To Escape From Gravity

Chapter Ten

Two weeks had passed since the banquet, and Normar's nerves had barely subsided. The city buzzed in the same way, but she couldn't shake the thought that her family was deep into nefarious schemes. At least, more so than usual.

Despite her concerns, she had to continue on in her work. She was hired as security for two more smaller events, both which were expectedly uneventful. But a sharp turn was coming in a surprising way.

"Are you interested in making mind-blowing money, Captain?"

"Why else do I come to you, Ording? Of course I want to make money!" The man had an annoying habit of being too theatrical. But he knew where to direct her for security jobs, so she had to put up with it.

"Do you want to be rich beyond your wildest dreams?" His voice was dripping with unnecessary drama.

"Just tell me what the job is," Normar sometimes found this dance entertaining, but she was currently in no mood to entertain the older man.

His bushy eyebrows fell in disappointment. Too few people found him as engaging as he viewed himself. He pushed a piece of paper towards her that had a barrage of words scratched out across it. His handwriting was as unruly as his dreadlocks of hair.

Normar didn't even bother to look at it as she pushed it back across his worn, wooden desk. "You know I can't read this. Give me the summary."

A boney finger pushed black-rimmed glasses up against his deep-set eyes. It then reached down to the paper and moved across it in rhythmic fashion.

"Yes...of course. Uh... there is a family from Gosch needing to be escorted here within the week. It seems..." he dipped his head to inspect the scrawlings more intently. "...Ah, yes. It seems like it's the daughter of Counselor Dricklin. She's coming with her husband and son to present to the Elected at their monthly forum."

Normar quickly analyzed the information. "Traveling from Gosch takes about four hours by truck or sand rider. But it'll take me a day or two to find one to rent in Wardor. Do they have any immediate concerns of attacks?"

Ording again scanned the document. "Not that they were willing to share. They claimed they were just 'unaccustomed to ground travel' and wanted a capable guide."

"Counselors don't always use air shuttles, his daughter should be used to traveling on the ground to go between sky cities. There must be something else going on."

Ording's voice cracked often, especially when he was nervous. "Yes...yes, I agree. But the communication I got was not too detailed. Perhaps she is simply paranoid and wants the extra security."

A possibility, no doubt. Politicians tended to be over the top in their safety concerns, though a good amount of it was well-placed.

Normar sighed. "Okay, Ording. Give it to me."

He immediately perked up, his face beaming. "So you want to be rich?"

She couldn't help the real smile at his antics. "Yes, tell me how rich I'll become." Her expectations weren't that high, Ording had a habit of overexaggerating the payout of a job.

He leaned across the desk. "She's willing to pay four hundred gold coins."

The number actually startled Normar. That wasn't even in the realm that she anticipated. "Honestly? Four hundred?"

Ording's head could've rolled off his neck he was nodding so vigorously. "That's how much these paranoid politicians are willing to pay! Isn't that wild?"

Normar sank deep in thought at the revelation. "That is wild. It just seems...off."

"Who cares if they're too crazy for their own good? Jobs like this don't come too often."