the Center or having free access to the royal guard's medical facilities.

But Zadie couldn't reveal what she was. Especially not her magic. There weren't many in the world who could do what she could. And the royal guard already knew someone in Velgaris with abilities like hers: Raven. Letting others know that she, a lowborn from the East, shared powers with an infamous mercenary from the old days would raise far too many questions. Just being Germinated was enough to draw suspicion, actually.

So using her full abilities to make money, at least in the Center, was out of the question. But in the East…

Well, she had agreed with Benny to become his partner again. The thought of backing out still lingered in her mind, of course, but after Tav's accident… the idea seemed a lot less appealing. She'd need a lot of money, not just now, but throughout her son's entire education.

Still, facing that reality wouldn't be easy — not just because of her reluctance, but because it had been years since she'd last used her combat or magical skills. She was rusty. She needed to train before stepping back into that world.

Then, suddenly, Zadie felt someone approaching. Not by footsteps. Whoever it was moved too quietly for that. No, she sensed it through the emergence of a new shadow. A long cloak, different from the guards' uniforms or anything Liv wore. In fact, she could no longer feel the presence of the two guards or Liv at all.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she continued brushing the horse. She wasn't tense at the stranger's arrival, or at the fact that he had probably taken out the guards. There was no reason to be. But she was alert. Watching every movement through the shift in shadows. Whoever this was, only professionals could move that silently.

A moment or two later, the figure stopped ten steps away and finally spoke. His voice was metallic, unnatural, but neutral.

"You're Zadie, aren't you?"

Clearly using a magical device to mask his voice. But she didn't let it faze her, continuing her task calmly.

"Who's asking?"

"That depends."

Zadie raised an eyebrow.

"Depends on what?"

"Depends if you're really her. And if you're going to cooperate."

She took her time, finishing the horse's coat before finally turning to face him, staring into the deep darkness of the hood that hid his face. He stood under a stream of white light from outside, his black cloak rejecting most of it.

There was no way to know who he was, or how he reacted to her movements. No way to tell if he was armed or alone. Which meant blindly attacking him was reckless.

Still, there was one thing she could figure out. In fact, it was easy to conclude why that complete and suspicious stranger was there, talking to her like this. Even so, she asked:

"What do you want?"

He didn't move.

"The Seed you stole. I want it."

Zadie had been expecting that. But how had someone found out she had the king's Semente? Or rather, how did anyone besides Benny even know she had one?

Well, there were only two possibilities, both worse than the other.

The first, and most obvious: Benny betrayed her and sent someone to steal it. But that didn't make sense. If her old partner wanted to betray her, he wouldn't have sent just one person to take it, or to extract the information. He knew that wouldn't be enough to pressure her.

Which left the second option: someone had overheard their conversation at Fundo Bar. Which was equally unlikely, to be honest. Before revealing anything, she'd scanned the area for eavesdroppers and kept her voice low. Unless… unless the person had some kind of magical artifact or sound-capturing magic.

Possible, sure, but still unlikely. Everyone in the bar had been drunk and lost in their own problems. Zadie hadn't noticed any suspicious behavior from anyone there.

Either way, it was a fact that the stranger in front of her knew too much. There was no point denying it or trying to figure out how, not for now.

First, she had to deal with the consequences. And two came to mind, with the first being the most urgent: Tav's safety. If this man knew she had the Seed, he could go to her home looking for it, and that would lead him straight to her son. And that… that couldn't happen. Tav was just a kid. That bastard could use him to force her hand. Assuming he hadn't found him already.

Suddenly, a wave of fury surged in her chest, making her body burn. But she didn't show it, keeping her expression cold, unreadable. Negotiations tend to favor the other side when they sense you've bent to their words, so she kept herself in check.

After a brief pause, she decided to test how far this stranger had gone.

Calmly, she asked:

"And what if I don't give it to you?"

He was silent for a moment. Then, he spoke. And his words made Zadie's blood boil.

"Then maybe I'll just ask your son where you hid it. I'm sure he'll be much more… convincing."