by Ash Night
I scoffed. "Oh, and I suppose that means you don't have to be?"
"What do you mean? I'm always careful!"
“You are not! Today was evidence of that!”
Shrugging, he pressed a button and the Laser Leads shot from the devices in the dusklings' halters. "I'm going to bring the magicart to the nearest cart shop. Snowflake, try not to get her attacked by a werewolf again, will you?"
Liam sighed. "That was one time!"
"It better be a one-time thing." I grabbed his hand. "Let's go find somewhere to eat! I'm starving!"
"Read my mind!"
"Make sure he behaves himself, Sunshine!" Cam called. I nodded and waved goodbye as we raced through the streets in search of a restaurant. Most shops in the village were closed at this time, but Master Cisco had told us stories of places where shops were open at all times, day or night.
"Have you ever been to a city?" I asked.
Liam shook his head. "Nope. If I have, it was when I was really young and don’t remember. Boy, am I going to miss the magicart...”
Walking around the city, I was in awe of how tall the buildings were. The trees, the few we had passed, seemed to be almost strategically placed. Grass was nearly non-existent here. It was all stone. The absence of nature felt strange. How could anyone live here?
"Stop," Liam said, placing an arm out to stop me. His gaze flicked to a shadowy figure that appeared to have been following us.
The figure stepped out into the glow of a street lamp. It was a young woman wearing a tight high-collared purple shirt, a floral pattern above the right breast, that showed off her slender figure nicely. A lavender lily was woven into her beautiful scarlet hair. She walked with the grace of a soldier. Her lips curved into a confident smile.
"You caught me."
"We were playing a game?" Liam asked, stepping in front of me. His body was tense. Despite being a stranger, the woman didn't seem threatening.
She laughed. "Well, I was."
"O…kay..." Liam said, grabbing my hand and backing away slowly.
"Do you have any food?" she asked, blinking her large blue eyes at him.
"No, but we were looking for a restaurant. Or somewhere that has pastries. Do you know where one is? I asked hopefully, peering at her from under Liam's armpit. Why did boys have to be so damn tall?
She nodded eagerly. "I do! I know this city like the back of my hand. I'd be happy to show you where one is."
"Great! In return, your meal is on us."
Thank you!" In the blink of an eye, she was hugging me. "I haven't had anything to eat in days! Your kindness will never be forgotten, my friends!"
"No problem," I choked out.
"How did you move so fast?" Liam asked, impressed. He was still tense, as if she would attack any moment. Though, since we had no food, I doubted she'd attack us. She also has said she hadn’t eaten in days, so how much of a threat could she really be?
"I'm Serena," I said, offering my hand. "Serena Roseheart."
She stared at my hand for a second, confused. I withdrew it, embarrassed. Did creatures in other parts of the world not shake hands?
"Katerina Silverblood. My friends call me Kat. Or at least I’d imagine they would, if I had any."
"You're all alone in this big city?" I asked as Kat started to lead us in a seemingly random direction.
She nodded. "Yeah, I've been alone my whole life. Not a lot of people notice me. Which is why I was really surprised when your friend here noticed me. Not many ruin my game."
"He's Liam. He's just quiet around new people." I shot him a look. Why was he being so rude? Normally the minute anyone mentioned food, he was their best friend. Him and Kat seemed to have that in common. He was still on edge, though I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because her magic was flaring like a beacon and she didn't seem to care.
Kat's stomach growled loudly and she winced, as if in pain. "I'm sorry." It was the only sound in the alley she had chosen to take us down.
"It's okay," I assured her. "Were you born here?"
"Yup, I was born a," she pulled down the collar of her shirt to reveal a detailed rose-shaped mark on her neck, "a slave."
Liam gasped softly once he saw the mark and seemed to get even quieter. I looked at him, deeply confused by his demeanor.
"I'm sorry," I said sincerely. I knew slavery was still rampant in the big cities, but I'd never come across any slaves myself.
Kat shrugged. "It's okay. I ran away when I was thirteen."
"Thirteen? That's so young!"
"Yeah, I suppose it is. Never really thought about it. All I knew is that I had to get away. My master was the devil in demon form, to put it lightly. He would whip me until I could barely walk and then expect me to carry heavy bags of grain out to the barn for his prized dusklings the next morning. Those damned, infernal beasts. He treated them better than his own children. Ali, his daughter, was always kind to me though. Never treated me as inferior. Sometimes, I wish I had gone back for her. Saved her from that house."
Kat's expression twisted into one of disgust for a moment. Liam's fingers dug into my forearm. I tried to shrug it off. He was worrying over nothing.
She shook her head and began walking again. "I'm sorry. I'm boring you, aren’t I?"
"No, not at all," I said, elbowing Liam hard in the stomach when he started to disagree. "So, you came here after everything?"
