Cass was lucky to wake up before they threw her into the cell.  She scrambled quickly to her feet as they tossed her in, trying to look as strong as she could with her thin thirteen year old frame, dirty blond hair and bare feet.  You learned quickly on the city streets that you could not show any weakness, and given the hungry looks on the kids that were already here they would likely have stolen the rags off her back.

Not that Cass could claim to be any better.  After Red's gang had claimed the back streets, the miniscule amount of charity provided by the Church of Light was monopolized by them.  She had seen the signs and left the alley that served as her home before the Red's came around, the other inhabitants weren't so quick and were thrown out with broken bones.  Without healers they were as good as dead on the streets.

So Cass could not rely on the thin gruel and occasional crust of bread provided by the Church once a week, nor on the garbage and refuse of the streets nearby, which left her little choice but to steal.  A dangerous occupation for a homeless orphan, no one would care if a merchant killed her for the offense.  Then again, going to the Church had become more dangerous as well, she saw how some of the Priests looked at her...  Though how anyone would be interested in her skin and bone frame she would never understand.

Regardless, she had to eat.  She remembered the rain starting, distracting the man selling bread as he tried to cover up his wares, her dashing and slipping through the crowd and grabbing a steaming hot loaf before fleeing to the safety of the shadows.  He had yelled and called her a thief, but if he pursued her the rest of his wares would be ruined by the rain.  Cass was free to escape and enjoy her feast!

Or so she thought, when she turned the corner she saw a wooden club swinging towards her face and then blackness.  She had woken up as two guards were dragging her down a stone hall, any attempt to speak or struggle had resulted in a swift slap to her face and so Cass had just let them drag her and throw her into this cell.

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The kids in the cell werent much different from her, probably ages seven to sixteen, though it was hard to tell due to starvation.  All dressed in rags that barely covered their emaciated bodies, and all with a hungry look in thier eyes that would instinctivly let someone know they would kill over a crust of bread.

"Cheh," one of the older, larger boys stepped forward.  "Another mouse, well, let me welcome you to your new home."  He was tall, and far more muscular then most of the starved kids around him, and probably the oldest one here, at least sixteen definetely.  Beneath his unkempt black hair his eyes promised brutal violence, even more so than the usual thug.

"Lets get this out of the way first," He said, stepping forward as Cass pressed herself back against the bars away from him. "I am Rat, and this is my kingdom.  You pay tribute to your king, and you live safely.  You don't and..."  Rat gestured to a corner where Cass could see the broken form of a child, arms and legs twisted the wrong way, every so often the broken mess would groan, showing that he was still alive.

"Whatever you say Boss,"  Cass replied without hesitation, living on the streets had killed any shred of pride she might have had. At least being in a jail cell was out of the rain. "I know my place."

"Good," Rat smiled looking her over, "It will be nice to have someone else besides Birdie over there when nights get cold."  Cass trembled with fear, but said nothing.  All that mattered was survival, and it was only natural for the strong to take whatever they wanted from the weak.  She had survived without selling herself for years, but these streets werent kind to women and she had always known it was a matter of time.

"The second thing," Rat's smile disappeared, a blessing perhaps as the crooked and blackened teeth in his mouth made his smiles horrific.  "You ain't in a town jail, and there is no release.  This is the labratory of the Lord Magician, and we are all just test subjects.  When he is done with you, well, lets just say that the Hells will seem a sweet release."

Rat suddenly smiled again, "I wonder how you will scream..."

Cass's trembling increased, and she wondered if she would die here.