Jeremy

  Jeremy felt like hell. He suffered from a concussion, a stab wound, and the guilt of killing someone. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to take in his surroundings seeing nothing in the pitch black room; wherever he was. He could barely make out his hand in front of his face. He tried to find his status bars, but they were not viewable. He tried to think about his stats, but again he got nothing from the system.

  “You’re finally awake,” a deep unfriendly voice called from a few feet away. Jeremy squinted to focus, but saw nothing.

  “You took quite a beating and suffered a major stab wound,” the voice said almost as if he enjoyed the damage Jeremy had suffered. “Here. Let me…shed some light on your situation.”

  The man lit a candle. Jeremy squinted, focusing on the light source. The man appeared to be human, bald, with a thick black mustache, and he wore some type of soldier uniform. He sat on a stool at a small table, just large enough to hold a single place setting and the candle.

  “Wha—?” Jeremy started to ask.

  “No. You be quiet. Now, it is best that you don’t say anything,” the guard said smuggly. He exuded a pompous arrogant attitude. “You are probably wondering who I am, and where you are. Well, you are in the city of Serenveil, and this is a cell in our humble little prison. I am the captain of the city guard, and we arrested you for murder.”

  “I didn—”

  “Again,” the captain interrupted a second time, holding his index finger in the air like a teacher scolding a first grader. “I’ll remind you for the last time to keep your mouth shut!” His tone had changed to a more authoritative and demanding one. “Now. We healed you enough so that you can stand trial for your crimes tomorrow morning. You can eat some bread and drink some water, but you are to stay quiet. Nod if you understand.”

  Jeremy nodded as instructed.

  “I don’t know what the hell you are or where the hell you came from,” the captain continued. “But in my city, we don’t appreciate people getting killed.”

  “I was de—”

  Before Jeremy finished speaking, the man blurred forward, kicked him in the gut, and returned to his stool as if nothing had happened.

  “I told you to keep your mouth shut. Apparently, your type does not know how to listen. I don’t see any ears, but you nodded a moment ago, so I assume you understand me.” He paused for dramatic affect. “Don’t speak again!

  “You will meet with the mayor in a few hours. Eat your damn bread and drink your damn water. If my guards hear one sound out of here, they will beat you, heal you, and then beat you some more. Nod if you understand.”

  Jeremy took a deep breath, held it, and nodded.

  “Guard!” the captain called. “Get this man some bread and water and let me out.”

  The guard complied with his instructions. Jeremy ate his bread and drank the stale water. Jeremy estimated his cell to measure about ten feet by ten feet with a pile of straw for a mattress and a bucket for…business.

  He’d never felt so alone. He wanted to ask about Eli and Melorien, but he learned his lesson with the last blow to the gut. Trapped, exhausted, and unsure how to escape, he settled down to rest; whatever rest he could find in this reeking pile of moldy hay.

  It had been years since he’d set foot in a church, longer still since he’d prayed. That night, he begged Nivalár for help, crying, wishing he were home. He prayed harder than ever before. Eventually, sleep took him.

  No sooner had he closed his eyes when he heard, “Get up, prisoner!” The guard roughly banged on the cell door while inserting the key.

  He heard the rats and bugs scurry away as the guard opened his cell. “I said, get up! You are due to see the mayor in a few minutes, and you aren’t going stinking like that. You smell like straight chicken poop!”

  Jeremy solemnly followed the guard up the stairs and into a room that had some light. It was either morning or late evening based on the way the sun hung low in the sky, but Jeremy had no way of telling.

  The guard forced Jeremy against a wall and ripped off his clothes. Jeremy had never felt so humiliated, cold, naked, afraid, and angry all at the same time. A second guard tossed cold water from a bucket onto Jeremy and then threw him a bar of soap. “Wash the dung and piss off of ya…whatever ya are.”

  Jeremy actually liked the aroma of the soap. He scrubbed his body, and then the guard threw another bucket of water on him not entirely rinsing him off.

  A third guard brought in a thin brown cloak and put it over Jeremy’s head. All three guards were bald with varying tattoos on their scalp. “If you’re smart, you’ll plead guilty, and you’ll get sent to the salt mines for the rest of your life, but at least you’ll be alive. Plead not guilty, and they’ll hang ya just because you caused the trouble. Up to you though.”

  They placed shackles on his wrists and a collar on his neck. “This collar suppresses magic, just so you know. As you probably guessed, this building does too. But we’re heading down the street, and we don’t want you getting clever. If you try anything, we’ll beat you, heal you, beat you again, and then drag you to the mayor. Your call.”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  I guess Serenveil didn’t believe in lawyers or innocence until proven guilty, Jeremy thought.

  They got outside, and Jeremy relished the warmth on his shivering body. The sun was on the rise, so he might see it for one last time.

  [Hello, friend,] Jeremy heard a wonderful little voice inside his head. [You don’t look too good. I can’t communicate with Eli, but we are both near, and we will make sure you are released soon.]

  It’s so good to hear your voice. I thought you and Eli might be dead. What happened?

  [Your adrenaline made your stamina drop to critical levels, which pulled your health way down. You passed out. Eli worried that he wouldn’t be able to heal you. He cast heal after heal, but you wouldn’t wake up. We heard the guards coming, so we went and hid in the woods. The guards just assumed there had been a fight. Since you were the only one alive, you had to be the one who killed the other. We followed you to the prison, but we had no way in. We’ve been waiting all night.]

