Dawn crept through the window in the ceiling, and with it came the knights.

  There were no footsteps to sound the alarm this time; the door just opened, and Jay’s eyes stayed closed. He only woke up when one of the knights prodded him with a foot and a loud cough. He groaned in response, only opening his eyes when the two of them put a hand under each armpit and hauled him to his feet. They carried him from the room, past a few clusters of whispering servants, and by the time Jay was fully conscious they were halfway down the hall.

  After some swearing and tense negotiation, Jay was allowed to walk the rest of the way, one knight in front of him and one behind, both with their hands on their swords. He rolled his shoulders, wincing as the one he had tried to break the door down with throbbed in warning, and tried to get his thoughts in order.

  After Kiran had left, Jay had clicked through his menus, hoping that maybe he had gotten an achievement for pissing off royalty (hopefully one that came with an EXP bonus). He had not; what he had done was complete the single quest in his quest book, meaning that he now had 30 EXP to his name. Whole lot of good that does me, but 30 is better than 0. I need to get to level 1 so that I can figure out how to use magic.

  The only thing that had really changed was the Titles section, which now contained a second title.

  Mayor of the Badlands

  You have been appointed Mayor of the Badlands by Queen Marcella of the Summer Court! Please proceed to your new seat of power to unlock the Town Page.

  The Town Page? Maybe this is like one of those colony simulator type things, where I can set buildings and policies. That would be really, really useful. Of course, I can’t do anything about it until we reach the place, so I need to focus on getting there in one piece.

  That had been his entire thought process before he had fallen asleep; he didn’t know enough about this world yet to make any concrete plans, so there was really no point in trying to come up with one. He was winging it, which had produced mixed results in his past life, but Jay was willing to gamble a little bit.

  The knights escorted him to a stable that felt like it was on the far side of the castle; Jay’s feet ached by the time they got there. The place stank of horse, and his nose wrinkled, remembering the bullet point on the flyer he had picked before coming to this world. They weren’t kidding about the horses.

  Horses weren’t the only thing that were waiting for them. Something that looked like a mobile jail cell was being hooked to two nervous mares, who stood taller than any horse Jay had ever seen. The reason for their nerves, the five people inside of the cage (call it what it is, not what it isn’t), were sitting listlessly on the floor of it while a man in a black robe read to them loudly from a scroll.

  “—and, in the event of your unfortunate death, the Crown will reimburse any living family of the deceased with 5 bronze, not covering the cost of any burial, which will be subtracted from the total. May the gods have mercy on you, and may absolution find you.” He lowered the scroll, muttering mostly to himself as Jay passed by him, “And hopefully your deaths will be fast and painless. Awful business.”

  One of the people in the cage, a handsome young man with pouting lips and a striking pair of almond shaped green eyes, yelled, “And fuck you too, Red Hands.” He made a very rude finger gesture towards the man in black, and three of the four other members of the cage all burst into laughter. The man’s face did not change; he simply sighed and walked away, barely giving Jay a glance.

  Jay was ushered onto another cart that carried a few boxes and barrels, a little way away from the caged strangers. A rope was looped around his chest and waist to form a kind of harness; the other end was lashed to the rider’s seat, occupied by a bored looking young man with a head full of brown hair. He wore a knife at his belt, and leather armor on his chest and head, not bothering to greet Jay or even look at him as the knights finished tying the last knots.

  One of them, a woman who must have been in her late thirties, pointed at the cage. “This rope won’t keep you from running if you really want to, but if you run off before you get to where you’re going, everyone in that cage will be killed. They’re prisoners, but not all of them are supposed to be hanged; in fact, only one of them is. The rest of them just have to serve ten years and then they can come home. If you want their blood on your hands, go ahead and jump ship, but know this.”

  She leaned in, never taking her eyes off Jay, and the look on her face was enough to twist his stomach. “The guy driving that cart? His name is Raul. He was handpicked for this mission, and it’s not because he’s good at escort missions. Raul is a fan of killing people real, real slow. He starts at the legs and works his way up. He’s the one who’s going to be wielding the knife if you decide to duck out. Think about that before you decide to make a run for it.”

  Without another word, she jumped from the cart, and Jay was left to sit on the hard wooden floor, suddenly nauseous. Raul, the man driving the cart, turned and gave him a wink, to which he responded with a disgusted frown. Raul laughed. “Don’t be like that, miss mayor. As long as you stay real close by, nothing bad is going to happen to anyone.” He paused. “At least, I won’t do anything to anyone. The Badlands might have other ideas.”

