Hector's stream of consciousness consisted of every profane word he knew looped together on repeat. This was extremely bad. He glanced at Riley, guilt stabbing into his heart. They were both dead. Guaranteed to grace the inside of elixir bottles. Maybe immediately or maybe after a period of retributive torture.

How had this happened? Did the farmers sell him out?

It really didn't matter. They were caught by a level seven Xian – one who appeared to be close to the peak in every aperture. The only thing left to do was to bend over and kiss their asses goodbye.

Master Dorian flew through the air and landed before Hector. He did a quick examination, shaking his head at the irony of the situation. Then he turned to look at Riley. "Who is your friend?"

Hector took a deep breath. "She has done nothing against you, Master Dorian. Please consider releasing her."

"Excellent," Dorian said. "We have a hostage."

That proclamation inspired a dim hope in Hector. "Hostage?"

"That's right, Hector. I'm not here to kill you. A month ago, I would have done so out of spite. Another month prior, I'd have done so to regain my position with Lord Andrew. Today I hope to harness your annoying traits to my own cause." Master Dorian tilted his head to study Riley. "Your friend's body enhancement is sorely lacking. I think she could benefit from some time on Tian, even as a hostage. Well, let's head out. I've been waiting on this farm for over a week for you."

Dorian had never released the two of them from the grip of his domain, so they had no choice about whether or not to go along with his abduction. They walked away from the farm and onto the dirt road, where they encountered a wheel-less wagon. The driver stood and bowed from his seat as they approached and entered through a door.

"To the estate," Dorian snapped as he shut the door. Soon the wagon was in flight.

Hector still had yet to find his metaphorical footing in the new situation he found himself. He wasn't being killed. Not immediately, at least. Yet his circumstances were far from safe. Worse, Riley was caught up in his mess. He needed more information.

"What do you want me to do for you?"

Master Dorian leaned back in his seat and stared up at the ceiling. "It's not really me that wants your services. You realize you screwed me out of a comfortable position, don't you? Lord Andrew is about as weak as a lord can be without inviting challenges. He was desperate for attendants who could grant him some measure of legitimacy and let me do mostly as I pleased. I just had to give him face when he was out in public."

Dorian tilted his head down to glare at Hector. "Until you had to run off like that. Lord Andrew would have killed me if I wasn't the grandson of the Lord General."

"I can sympathize, Master Dorian. The Lord Platinum would have killed me if I stayed."

The man's angry expression cracked momentarily into an ironic smile, then he slumped back in his seat once more. "Yes, yes, we all value our own lives. You remember Harridan with those dreams, do you not? That's what the Lord Platinum theorized. She learned of your impossible cultivation speed from Percival. The insight and the transit sphere proved your recollections to her satisfaction."

Hector stared at Dorian. He should be concentrating on his own situation, but… he had to know. "Who won the tournament?"

"The girl with the chaos bolt. She was quite talented."

"And did Platinum…."

"No one was ever supposed to survive the tournament, Hector." Dorian smiled again. "I heard you met my grandfather and managed to impress him. That's after he learned of your association with Harridan. You're quite the dynamic figure. Though adventuring seems unnecessary considering you already have an insight."

"Lucky me," Hector muttered.

That caused Dorian to sit up straight. "You are lucky. Do you know the value of that insight? Harridan reached level eight in the blink of an eye. Granted, he did it in a way that permanently destroyed his foundation, but it was still quite a feat. Meanwhile, I'm still only seven."

Hector rolled his eyes. "I understand the value of my insight. But my 'dynamic nature' has made me into your captive. Do you think I somehow remember that other life without remembering your cruelty?"

"I was a child, Hector. And my life, privileged as it may have been, was not one to envy."

"That's how you justify brutally beating someone far weaker than yourself?"

Dorian chopped his hand abruptly, as if slicing the conversation short. "The past cannot be changed. Let us not speak of it."

"Then let's talk about the present. What does the Lord General want from me?"

"The Lord General? I don't serve my grandfather. Perish the thought."

Hector's brow wrinkled. "Then who?"

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"My aunt. Lord Zara."

"Zara is a lord now?" Hector felt his gut tighten reflexively. Would she ascribe any of the blame for Volithur's actions to him? He recalled her rage after losing her son Corey to that sloppy attempt at vengeance.

"Advancing wasn't her best move," Dorian said. "My father filled the power vacuum in the Shaocheth family. Meanwhile, dear grandfather made it clear that he wouldn't fight the battles of another lord – not even if that lord was his favored child. She's avoided challengers so far, but that can't last forever. Everyone knows she has a transit sphere instead of a weapon. That makes her a soft target."

Hector filed that information away. Sometime after the death of Volithur, Zara advanced to level ten. That caused Aramar's star to rise in the family. No doubt Dorian's absence from the main family emerged from the strained relationship with his asshole father. "What does Zara want from me?"