  What am I going to do?

  [Just play along at first and then tell the truth about who you are and why you are here in Elar. Nivalár will help you in her way when she can. You must have faith.]

  It’s literally the only weapon I have.

  One guard shoved Jeremy along the path. Up ahead, Jeremy could see a castle he believed was the city hall or the mayor’s official court.

  The group walked through the front doors of the spacious building. Everything was white. Everything. They could’ve called this building the White House. Several people wearing white robes gawked at Jeremy as they pinched their noses. He heard a couple of whispers and murmurs from onlookers judging him or asking what he was. He took it all in stride and said nothing.

  The guards pushed him through a set of enormous white wooden double doors into a room filled with white benches and tables not much different from courtrooms he had seen on TV. The guard forced him onto a wooden platform elevated about three feet above the ground. No one swore him in or offered him a lawyer. No jury or audience attended the hearing; just the guards, a prosecutor, and the mayor.

  Jeremy had a bad feeling about this. Where was Saul Goodman when you needed him?

  “Kneel!” the guard ordered and forced Jeremy to his knees.

  “What sort of creature are you?” the mayor boomed from his pedestal.

  “Some magical force turned me from a human into an amphibian during a magical awakening on my planet.” Jeremy stated matter-of-factly.

  “What do you mean, your planet? You are not from Elar?”

  “No. No, sir. I am an emissary from our world. Someone or some magical force sent me here to grow in knowledge and strength. I am going to return to my own world when I am deemed ready.” Jeremy took this seriously, so he spoke without contractions or slang. He didn’t want anything to get lost in translation.

  “Your world has…eehhh…intelligent amphibious creatures?” the mayor said, looking disgusted as if Jeremy was one of the ugliest things he had ever seen.

  “No. I am the first of my kind as far as I know. Nivalár has granted me the ability to speak the language of Elar and has sent me on a quest to reclaim a relic for Her near Serenveil. Two thieves attacked me on my way here.”

  “One of which you murdered!” the mayor almost screamed.

  “It was not murder, your graceness,” Jeremy said, hearing gasps and murmurs from the guards. “I defended myself and have the wounds to prove it.”

  “What wounds?”

  “The first thief hit me on the head, here,” Jeremy said, showing the area of pain on the back of his head. “And the other thief stabbed me, here.” Jeremy showed the area he was wounded. “I was losing a lot of blood, and before I passed out, I accidentally poisoned the man I killed. I swear I didn’t mean to kill him. I’ve never killed anyone in my life!”

  The mayor just stared down at Jeremy, judgingly.

  “Nivalár created the platform you are standing on to harm the accused if they tell a lie. Since you are still alive, you are telling the truth, and I will dismiss the charges. I would like to discuss your quest in more detail. Guard, release him. He is now my guest of honor.”

  [You did it!] Mel said.

  Thank you, buddy! Where are you? Jeremy released a long sigh.

  [I’m hiding. I will find Eli and bring him to you.]

  The mayor lived in the same building as the trial. He made good on his promise to make Jeremy his guest, and he offered Jeremy a fresh bath, a new cloak, food, water, and a healing potion. The cold and delicious potion completely healed both of his wounds. Jeremy didn’t know the level of the potion, but he had to get more.

  A servant escorted Jeremy downstairs to a dining area where the mayor and the captain sat waiting for him.

  “Sir? Is there any way I can invite my traveling companions? A man from Elaria and my bonded companion, a moonwake koi, were...”

  “A MOONWA…That’s impossible! Did you say moonwake koi? I’m sorry, that is unbelievable. I would love to see it..eh…him…her?’

  Jeremy chuckled, “It’s a ‘him’. His name is Melorien, but I call him Mel. He can communicate telepathically with me.”

  “That is amazing. A telepathic moonwake koi,” the mayor said with amazement. He looked at the captain and said, “Karn, did you know he had a bonded familiar?”

  Captain Karn stared at Jeremy with ire. “No. I did not know. He was alone when he was found.”

  The mayor ignored him, “I cannot wait to see him. Karn, send for them immediately. Before they arrive, I would love to hear about your quests.”

  Jeremy told his arrival story and the details of the first and second quest.

  “The Shrine of the Veil is only about two thousand strides from the town, Jeremy. Would you be okay if I sent one of my guards with you?”

  “I am fine with the company as long as they listen to me. The quest is mine, given by the Goddess.”

  “Understood!” the mayor exclaimed with a jovial laugh. “I will send Karn.”

  You mean the sadistic jerk who kicked me earlier? Jeremy thought, but didn’t dare say.

  [What is a jerk?] Jeremy heard Mel in his mind.

  Basically a jerk is someone who isn’t nice. Jeremy told Melorien. Where are you?

  [I’m entering the palace now. I’m so hungry. Do they have any live fish?]

  Jeremy laughed out loud.

  “What is funny, my amphibian friend?” the mayor asked.

  “My friends are here,” Jeremy said. “Mel just told me he’s hungry. He loves to eat.”

  “I see. I cannot wait to meet them,” the mayor said. He glanced over at Karn with a sly smile.