Hugh, wake up!
Hugh shivered. Beads of sweat pulled the little warmth that was left out of his body. He opened his eyes, unsure of where he was and why he was there. He was sat on hard stones in a dark alley on a cold morning. Then everything snapped back into place.
Saffron was half stood-up next to him, looking over the edge of some barrels they had slept behind.
“The city’s starting to wake up,” Saffron informed Hugh. “Soon there’ll be people here. I think we should get going. Better not to be seen, I think. People know we work- worked- for Verdant. They’d for sure remember having seen us if he asked.”
The shock of the previous night had not quite worn off. It was hazy to Hugh. Not that he did not remember; he remembered vividly. It was a haze of disbelief. How could he have done what he did ? He could always keep his temper, always. Whenever he noticed Saffron cheating at cards, whenever Verdant gave him an unfair punishment, whenever he felt strong emotions rise, he could always push them down. And yet, looking at where he was, it was difficult not to admit that it really had happened.
“So what should we do now ?” he asked Saffron.
“I hoped you’d have an idea,” he replied, before turning back around to keep an eye on the alley entrance. More and more people passed, although they likely would not spot Hugh and Saffron in the back of the alley behind the barrels.
Hugh sat up straight, still feeling the cold but not deciding to ignore it as much as he could.
“Listen, Saffron,” he began. “I just want to say, I… I shouldn’t have done that and I don’t know how it happened and I… I’m sorry. I don’t know what we are going to do now. I shouldn’t have lost control.”
Saffron turned around abruptly and looked at Hugh with a frown.
“What are you going on about ?” he asked, giving Hugh a small bump with his shoulder. “That damned Brilliant pushed a poker into my back! You think I would have preferred if you stood next to him and complimented his technique ?”
Hugh grimaced, remembering the sight and trying not to. “Still, look where I got us. You really think we can hide if Verdant sends people to find us ? He may not be an Iridescent but he’s among the more influential Brilliant. He’s most certainly got the means.”
Saffron nodded. “Yes, you’re right. We are utterly fucked. And it’s not your fault. At least, I don’t blame you for standing up for me. Verdant might. But I don’t think that's necessarily a bad thing.”
Hugh wanted to protest further, but decided against it.
“Alright,” he said instead. “Let’s go. First we should find you a coat or a new shirt, so that…”
Saffron grimaced. “Right. Yes. And then some food, and a place to hide that isn’t behind some barrels.”
Hugh laughed. “Yes, that would be preferable. Anyways, where are we going to get all these things ? It’s not like we have any money.”
Saffron’s eyes met Hugh’s, and a hint of a smile appeared on Saffron’s face. “Well… You know how in all those stories there’s a hero who steals from the rich and gives to the poor ?”
“Yes…”
“Well, right now, we are very poor, and there’s a lot of rich people all around. You catch where I’m going ?”
Hugh shook his head slowly. “I’m not sure that’s a smart plan. Even without considering your… dubious morals, neither of us have any experience with theft. We’d just get caught and be in ever more problems.”
“I suppose you’re right there,” Saffron responded, slightly deflated. He looked around for a moment, and tapped his fingers together in a thoughtless gesture.
“Ah! I know! I have a flawless plan!”
Hugh somehow doubted that he did, but nodded. “By all means, do tell.”
“Okay, so. You said that we’re not used to theft. And you’re right! So I was thinking, what are we good at ?” He looked at Hugh expectantly.
“Uhh… Serving food ? Doing laundry ? Cleaning up ?”
“Yes, sure, all of those too. But think! Every night we play cards. And how often is it that both of us play, well… Fair ?”
Hugh smirked. “Pretty uncommon I’d say.”
“Exactly!” Saffron said with a smile. “So, let’s use that! We won’t have to steal! We’ll go to the nearest tavern and play cards and rid people of their money the way god intended!”
Hugh thought about it. Saffron could put on a convincing pokerface, but the sparkle in his eyes always revealed him. At least, it did to Hugh; but they had known eachother for years, and played cards together for just as long. Maybe there was some merit to the idea, even if conning people out of their money did not sit completely well with him.
