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.”

“True,” I said more to myself.

It was true. I kept forgetting that. But I wasn’t sure that Esu meant for me to become the ‘Gift Bearers’ apprentice. What I found most disturbing about all that was the realization of what Deckard would become to me. Up until now, I’ve been trying to get rid of my masters and avoid falling into the hands of another. Now I’ve been told to accept one willingly. It didn’t sit well with me, even if it was just word-splitting.

Unaware of my second thoughts, Captain Rayden went on. “Agent Sah won’t like that. The City Lord will be furious. I’m used to his yelling, though.” Her tone made it clear that she wasn’t proud of it at all. “This is the only viable option I see you have. You could try some labyrinth company as a seeker. However, there is nothing stopping them from voiding the contract between you if they get paid the gold for it.”

Yeah, the companies, I was kind of hoping to have more time to decide, to find out more information. Only life was not going to wait for me to make up my mind.

“What about the junior squads?” I asked as my mind raced, looking for different choices.

Rayden gave me a questioning look. “A simple transfer order, and I won’t be able to do a damned thing about it.”

Oh, I should have thought of that. It was stupid of me, but I didn’t want to give up yet. “Didn’t you say they’re not technically City Guards, yet?”

“And technically, they are. You can guess what Sahals will take you for,” she said, making it perfectly clear. There was no doubt that if the Imperial Court will be really interested in me, they will exploit every loophole they get their hands on. I didn’t miss the irony either, when I myself was looking for such a loophole to weasel out of it.

To my surprise and irritation, Deckard poked my serious face when I was lost in thought. “Don’t worry, girl. If it’s the master thing that’s bothering you, I’m no master.”

“Apprentice is mainly a title for students of arts and crafts who learn from masters of arts and crafts,” added Janina swiftly by way of explanation as she grasped what was weighing heavily on my mind right away. “It has nothing to do with the master-slave relationship.”

I appreciated her efforts, but I was aware of that. I kept telling myself. It just didn’t work. However, what she said made me realize one thing. She called the Imperial Chief Healer her mentor before, not her master. The way I might think about Deckard too, unless it was a term used exclusively among healers. Did the fighters have some specific term for masters and apprentices of their own? Then, one specific question came to my mind.

I raised my eyes and peered at the man sitting next to me. “What do you want to teach me anyway?”

“What!” Janina yelled, looking like she wanted to strangle him, while Marcus laughed beside her. “You didn’t tell her?!” she roared so loud my ears rang.

“Well,” Deckard shrugged. “I didn’t expect you to want to push her on me as soon as you found out.”

“Bullshit, you just didn’t bother, did you?” remarked Marcus.

It was friendly banter, I was aware of it, yet I felt the need to say something. “He told me he was stuck on a couple of skills.”

“A few skills, I hear?” Chief Healer’s laughter was short-lived as Rayden hit the table. “No doubt Deckard should have told you more, Grey. Travis will be here any minute, though. So what’s your decision?”

My choice? Rather, why did she keep mentioning her assistant? What does he have to do with this? A question I had on the tip of my tongue and yet dared not ask. Rayden looked too serious to tolerate any more stalling for time, which is what I so desperately needed.

“Does it require a contract? Something like Geas?” I asked, just to make sure I wouldn’t trade the collar for magic shackles.

As the realization dawned on Deckard, he muttered, “I don’t have...the damn form.”

The second he finished, Rayden’s hand landed hard on the table again, only this time I found a parchment in front of me. Identical copies appeared in the hands of all four lieutenants right after that.

“Hey, I see you’re also looking for your apprentices,” Deckard noted. From his amused tone it was clear he knew why his friends had the parchments. Just in case. I saw the words on everyone’s face, yet no one said them out loud.

“It’s not a Geas, just an official contract, standard form. No magical connection or binding. Deckard can’t force you to do anything against your will. Either party can terminate it whenever you feel like it, but no one else.” Rayden quickly named the contents of the parchment for me.

“Whenever I want? Without having to...I don’t know, pay a fee or something?” I asked, glancing at Deckard.

He smirked. “We’re in the same boat, girl. Maybe it won’t suit you, it might not work for me, or we both get on each other’s nerves. There’s no harm in trying. If it doesn’t work out, we will each go our own way.”

“Just like that, no harm done?” I made sure for one good reason. I didn’t have money to pay him some compensation later. Though I knew in my heart that he didn’t deserve such treatment, he gave me food and dressed me without asking for anything in return. I was just overwhelmed with fear and doubt about the next step.

“Just like that, girl. No hard feelings,” he assured me in a tone I’d use on a little girl.

Okay, I have to admit I didn’t look like a paragon of confidence and determination right now. After all, hugging Sage was a bit...childish. But so comforting. That was it, though. No heavy breathing, no shaky voice, or butterflies in my stomach. I got my head straight and approached it like a fight. On one side was me, and on the other was a piece of paper on the desk that could change my life. It became much easier to weigh the pros and cons.

At that point, my worries turned out to be a bit exaggerated.

“Okay, Deckard. I’ll be your student...your apprentice,” I told him and everyone in the room loud and clear.

Rayden smiled broadly. “Sign here, put your thumb on the rune here, and use mana.” She pointed to the blank line for the apprentice with the black rune circle behind it. Simple, there was only one tiny issue. “I can’t write, not in Standard.”

The Captain mumbled something I didn’t quite understand, turned the paper towards her, and added my name herself. “Your mana is what matters, please.”

I ran my eyes over the form once more, one last time, placed my thumb on the runes, and let my mana flow into them. The circular runework, which until now had been as dark as the rest of the script written in the ink on the parchment, glowed with a yellowish light for a brief moment, changing shape as well as color right before my eyes. When the glow died, and I removed my thumb, I stared at the blood-red runes. They reminded me of the wax seal used in the Middle Ages.

