Sneaking out of the barracks at night, especially by now, was childs play to Danica. No one expects threats to come from within, so the interior guards were basically nonexistent. Save for a couple of ladies walking the halls and trimming candle wicks, she was the only awake person within this place it seemed.

Outside, the cool air greeted her with an invigorating embrace she had been missing these last few days, but there wasn’t time to enjoy it though as there appeared to be a group of men gathered in the courtyard. She could have easily gone around them undetected, but it was such an uncommon sight that it piqued her curiosity. She got closer to inspect, but remained outside the radius of their lantern light.

It was Jorin Corwell, and he was speaking to some of his men in rather hushed tones. Danica could tell by their body language that whatever they were discussing was meant to stay private as they continuously looked around them for anyone that might listen in. She thought about getting closer, trying to listen in on the secret conversation, but decided against it. She had her own reasons to be out and did not wish to be accidentally discovered by them either.

A moment later Jorin left, returning back to the barracks, while the four men went their own way. She watched them a moment longer until she was sure they were far enough away to not be a bother. For some reason she felt uneasy about it, as if they were up to something nefarious. It wasn’t normal to see Jorin out so late either. She briefly debated following them anyways, curious about the reason for the late meeting, but again had to reassure herself that it wasn’t nearly as important as the current task at hand.

She shook her head and went about her own business, quietly scaling the short wall and climbing down the other side to the street below. It was a quiet night, even more so than usual it seemed. Now that the serial murderer had been dealt with, night patrols were stepped back down. Now the quiet dark belonged to her and the rats again, and that wasn’t really so bad. Danica preferred the quiet dark over the busy bustling of Norport in the day.

It didn’t take long to reach the orphanage she’d grown up in. The plain wooden building hadn’t changed any from the earliest time she could remember it. It was no surprise that the front door was locked, but Danica knew several ways to get inside this place from her years of cleaning every inch of it.

She went through the back alleyway to the cellar door there. The small double doors were braced shut on the inside with a thin metal bar going across them. It was poorly designed and easily bypassed by her sticking the blade of her knifer through the slit and moving the bar up enough to open the doors. Most people knew what this place was and wouldn't waste their time robbing it. They had much better targets nearby that might have had something of value within them than that of a run down orphanage.

The rusted hinges grinded against one another in protest after a long absence of use. She proceeded down the steps, shutting the doors behind her as she went. The smell was foul with moldering vegetables and mildew, just as it seemed to always have been. Various dusty boxes and crates filled with all manor of junk and other assorted items deemed to have possible value, lay scattered around the floor. Some of them hadn’t even been touched since before her time here.

She easily undid the latch on the other side of the door and proceeded into the kitchen. There in the middle of the floor sat the massive iron kettle she’d scrubbed every night for years. She wondered who had the unfortunate luck to deal with it after she’d left this place. Danica felt something stir within her that almost felt like pity for the unfortunates that had been left behind to deal with all those chores she had to endure. She bit her lip and tried to clear those thoughts away. They simply distracted her at the moment and weren’t worth pondering over regardless.

She made her way to the matron's room, careful of all the boards that she remembered that would squeak if stepped on them. She’d almost made it there without incident, but the last step on the old wooden plank caused a startling loud popping noise within the quiet dark.

Danica cursed her luck and listened to the sounds beyond. Sure enough she heard a pair of feet hit the ground and heavy steps coming her way. She let out a sigh and pulled the knife from her belt, going with a different plan now. Hopefully this could be handled without further unplanned incidents.

Stenouse opened the door and barely had time to register what was happening as the sharp edge of cold steel went against her throat. “You call out, I cut,” Danica said.

The old woman backed up into the room, her eyes wide with fear. “Please,” she said, her voice crackling. “We’re just a poor orphanage, we barely get by as it is.”

Danica didn’t bother to answer. She casually closed the door behind them and continued to back the woman up towards the low burning fire. Once they got close enough, Danica reached for a candle and lit it from the tiny flames still burning within the fireplace. As it flared to life, recognition began to register within Stenouse’s eyes.

“I thought I was rid of you for good,” she seethed at the young dark elf woman.

Danica set the candle into the holder on the desk. “I’d hoped for the same, yet you still haunt me to this day.”

Stenouse gave her a look of pure hatred. “So, what do you want now?”

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Danica returned that look to her in kind. “How much was I worth to Sombec?”

The immediate, though brief, panic on the mother matron's face told Danica that it was true. “If you’ll allow me to have a seat, I’ll tell you what you want.”

Danica pulled the knife away but stayed uncomfortably close to her. She didn’t trust this woman in the slightest but knew she had the upper hand at the moment. Even if the wicked woman did scream for help, she could get away before any of the children managed to get out of bed and see her. Would she off the matron first though? She still hadn’t decided that yet.

