It wasn’t possible. Jaks said he’d hide the sedative underneath the clock. She failed to believe he’d forget to do something so important.

It must be there, Jocelyn reassured herself. I just missed it.

Her hands scoured the bottom once again while the drone circled around her head. She did her best to ignore it.

The end result was the same: nothing.

She wanted to scream, but she held it in.

Jocelyn glanced back at Bulba. His face remained the same but she swore that his eyes had shifted one more.

Was he still asleep? There was the possibility he was toying with Jocelyn. Perhaps he had uncovered their plot to escape, which surely meant Jaks was dead. That would explain why the vial wasn’t underneath the clock.

Jocelyn was suddenly overwhelmed with panic.

Don’t scream, Jocelyn thought to herself, Don’t you dare scream.

A loud snore indicated that Bulba was still asleep—that was if he wasn’t putting on an act. She’d search the clock one last time and if the vial wasn’t there, then she’d accept whatever fate Bulba had planned for her.

Jocelyn’s hands scoured the entire clock this time and not just the underside.

And there it was.

A single, smooth glass vial taped to the back of the stone clock. Jocelyn grabbed it and clung onto it with desperate relief.

“Thank you,” she whispered aloud. “Thank you, thank you.”

The drone, sensing the presence of a new object in her hands, darted towards the vial and began scanning the full length of it with its infrared sensor.

Jocelyn held her breath while staring at Bulba. His facial expression remained stagnant but she noticed his eye twitch.

There was no mistake about it.

“Bulba?” she asked meekly.

He responded with more thunderous snoring.

“Bulba?” she repeated.

Nothing.

The drone finished its scan of the vial and returned to hovering around Jocelyn’s head.

She clung onto the vial with both hands, and then slowly made her way towards Bulba. All that was left to do was to slip the contents of the vial into the decanter of wine.

Jocelyn opened the top of the vial, emptying the contents into the jug. Hopefully the concentration of Halycon extract was still effective after being diluted in that much wine.

Jaks did say that the extract was very potent.

She hid the empty vial inside her dress and no sooner did she do so, Bulba woke from his slumber.

“Did I drift off again?” he asked.

Jocelyn nodded. Her hands were shaking behind her back.

Bulba Fyore sighed. “It’s getting worse with each passing day, I swear,” he said.

“More wine?” Jocelyn offered. “Maybe another drink will make you feel better.”

Bulba smirked. “Later.” There was something in the way he smiled that was unsettling.

“Is everything alright?” Jocelyn asked.

“Is there a reason it isn’t?”

Jocelyn shook her head.

Bulba’s face went grim suddenly. He glared at Jocelyn for a very long time—his eyes seemingly scouring every inch of her frail body.

Eventually, his demeanor lightened and he smiled at her.

“Please, there’s a lot of exotic food here that I think you should try. There’s one in particular that I think you’ll like.”

“Oh?”

“Yes,” Bulba said as he floated towards the center of the table, where an extravagant meat dish sat. “Please, allow me to cut a piece for you. Sit.”

She did.

Bulba grabbed the large knife, resting next to the dish, along with a serving fork and began slicing off a piece for her.

“The auroch is an interesting animal that is only found on Osiris,” Bulba explained while he sliced off two thin layers for Jocelyn to taste. He placed them delicately on the plate and set the fork down. He decided to hold onto the large knife still, however.

With his free hand he grabbed the plate and floated over to Jocelyn.

Her whole attention was focused on the blade in the monster’s hands, completely ignoring the food being served to her.

“You’d be astonished to know what the price of this meat was. Care to take a guess?”

“I…” Jocelyn began, but she failed to finish her sentence.

Bulba was now twirling the knife around in his hand, like a street performer.

He seemed to notice Jocelyn’s uneasiness and he responded with a smile.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, bringing the knife up to his eye level. “I really should be more careful with this, shouldn’t I? After all, you wouldn’t want to see me get hurt now, would you?”

Jocelyn could only nod.