“We would still need some money to bet, though, even if we think we are sure we can win. And we need to be subtle. If we get caught, it will be just as bad as if we walked right back into Verdant’s manor.”
Saffron tapped his chin with his index finger, his eyes darting around from one cloud in the sky to another. “We could bet my overcoat. As long as, you know, we make sure no one sees the back of it. And if we’re gonna win anyway then it doesn’t matter, right!”
Hugh considered. “Are we really going to survive by cheating people at cards ?”
Saffron grinned. “You’re looking at it wrong. We’re going to survive, yes. End the sentence there and don’t think about it too much. Besides, as I said before; we’re stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Doesn’t get much more noble than that.”
Hugh sighed. “Fine,” he said. “We’ll try it. But first, we need to come up with a strategy. And before that, get away from here. We’re still much too close to Verdant’s manor for my liking. Let’s put some more distance between us and him and then we’ll get to… executing your plan. There won’t be many people looking for a bet early in the morning anyway.”
“Alright! Let’s go then!”
“Hush!”
“Right.”
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The horizon was starting to colour orange when Hugh and Saffron stopped.
“I think this is far enough for now,” Hugh said. His feet hurt from the large distance they had travelled. In truth, they had not even made it that far, as they had avoided the larger streets and instead took a longer route that increased their chance of reaching their destination unseen as well as their travel time.
They had gone horizontally, remaining in the same rung of the city while still putting as much distance between them and Verdant’s mansion. They had ended up on the edge of their row, looking down over the lower parts of the city. From their vantage point they could see all the different parts of [city name]. Three rungs below them remained mostly inhabited by Brilliants, while the neighbourhoods further down decreased slowly in wealth. All the way at the end was the harbour, spanning almost the entire width of the semicircular city. Even from all the way up where they were standing they could still see the hustle and bustle that always filled the harbour and its surrounding area.
Hugh turned around. Between the houses of the rich and the mansions of the richer, he could see the Pristine Palace, standing proud over the city. A beacon of white perfection kept perfectly clean, the pride of the city and the house of its rulers; the Iridescent, watching over the city from their high vantage point.
“Do you think it might be safer to go a few rungs further down ?” Hugh asked. “I feel like walking around Brilliant might not be the best idea for us right now…”
“Sure. But it’s getting later, and if we want to execute our plan today then we should get to it quickly. Don’t know about you but I’d prefer to be done with that as soon as we can. I’d appreciate dinner right around now. Or at least breakfast tomorrow. Maybe both.”
Hugh felt his stomach rumble. They had spent a day walking around the city and had not eaten since breakfast the day before. They would survive, surely, but he could not say that he did not agree with Saffron in some amount.
“Alright then,” he told Saffron, who was looking out over the city. “We’ll go find a tavern. But that does mean we’re going to have to pass some of the larger streets, so let’s be as subtle as we can about it. Just keep walking and don’t look out of place…” he trailed off. He once again noted the circular burn mark that pierced Saffron’s coat, revealing the burn underneath… He tried to put it out of his mind. In any case, this would not work. They would stand out too much.
“This is not going to work,” he said finally. “There’s no way we’re going to pass through a busy street without provoking people’s attention. We need a different plan.”
Saffron smiled. “To the rooftops it is then!” he tapped the little book he carried in his inner coat pocket. “Just as Lamora the thief does in this wonderful tale, so too will we pass through the shadows and over people’s heads unseen!”
Hugh chuckled. “Right. Two servants who barely set foot outside their lord’s mansion are surely equal to the skill of a lifelong thief. I see absolutely no problem with that.”
“Hey now, don’t get all sarcastic with me. If anyone’s got experience getting around quickly and quietly then it’s the two of us, and this is not much different!”
As Saffron said this, he was already walking to the back wall of the nearest building.
“Give me a leg up will you ? I’ll pull you up afterwards.”
Hugh did not have as much confidence as Saffron seemed to have. Then again… He did not have ideas that were much better, either. They might as well try. If they did end up being seen, they would at least be far enough away that they might not be recognised. Plus, how many people even looked at rooftops ? He truly had no idea, but he hoped it was a low number.
