A proposal

A tall old man entered the room, perhaps in his fifties, but with an enviable stature for his age and, even here in the prefecture, dressed in a metallic cuirass and military-style leather boots. However, gray streaks appeared here and there in his black hair, and all the skin on his face was pale and wrinkled. A sword with a gold hilt hung from his belt. He scrutinized me from head to toe, pulled out an empty chair, smiled, and sat down. He cleared his throat noisily several times without taking his eyes off me, then began: 

"You do know me, boy, don't you?" he began confidently, in a formal but calm tone.

"Captain Veyals, second-in-command of the Karcepian Guards and the Karcepian Military Legion." He paused dramatically to give the words he had just spoken the necessary weight. With success, of course. 

I knew the name, and though I'd never seen him before, I knew who he was and what he stood for. In my business circles, it was said that he controlled much of the criminal activity in the city and that his hands were dirtier than those of the crime lords. On the other hand, it was said that he was even more influential than Lord Froane, the city administrator. 

"Breaking into private property. Robbery. Maybe even resisting arrest. Things don't look too good for you, boy. Let's not even talk about the fact that we can charge you for your past actions. We're well aware of your criminal past." 

He looked at me and nodded: 

"Nasty things. You'll spend a few years in prison. Even if you survive, which I doubt, there won't be any work for you after that. Not from the kingdom, nor from people in 'your circle.'"

I tried to be indifferent to his words, but so far he was probably right. Worse, I understood from the sound of his voice that if he so decided, I could be sentenced to death by hanging for defiling a city garden. 

"I can get you out of here. Only I can do it. If I order Filénoï* to kill you, you'll die in the company of rats. You must understand that." 

Maybe he expected me to nod or beg, but that didn't happen. He leaned toward me and I could smell his foul breath, mixed with the stench of seafood lunch.

"I have a job for you. It will take you a few weeks, but I give you my word of honor as captain that the guard will forget all about your criminal deeds after that."

"What do you want from me?" I asked curtly, 

"Murder," he claimed. "It's all planned, and you're a perfect fit for the whole plan. The task is well within your capabilities."

"You're crazy. I'm not an assassin."

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, child. You think I don't know who raised you? If not, I'm sure of your potential."

I gave him a frankly nasty look. There weren't many people who knew anything about my past before I came to Karcep, and what they did know didn't come out of my mouth. But this hyena seemed to know about Gobin. Anyway, it wasn't like I had much of a choice. I always thought I wouldn't have blinked if I had to kill someone. But I hadn't thought of such an occasion. Self-defense and cold-blooded murder are fundamentally different.

However, whatever my reactions might have been, what happened next came down to two options at that very moment: Refuse outright. Or be convinced.

"I'm not interested in your threats or what you're trying to extort from me," I replied. "I'm not going to do your dirty work. You've got enough crooked guards, just ask them to kill for you. Between you and me, I know I'm not in a prison here."

"Now, now, little guy... Don't be mean. I know you're smart and down to earth. You're not one of those silly, idealistic wimps. Look, I'm just offering you a deal. Fair's fair, how's that? I'll set you free and pay you well enough to help me. Later, we can even work together again."

"You can't bullshit me. I don't work with hard hats and I'm not a killer."

"Ha," he sighed, "I didn't want to be mean. Wait, I think there's someone else you need to talk to before you make your final decision."

He got up and left the room. Less than five minutes later, two guards brought in a man. But not just any man: Tano the Shrimp.

They threw him brutally to the ground and then locked us both inside. His hands were tied behind his back and he looked like he'd been badly beaten. His left cheek was so swollen that his eye above it was almost closed. A vermilion streak was drying on his bald head, and his sparse brown hair was bloodied around the edges, like an absurd laurel wreath. He lifted his eyes from the ground, fixed them on me, and stammered: 

"You worthless fucking shit, you traitor! I've fed you so many times at home, and for what? So you'd betray me! You bit the hand that fed you!"

"Hey, Shrimp. You're not stupid. If it was me who ratted you out, I wouldn't be tied to a chair with a head full of lumps."

"Mfff... he sniffed, you're right. I can see which one of us isn't here. I'll fix that little shit when I get out."

He crawled over to my legs and rolled onto his back. It wasn't easy for a chubby man like him to sit up with his hands tied: 

"Say, do you know who we messed with?"

"Mmm, mmm," he confirmed, "he was here not long ago: they told me you had to do a certain job for them, otherwise our mothers would regret having brought us into the world."

"Listen, Shrimp..." 

"No. You listen to me. I'm not going to tell you what they found in the house. These people are no joke. If we don't play their game, they'll kill us. I tried to pay a ransom for both of us, but they don't care about money. Just follow their rules and I'll take care of the rest. That's what they want." 

I put my head down and thought about it. We talked some more, but didn't say much else. This time, the knife was clearly at my throat, and I had to cooperate with the captain, no matter how much it cost me. The next minute they brought out the Shrimp. Veyals looked at me quizzically from the doorway. I just nodded and he left.