The streets grew less trafficked, and a fetid stench permeated the air as Cas made her way south. The land grew marshy and was unstable underfoot while the buildings turned from grand stone works sporting impressive facades to crumbling wattle and daub structures. As she walked, Cas stuck to the shadows and used line of sight to obscure herself from his view before making sudden turns onto side streets in an attempt to shake her pursuer off. However, every time she checked, she saw him still doggedly following her.

“Fine, don’t say I didn’t give you the chance to back away,” she muttered to herself before whirling around. She locked eyes with the man and widened hers in fear before hitching her skirts up and taking off towards an alley that she knew would be deserted at this time of the day.

The man caught up quickly. He was faster than he looked, and Cas was hampered by her dress. However, she reached the alley first. Her pursuer’s footsteps announced his imminent arrival, and Cas swung at his nose as he rounded the corner.

The man was taken off guard by the sudden attack, but his reflexes left Cas impressed as he dodged the punch by a hair. His momentum carried him past her, and she swatted his hand away as he attempted to reach inside her pocket.

When he regained his balance, he whirled around and snarled. “You have some nerve stealing from me, girl.”

“I’m impressed you can say that with a straight face with my purse in your pocket,” she retorted.

“If that purse is yours, then I’m the king of Arelon!” the man spat.

“You must have fallen on hard times indeed if you have to resort to petty thievery, My Liege,” Cas said with a mocking bow.

“We’ll see how smart that mouth of yours is when I carve your tongue out!” the man cried.

Cas’ blood turned to ice when she saw the blade appear in the man’s hand. It was just like the day she was mugged. The alley, the knife. Only that time, there were four men. They seemed to move in slow motion just like her assailant was today. She saw the flash of steel as it arced towards her face and the self defence training her mistress had taught her took over.

The blade cut a wisp of hair from her fringe as she swayed her head back. She then caught the man’s knife hand in a vice like grip and twisted. A sickening crack filled the air as the man’s wrist bone snapped. His knife fell to the ground, and he shrieked in agony.

In a daze, Cas released his hand and stepped back. It was just like the other day. Seeing first hand the pain she had inflicted filled her with a visceral sense of guilt that she had never felt from stealing.

“You broke it!” he cried as he clutched his shattered wrist. “You broke it, you bitch!”

Cas stared, transfixed at the shattered man before her. It was the mugging all over again. Then, she had broken four men and felt so bad that she’d left them her purse with money for the day’s purchases as recompense for what she’d done. This time was different, though. Life away from the comforts of a noble’s home had taught her the importance of money and hers had been hard won. But was she to do with this balling man before her? The alley was still quiet. These were the slums, and the people who lived here knew better than to poke their noses in when they heard someone screaming at the top of their lungs.

However, soon, their curiosity would get the better of them. A nefarious voice in her head told her she had to deal with this one quickly. She blinked and looked down at her hand. Without realizing it, she had reached down and picked the knife up.

“Alright, this has gone far enough.”

Cas jumped when she heard the voice and swung the knife without thinking. A strong hand grabbed her by the wrist. Her instincts kicked in and she dropped the dagger with her trapped hand and caught it with the other. She was about to swing at the man who had suddenly appeared beside her when the newcomer released her wrist and leapt away, raising both hands in surrender.

“I mean no harm,” he said. “I only want to take my friend and leave.”

“Who are you?” Cas demanded as she felt her heart pound in her chest. She knew her senses were sharper than most and could count on one hand the number of times someone had been able to sneak up on her.

The newcomer was a tall, thin man who was remarkable in how ordinary he looked. He eyed Cas’ knife warily. “Just a man who knows when his companion has bitten off more than he can chew.”

“What did I say about sticking your nose in my business, Harvey?” the first man snarled.

He shrank back when the taller man set his eyes on him. “I told you not to fool around in the bazaar, and now you’ve gone and gotten your wrist broken. What’s the boss going to say?”

The man turned pale. “I can still do it.”

“Not if she slits your throat, you can’t,” Harvey hissed. He turned to Cas and tugged on the brim of his hat. “Ma’am, I’m sorry for the trouble my companion has caused.”

“Just take him and leave,” Cas managed to say.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

When they had gone, Cas crumpled to the ground and threw up. It took her a few minutes before she was able to get to her feet by which time she noticed curious faces in the windows. Leaving the knife where it lay, she staggered out of the alley and onto the street. The pouch in her pocket never felt heavier and she wanted nothing more than to get it to her destination.

She could feel eyes on her and knew that she needed to get moving. The people living here were bound to come sniffing now that the commotion was over to see if there was anything for them to scavenge. Her legs were still wobbly, but she willed them to carry her confidently down the street. It was dangerous to show weakness in this part of the city.

As she walked, the strength gradually returned to her legs and her heart began to beat normally. She risked touching the pouch in her pocket and felt heartened by its weight. The money was badly needed. The fetid smell grew stronger as she made her way south, and the buildings grew more dilapidated. Soon, she was walking alongside an open stone channel that carried the city’s sewage into the Setara Sea that lay to the south of the city.

