“Watch the line,” I murmur as I lean forward to guide Jasper’s pole back to the water. He turned to look at me, bringing the line out of the water. While I didn’t put a hook on my toddler’s fishing pole, I am trying to teach him proper safety so he can finish when he’s old enough.
“Fish! Fish!” He points excitedly to the water, where my bobber has sunk below, and I chuckle.
Crouching down, I help him hold my pole, his completely abandoned on the pier in favor of my more interesting one. We tug, his little hands fumbling with the reel, but I try to let him do it as best as he can manage. It’s good for him to struggle, to learn, and sometimes, it’s good for him to fail.
It’ll teach him to be a better person if I don’t do everything for him.
“Fiiiish!” he groans as he jerks on the pole, and he slams back into me as the bobber breaks free of the surface and his momentum is too much for his little legs to handle.
I turn Jasper so that the hook doesn’t swing into us. I’ve learned first hand just because a fish has bitten the sharp ends doesn’t mean that it can’t prick you, too. And I’ve tried to make sure Jasper knows that, but sometimes he forgets.
Like right now, as he scrambles to pick up the fish and I worry that hook that has pierced its lip will slice his hand open as he grabs his catch. “Jas, watch your hand.”
“Looook,” he coos, completely ignoring me. But I’ve taught him enough that he grabs the belly of the fish, deftly avoiding cutting himself without a thought. “Mama, look!”
“I see, baby.” His face is lit up with a bright smile that warms my heart, and for a moment, just a moment, I wish his father could see him. I can just imagine Kerym fawning over him.
But then I blink, and the idea is shattered. I know that he is a dark elf soldier, and while he may have been sweet to me, I was merely something to pass the time. Jasper would not be something he would want.
And a dark elf soldier is not the kind of father my boy needs, anyway.
“Fish!” Jasper’s thrilled voice brings me back before he starts to try and wrangle it off the hook.
“Such a big fish!” I assure him, rushing forward and pulling it free. “It looks so good. You did a great job, Jas.” He beams with pride. “Do you want to eat the fish for dinner?”
His eyes widen. “Yes!”
I chuckle. We are allotted rations in the camp, and it’s usually not the fish we catch to meet our quota, but I have enough that there’s no harm. And Jasper isn’t technically a worker yet so ‘his’ fish doesn’t count.
He scrambles back toward his forgotten pole, scooping it up. “Like fish.”
I ruffle his hair. “I know, buddy.”
“Fish more?”
Pursing my lips, I try to find a way to let him down gently. It’s not often that Jasper gets to come out to the docks with me. I usually take him to the little preschool here – since this camp is designed for the young, old, and weak – but today is only a half day of work for me. So, I brought Jasper to fish for a few hours until I get to go home.
I heard that a ship is coming in today with the new Lieutenant for Camp Horizon and its surrounding territories. In the years I’ve been at Camp Horizon and now on Zerva, I’ve only met a Lieutenant once. It’s not often they come to visit us, and when they do, the dark elves like us to be scarce.
Zerva is a little different, a much more relaxed atmosphere. But that doesn’t change that they need to make the best impression they can, and we are not it.
“Mama.” Jasper tugs on me, and I smile down at him. I’d gotten too lost in my thoughts.
“Soon, baby,” I tell him. “Soon, you can fish all you like.” Until they ship him off to the mines and rip my heart out.
I shake my head, trying to push the thought away. In truth, I’ve been anxious about a new Lieutenant. The last one was kinder than most dark elves and allowed us to be treated better. Better workers led to better product, of course, but I’d gladly work a little harder to be fed and not beaten.
I don’t know who this one will be – and that’s what scares me the most. I came here to protect Jasper, and I fear that I am not going to be able to do that soon.
Unlike me, a human who is meant for work, Jasper is seen as an abomination on most of Protheka. He’s a ‘mixed breed’ as I’ve heard some people say. I will do anything to ensure his safety, but there’s not many places I can take him where we won’t be in danger.
