Kingdom Gone

OLD FRIENDS

6 hours ago. . .

A knock on the door pulled Nathan from the world of his novel.

Thoughts of the Wild West and cowboys faded when he looked up from the page, replaced by the cozy confines of his office. A glance at the grandfather clock in the corner told him it was a quarter to 8.

Right on time. Like always.

"Come in." Nathan called, placing his book face down on his desk.

The handle rattled as it turned, the mechanism audible through the old oak door. It swung open, revealing a man with an eye patch and a shotgun slung across his back.

And a friendly face.

"Jakkar. It's been too long, my friend," Nathan said, smiling.

"Oh yeah. What's it been, huh? 5 years? 6?" Jakkar unslung his gun, barrel pointing in Nathan's direction. "You have no idea how hard it was to get this past your secret service."

Nathan chuckled, unintimidated by his childhood friend. "I warned them before hand of your obsession with firearms, but-"

"It's not an obsession. It's a passion.'' Jakkar said, petting his shotgun.

"Of course." Nathan sighed, walking around his desk. "Getting down to business, the reason I called you-."

"She escaped, didn't she?"

Nathan looked at Jakkar. "How did you-"

"Oh give me some credit, Nate. I still got contacts in the First Kingdom police force." Jakkar waltzed around Nathan's desk and plopped down into his chair. "Speaking of which, you got some corrupt cops, might wanna look into that. Ooh, what's this?" He picked up the novel and glanced at the cover. "Old World literature, eh? You always were a book worm."

Nathan grabbed the book and slammed it down on the desk. "Jakkar, we do not have time for this! My step-daughter has run away with a wanted smuggler, and the only lead we have is that they're heading north. And I-"
"Whoah whoah, wait a sec. A smuggler?"

"Yes, a young lad who goes by the name "Jason". What, did your contacts not tell you of him?" Nathan said, snidely.

Jakkar's flamboyant attitude suddenly dissolved, his permanent cocksure smile turning into a tight, thin line. "Jason Landing, huh?"

"You know him?"

"I might've run into him a few years back." He cleared his throat, slowly wiping his shotgun with his sleeve. "I accidentally took something of his, and well," Jakkar tapped his eye patch, "he took something of mine."

Nathan saw the clear hatred in his friend's face and knew the situation just became personal. He looked his friend in the eye. "Jakkar. I do not know Circe's current knowledge of the events that happened nearly two decades ago or of our involvement in them. She and her mother were close, and I can not even begin to fathom what my wife told her on her deathbed. Cassandra promised her loyalty to me but not Circe's. I have worked too hard to get where I am now, and I will not allow that girl to ruin everything that I have built!" Nathan took a deep breath, straightening his tie. "Now then. The jurisdiction of my police force only exists within the First Kingdom borders. You're still a mercenary, aren't you? Bring back my daughter, and I will reward you handsomely."

Jakkar swiveled in his chair, thinking over Nathan's proposal. After a minute, he finally nodded. "Alright, we have a deal."

The Governor smiled, extending his hand. Jakkar shook it. "I will tell the police department to allow you access to their data banks. Discretely, of course."

"And what about Jason Landing?" Jakkar asked as they walked to the door, scowling at the name.

Nathan looked at his friend and smiled. "I'll leave that up to you."