‘Ah Shiver! Back already? I’m not selling you any more popsicles! What have we here?’

Pov looked expectantly at Shiver, crouched inconspicuously – or so she thought – behind a crate. She craned her neck to look up at Pov.

‘Psst Pov, where’s Marta?’

Pov chuckled, shaking his head.

‘She’s off to the grocers. You’re safe.’

Shiver righted herself, brushing herself off and simultaneously gaining immeasurable swagger. The girl standing beside her gaped, her infuriatingly elegant eyebrows twitching in confusion.

No doubt she was doubting her “choice” of guide.

Not that Shiver gave a flying popsicle.

‘Pov, I’m in need of some clothes.’

‘Indeed. If you aren’t careful, some of the young ones might trigger their Fears just glancing at you.’

Shiver gasped, raising a hand to her chest in mock outrage.

‘Pov! How could you? I have style. I’m talking about this damp young individual.’

‘Does this “damp young individual” have a name?’

Shiver just whistled, avoiding his gaze. Pov knowingly smirked at her, turning instead to the girl beside her.

‘You’ll have to forgive Shiver my dear, she’s quite socially stunted you see – doesn’t know how to ask after people’s names.’

Pov deftly avoided a kick.

‘My name is Poverty. Pov for short. And you are?’

‘It’s Vale, sir. Forgive me but… Poverty? It surprises me that the residents of Brimstone are so forthcoming with their Fears.’

‘Ah, Shiver must not have told you – no surprise, of course. Orphans like Shiver and I are often simply named after our Fears. Many of us fall to Insanity rather quickly, after all. No point assigning anything lasting, or unique, or so they say.’

Vale blushed, bowing in apology but Pov only smiled warmly.

‘No, no, it’s no trouble at all. Now I hear you’re in need of some clothes? Come inside, come inside, you must be freezing. Ah! Just the person to help you.’

Pov shot Shiver a rictus grin. She felt the chill of betrayal about her, more terrifying than the worst of her hallucinations. A shadow enveloped the ground before her.

‘Marta isn’t at the grocers, is she?’

She heard a booming voice behind her.

‘Indeed. You left before I could say hello, girl. How fortunate of me to catch you so soon, eh?’

Marta, Pov’s wife stood behind her, giant in contrast to the stout and short Pov. Bulging muscles in her forearms rippled as she crossed her arms.

‘It’s clear to me that you haven’t bathed in at least two weeks. Or the stench might be coming from that mouth of yours.’

Shiver backed away slowly.

‘Now, now Martha. It’s only been a week and a half. If you could spare lovely Vale her some clothes, I’ll just be leav-‘

Marta struck like lightning, moving faster than anyone her size had any right to be. She grabbed Shiver by the scruff of her cloak and lifted her easily onto her shoulder.

‘Come along now Vale, it’s wonderful to meet you. Time to get you two all cleaned up.’

Vale tried to stifle a laugh as Shiver glared at her, bobbing on Marta’s shoulder.

---

Vale sighed in relief as she poured warm water over her back, it was the calmest she had been since arriving in Brimstone. Shiver’s screams of protest just served as the cherry on top, perfecting the serene atmosphere. Steam rose through wooden boards, a miracle of the Archcity’s engineering. It was wondrous what luxuries the circulation of lava afforded even the poorer districts of the city.

‘Mart- Ouch! I can bathe myself, I’m a grown elf. Why are yo- Gah!’

Shiver gasped as Martha overturned a bucket of water at least three times the size of the ladle Vale held in her hand over Shiver’s head.

‘There we go, finally! You now smell bearable girl, I thought it would take at least another hour’s worth of scrubbing.’

Vale hid a snicker as she saw Shiver’s eyes go round at the possibility. She slipped lithely out of Marta’s grasp and grabbed a towel, running to dry herself off. Marta shared an amused glance with Vale before getting up to leave.

‘Join us at the dining table when you’re ready, eh Vale? You look like you’re starvin’.’

‘Finally! Someone with some compassion. Thank you, Marta, allow me to bathe for a moment more.’

While drying herself off, Shiver hissed at an approaching Marta.

‘There, there kitty. So, you’ve found yourself a proper Lady eh?’

Shiver sighed, rubbing at her temple.

‘She makes it too obvious. It’ll make her an easy target.’

