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

as tourists and convinced Lia to get a chain of flowers braided into her hair, costing me a staggering five crowns. Her joy in posing with the braid displayed proudly in front of her made the price well worth it.

On our way to find lunch we stumbled across a trained animal exhibit. The signage promised performing dogs, talking birds, and a few acts containing animals whose names I was unfamiliar with. When we entered the pavilion, it became overwhelmingly clear that instead of entering the advertised circus, we had found a glorified petting zoo. Judging by the young age of most of the patrons it was clearly intended for children, but it didn’t dissuade Lia from playing with the animals for a half hour before we moved on.

Our last stop of the day was the exotic market. True to Lia’s word, it was full of strange items and foreign foods neither of us had ever tasted before. She quickly fell in love with a small square fruit that a dark-skinned shop owner let her sample. It had a delicate yellow skin with a bright orange interior, and a flavor so sour it immediately made her lips pucker. My tastes were much more in line with a pepper vendor from the south who introduced me to a curious bifurcated chili; connected by a thin membrane at the top, it had one red lobe and one blue lobe side by side. Eating the red side brought an intense sheen of sweat to my brow, but eating the blue side instantly soothed my palette with a sweet, oozing paste held inside. When we left the market, Lia and I each held a large bag of our respective treats.

By the time we returned to the inn the sun had already set on Atsal. The peculiar streetlamps lit our way with a soft white glow that unwaveringly shone from the marble cages on top. Even though night had fully arrived the streets were still full of people and carriages, bustling to and fro just as they had in the morning. I was relieved when we finally entered the Ivory Halls, giving a break to my constant anxiety about being noticed. Lia quickly told the front desk that she was expecting a package in the morning and then we both headed up to our room for the night.

“It feels like it was yesterday that we were saying goodbye to your parents, and now we’re almost to the border. It’s the end of an adventure,” I commented as we changed into our bedclothes.

“And the beginning of a new one,” Lia chimed in. “A bigger one.”

“That’s right!” I smiled. “Once we’re in Lybesa, we’ll truly be able to do whatever we want. No directions, no obligations, no worries.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Lia said as we climbed into bed. I snuffed out the lamp on the small bedside table and curled up under the blankets.

“Time to get some sleep. You’ve got some excitement to look forward to in the morning.” I grinned and closed my eyes. After a clean sweep of mana detection magic, I began to reflect on the day’s events as I drifted off to sleep. I never thought it could happen again after Hedaat, but...I think I might actually be happy.

***

19. FINAL EXAM

The heavy iron door swung open with a grating screech. “Last door on the right,” the gruff man stated, handing me a ring of keys. I walked into the dark cell block, stepping down cautiously onto the damp stone floor. The guard closed the door behind me and walked back to his post at the dungeon entrance, clearly uninterested in whatever I was here for.

The only light source in the cell block was a single sputtering torch hung on the far wall. It took my eyes a few moments to adjust to the low light and I still had to squint in order to make out the details of my surroundings. Each side of the hallway had four cells secured with thick barred doors, although their level of rust and disrepair gave me doubts they could hold back a determined prisoner for more than a day. The sounds of running water and pouring rain echoed throughout the block; The storm that I had walked through to reach the keep was still raging outside the small barred windows in each cell.

I felt an increasing sense of dread as I walked down the hallway, checking each cell as I passed by. A thick layer of dust and grime coated the floor and benches of each room which further reinforced the idea that this particular cell block was rarely used. I paused before reaching the final two cells and took a deep breath in preparation for what I might find. My mind raced with all sorts of horrible possibilities. I swear, if they’ve hurt her, nobody is leaving this keep alive.

“I knew you’d come for me,” a beautiful voice called out to me from the near darkness. Amaya was seated on a bench at the back wall of the cell with her hands folded neatly in her lap. She was still wearing her favorite violet sundress from the day she was taken, now sporting rips and stains it hadn’t before. Somehow, through it all, she still sat with all the composure of a noble at court and a smile on her face. “I’m sure Dad kept you away for as long as he could.”

“Oh, Amaya…” I managed to choke out before my throat closed up completely. Tears pooled in my eyes as I rested my forehead against the bars of her cell. All of the things I wanted to say to her were gone, washed away in the tidal wave of emotions crashing through me. “I’m so sorry.” With a jolt, I regained enough sense to remember the keys in my hand and unlocked the door with a heavy thud.

“It isn’t your fault, love.” Amaya rose from her seat and crossed the cell carefully. Water