Kaiden woke up groggier than usual and in an unfamiliar location.

  His head pounded, his thoughts sluggish as he tried to recall what had happened.

  He was in the carriage.

  The man.

  The muffin.

  His stomach twisted as everything clicked into place. Was I drugged?

  He immediately cast Healing Touch and Cure Poison on himself. The pounding in his head eased almost instantly, the fog lifting enough for him to focus. He wasn’t sure which ability had actually helped—maybe both—but that wasn’t important now.

  He forced himself upright and took in his surroundings.

  Stone walls. Metal bars.

  He was a prisoner.

  "What the fuck," he muttered under his breath, his mind racing to make sense of it.

  This wasn’t a random abduction.

  The driver had said his name before letting him in the carriage. Whoever had taken him had done so deliberately.

  But why?

  Only two possibilities came to mind.

  Either General Thorne had finally decided to take out his frustration on him but couldn’t do it through official channels…

  Or this had something to do with him being a Spell Scribe.

  Again, Kaiden’s head hurt, but not from actual pain—from the implications. If either of his theories were true, neither option was good. He wasn’t sure which was worse, but he could ponder that later.

  First, he needed to figure out how to escape.

  Or if he even could escape.

  Thankfully, he wasn’t shackled or tied up. He could move freely. That was something, at least.

  Taking a slow breath, he turned his focus to his surroundings, examining them more closely. There had to be something—anything—that could give him more information.

  His eyes moved over the rough stone walls, the solid iron bars, the floor beneath him. No markings. No signs of recent use. It was just a plain, cold cell.

  Then something shifted.

  Not in the room—beneath him.

  Kaiden froze as he felt it again, a slight rocking motion beneath his feet.

  His stomach twisted as realization sank in.

  The ground was moving.

  He wasn’t in a carriage. He wasn’t in a castle’s underground prison.

  He was on a boat.

  A wave of unease crept up his spine. If he had been locked in a regular cell on land, escape would have been difficult, but not impossible. But out at sea? That changed everything.

  Even if he got out of this cell, where would he go?

  Jump overboard?

  That thought alone made his skin crawl.

  He didn’t know how to swim. That was still on his to do list of things to learn. Shit!

  Kaiden exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his hair. This was bad. If he was on a ship, that meant whoever took him wasn’t just trying to hold him—they were taking him somewhere.

  The question was, where?

  More importantly, could he afford to make his move now?

  If he tried to escape before they reached land, he could end up with no other option than drowning. The ocean was just as much a prison as these bars.

  But if he waited too long, he could end up wherever they were taking him—somewhere worse.

  His mind was at war with itself, trying to decide the best course of action.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Did he take his chances now, while they were still moving?

  Or did he wait, hoping to be taken somewhere escapable?

  He gritted his teeth, uncertain of his next move. Decision-making had never been his strong suit—another flaw he had been trying to improve. And now, once again, he was being put to the test.

  He moved toward the bars, gripping them lightly as he peered beyond, hoping to get a clearer picture of where exactly he was.

  The room was nearly pitch black, with only a faint glow from a distant lantern offering any visibility. Kaiden could barely make out the empty cell across from him and, to his right, a closed door—the only way out. The air was thick with the scent of salt and damp wood, and the steady sound of water slapping against the hull, which he could hear easily now.

  Kaiden’s fingers tightened around the bars as he strained to listen. He could hear the faint shuffle of movement above—crew members? Guards? He didn’t know how many people were on board, and that uncertainty made planning an escape even harder.

  His best bet was to observe first. He needed to gather information before deciding anything.

  If he was lucky, maybe someone would come to check on him soon. Then he could start figuring out who had taken him and, more importantly, how to get out of this mess alive.

  No sooner had Kaiden thought that when he heard two loud voices talking outside.

  "Fine, I’ll check on him now, but he’s definitely still asleep," the first voice said, snickering. "The idiot took four bites of the muffin—" he broke into laughter mid-sentence.

  "You’re the idiot for forgetting to check the prisoner for any hidden weapons," the second voice snapped.

  "He’s just some newbie Dungeoneer. Why would he have a hidden weapon? Even if he has a dagger or something, won’t do him any good."

  "Just check him already."

  Kaiden heard keys jangling against the metal lock, and his heart dropped.

  Instinctively, his hand shot to his pocket. His fingers traced over the outline of his storage ring, and panic surged through him.