“No, that’s not true. If I did accidently cut myself, why should you care?” he asked. “As much as I’d like to believe you’re concerned about my well-being, you wouldn’t shed a tear if I accidentally struck a vein and bled to death, would you?”

“I shed tears for the loss of all life,” Jocelyn said.

Bulba’s upper lip curled. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Did you shed tears for all those the slaves I retired this morning?”

Jocelyn nodded. She leaned further back in her seat, just to create more space between her and the knife, now pointed straight at her.

“I cried for every single one of them.”

“That’s empathetic of you, Jocelyn Dark,” Bulba said. He leaned in closer, until the knife was mere inches away from her face. “I wonder when your time comes, if others will shed tears for you.”

“I hope so,” she replied. She wanted to cry but she managed to hold it together.

“You’re not afraid to die are you?”

“Everyone is afraid to die.” She felt the tip of the knife brush lightly against the side of her face, not enough force to draw blood…yet.

“Even when it’s your destiny to do so?”

“Yes.” Her voice cracked.

“And why is that?” Bulba asked. “Why does the idea of death trouble you? It will allow you to finally rest.”

Jocelyn took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A single tear trickled down her face. “Because this Universe is a beautiful place, and there’s still much to see.”

“And?”

The knife sliced a single strand of hair off her head.

Jocelyn almost screamed.

“I don’t know.”

The Overseer shook his head. “Oh, you know. Tell me Jocelyn, why are you holding onto this miserable life right at this moment? What keeps you sane? What makes all the work that you’re forced to do, bearable?”

Jocelyn swallowed and thought of Jaks. “I…I believe I’m in love.”

This was the first time she acknowledged this emotion. It had been growing with each passing day. Every time she saw Jaks, she’d discover something new about him that took hold of her heart.

Bulba seemed satisfied by this answer and immediately pulled the knife back and slammed it on the table. He pointed to the plate of auroch meat in front of her.

“The truth at last,” Bulba said. “You’re lucky I am merciful. I’ve killed slaves for keeping secrets far more petty than a teenage crush. I’ve heard whispers amongst my legion that guard 76—Jaks—has taken quite a fancy to you. A Cymerian and a human is an interesting combination.”

Jocelyn exhaled slowly.

“The Cymerians were once considered the noblest of races and the purest of life-forms,” Bulba said, “For the longest time they were the only race strong and wise enough to rule all of the empires in the galaxy. That was before their Child King was assassinated by the Xaksu, causing the entire galaxy to spiral into this war that has lasted for 66 years.”

Jocelyn didn’t reply. She was still shaken.

“It wasn’t just that single assassination that led to their downfall. It was also their arrogance,” Bulba continued as he grabbed a plate of oysters. He began slurping them with glee. His giant tongue reminded Jocelyn of a fat, brown slug.

She wanted to retch.

“Eat your auroch,” Bulba said, eyeing the plate he had set down before her. “The meat is terribly expensive. Also never hide anything from me again. I always find out the truth.”

Jocelyn’s hands were trembling as she picked up the fork and knife in front of her.

“Does 76 treat you well?” Bulba asked.

“Yes,” Jocelyn replied.

Bulba smiled. “Good. He’s one of my best guards. He’s also the most dangerous of my men.”

Dangerous? There were many words Jocelyn could use to describe Jaks, but dangerous certainly wasn’t one of them.

“Are you surprised?” Bulba asked. “You shouldn’t be. He is a soldier after all. I’ve seen Jaks do things that chills even my blood. When the violence overtakes him, he can raze an entire city by himself.”

Jocelyn said nothing.

Bulba slurped the last of the oysters and set the large, silver plate down.

“Ah,” he said, with satisfaction. He narrowed his eyes on Jocelyn and frowned.

“You still haven’t touched your meat.”

“Sorry, I—”

“Don’t worry,” Bulba grinned. “It’s not poisoned, if that’s what you’re thinking. Now, eat your meat, Ms. Jocelyn Dark, before I shove it down your throat myself.”

Jocelyn sliced off a small piece, stabbed it with her fork and slowly brought it to her mouth. The fork was shaking in her hands.