"I'll let her share that information." Dorian lowered his voice. "This is to be kept very quiet, but your value to her in this matter is related to your nature as a dreamer."

"My insight?"

Dorian shook his head. "No. Your value is because you are not a Xian. Not a true Xian, I mean. You're foreign. That may be an advantage in your assignment. Don't speculate out loud on what I've just shared with you. It's important that no one ever explicitly instructs you to take specific actions. You understand?"

He did not. But he knew he was being asked to keep his mouth shut. "I won't say anything."

"Good. Now enough chatter out of you. I'm still annoyed about being chased off by an irate Lord Andrew. Girl, what is your name?"

"Riley."

"Does Hector annoy you?"

"Today he does."

"It's been longer than a day for me." Their wagon settled onto the ground with a slight bump and Dorian opened the door. "Don't worry, Riley. Lord Zara isn't cruel. You will likely be put to work, but that might as well be a reward to a false Xian. A few months living on Tian will do you good."

Dorian escorted them, cables of force tugging on them like leashes, through the modest country estate. To Hector, the surroundings did not look even remotely appropriate for the home of a lord. Perhaps his expectations were skewed by only having experience with the estates of the Lord General and the Lord Platinum.

They ended up in a sitting room where they received the courtesy of a pitcher of cold water. Riley drank most of it after taking a single sip and realizing the water was full of cosmic energy, which caused an emergency bathroom trip not too long after that. Dorian had to find someone to escort Riley while he remained with Hector.

"The two of you don't behave like lovers," Dorian commented when they were alone.

"She's like a sister to me. How long are we going to wait in this room?"

"We shall wait here until Lord Zara finds it convenient to join us."

Hector narrowed his eyes. "Yes, because everything around a lord must conform to their every whim. No one else deserves consideration."

Dorian studied Hector with open curiosity. "What is it like living in a society where commoners believe themselves equal to their masters?"

"It's wonderful."

"You know," Dorian said, "I think the Jinn just might have the superior power. Political heresy, I know. But their native abilities are so weak that they can all pretend to be the same. They choose their own leaders, Hector. Can you imagine such a thing?"

Hector raised a brow. "That's the kind of world I come from, Dorian. It works much better than the 'might makes right' philosophy that rules Amarat."

"Oh, it's not just Amarat, Hector. All of Tian is the same, more or less. Cosmic energy turns men into gods. How can you expect a god to not rule those beneath them? That's simply not reasonable. In real life, you just have to hope the god you serve is benevolent."

Riley returned. Not long after that, Lord Zara arrived.

Hector stood and bowed to the familiar woman. Her chin length hair framed her hawkish facial features like a warrior's helm and she studied each of them in turn with her piercing gaze. "What has Dorian shared with you about my proposition?"

No introductions, then. Just straight to business. That was a very Zara way to go about things.

"Lord Zara, he hasn't shared any details."

"The girl is to be a hostage?"

Hector, pinned by her steely gaze, didn't know why the question had been directed towards him. "That is my understanding."

"Girl. I'm not going to let you eat for free on my estate. What skills do you possess? Can you weave? Brew? Cook?"

"I can cook a little," Riley whispered.

Zara snapped her fingers at a nearby man. Hector looked at the guy and suddenly recognized the Steward who had been present in his very first dream of Volithur. "Put her to work in the kitchen."

"You were the Lord General's Steward," Hector said out loud, surprising himself.

The man startled at the words, then brought himself under control with a glance towards his master and removed Riley from the room. Zara sat and gestured for Hector and Dorian to do the same. "Your memories are not the reason for my interest in you, Hector Thoreaux."

"Then what is?"

Zara shook her head. "Do not forget yourself. I may not hang on every social nicety, but I am still a lord and will not tolerate disrespect."

"What do you want from me, Lord Zara? Surely I am allowed to ask that."

The lord paused, choosing her words with obvious care. "My father spoke highly of some upstart dreamer. Your memories of him are not many, I imagine, but you should understand he does not give praise easily. More recently, you scammed the Lord Platinum for resources and escaped unharmed. I suspect you are involved in the Ogre Championship she is running now. And I know for a fact you are engaged in cross universe trade.

"You give every indication of being a wily, ambitious schemer. One with a transit sphere. I believe you can succeed at an endeavor that I don't dare directly involve myself. We need not discuss your qualifications any further. Accept that I judge you capable."

Hector squinted at the lord. Not for a minute did he believe he was somehow more capable than even half of Zara's servants. She refused to say more for some reason. Yet she emphasized her belief that he was clever. There was some message being sent. Hopefully one he could decipher without asking for clarity no one seemed willing to provide.

"What is the job?"

Zara sighed at his rude question but didn't comment on it. "There is a treasure hunt."

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