“Alright, alright!” he said, and crouched down a bit, making a step-up with his hands to hoist Saffron up to the ledge of the roof. “Three, two, one…”
After slipping back down twice, Saffron finally managed to get up to the roof, and pulled Hugh up behind him.
“Step one is complete,” Saffron said. “The plan is going swimmingly if I do say so myself.”
“Hush,” Hugh said softly. “We should try to be a bit more silent from now on. Decrease the chance of people looking up to spot us as much as possible. We’ll make our way to the larger streets and keep our eyes open for anything that looks like a bar or a tavern. Let me know if you see something.”
Saffron nodded, and slowly they started making their way over the rooftops, climbing down here and there when there was more than half a metre between two roofs, because, much to Saffron’s dismay, they were not experienced thieves and were likely better off not pretending to be.
----------------------------------------
Hugh looked out over the busy street below them. They were standing on the flat roof of a small house- at least, what passed for small in the upper rows. They were in a district that was more oriented to shops and other accommodations, while the mansions of the Brilliant that lived here were elsewhere in the rung. Dozens of people passed, and with each one Hugh was more certain that they would be spotted. He shivered. Did someone just look up at us ? He thought. But no, they were only looking at the sign that hung above the door of a shop close by. Hugh moved back a few paces, obscuring himself further behind the chimney.
“There!” Saffron hissed elatedly. He tapped him on the shoulder repeatedly until Hugh stopped him.
“Where ?”
“Between the restaurant and the clothier. The Dancing Bear, it reads on the sign, with a little symbol of… A rat, I think ? Might be a cat.”
“I think it’s a bear.”
“Sure. So what do you think ?”
“Looks like a tavern to me. So how are we getting in ? We’d need to cross the street, plus it’s a bit further down the road.”
Saffron thought for a second. “I don’t think we have much of a choice, unfortunately. I think we’re going to have to move as close to it as we can, come down into an alley, and cross the road. And pray a bit, maybe.”
Hugh grimaced, but agreed. “We can get to that building pretty safely I think.” He pointed at a building that was across from the tavern. “There’s an alley there, and if we time it right, we can hopefully get down and cross the street without drawing too much attention.”
Stolen story; please report.
They carefully climbed over, hugging a drainage pipe at one point and jumping a small gap with fear for their lives at another, but ultimately reaching the alley without causing too much commotion.
Hugh wiped the sweat from his brow. “Ready ?”
“Whenever you are.”
He nodded. “Let’s go slowly, and most importantly, look like we belong. Pretend it’s just a normal day and we’re running an errand. Once we’re inside we’ll be decently safe, I think. Won’t be many of Verdant’s compatriots in a pub such as this one.”
They did exactly that, making an effort to look completely normal- which in itself proved to be a contradictory action. Nevertheless, they reached the other side of the street fairly naturally, and Hugh felt like the chances would be slim that they were spotted in such a short time in the open. Relieved, they entered the doors of the Dancing Bear.
Immediately, the scent of beer dominated his senses. To his right was a polished wooden bar bearing various beer spills that the barkeep did not bother to clean up. Three serving girls were pacing through the room with large platters of various types of beers and alcohols. In a darker nook a small protruding wall barely didn’t cover three men with a small pouch of a yellow powder, now half-empty as the men seemed to be leaving behind their worldly body in favour of fantastical experiences. Most importantly, multiple large round tables were covered with scattered cards and various coins.
“Oi, wha’cannahelpyawith ?” A large, burly man behind the counter called out above the noise.
Saffron looked at Hugh.
“We’ll, ah… Get a drink later, if that’s alright,” Hugh managed, trying to imbue as much confidence in his voice as he could. “We’re gonna find a table to play first.”
The man looked them over for a second, but then seemed to conclude that he did not care all that much. “Alright. ‘S long as ya get somm’ing la’er.”
“Of course,” Hugh said. “Sir,” he added. He looked at Saffron to see if he was ready. Saffron nodded, seeming very confident. They had talked through their plan multiple times on their way to the tavern, but he was still nervous. If something went wrong… The average Brilliant would not think twice about getting them arrested if they were caught cheating. And if they were afraid of Verdant finding them out on the street, then being thrown in jail would almost certainly cause trouble.