Marta nodded, her face growing solemn.

‘Reminds me of a certain uppity little girl that we met years ago. Speaking of which…’

Marta paused, suddenly self-conscious.

‘Have you recalled anything since?’

Marta always asked.

For all her manhandling of her, all her meddling, Shiver knew that it pained the kind giant to see her, a little girl of ten out on the streets, with her childhood memories lost.

Shiver’s first memories were that of a dark cave and the howling blizzard. The very same cave she had made her home.

It had surprised her when Pov and Marta had told her that she had been the picture of a young, elegant lady when they had first met her. How quickly that had changed.

‘No luck on that front.’

Marta sighed, reaching out to gently rest a gargantuan arm on Shiver’s shoulder.

‘Maybe it’s for the best, eh? For now, you’ll need to work on the young lady’s bearing.’

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

‘She has an immense ego. My work won’t be easy.’

‘Bigger than yours?’

‘Debatable. I’ll give her the tour. She can stay with me until she’s little more… unpolished.’

Marta looked seriously at her, making Shiver shift uncomfortably and avert her eyes at her look of gratitude.

‘Thanks Shiv. Pov told me about… the nightmares.’

Shiver shifted uncomfortably.

‘What will we have to do to convince you to stay with us, eh?’

Marta shook her gently, and her voice was kind. Yet with every shake, Shiver felt the world spin, from the temptation which arose.

It would be so easy to agree.

If she did, she would be a curse upon Marta and Pov, another worthless mouth to feed.

Better she distanced herself from them, for she knew that nothing good came of an orphan, abandoned by her birth parents.

‘Alright, alright. I won’t press ya like Pov. Be nice to our little Lady.’

Shiver exchanged a glance with Marta. Occasionally, lords and ladies fled from the responsibilities of their station and from their families. Only the nobility could be Fearshapers, and they bore the weight of that responsibility, and the weight of their powers.

Marta lowered her voice with a cursory glance towards the steam room.

‘If House Brimstone is after her, we will know soon. There have been no whispers of a missing lord or lady that I know of. Nothing to suggest which house she’s from either.’

Shiver nodded. She didn’t pry into Vale’s past. Vale hadn’t pried into hers, yet. There was dignity in ignorance.

All she was doing was helping her find her feet like Marta and Pov had done for her. That was all. Shiver turned to the huge woman with a mischievous glint in her eye.

‘Sorry to turn down your kind offer of a meal, but we’d best be off’.

‘Are you sure?’

Shiver nodded.

‘She needs to learn what her new life holds. No more fancy delicacies or fine dining – can’t let you get her hopes up.’

‘I’ll show her around the city… then introduce her to some job prospects.’

‘Shiver.’

‘What? True, a lady like her might have more legitimate ways of making a living. Doing so while keeping her identity secret? That’s another matter.’

Shiver avoided Marta’s piercing gaze, and the sadness that undercut her expression.

‘I don’t need your pity, Marta. It’s just the way of things for us.’

‘I’ve told you before Shiver, if only you would allow me to teach you-‘

‘How long before you’re out of a job? Would you do it for all the orphans?’

Marta’s face fell. Shiver interrupted her mid-sentence.

‘That’s the frustrating thing. I know you would do it for all of us. It will be up to our lady what she does. If she proves us wrong, I’ll be all the merrier.’

Marta laid a warm hand on her shoulder.

‘You’re a kind one, eh?’

Marta looked at her with pride, and Shiver refused to meet her eyes. They were interrupted by a sigh from Vale behind them as the door to the steam room opened.

Shiver’s lips morphed into an angelic smile. Vale was certain it would haunt her dreams.

‘Let her be the judge of it.’

Vale gulped, taking an involuntary step backwards. She shut the door to the bath – very voluntarily.

---

‘That Marta, she’s… certainly a little imposing.’

‘A terror. Want to guess what she does for a living?’

Shiver and Vale walked through the lower circle. It was midday, and it was rife with activity. Brimstone had markets spattered throughout the upper and lower circles. The merchants with the most common of goods were situated near the slums, to their distinct misfortune.

Vale watched with wide eyes as Shiver casually nicked an apple from a stall, casually tossing it to Vale.

‘There, lunch.’

Vale gaped, turning over the slightly damp apple in her hands.

Surely she was joking?