Stenouse sat upon a cushioned chair by the desk and harrumphed loudly. “I don’t know how you come across that information, but I suppose that doesn’t matter at this point. He paid me a hundred silver pieces and a very beautiful golden emerald ring.”

Danica could feel the rage boiling inside of her. “You sold me off to him for a bauble and a few coins?”

The old woman smirked for a moment. “He paid more for you because he thought you were exotic. Of course, after your little incident with him, he suddenly stopped getting girls from me. Said he was being extorted and simply could no longer afford it.”

“You’re a truly wretched creature, Stenouse.” Danica tightened the grip on her knife, fantasizing about driving it deep into this evil woman for what she’d done. “You were cruel to everyone, especially me. Why?”

“Because I could be.” Stenouse reached into her desk and pulled out a small bottle of wine, taking a drink from it. “Lord Alric Aganossis brought you in here himself one night and handed you over to me. He encouraged me to make your life miserable so long as I kept you alive.”

“Alric?” Danica whispered. “Why would he be involved with me?”

“You’d have to ask his son.” Stenouse took another drink and set the wine back in the drawer. “Or you could ask Alric if you see him.”

Danica barely had time to react as the small crossbow came out and fired. It was a wild shot, but managed to embed a bolt solidly into her arm. A wave of anger overtook the dark elf girl and she plunged her knife blade deep into the old woman’s chest in retaliation. The horrified look on the Stenouse's face upon realizing what was happening felt almost satisfying to see after all the atrocities she had committed.

The crossbow hit the floor, followed by the matron’s body. Danica looked down upon her for a moment, remembering all the abuse she’d suffered for no reason. Would anyone even mourn this damnable hag? The world was probably better off without her in it.

She gritted her teeth and pulled the bolt from her arm, tossing the bloodied wooden shaft into the fire. It hurt, but she’d suffered worse. A moment later she had cut a strip of cloth from the woman's sheets and wrapped a makeshift bandage around the wound. It wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly good enough for the time being.

Danica started to leave, but thought of something else first. She moved the heavy bed back some, struggling to keep it quiet as she did so. There on the floor, beneath some floorboards, was a hidden compartment. It was barely noticeable unless you knew exactly what to look for. She’d found it many years ago by accident while trying to do a thorough job cleaning the room, receiving a severe beating as punishment for her efforts. She knew it was where the matron kept her valuables.

Sure enough, it was filled with pouches of gold and silver coins, as well as a few loose gemstones of varying types. She held the candle steady, marveling at the sparkling treasure set before her. How many lives did this woman ruin, all for this wealth she’d acquired here?

Danica shook her head solemnly. “Blood money,” she whispered quietly.

It didn’t take her long to find what she sought after. It was a beautiful golden ring with a decently sized emerald embedded within the band. She had no way of knowing if that was the exact one she was looking for, but she had to assume it was. She took it, along with exactly a hundred pieces of silver, and placed it within a pouch.

The rest of it would sit there for the moment. She decided that if the next matron mother to run this place was a better person, then they could have it to take care of the children. She couldn’t imagine anyone being worse than Stenouse, but they could be nearly as bad.

Danica put everything back into place and left through the front door, not even bothering to lock it behind her. It would be dawn in a few hours and the children would wake to find the old woman dead on the floor. She’d need to be back home in bed soon before anyone noticed she was missing. She’d definitely hear about this murder, but she didn’t want to be associated with it any more than she already was.

A noise echoed faintly in the night. It was a soft clink of metal on stone followed by a scraping sound. Curious, she stopped at the intersection and peeked her head around the corner in the direction it had come from. There was a group of guards pulling up stones from the streets. She couldn’t be sure, but it looked like the ones she’d seen earlier that night.

Nothing about what she was seeing right then made any sense. Why would they be pulling up the stones, and are they the ones responsible for the other streets? She wanted to confront them for answers, but couldn’t risk the exposure. This was just another secret she would have to keep locked away for the moment. She clenched her fist tightly in anger and walked away from the scene. She’d try and catch them out some other time and then she'd find out what was going on.

*****

Danica awoke to a very loud pounding upon her door. She knew that familiar style of knocking all too well by this point. Sure enough she saw Landon standing there when she opened the door, looking more tired and distraught than usual.

“What’s happening?” she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“There was a murder last night,” he said. “Someone killed the matron of the Norport city orphanage.”

Danica tried to fake some amount of surprise. “Stenouse is dead?”

He nodded. “Not just that. Whoever did it cut out her heart as well.

At this point, Danica no longer had to pretend to be shocked.