Restart Again: Volume 1 by Adam Scott (pocket ebook reader TXT) 📕

Ashedown must have had a reason to keep me away, though he wouldn’t explain them, and I knew his points were valid about giving in to these types of threats, but I couldn’t help myself.

When I finally reached the gate I was surprised to find that despite the terrible weather, two guards were still standing watch outside the heavy wooden doors. As I approached, one held out his hand to stop me. “Whoa there, stranger. What business do you have at the keep this late at night?”

Calmly, I rested my hand on the pommel of my sword as I turned to face the guard. “My name is Elden Graham. I’m here to get my wife back.”

---

I awoke with a start, gasping sharply as I sat up. It took me a moment of panic to realize I was still in my stone cell, sitting on my cot. Closing my eyes again I inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times to settle my frazzled nerves. I guess I shouldn’t expect all of my dreams to be happy ones.

Remembering the early morning’s meeting I turned to find Lia still asleep across the hall from me, undisturbed by my rude awakening. I found it comforting to see her sleeping so peacefully despite her situation. I promised I wouldn’t let this happen again. Yet here I am, watching it happen to someone else, right in front of me. I rubbed my eyes and sighed heavily. I guess it’s decided then. It’s time to get out of here.

***

7. UNITY

A loud yawn from across the hall pulled me from my meditation. I cracked one eye open to spot Lia sit up on her cot and stretch lazily. Closing my eye once again, I thought over the list of questions I had for her. A prison break was dangerous and difficult enough solo, but depending on how helpless or useful Lia could be, it might become even harder. Oh, let her wake up before the questioning starts, at least.

Lia cleared her throat, though whether it was an attempt to gain my attention or unblock some phlegm I couldn’t tell. That is, I couldn’t tell until she did it a second time, much louder and more obviously than before. Suppressing a grin, I stayed quiet with my eyes closed, curious to gain some insights into her personality. When I didn’t react, she began to hum softly to herself and shuffle around her cell. After a while, she gave up on that tact as well.

“Good morning, Lux!” She called out cheerfully. I opened my eyes to her beaming at me happily between the bars of her cell.

“Good morning, Lia.” I replied. “You seem to be in a particularly good mood for an innocent girl wrongly imprisoned in a dungeon. Did you sleep well?”

Lia’s face reddened, and she became overly interested in straightening the sheet on her cot. “It’s not like I’m happy to be here, it’s just...I was just thinking, it could have been a lot worse if I were down here by myself.” After very carefully adjusting the thin sheet, she turned back to me. “And yes, I did sleep well, actually.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” I gave her a small smile. Alright, that’s enough time. “So, Lia. Tell me about yourself. Before you were so rudely removed from your life, what did you do day to day?”

She blushed an even deeper red. “About myself? I-I don’t really know what to say…”

I looked at her in puzzlement. I understand that a friendly face and kind words goes further than normal in a situation like this, but...what’s this about? Lia’s gaze continued to fix on everything around her aside from myself. Scanning down over myself, I came to a sudden realization. Right. No shirt. My bare chest was exposed due to the lack of prison garments I had received, and my muscular physique was particularly accentuated due to both the lack of food and the abundance of exercise I had been doing. Ah shit.

“Yeah, just anything about yourself. Day to day life, the things you like, any special skills, that sort of thing.” I tried to prompt her along, doing my best to move past the awkwardness I was beginning to feel. I can be nice to her and not be leading her on. She needs somebody like that right now. I did my best to rationalize the thoughts in my head. While it was true that she was an attractive young woman with wide hips, a full chest, big amber eyes, and a lovely disposition, it was also true that I had no interest in her in any sort of sexual or romantic manner. I haven’t felt that way about somebody in a long time.

Lia finally regained some composure. “Right. Well...I’m 25, and I live with my parents outside of the city to help my father with his trading business. I can’t really move the crates around, but I keep track of the figures and manifests. My parents were never taught to read and write when they were young; I helped my mother learn the basics, but Father got frustrated and gave up, saying that we could just do it for him.” She paused for a moment, staring off into empty space with a smile. “When I’m not working with Father, I guess I just find ways to keep busy otherwise. Cleaning, knitting...oh, I love cooking! Once I get out of here, I’ll make you a meal of—”

She stopped herself mid-sentence with a contrite look. “I’m sorry, Lux, I didn’t mean to...What I meant was…”

“It’s alright. Unfortunately for that meal, I don’t think I’ll be getting out of here when you do.” I smiled reassuringly.

“If you don’t mind me asking...why are you down here?” Her voice was softer now, as if the delicate subject would be overheard by the empty cells around us.

“Oh, just a misunderstanding, really. I was being robbed at knifepoint, after the girl was let into my room at the inn by the innkeeper, and