And I really don’t want to leave this home behind. The only place I’ve ever found peace.
Still, I have to think of my son, and I know that if it comes to it, I will get him out of there. Just in case, I’ll start packing this afternoon while I have the time.
My head tips back to check the sun tracking across the sky. It’s hitting right above, which means it’s midday. Time for us to go.
“Jas, are you ready to go home?”
He looks out across the water, and then back at me. I know he loves to fish, so, to sweeten the deal, I add, “Adelaide is going to come over.”
At that, his eyes light up, and I chuckle as he pulls his pole from the water and scrambles toward me. I hand him a small basket with ice and his fish to carry, and he puffs his chest out proud as I collect the rest of our product and bait. It was a good day for fishing, as if the currents were steering them all here, and we have a basket nearly overflowing.
“Come.”
I settle a hand between his shoulder blades as we walk forward to the overseer’s station. Even from here, I can see Olias standing watch over the docks. He’s an older elf, and he’s soft on the kids, even my Jasper.
“Jas!” He shouts as we approach. “You came to help your mama today?”
“Yes!” Jasper puffs out his chest and thrusts his hands forward. Any other dark elf would take the fish and reprimand me – probably punish me – for stealing.
But Olias just squats down and examines the fish like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world. “Wow. That’s a mighty fine fish. Did you catch it all by yourself?” When Jasper nods, Olias’s eyes blow wide. “Incredible.”
I chuckle under my breath and Olias turns his soft smile on me. “Good turn out today, Layla?”
I heave the basket on the counter. “Over the quota.”
“Glad to hear it.” He weighs it and marks it down. “Have a nice rest of the afternoon.”
As we step away from the station, I take Jasper’s pole so I can hold his free hand. He’s babbling on about how much fun he had, half the words I can’t even make out, but I’m smiling. I’m so glad he’s happy.
But just before we make it off the docks, a loud commotion sounds. Dark elves are shouting, humans are being ushered away, and I turn around to see a massive ship approaching. That must be the Lieutenant. And he’s early.
I waver in place. I’m tempted to stay here, to get a glimpse as they anchor the ship to the dock and lay out the gangplank. I just want to see who the Lieutenant is, to see how he treats people as he comes in.
But I don’t want Jasper to be spotted. I fear for any outsider to meet him, and I do not trust a Lieutenant to not hurt my son.
Jasper, though, has a different idea. He jerks out of my hand before I have a chance to turn us away, and darts forward. He’s babbling insistently, pointing at the ship as he weaves between people trying to get home.
“Jasper!” I call, but he’s too interested in the ship. I’m practically shoving people out of the way to get to him.
Before he gets too close to the pier that the dark elves are unloading to, I sweep him. Both poles are still in one hand, his basket with his fish pressed between us as I hold him with my free arm.
“You cannot run off like that! You could fall in the water or get hurt!”
Jasper’s eyebrows pinch together. “Sorry,” he mumbles, his bottom lip poking out, and I almost fold right there. He looks too damn cute.
“Don’t ever do that again,” I conclude, deciding that I’m not going to chide him too much for being interested in a ship. I don’t want to diminish his excitement, especially not so young.
“Wow,” someone says behind me as I go to start toward our house.
“He’s…young.”
“And handsome.”
I turn around slowly to see, my curiosity overwhelming me. And a small part of me wishes I hadn’t.
My heart stops still in my chest, and I am overwhelmed with disbelief. I blink a number of times, trying to clear my vision because I must be hallucinating.
But after a long, drawn out minute, I decide I might not be. And even though I can’t wrap my head around it, that doesn’t change the fact that I am staring at the new Lieutenant.
He’s tall with long, black hair tied back in a loose bun. Whisps break free and tear around his face, drawing my focus to the bright violet eyes that are staring at me.
I take one step in his direction, unable to process it.
Because it’s the reason I left Horizon. It’s the reason I came here. It’s the reason I have Jasper.
It’s Kerym.