Yet she didn’t have the confidence to question her assumption. She didn’t know who scared her more, that giant of a woman, Marta, or Shiver herself. Vale stumbled as she attempted to navigate between busy food stalls, struggling to keep pace with Shiver and their conversation. She heaved a sigh of relief as they reached a clearing around a fountain.

‘She must be some manner of labourer. Perhaps a miner, or a smith? Brimstone is known for its metal industry. Quite an achievement, for a small settlement. I confess I’ve never seen a lady so… well built.’

Shiver hesitated at her words.

Brimstone… a small settlement?

Then her lips morphed into a familiar, angelic smile.

‘Well guessed my lady, I’m ever impressed with your insight.’

Vale’s confidence grew, and a self-satisfied smile gradually emerged. She cast her gaze around a fountain that they neared.

‘It’s only to be expected, of a lady of my pedigree.’

‘And what pedigree would that be? One of the big ones maybe – House Dreamer? Flora?’

Vale froze, blood fleeing from her cheeks, her terrified eyes meeting Shiver’s own. Her expression was greeted with a chuckle and a clap on the back.

‘Oh, don’t look so terrified, I won’t bite. Unless I’m hungry. Besides, your prospective employers would benefit greatly from your unparalleled insight, I’m sure. Speaking of which, here’s our first stop!’

Shiver had halted before a building with a starkly different character from the others that surrounded it. Where the buildings in the slums were built from the same dark stone which carried a blueish hue, this one seemed to be constructed from wood. A pleasant scent emanated from its entrance.

‘My, this is pleasing!’

‘It certainly is.’

‘What manner of profession are they engaged in?’

‘Pleasing.’

Vale choked, her eyes widening as the realisation hit. Suddenly, the host of beautiful young ladies lounging near the fountain made sense. One who had overheard their conversation held amusement in her eyes, casting her a wink.

Vale blushed crimson. She swiveled to glare at Shiver, who was fighting - for her life - to maintain a neutral expression.

‘You see, my lady, despite your unparalleled intellect, your options for gainful employment are quite limited.’

‘I assure you, I’m well informed on a range of top-‘

‘Perhaps you thought to offer your services as a tutor, to eager and young Brimstone minds.’

That was exactly what she had been planning to do, upon realising that she had lost what scant resources she carried.

‘It would only take a cursory investigation for any curious employers to realise that they have on their hands, a very distinguished, young runaway of a lady. Perhaps you would be lucky enough to stumble upon an employer willing to aid you, irrespective of your circumstances.’

Shiver nodded seriously, looking her in her eyes.

‘Perhaps you would even be successful enough to make it out of the lower circles. The moment you do, you will find that the presence of Brimstone’s finest increases significantly. The guards hardly patrol the slums, I wonder why.’

‘I-‘

‘Should mummy or daddy issue a notice that their beloved daughter has had a momentary lapse in judgement, you would be caught in a moment.’

Strangely, Shiver noticed the lady gain a degree of confidence.

Strange, maybe she’s confident her parents won’t be looking for her.

‘And your solution was to make me a prostitute?’

She attracted the steely gazes of the women around them. Vale withdrew further within herself. Shiver let out a sigh.

‘Alright, alright. No, it wasn’t. I brought you here to make a point, which still stands. You don’t have many options, if you want to keep your identity a secret.’

Vale crossed her arms, glaring at Shiver.

‘I’m not even planning to stay here for long anyway. You don’t know anything of my plans.’

Shiver nodded, unfazed at her retort.

‘Of course. You could make your way to the other cities. If you survived the unforgiving Winterlands. Or perhaps you planned to sneak onto another ship? Leave the way you came? Make an illustrious return to the dampness?’

Vale’s shoulders slumped dejectedly.

One of the older courtesans walked over to them and smacked Shiver with her fan, eliciting a yelp.

‘We know you love to use our profession to make your points, you’ve done it with every young orphan who’s had the misfortune of having you as a mentor. Do it again, and perhaps you’ll find yourself in the business of pleasing.’

Shiver smiled at her, unfazed, shooting her a wink.

‘My specialty. As I was saying – you haven’t many options. If you went off running to the first legitimate job offer that crossed your path, you would be made in no time.’

‘Then what would you have me do?’

‘Why, introduce you to my place of work of course.