  Fuck.

  If they found the ring, that was it. Goodbye to all his gold.

  His mind raced as he yanked it from his pocket, scanning the cell for a place to hide it.

  There was nothing—not even a pillow.

  The door creaked open.

  Kaiden’s heart hammered in his chest. He had to act fast.

  With no other choice, he plopped the ring into his mouth and forced it under his tongue. It felt cold and uncomfortable, pressing against the roof of his mouth. He barely had time to roll onto the floor, mimicking the position he had woken up in.

  He lay completely still, controlling his breathing, listening.

  "See? Told ya he was still sleeping," the first voice said smugly.

  "I didn’t ask," the second voice snapped, clearly irritated. "Just check him already."

  "Fine."

  Kaiden heard the clank of the cell door as it swung open.

  A moment passed, then heavy footsteps approached.

  For a split second, he considered attacking. He could summon his artifacts in an instant and probably take down the first guy. But the second? No clue. If he miscalculated, it could cost him everything. Ultimately, he pushed that idea aside. He didn’t have the confidence.

  The footsteps stopped beside him.

  Then he felt hands roaming over his body, pressing into his arms, legs, and waist, searching for anything hidden.

  Kaiden exercised all manner of self-control not to react or clench his jaw as the ring sat awkwardly under his tongue. His throat itched as if the metal itself wanted him to gag or cough, but he forced himself to remain still.

  The hands pressed firmly against his ribs, then down to his boots.

  He stayed relaxed, forcing a slow, deep breath as they finished their search.

  Then—

  Laughter.

  "This guy doesn’t even have a coin purse! Hahaha, soldiers really are poor.

  See? Nothing to worry about," the first voice said.

  "Good. Now let’s go," the second voice replied, his tone still annoyed.

  Kaiden listened intently as their footsteps faded down the hall.

  He waited.

  And waited.

  Only when he could no longer hear them did he finally risk moving.

  Slowly, he sat up, his entire body tense as he spat the ring into his hand. He wiped the ring against his pants before slipping it back into his pocket, trying not to think about how dirty the thing was.

  A long, quiet breath escaped him.

  That was too close.

  Was it Regeneration that saved him? Or more specifically, saved his storage ring?

  He should still be asleep according to that voice, but somehow, he had woken up in time.

  It made sense that Regeneration had healed him and so he woke up early.

  Wait—that’s not quite right. Regeneration only healed damage, not the effects of a sleeping potion. If anything had countered the drug, it should have been Cure Poison, right?

  But Cure Poison didn’t act passively the way Regeneration did.

  So what had woken him up? Was it Mindforge?

  Kaiden frowned, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

  In the distance, bells rang out in quick succession.

  He stiffened, listening.

  What did that mean?

  Footsteps shuffled past his door, followed by a voice calling out.

  "Land!"

  Kaiden’s breath hitched.

  The meaning was clear.

  They’d arrived.

  BREAK

  Marigold furiously scribbled notes onto parchment, her quill gliding across the page as she made precise calculations in her ledger. Her mind was locked onto the task at hand, focused on balancing the estate's budgets and refining the upcoming quarter’s financial projections.

  Then came a knock at the door.

  She froze mid-stroke, irritation flashing through her.

  "What is it, Aldric? Has my sister arrived early?" Marigold asked, looking up with a hopeful smile.

  “No, Mistress.”

  "I told you I’m working on my budgets and I am not to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency," Marigold said sharply, turning back to her documents.

  A pause. Then Aldric’s voice came from the other side of the door. "I remember, Mistress."

  Marigold exhaled through her nose, already annoyed. "Well? Is it an emergency?"

  Another pause. This time, longer.

  "I... I’m not sure, Mistress," Aldric said carefully. "It may be nothing. But it may not be."

  Marigold put down her quill, rubbing her temples. If Aldric was hesitant, then it was probably something worth listening to.

  "Just come in," she said, waving a hand toward the door.

  The door opened, and Aldric stepped inside with his usual composed demeanor. He gave a slight bow before speaking.

  "Mistress, it’s about your newest acquisition."

  Marigold sat up straighter. "Yes, Kaiden. What about him? Is he not enjoying his lesson?"

  Aldric hesitated. "Well, Mistress… he never showed up at the estate."

  Marigold’s brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

  "The carriage we sent out never arrived either."

  "What!?"