“Good,” Bulba said as he reached for a bowl of Xaksunian black nuts, smooth and perfectly symmetrical orbs that were considered delicacies on Kymera. He tossed one in the air, and caught it with his mouth.

Jocelyn bit the auroch meat off her fork and allowed it to rest on her tongue. It was delicious. It was a shame that she was too scared to enjoy the richness of her meal.

Bulba tossed another nut in the air and caught it in his mouth.

“I think a little physical interaction will do 76 some good,” he said, his mouth now full of the nuts. “It will relax him. Ease him up a little.” Bulba leaned in. “Relieve all that tension he has built up inside him.” His smile was vulgar.

“It’s not what you think,” Jocelyn stated.

“Of course it is. Both of you are young and beautiful. You two must be screwing like Xaksunian boars. Did you know that in their breeding season, they don’t rest from the act of sex until the male is dead?” He chuckled, just before his voice took on a serious tone. “Don’t kill him with your goods though. As I said, he’s one of the best guards I have.”

“It’s not about physical lust,” Jocelyn said. “It’s about love.”

Bulba rolled his eyes. “Sure, sure. Tell yourself that one.” He tossed another nut in the air.

“He hasn’t touched me. I’m still a virgin.”

Bulba glanced over at Jocelyn, surprised. “Huh?” His mouth was still wide open, just as the nut fell straight into the back of his throat.

Immediately he began chocking. His giant arms grabbed his throat as he struggled to cough out the nut that was logged inside.

Jocelyn sat there, stunned.

It was a miracle.

Bulba immediately pointed to the jug of wine which Jocelyn had spiked with the sedative. She contemplated allowing Bulba to die by choking, but in the event he did manage to clear his airways, Jocelyn needed to look like she had done whatever she could to save him. It was also not in her nature to sit back while someone else was dying—even if that someone was Bulba Fyore.

The sedative would have to do.

The drones, meanwhile, began buzzing around frantically like angry wasps. One drone went as far as to blast the bowl of nuts.

Jocelyn grabbed the jug of wine and brought it over to Bulba, the color of his face matching the color of the wine. He tore it out of her hands.

Bulba brought the jug to his massive lips and chugged all of its contents, clearing his airway of the nut.

When he was done, he slammed the jug down and licked his lips.

“Are you okay?” Jocelyn asked.

“Well, Jocelyn,” Bulba said, gasping. “It looks like you saved my life when you could have allowed me to die.”

She pursed her lips.

“That was close,” Bulba chuckled. “To think, I, Bulba Fyore, was almost bested by a single Xaksunian nut.”

No, Jocelyn thought. Bulba Fyore, was bested by a human girl.

“I won’t be dying yet, not this day…” suddenly Bulba grabbed his chest. “I…I can’t breathe,” he gasped.

Jocelyn was surprised. The sedative was meant to put him to sleep, not interfere with his breathing.

“Bulba?”

“I…” he was gasping hard. “Pressure…pressure on my chest. So hard…to breathe.”

Jocelyn watched as the large monster propped his hands on the table in an effort to steady himself.

“You’re having a heart attack,” Jocelyn said, “Maybe from the shock of choking.”

Bulba closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “It can’t be…I’m…I’m not ready. How…tragic.”

He collapsed onto the table. The drones immediately fell to the ground as if their batteries were completely drained.

Jocelyn was stunned.

What just happened?

She cautiously walked over to Bulba and touched the underside of his chin, searching for a pulse.

Nothing.

“Bulba?” she asked, nudging him a little. She tried searching for a pulse on his wrist, but once again couldn’t find one. He wasn’t breathing either.

It took a while for Jocelyn to accept that Bulba Fyore was dead. What had she done? The sedative was only supposed to put him to sleep, not kill him. Had Jaks lied to her?

What if it was poison she had slipped into Bulba’s drink? If so, then she had just committed murder.

All her thoughts and emotions hit her like a freight train and she began to cry.

There’s no time for tears, stupid girl, she thought.

She needed to leave this place now and find Jaks.

Her footsteps echoed as she headed for the doors of Bulba’s home—his mausoleum.