However, he realised that worrying about it would not change anything, and they did really need money if they wanted to get away from Verdant. So, off he went.
Portraying as much confidence as he could muster, Hugh led himself and Saffron to a table with two unoccupied chairs. It looked like they were playing Rainbows, a fairly straightforward card game where you tried to collect as many cards of the same colour as possible. More importantly, they were using a standard deck with the same covers as the ones he and Saffron had.
“We’d like to join,” Hugh said as he and Saffron sat down at the table.
A man on the other side shot him a glance. “Right. Next round,” he said with a gruff voice, immediately after returning to silent contemplation. He played a blue ace, which allowed him to take a blue 7 and 8 from the table. The next player played a yellow 4 and a red 5 and took the blue ace he’d put down. When the game circled back to the first fellow, he played the blue 7 and 8 he had picked up last time and traded them in for a red 5 and 6, and then showed that all his cards were red, winning him the game. He greedily pulled the coins on the table towards him as the man to his right started shuffling the deck.
Hugh had studied their opponents a bit as they had played. They had not betrayed much emotion, and seemed to know the game fairly well, but that was expected. They were with a group of four players, now six including Hugh and Saffron.
“Standard rules, hands of eight cards, minimum bet is two gold coins. You in ?” the man to Hugh’s left asked. He nodded. He hoped that the men would accept some valuable items instead of coins as a bet, as they did not have two gold coins. He wished he had kept the purse Verdant had given him to buy vegetables at the market on him the day before, instead of returning it immediately when he returned. Too late for that, he thought.
“Yes, we’d like to join,” he responded, prompting the dealer to lay down eight cards in front of both Saffron and Hugh.
“Bets on the table,” the dealer called, leading with 4 gold coins. The man to his right, a thin fellow with an open jacket and nothing underneath, went next. He matched the first player’s bet, as did the woman next to him. Then, it was Hugh’s turn.
“Actually, we’d like to bet something else, if that’s alright.” He nodded to Saffron, who presented the coat- taking care to hide the burnt backside as they had agreed. The thin man looked at it appreciatively- it seemed like it suited his style. However, the burly man spoke before he could say anything.
“Well, tough luck. We’re playin’ for money. If you got none, then go pawn that coat and come back with cash.”
That… Was not even that bad of an idea. Certainly not as risky as what they were attempting here. However, they were here now, and Hugh did not like the idea of having to look for a pawnshop, costing them even more time. He wanted to get away as soon as he could.
“I’d urge you to reconsider. This coat would fetch quite a price, I’m sure of that. More than the couple of gold pieces we are betting it for here. If we had time, we would pawn it, sure. But unfortunately we have no such luck.”
The burly man grinned. “So you stole it. Hoping that when one of us tries to sell it we’ll be hanged in your stead, eh ?”
Hugh sweated. He could see how the man thought that. And to be honest, it was not even that far from the truth. They did want to get rid of it, it stood out too much. But how could he convince them that-
“Well, sounds good to me.” The woman at the table had not spoken before, but was now taking a lead. “I reckon you won’t be the first of us here who’s done that trick. Can’t say I care, and it does look like good quality. I’ve got ways to deal with stolen goods. I’ll give you six coins for it right now, that’ll shut up Ishikk over there.” She handed Saffron six coins and grabbed the coat before they could do anything about it.
Hugh really hoped she would not notice the burned spot on the back.
“Great!” Saffron said. “Let’s play!”
The woman did inspect the coat- but luckily, she did so by putting it on and as such only inspected the front. Hugh breathed a silent sigh of relief. Then, Saffron gave Hugh half of the coins and put two on the table. You did not have to match bets necessarily in Rainbows; you could half the bet, but that did put you at a disadvantage. It was rarely done for that reason, mostly just when players did not have enough money to match but did want to keep playing. Or, in some cases, when someone had good enough cards that they could win anyway, and lull the other players into a false sense of security. In this case, it was clearly the former.
As soon as the bets were settled, the game began.
And with that came the hard part. They were going to cheat- they had to. They had gone over their strategy on the way to the pub, but they had not had a chance to actually practise. That meant they had to be careful. Very careful.
