Orphan's Price, page 6
part #1 of Chronicles of the Seventh Realm - Ren's Tale Series
"Check, please." Brandon raised his hand in the air and signaled with two fingers to indicate it was time to pay.
The café had emptied since Brandon first arrived. Every table had been occupied, and he'd been forced to share with a stranger. But as morning light bathed the docks, the men and women inside left in a steady stream. Many headed to their ships for first sail. Now, aside from Brandon, there were only two men sitting in a corner speaking.
"Here you go sir," the waiter said. "Will there be anything else?"
Brandon placed his thumb on the check to pay his bill electronically rather than use hard currency. "No, that will do."
The waiter took back the check, leaving Brandon to finish. He slurped the last drop as the assistant constable returned up the ramp to where his boss waited.
The head constable presented the physical papers to Capt. Kaito. The white wax of the city's seal stamped to the bottom confirmed its authenticity. A warrant to search the ship, by the way Capt. Kaito stepped aside and allowed the two men to board his ship. Brandon could feel Capt. Kaito's pain from where he now stood—non-crewmen boarding the captain's ship was akin to a man bedding another man's wife.
Brandon made his way down the wooden stairs that led from the second-floor café to the docks. Using his portable tablet as cover, he leaned his back against the wall and pretended to read the morning news, while he kept an eye on the ship.
The captain and his men stood at attention on deck while the constables searched the ship. However, they weren't below deck for long. When they came back up, they handed Capt. Kaito the search papers to keep as proof for the delay. From Brandon's perspective, the constables held nothing. Unless they threw Ren overboard, they hadn't found him.
The constables walked past Brandon on their way off the docks. Brandon followed, keeping as little distance between them as he could to overhear their discussion.
"Damn fools' errand." The head constable complained as he rubbed his hands together for warmth.
"What did the judge say we were looking for?"
"Some reactor from Pearl Power." The head constable said, "She wasn't in the sharing mood. She says jump and we jump, but damn waste of a morning."
Pearl Power lost a reactor? That helped explain the drop in price for Pearl Power shares. But how do you steal an entire reactor? Moving one required equipment the size of buildings, making it near impossible to steal, even if you discounted the security Belfry Jr. would be sure to have had in place. Something didn't make sense.
Brandon had been so caught up in his own thoughts he hadn't noticed the constables stop in front of him. They were eyeing him with suspicion. Without missing a beat, he walked past, nodding in acknowledgment of their authority. He took a right on the available first street, and walked faster to make up time, after another two right turns he had looped back to the docks.
He made it back in time to watch Capt. Kaito ordered his men to pull up anchor and untie from the dock. The sailors lowered the mainsail, a sapphire blue canvas the color of the deep ocean, a traditional sail for all Sapphire Nation captains. They viewed themselves as the best sailors on Fencura and made sure everyone knew who they were.
"Outward bound," Capt. Kaito yelled loud enough to echo off the red bricks of the dockside buildings.
Brandon watched for several minutes as the ship slowly left the port and built up speed as it sailed into deeper waters.
Ren's fate was no longer in Brandon's hands, but he'd learned another weakness of Belfry Jr. He intended to take full advantage, for his own personal gains, and to help Ren with his contract predicament. Having an Amethyst Nation sorcerer owing him a few favors would come in handy.
WHAT'S NEXT?
REN'S TALE CONTINUES WITH BOOK 2, Ocean's Dagger, and Chronicles of the Seventh Realm is only getting started. There are several stories yet to come, and Nations left to explore.
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Click the image above to join my email group. To find out more about me visit my website, NAKBaldron.com.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
WRITING IS ONE OF THOSE crafts that's hard to explain to outsiders. I'm so lucky to have a supportive girlfriend, because the rest of my family thinks I'm a bit crazy for pursuing a career as an author. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Writing is the fuel for my soul. Crafting new worlds, and believable characters, is what drives me forward every day. Writing has quite literally made me a better person.
Many people have asked why I settled on novellas rather than large door-stoppers, since I write epic fantasy. Mainly, it comes down to my voice as an author. I write better in short chunks—probably from the fact that I grew up on television. There's something about the classic 20+ episode series of television that's stuck with me. It's how I first learned to identify story structure, and I fell in love with the shows that used a season to develop character arc, rather than just repeat the same plots every episode with no character development.
As a child I hated reading, which is why I have such fond memories of TV. It wasn't until I was in middle school and discovered fantasy books that I began to read for pleasure. Like so many others my age, Harry Potter taught me to love reading. I'm forever indebted to JK Rowling, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Without their books, and the fact they were developed into movies while I was at an impressionable age, I'm not sure I'd be here today writing my own stories. There are so many other influences on why I write what I write, but if I tried to list them all I'd be here for days.
I consider myself a fantasy reader. I'll occasionally read a book in another genre if it comes highly recommended. But, I feel I can read any style of book I want inside the fantasy genre. So when it came time to write, there was no other choice in my mind. I had to write fantasy. This series is my love letter to the genre, and my humble attempt to add something new for fans like myself to enjoy.
If you enjoyed the story and want to read more, join my email group to learn about new books as they come out. You'll also get access to book deals, free book giveaways, and exclusive insights into my life.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
FIRST TO MY WONDERFUL GIRLFRIEND, without whom this book would never have been finished. No mater how many times I lost faith in the project, and thought I'd be better off trying something new, she was there encouraging me. The constant demands to know what happened next in the story kept me going. I love you, and you'll always be my number one reader.
My editor Nick Marsden at Pencastle Books for his long hours of dedication turned this story from a pile of words, into the wonderfully crafted novella you have in your hands. Thank you for all the hard work, and patience when answering all my questions.
My critique group: Angela, Brian, Jeffery, Joe, and Tiffany, thank you for the honest feedback, and for social graces to offer the criticisms along with complements. Just like sugar, it helps the medicine go down easier. The final prose wouldn't have been as strong without your feedback.
And of course, you my reader. Without your support I wouldn't be able to do all of this. You're the reason I'm able to write full time, and I'm eternally grateful to you. I hope you love the stories as much as I love writing them.
Nicholi (N A K Baldron) is an author and an avid reader. Stories that take place in fictional worlds, with memorable characters, make his heart race like nothing else.
He spends his days debating between whether it's coffee or tea time and pecking away at his keyboard to produce stories for his readers. Otherwise, he can be found strolling through one of the many wooded areas in the small town outside Austin, Texas that he calls home.
Knowing how precious reading time is, he's always honored when his readers spend their time on his stories when there are so many to choose from.
NAK Baldron, Orphan's Price
