Excerpt 7 from the Exclusive Episode of Lazare Donatien’s Adventures

Discover below the promised excerpt from the exclusive episode of Lazare Donatien’s adventures:

Lazare’s Gift

Chapter 7

It was the winter of 2000, and several months had passed since my first fiery encounter with Miss Félicie Pindragon… and I was already on my third overseer sent by Outremonde. Quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself.

Was it my fault if not one of these shoddy pawns could meet my expectations? Well… to be perfectly honest, I pitied those poor spirits—they hadn’t deserved their fate—and perhaps, just perhaps, I’d exaggerated certain traits of my personality. In my defense, what other choice did I have to make my point heard?

The Administrator and I had locked horns in a battle I had no intention of losing. For her part, Miss Pindragon sent me suspicious cases in a relentless stream, leaving me scarcely a moment to reflect on the situation or adjust my tactics, which was, of course, the unspoken aim of her maneuver. I’d learned that Félicie Pindragon belonged to the ancient race of dragons, and that centuries did nothing to alter her appearance, for, as far as any spirit could recall, she had always looked the same. If her physique was flawless, immortality, it seemed, hadn’t softened her temperament—that, at least, was my heartfelt conviction.

The day I requested a new overseer—since the previous one had proven as trifling as his predecessors—was the day Félicie Pindragon chose to make another appearance.

A faint tremor shook the room before a chilling shiver heralded her arrival, then the air warmed abruptly. Her eyes flashed lightning, tiny flames danced across her skin, and a scale gleamed briefly on her cheek. It was a terrifying sight for anyone unprepared, but I’d be damned if I’d be counted among them. I forced myself to swallow hard several times to steady my nerves, resolved to win this skirmish and not be intimidated.

“What brings the pleasure of your visit, my dear?” I asked, my voice unwavering.

“Don’t play that game with me, Lazare!” she snapped, as I caught the low growl rumbling in her throat. “You know perfectly well why I’m here.”

“We’re doomed to work together, yes, yes, I recall. So, what good omens brought you in today?” I retorted, feigning innocence. Félicie Pindragon strode to my desk and slammed a paper onto the mahogany surface with a sharp thud.

“This new request, signed by your hand, is the reason for my presence! Has your memory returned?”

“Oh, my dear, it’s hardly kind to accuse me so. I assure you, my memory is in splendid form. I distinctly recall sending that request this very morning,” I replied with elegance, masking my satisfaction at seeing cracks in her rigid armor.

“So you persist in demanding a new overseer, the thirteenth, no less?!”

“I’m afraid I’m quite resolute on the matter, my dear. It’s hardly my fault if these poor spirits prove so utterly trifling, is it? Must I remind you that it was you who insisted on saddling me with these missions, hmm?”

“Very well…” she resumed, fixing me with a piercing gaze that—I must confess—I struggled to meet without flinching. “I’ll send you another spirit, and I warn you, this one will be the last.”

“You mean to say that if I dismiss this one too, you’ll abandon this notion of a servant-secretary?” I argued, flashing a broad grin that the venerable matriarch dismissed with a swift wave of her hand.

“Precisely, and it will be at your own peril. Consider yourself warned. One final point: you will keep this one for a full seven days. If you send him back after those seven days, you’ll have no more pawns to toy with. If you don’t, I’ll consider you bound to this final contract.”

“Deal struck! Send me this last recruit, and let’s be done with it,” I replied, leaping to my feet.

This condition would demand little effort; I usually kept recruits for about three weeks before sending them packing. It lent a veneer of credibility to the affair, though we both knew it was a farce from start to finish.

“As you wish,” she retorted, vanishing as abruptly as she had appeared.

Moments later, a faint wisp swirled into the center of the room, swiftly taking the form of a figure I knew well. Félicie Pindragon had sent back Zephirii Zephiro!

“Well, I’ll be damned if I thought that she-devil capable of such a move! I’m glad to see you again, my friend!” I exclaimed, readily making a move to greet him.

“I am likewise glad to see you, Monsieur,” he replied, bowing, his spectral hands trembling faintly. I froze and perched on the edge of my desk. Something had changed in the former valet.

“Come now, what’s with all the formalities? No ‘Monsieur,’ my friend, just Lazare.”

“Miss Pindragon made it abundantly clear that my role is that of your valet, Monsieur. I am now tasked with reporting your actions to Outremonde, serving as your assistant and shield if needed. I was not sent to be your friend, I fear, and ‘spy’ would perhaps be more fitting.”

So that’s what that hag had been up to these past months. She’d utterly lobotomized the charming, courteous valet I’d known. Beyond that, I noticed a latent fear in his gaze. What had he seen in Outremonde to change him so? I vowed to dig into that later. For now, I needed to build trust; I hadn’t forgotten my promise.

“Very well, I’ve noted your message, Zeph. Thanks for your candor,” I concluded.

“Zeph, Monsieur?”

“Yes, I’ve decided to call you that from now on. You’ll admit Zephirii Zephiro is a bit of a mouthful, no? Don’t tell me your old master used it every time?”

“Monseigneur Ferdinand used Zephiro.”

“Well, I prefer Zeph. You’ll need to work on that spontaneity, my friend. I’ve no use for a puppet.”

“I am your valet, Monsieur, not…”

“Not my friend, yes, I got it the first time. But I made you a promise, and I don’t take kindly to breaking the few I make. If you want to stay here, we’ll need to find some common ground, my friend. Otherwise, as sure as my name is Lazare Donatien, I’ll send you back to Outremonde in seven days.” I saw fear widen Zeph’s gaze at the mere thought. Yes, something there terrified him.

“I shall do my utmost to meet Monsieur’s expectations,” he concluded, bowing once more.

“Splendid, and start by dropping the bows—that’ll be a good beginning.”

“Very well, Monsieur.”