They had decided Saffron would win, so it was up to Hugh to do anything he could to facilitate that. When it was his turn, Saffron played a red 5 and ended his turn. Normally you were allowed to play a maximum of two cards, but with half bets came half the number of plays you could make. A severe disadvantage. Hopefully, Hugh thought, one they could overcome by bending the rules a little.
Hugh played a red 8, and waited for the rest of the table to take their turns. He did not pay much attention to what their strategies were; Saffron and him had to win quickly, before anyone else even had a chance to. When it came to Saffron’s turn, he played a yellow jack. With that, their plan was set-up; he wanted blues, and Hugh would provide.
So Hugh played a yellow 7, picking up a blue 9. Trying to get his blue cards to Saffron by playing them to the table was very risky, as his turn was right after Saffrons and the chance was too high for someone else to pick up the cards.
He folded up his cards and slipped the three blue ones he had into his sleeve in a motion he wished he had practised more often. Luckily, the other players were focused on the cards on the table and not on him, and they did not seem to notice. However, they needed to complete their scheme before it was his turn. Not only would people be paying more attention to him then, but he would also need to unfold his cards, showing everyone that he was three cards short.
So he casually put his right hand on his leg, under the table. The burly man across from him shot him a glance. Did he know ? Hugh thought. He started to sweat.
Then, he played his cards, passing the turn to the woman. Hugh almost felt relieved, but not quite; that meant they had very little time before it would be Saffron’s turn. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Saffron slipped his left hand under the table, keeping his cards in his right. He would have done the same thing Hugh did, and should have three cards that were useless to him in his left hand.
They swapped cards as covertly as they could- and then, it was Saffron’s turn. But he still had the cards in his left hand underneath the table. Hugh noticed he was tapping his foot against the floor and had to force himself to stop. There was no way they would not notice Saffron’s lack of cards.
Luckily, it was at that moment that the door to the pub was smashed open and a large, lean man walked in wearing a pin on his coat that identified him as a guard of the Pristine Palace. He was not wearing the clean white jacket and trousers that were customary for his station. That implied he was on a mission of a kind that could get messy. Such as, for example, catching a servant of a high-ranking Brilliant that turned out to be a Chromancer.
Well, fuck. Hugh thought. This is not turning out well.
Hugh looked at Saffron, who nodded. It was time to get out of there. Unseen, if possible.
The guard looked around the pub, then showed the bartender a piece of paper. The bartender pointed to the table where Hugh and Saffron were sitting. Well, there goes getting out unseen.
Options for escape rushed through Hugh’s head. This was a Pristine Guard, a small handful of ex-soldiers chosen for their competence in the war; both in combat ability and in Chromantic power. There was no way Hugh and Saffron stood a chance against someone like that, even if Hugh now seemingly had access to Chromancy himself- and he would rather not use it.
Then Saffron whispered something. “Open window, behind us. In three, two…”
The guard started walking toward them.
“... One”
They bolted towards the open window, Saffron in front. Hugh bumped into someone who pushed back, hard, almost causing him to trip. Saffron jumped through the window and Hugh followed, clumsily getting through just in time before the guard reached him. Then, they ran.
Hugh heard quick footsteps behind him and picked up his pace. He felt his heart beat loudly and quickly as he ran on for dear life. Saffron pulled him around a corner unexpectedly, causing him to barely maintain his footing.
“Chromancy, Hugh! Do it! Do what you did before in Verdant’s house!”
He concentrated, as much as he could as he pushed through the crowds. He tried to reach for that same feeling, the fire that had coursed through him. But it had come instinctively, and he did not know where to grasp.
“I can’t!” He yelled at Saffron.
Then, he saw something. Both terrifying and magnificent. To the left, on the wall of a tall building, ran the guard. Not on top of it; he was actually running on the wall. And everywhere he went, he left behind a faint yellow trail in the air.
Within seconds he had passed Hugh and Saffron. He jumped from the wall, making an arc through the air that seemed almost impossibly long, before softly landing in front of Hugh and Saffron.
“Clear the street!” he called. Immediately, the once dense crowd dispersed, making way for the guard. He turned towards Hugh and Saffron.
“You can’t outrun me,” he said. An aura of blinding golden light started to envelop him. “By the power vested in me by the Iridescent, I arrest you. Do not try to fight or escape.”