  They left the stable not long after, the rising sun shining down on them as they maneuvered through the streets of Hydrena. The people in the cage were mostly quiet, talking among themselves, and while they threw a few glances at Jay, no one tried to talk to him. Jay spent most of this part of the trip staring at the buildings of the city, trying to imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t been so quick to anger the day before. I would have gone straight back to the inn; Diyan and Ndubuisi would have been disappointed, but maybe they would let me stay in a closet or something if I offered to work for them. I don’t know how to cook that kind of food, but I’m not stupid, I could have learned. Maybe if I had asked nicely, Jenn would have shown me the city, and I could find another line of work that I really liked. Maybe I could have owned one of these houses. Maybe.

  But maybe didn’t stop the carts from reaching the docks, where rows of seafaring vessels bobbed on the cerulean sea. The air here was crisp and full of salt, and there were many more Seafolk around, carrying ropes and crates on and off various ships. There was no predominant type of ship here; some were sleek and sharp, others stood tall and wide, and a few were in between. The ship that they stopped in front of was the first kind, its deck barely big enough to fit both carts on. Two or three of the prisoners in the cage complained loudly about being seasick, but no one paid them any mind; the horses, however, seemed to share in their reluctance to board, and had to be coerced. This took more time than Jay expected, and it wasn’t until the sun was at its peak that their ship pulled anchor and set off across the sea. His cart and the prisoner’s cart were so close they were almost touching, but four of the five members of the party seemed engrossed in a quiet conversation that Jay couldn’t quite hear.

  He sighed, struggling to his feet, aware of Raul watching him out of the corner of his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said irritably.

  The man flashed him a wicked smile, full of teeth. “Pity. Sea air is the best air to mix with blood.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The ship was fast, even though the wind was weak; there must have been some kind of magic at play that was hidden below. At least we’ll get there on time, I guess.

  Jay couldn’t really bring himself to care about the mechanics of magical sea travel; he felt tired and achy all over, and his mouth was dry. He watched the city recede, the spires of the castle growing ever smaller until they couldn’t be seen any longer. Jay sat on one of the boxes once he lost sight of them, eyes stinging from the spray, and watched as Raul and the other driver left their cargo to go belowdecks. Why not? It’s not like any of us are going anywhere. I can’t even swim.

  It was only then, when they were alone, that one of the five prisoners poked her head through the bars and whispered, “Hey, you. Jacob, right? We heard all about the tiff you and the queen had yesterday. Brazen little fella, ain’t ya? I’m Maude, it’s nice to meetcha.” She stuck her hand through the bars of the cage, grinning all the while, her short grey hair whipping against her face in the breeze.

  She couldn’t have been younger than fifty, her skin leathery and brown from sun exposure. She was all elbows, wiry and short, and wore a brown shirt and pants, ripped and stained and a size too big for her. One of her lower teeth was missing, and her nose looked like it had been broken and reset a few times; with that look in her eyes, Jay didn’t doubt that she had seen her fair share of fights. He hesitated for only a second before reaching out and taking her wrist, trying his best to echo her smile. “Yeah, that’s me, a real firecracker. It’s good to meet you, Maude. Who are your friends?” He gestured with his chin to the rest of the prisoners, who were all staring at him with a mix of fear, interest, and caution.

  Her grip tightened slightly before she let him go, cackling under her breath. “Friends! Oh, he’s a funny one, this one. I like him! He has a baby face, but I’ve underestimated an Outsider before, and I won’t do it again. Go on, Eir, he’s got a good grip, don’t be shy.” She elbowed a tall, pale woman, her blonde hair in dual braids down her back, her hands and forearms dotted with scars. She was the polar opposite of Maude; wide, thick, and sturdy, her clothes (brown, the same as everyone else’s) stretched tight over her biceps and shoulders.

  Eid looked about as tired as Jay felt, but she reached through the bars as well, her hand almost twice the size of Jay’s. “Well met, Outsider. I am Eid Volkarsdaughter, though you may call me Eid.”

  Jay nodded respectfully, feeling the strength in her gentle squeeze. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eid. Sorry it had to be in a place like this, but it’s nice to meet you anyway.” At that, she smiled; it was just an upturn of her mouth, but it changed her whole face. Jay had thought she was in her mid-thirties, but now he would have guessed closer to twenty-five.

  When she withdrew her hand, Maude nudged another of the prisoners, who grumbled, “I’m not touching him. I don’t do touching, Maude, you know that.” This was the prisoner who had given the finger to the man in black earlier; his long curly hair hung loose down his back, and he was so pretty that even though he was wearing the same clothes as everyone else, his looked better. His eyebrows were neat and shaped, his skin a light brown that seemed to glow in the sun, and he was tall and willowy; in Jay’s world, he would have been a model. Here, he just seemed like a pouty young man who was getting scolded by a woman probably three times his age.