Eventually, a shabby church came into view. It was of a modest size, its spire barely topped the roof of the two storey abode that stood next door and was in desperate need of repair. Large holes were apparent in the roof and in several of the walls, some of which were almost the size of windows. The church was dedicated to the worship of Maarlen, the main God of the kingdoms to the north. Like most of the locals, Cas had grown up as a worshipper of Imton, but in her time of need, this neglected house of worship of a foreign God was the only one that would provide her with shelter and what little food they could spare.

Cas’ worries vanished when she spotted four grubby children dressed in tattered clothes playing on the small lawn in front of the church. She stood at the fence separating the church’s land from the dirt road and watched them as they laughed and chased one another across the lawn. Then, a young girl of six noticed her and her face split into a broad smile.

“Cas!” she squealed as she ran into her arms. “You have to join our team. The boys keep cheating!”

“No, we aren’t,” an eight year old boy snorted. Like the other children, he was short and scrawny for his age. They were orphans, taken in by the priest. He fed them what he could, but there was never enough. “Shall I summon Father Brendao?”

Cas ruffled the boy’s head as she walked past him. “There is no need, Pardo.”

“But our game!” the girl cried. “We won’t be able to win without you.”

Cas turned to Pardo and arched an eyebrow. “Why don’t you even up the teams? You can be on a team with Amira.”

The boy made a face. “But she’s the smallest.”

“And you’re the biggest,” Cas pointed out. “It’s no fun if you win all the time, is it?”

“That simply isn’t true,” the boy pouted.

“Well it won’t be any fun if no one wants to play with you, will it?” she asked as she paused at the door.

“I suppose,” Pardo allowed.

Cas heard footsteps approach the other side of the door and stepped back as it opened to reveal a diminutive, wrinkled old man wearing a threadbare and tattered black smock. His eyes lit up when he saw Cas and hugged her warmly.

“Cassandra, it is good to see you,” he said. “You’ve been gone far too long.”

“I was off earning a living, father,” she replied and broke into a toothy grin as she guided him into the church and away from the prying eyes on the street. The priest’s eyes went wide as Cas opened the bulging purse and revealed its contents. “I want you to have it, all of it.”

“How did you get all this money?” the priest gasped.

“A month of hard graft,” she replied as she moved slightly to the right, out of sight of the statue of Maarlen that stood behind the altar inside the church. “And a fair amount of begging for a small loan…”

“And then some,” Brendao said as he touched the girl on the arm. “Are you sure you don’t want to keep some for yourself?”

Cas shook her head vigorously. “You don’t have to worry about me, my employer takes good care of us.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Brendao began.

“I am,” she insisted as she pushed the pouch into his hands.

Tears appeared in the old man’s eyes. “Bless you child… bless you.”

Cas felt a pang of guilt. She hated having to lie to Brendao, but he wouldn’t accept the money if he knew how she had really obtained it and without it, they would all starve.

“Pardo,” the priest called. “Would you please begin preparations for supper?”

The boy gave him a confused look. “I thought we were saving what was left for the day after tomorrow.”

“Cassandra has made a substantial donation, so we can afford to be a little extravagant,” he laughed as his joy spilled over.

“I can help!” Amira cried.

“So can we!” the others added.

“You will join us for supper, won’t you?” Brendao asked, taking Cas by the arm. “The children miss you.”

“My employer is expecting me…” Cas began, not wanting to eat anyone’s portion when they already had so little.

“Oh,” the disappointment was clear on the priest’s face. “I suppose you shouldn’t do anything to upset them when they’ve been so generous…”

“I’ll try to make time to come around another time,” she promised. “How long do you think the money will last you?”

Brendao looked at the money in his hand and beamed. “Oh, this will see us through until spring…”

“Only until then?” Cas blurted in surprise.

The priest looked up at her and smiled sadly. “I suppose the news wouldn’t have affected your employer much, but grain prices have risen by half on account of the war in Amarlin.”

“I thought most of our grain came from Vetruvia,” Cas pointed out.

“And their merchants have raised prices on account of the war,” Brendao smirked and shook his head sadly.

“Bloody parasites,” Cas snorted.

“I will thank you not to use such language in the house of our Lord,” Brendao said gently. “But yes, I agree with your sentiment.”

The priest paused and sighed. “Times are hard, Cassandra. The children go to bed hungry every night… I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Don’t worry, Father,” Cas touched the priest on the shoulder. “I’ll support you and the children for as long as it takes.”

“Thank you, my child…” Brendao said.

“It’s nothing compared to what you did for me…” Cas began and stopped midsentence when she heard footsteps approaching.

Then, the door swung open, and Kalen walked in. His eyes lit up when he saw Cassandra. “Ah, you are here. It must be divine providence.”

“Oh Kalen, good afternoon,” Brendao said jovially.

“Weren’t you working?” she asked icily.

“I was just dropping off a villain we caught at the Langsdown Gaol…” the young man’s voice trailed off when he saw the money in Brendao’s hands.

“Cassandra has just made a sizable donation…”

“Did she now?” The young man arched an eyebrow. “And just where did she get so much money?”

“From…” Brendao began.

“Give us a moment, would you, please?” Cas said. She took Kalen firmly by the arm and dragged him outside. Unlike the priest, Kalen knew that there was no noble house in the city that would loan a maid the amount of money Brendao was holding.

“Where did that money come from?” Kalen demanded once they were outside. “Sandra, have you been stealing again?”