It was done, at least my part.

“Your turn, Deckard,” Rayden prompted him to sign.

He didn’t. He was just staring at the form, holding his breath which gave me pause, and I wasn’t the only one who was taken aback.

“Man, don’t say you want to back out now,” Marcus remarked, making Deckard smile oddly at me. “Sorry, girl. Just a little nervous.”

I couldn’t help chuckling slightly, along with a little grunt. I thought I was the only one here whose nerves were on edge, but even a man like him was not immune to jitters when it came to the big decisions.

He shrugged it off faster than I did, though. Then, without further hesitation, he put his signature on the form and confirmed the rune seal. With his following sigh of relief, I waited to see what would happen whether I wasn’t deceived after all.

Well, if I was, it was well done, without me noticing a thing. I wasn’t magically bound, nor did I have a collar around my neck. Instead, the room exploded with the joy of the city guard lieutenants congratulating Deckard and me. It was weird.

I almost felt like I had just married him, a ridiculous thought. It didn’t help that everyone wanted to sign the witness box on the form, and they did, including Captain Rayden.

As I considered how I should address Deckard now, a knock on the door reached my ears.

“He knows when to come.” Rayden rose from her chair and went to answer the door.

She hasn’t opened them fully, and I could already hear her assistant Travis. “Captain.” He saluted. “I can’t delay them any longer.”

Instead of answering, she shoved a freshly typed form in his face, looking smug and proud, as if it was her hard-earned diploma. Travis, loving such things, read the contents of the parchment in a flash, looked up, and frowned at her. “I don’t think we have time for jokes, Captain.”

“Not a joke,” she motioned with her thumb behind her, after which Travis peeked into her office.

It was fun to watch the young man’s face. As he saw me, his cheeks flushed slightly. When his eyes fell on Deckard sitting behind me, he raised an eyebrow. Then his expression twisted into a strange look of confusion followed by understanding. “Shit!”

“Now you get it, no joke.” The Captain patted him on the shoulder, ignoring his breach of decorum. Though the assistant quickly realized his mistake and cleared his throat. “I didn’t expect to ever see that. Not sure Baron Egerton will appreciate it. He didn’t seem to be in a very good mood, and Imperial Agent Sah didn’t seem thrilled with me delaying the meeting either.”

“Good job, Travis,” Rayden patted him on the shoulder again and swiftly returned to the desk, where she took her cap. After settling it on the head, she looked around the room. “Are we all on the same page?”

Most of us just nodded, some like Janina, and Blaine added a few words of agreement.

Unsure of where exactly we were going, I let the others lead the way while I still thought about what I should call Deckard. It was bothering me.

“Deckard, what should I call you now? Master is too much for me,” I told him bluntly, wanting to get it out of my system as soon as possible, even before I meet City Lord and Agent.

With his hands in his pockets and looking like nothing was wrong again, he laughed. “Don’t sweat it, girl. Just call me Deckard, like you’ve been calling me until now.”

As he said that, a weight lifted from my shoulders, and the realization came to me. Calling him anything else would be weird. Deckard was just Deckard. With that thought, I at first merely hummed, then smiled, and finally laughed. It was an honest, genuine laugh that involved a fair amount of growling. So it wasn’t strange that a few eyebrows went up around me as a result.

Actually, I was shocked myself. It had been a long time since I laughed so heartily, but my laughter never included growls, nor snorts, for that matter. The combination in itself sounded funny, but I couldn’t help it, and I had no choice but to blame it on my altered body.

“What’s so funny about my name, girl,” Deckard paused, wondering about my laugh. He didn’t seem offended, though.

I waved him off. “I just remembered something mother mossbear told me.” To her, Esu was Esu and not some King of the Woods. The resemblance of my reasoning simply made me laugh. “Your name is cool, Deckard. Don’t worry.”

“You’re weird, Grey,” Rayden remarked, shaking her head at the fact that I was laughing at something the beast said. And I had to agree with her, she was right. I was weirding even weirded out. Though I don’t know if it was lack of sleep or Deckard’s habits rubbing off on me, I decided not to worry about it. Accept it as a fact. And it was so much better when I wasn’t freaking out about every little thing that changed about my body.

It might as well be the fact that I finally had someone I could rely on that kept me calm, or it could just as easily have been the meeting with an Agent and City Lord to which I was heading. I was more worried about that than my weird laughter.

Before I knew it, Travis stopped at the massive wooden door he knocked on before entering. “Baron, Agent,” he addressed the people inside. Yet before he could introduce the new arrivals, they were already on him, leaving him no room to say another word. “Where the fuck is she! I don’t have all damn day.” The familiar voice belonged to Baron Egerton.

“Good to see you too,” Rayden said dismissively as she entered, followed by her lieutenants, Deckard and myself. Inside the room, which at first glance was very similar to the one where I had first seen the City Lord, he and his two pretty assistants were seated at one end of a large table, along with the Agent Sah.

“Captain, I gave you an hour. One fucking hour.” The Imperial Agent reminded her, vexed with her tardiness. She acknowledged his criticism with a slight nod before taking a seat at the opposite end of the table. “I’m aware of that, Agent Sah.”

“I needed to brief my lieutenants on the situation,” she added as she took her seat.

Without any prior arrangement that I was aware of, Marcus spoke up. “My mistake, sir. An urgent case in the infirmary required my attention. Hence the delay.”

Was it true? Didn’t he say he took a nap? The look on the Agent’s face worried me. I had a feeling he would not let this go and he will investigate whether any of that even happened. None of the lieutenants or the Captain seemed too concerned about that, though.