Hugh was tempted to agree. Was there anything they could do to get out of this ?
“Hey, uhh…” Saffron said softly, poking him with his elbow. “This would be a great moment to… You know… Do the thing ?”
Hugh’s mind raced. He had done it before. Red Chromancy. He knew Chromancy was tied to emotions. Back in Verdant’s mansion, he had been angry. More so than he had ever been in his life. Could he evoke that feeling now ?
He had to try.
He tried to think of anything to wake that anger. All his life, he had been pushing down anything that made him feel things. Now, he had to do the opposite. He thought of Verdant. He thought of the day before, when that wretched man had stabbed Saffron with a hot poker. He thought back…
He saw a child lying on the floor amidst roaring flames, crying for help. He looked at his arms and hands and saw his clothes burning. He saw red all around.
Finally, he felt it. A tiny spark. Nothing like the inferno of the day before, but something. He focused on that, fueled it, grew it.
He opened his eyes and coloured the world in red. Saffron took a step away. The guard did not.
He channelled the fire outward, attempting to mimic what he had done instinctively the day before. Fire sprayed around him in a golden glow of scorching heat. The air around him blurred. Fire crackled and sweat sizzled as it evaporated off his forehead.
But the guard did not seem fazed. An explosion of yellow came into being around him, clashing and mixing with Hugh’s red. Then Hugh heard a loud clap like the striking of thunder, and the man was suddenly in front of him. Hugh threw a punch, ignited by that ember that he so desperately clung to, but the guard dodged with incredible speed. Before he knew it, the guard was behind him and had grabbed both his arms.
Saffron jumped at the man, trying to tackle him to the ground. Within moments, the man had moved away, causing Saffron to stumble to the ground- but in doing so, the guard had let go of Hugh, who turned around to face him.
“Let us go, or I won’t hold back,” Hugh tried, accentuating his threat with a burst of flame. It was a bluff, of course. He hoped it would be enough.
The guard smirked. “Let’s see what you’ve got then.”
With two long strides he was back at Hugh’s throat. But this time, Hugh had anticipated his fast movements. He punched the air with another flame-infused fist, hoping that the guard would appear there; and for once, luck seemed to be on his side.
The punch connected, and Hugh pushed as much of that fire as he could muster into the attack. The guard did not wear armour, presumably to not get in the way of his quick movements. That meantdid mean that he was not protected at all against Hugh’s Chromancy.
The guard crashed into the nearest wall, prompting a gasp from the few people that had not yet run away. Hugh panted. The fire faded. He looked at his fist and cursed loudly, cradling his hand. It was bloody, and he had probably broken at least one of his fingers. But that was a problem for later.
With his left hand he pulled Saffron up from the ground. Apart from some burns and scratches, he seemed to be okay. “Let’s go, quickly!” Hugh said.
They ran through a now mostly empty street, away from the pub. Hugh tried for a moment to use Chromancy to go faster, or to help in any way, but it was gone. The fire was out, and he doubted he could get it going again at that moment. So, they just ran.
So did the guard, who cut them off. He appeared at an intersection, coming with daunting speed from the right and stopping in front of them. Hugh would have expected him to be angry, but the man seemed… Strangely happy ? Still, Hugh could see a wound on the man’s side. His punch had definitely done some damage. Unfortunately, it seemed, not enough.
The guard disappeared in a blur and a flash of yellow. Hugh heard a scream from his right. Saffron! He thought. He turned quickly to where his friend had stood a moment ago. Just in time to see the guard give Saffron a series of small, carefully placed punches and for Saffron to collapse unconsciously to the ground.
“Saffron!” Hugh yelled. He fell into a defensive position, and dug deep in search for the last smouldering ashes of that fire from before. He tried to make that anger resurface, to save himself, and Saffron.
Before could do anything, the guard had appeared behind him, grabbing both his arms and putting him in a chokehold. And now, Saffron was in no position to save him. He breathed shakily. Then, the guard put something in front of his mouth. Alarmed, he held his breath, but the guard was persistent. Finally, he had no choice but to breathe in. And slowly, the world faded to black…