Page 45 of Mazorium Buys a Human
It was a relief to hear him sound a little like his old self. “I’m a little scared.”
He jerked a bit, as if I’d just slapped him. “I understand. I wouldn’t have trust in me either.”
I was confused for a moment, then realized he thought I was afraid he couldn’t keep me safe.
“I trust you to do everything you can to keep us safe,” I said quickly, clutching his hand when he tried to pull away from me. “You’ve treated me with respect and care. You spent a lot of wealth on us at the health center on Himil Station after you bought us. Then you took us to another healer on Helsin. I’m healthy again, and Nadia is thriving because of you.”
“But I didn’t protect you as I should’ve,” he said. He blinked a few times, then his eyes started to move to stare at a spot over my head.
“Maz, no,” I said, tugging at his hand. “Don’t leave me yet.”
He met my gaze again. “I’m here.”
“Your body is here, but your mind keeps leaving,” I argued. “What’s going on?”
He pulled in a deep breath. “I don’t know how to process what happened on Helsin Station.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “I know that’s not the first time you’ve been in a fight. You rescued me from those Tulks all by yourself. You know there are bad guys out there.”
“Yes, but those Tulks don’t count,” he said. “Himil Station wasn’t a reputable place owned by Talins. There were several times on non-Talin stations where I was forced to defend myself.I’ve always been successful despite the unfavorable odds, but none were like what happened on Helsin Station.”
“You won, though,” I pointed out. “That’s what’s important. Not only did you take on three guys, you carried me and Nadia all the way back to the ship, even though you were hurt.”
Our successful escape had been a team effort, but I decided it would be better if he didn’t know that yet.
He looked down at our joined hands and mumbled something I couldn’t make out.
“What was that?”
He didn’t look up. “It never should’ve happened.”
“The fight?”
“Yes.”
“Um, because we should’ve done something differently?” I asked, trying to figure out why he was so upset about this fight.
“Because it shouldn’t have happened at all. Not on a Talin station.”
That sounded impossible. “Is there no such thing as a criminal in your empire?”
“Yes, but they are lost souls who’ve never reached any level of significant responsibility,” he said. “Criminals aren’t supposed to reach the status of station director. I know those men were hired by Gorum. First she tried to blackmail me, then she resorted to outright theft. She put your life in danger and could’ve hurt Nadia.”
“Your empire is pretty big, right?” I asked. “There’s got to be some bad individuals who manage to get some power, like Gorum. That doesn't mean much; she’s one out of billions.”
“But there shouldn’t be any!” He sounded so forlorn, like a child finding out Santa wasn’t real. “Gorum’s actions go against everything the empire stands for. If she did that, who else is capable of such things? How many are there that are just likeGorum? Individuals with criminal intent and almost unchecked power?”
I hated that Maz was having to realize there was evil in his world, but we’d all be safer for it. I refused to step foot on another Talin station unprepared again.
Still, this revelation was hitting him hard, especially while he should be focused on getting better. Before I could find some comforting words, he started speaking again.
“The worst is that these individuals have always been there, but I was unaware. What else don’t I know about?”
This was worse than finding out Santa didn’t exist. Maz was also realizing that good doesn’t always win like in the fairy tales, and sometimes the villain gets away with everything.
I could sympathize, but my realization came at six years old, not well into adulthood.
“You should probably focus on how rare Gorums are,” I suggested. “Remember, one in a billion. Besides, Helsin Station was the cleanest, nicest station I’ve ever been on. That has to count for something."