  “Considering what your day job was, Chatri, you shouldn’t be so standoffish. Aren’tcha supposed to be sexy and alluring?” Maude poked him again, waggling her eyebrows, and he huffed, shoving her away and crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I’m only sexy and alluring when I’m being paid, Maude. Otherwise, I’m just beautiful and mean.” He looked across the carts at Jay, rolling his eyes. “And this kid is hardly worth the fuss you’re making. Haven’t you heard? We’re going to the Badlands, where everyone dies. One Outsider who hasn’t been here a week isn’t going to change that.”

  Maude wagged a finger at him, undeterred. “You’re just pouty ‘cause they didn’t give ya nicer clothes to wear. That face o’ yours might work on Deacon, but I’ve seen better.” Chatri gasped, swatting at the older woman, but she ducked, hiding behind Eid. “Ah ah! I thought you didn’t do touching, eh?” Eid sighed, obviously used to these antics.

  One of the last two prisoners huffed at Maude. This was a stout, middle aged man, whose bald head was shiny with sweat and pink from the sun. He had a nervous, pinched face, and his hands trembled as he plucked at his clothes. His voice, though, was nothing like his appearance; it was low and sweet and smooth, the kind of voice you’d hear on a car radio station playing jazz classics. “Maude, that’s not fair. Chatri has been nothing but courteous during our mutual incarceration; if anyone were to be branded licentious or wanton, it would be you.” He turned to face Jay, sighing deeply, and inclined his head. “We meet in troubled times, Outsider, but I am glad to see you. Without you, we would surely perish, though I have made my peace with the gods if the worst must happen.”

  Chatri snorted. “Yeah, because the gods care so deeply for all of us. Give it up, Deacon, the whole man-of-faith thing is getting old.”

  The last member of the crew, who had been sitting on the floor with their eyes closed, stood, and everyone stopped talking. They had looked like a human from far away and while sitting down, but this close Jay immediately reconsidered. Their skin was bone white, paler even than Jay’s, and black spots dotted their arms and face (the only parts of them that Jay could see). At their full height, they were enormous; so tall that they had to stoop to avoid hitting the roof of the cage. They were muscular, lean, and radiated an aura of competence. Their lower lip jutted out, and as they spoke, Jay realized that it was because of two tusks that had been filed down to the level of their other teeth.

  “If we are making introductions, I will go as well. I am Azun, first named, Stonebitten, Cavechild. I will tell you the truth: the tale of your squabble with the Spider would normally not interest me. Words are nothing when held against stone, even when those words are those of Outsiders. But they say that you are a man in a woman’s body, who spat in the eye of the Throne when it refused to give you the proper respect. Is this true?”

  Jay swallowed, the bars of the cage suddenly seeming a lot thinner than they had before. I have no idea whether orcs in this world would be for or against being transgender. But the best answer is usually the truth, and this orc doesn’t seem angry about the whole thing. He licked his lips and nodded once, having to crane his head back to make eye contact with the taller being. “Yes, it’s true. I can deal with a lot of things, but someone telling me what I am is not one of them. It was a stupid thing to do, but if I’m being honest…” He hesitated, the realization coming only as he spoke the words. “If I’m being honest, I’d probably do it again.”

  Azun grinned, or maybe they bared their teeth; it was kind of hard to tell. “I was born Caveson, the first in my line. When I became Stonebitten, the thing you humans call mature, I announced to my kin and clan that I was neither son nor daughter. In truth, I knew long before, but I would not ask for the respect of my people without having earned it. Among us, the difference between son and daughter is not great… but to be other is unheard of. I know what it is to be told what I am and am not, Outsider Jacob Holtz. In this, we are kin, and so I will give you the respect you are due if you will do the same for me.”

  Jay’s eyes widened at this information. Not son or daughter, huh? I guess that does make us kin; we have to stick together, just like back on Earth. He inclined his head towards the orc in what he hoped was a sign of respect. “Of course I will. Tell me how to talk about you, Azun Cavechild, and I will never forget it.”

  The orc stuck their hand out through the bars of the cage; it was difficult for them, considering how bulky their arms were. “You may use the term they to refer to me. I like your language because of words like this, ones that straddle the lines that are drawn so cleanly in mine.”

  Jay didn’t hesitate; he reached out, marveling at the rough texture of the orc’s skin, and did his best to grab their arm (his hand only went most of the way around their wrist). “Then that’s what I’ll call you. It’s nice to meet you, although I really am sorry it’s in these circumstances.”

  Azun chuckled, holding on to him for only a brief moment before drawing back and sitting down again, cross legged on the floor with their eyes shut. The other four prisoners stood wide eyed and mute, their eyes flickering from the orc to Jay, as though they were witnessing a historical event. There was a long, long silence, until Maude finally said, “By the gods, I don’t think I’ve ever heard an orc talk before! I didn’t expect them to know so many words!”

  Eid reached down and covered her mouth, the exhaustion in her eyes almost tangible, and Jay laughed until Raul and the other driver came back above deck to see what all the noise was about.