"Yes, after burning the Darkverns' house to the ground, I bummed a carriage ride into the city. Well, more like held it up at knife-point. It wasn't a far drive. I was already familiar with the city. Mr. Darkvern had tried to sell me off multiple times, but no one wanted me because of my unusual red hair. I'd also tried to run away countless times, but, by some twisted miracle, he always found me despite the vastness of the city and the large crowds that gathered during the day. Regardless, this city had always felt like home to me. It was where I knew I would one day be free."
Nodding, I mulled over her story. I already liked Kat. Liam didn't seem too fond of her, but he'd warm up eventually. While the streets all looked identical to me, Kat seemed to know exactly where she was going. I noticed she was only taking deserted streets.
The main roads were bustling with nighttime activity, partiers, late-night drunks, and ne’er-do-wells. I shuddered, thinking of the atrocities that had probably gone on in these alleyways. Liam was sticking unusually close to me, closer than when we’d walked through the forest at night. I could smell his frosty clean soap. Every sound caused him to jump.
“What is up with you?”
He shrugged. “I’m just protecting you.”
“But you’re so tense.”
“It’s big city, Serena. While I don’t entirely trust Kat, you’re fine. She’s a succubus, but far as I know, her tricks only work on men.”
“A succubus?” I glanced at Kat. “How can you tell? Is it her hair?”
“Her eyes just have that certain look. I knew a few back before I lived in Maple Grove.”
Kat looked at him, a bemused smile on her face, as she walked backwards to face us. "You’re oddly protective of Serena, Liam. Is it simply because I'm not used to a anyone protecting me, I wonder? Or something more?"
My face grew hot. Had she heard us talking about her? I hoped she didn’t think I thought less of her. Her race didn’t matter to me. She seemed like a nice person and I really liked her.
"You wouldn't understand. Serena’s never been outside our small village of Maple Grove. It's different for her. She sees the world through clouded eyes."
Kat's eyes flashed. "And you don't?"
"No," Liam growled.
A knot twisted in my stomach when I thought of what Liam had been through before I met him. Though he hadn't shared much, it all still clearly affected him. Especially when we were in unfamiliar situations, it seemed. His attitude had been awfully pessimistic lately. I'd have to had been a fool not to see it. He knew things about the world I didn't, but at home, he'd still been my Liam. Now, t
hough, he was some strange, unhappy version of himself that I didn’t care for. I wanted my Liam back.
Kat smiled at me. "What I wouldn't give to have clouded eyes."
"I'm sure Cam will scare that out of me soon enough," I said defensively.
"Cam?" she asked.
"A friend of ours."
"Define 'friend.'"
It took everything in me not to elbow him again.
"Here we are!" Kat said brightly, spinning around and stopping in front of a shop that said Brightblade Bakery and Sweet Shop on a sign on front of the building in swirly font. Underneath the name of the shop were two crossed twin blades inside a dark green circle. The Brightblade family crest.
Everyone knew of the wealthiest family in Valora. They had owned most of the bigger companies throughout the kingdom and most of the products everyone used bore that crest. There were even rumors no one in the family had a Seal, being wealthy enough to buy their freedom.
"Uh, Red, you may want to get your eyes checked because it's closed." Liam pointed to the sign in the window before peering inside the darkened glass, as if looking for more proof.
My heart sank. I'd expected it to be open like all the shops in the master's stories. The visions in my mind of cakes and bubbly shop owners offering free samples to late-night travelers washed away like water down a drain. I winced slightly as my stomach grumbled in protest.
"Well, duh. The lights are off, Mr. Smartass. Mr. Brightblade goes to bed around one in the morning so I'd say we missed him by, oh, thirty minutes or so." She didn't look at all deterred by that thought. In fact, she looked pleased. "He doesn't need much sleep so we better hurry. He's back up by dawn."
"Wait, what do you mean ‘hurry?’"
She produced a heavy iron key from a potted plant, wiping it off on her already-dirty tan pants. "Come on."
I stared at her, mouth agape. "You're just okay with stealing?"
Kat turned to me, clearly confused with my objection. Her innocent reply broke my heart into pieces. "How else will I eat?"
Taking the key from her, Liam walked up to the door and slid it into the lock. "Showtime."
"You seem oddly comfortable with petty thievery," I whispered as he opened the door and walked inside.
He nodded, unashamed. "Yup."
"Just to be clear, I will always love you no matter what, but I draw the line at visiting you in prison."
"Good to know. Now, you coming or what?"
Looking around to see if anyone had noticed us, I quickly rushed inside. Breaking in was bad, but standing outside a shop while your friend and his new-found partner in crime broke in was like begging to get caught.
The shop looked very similar to the one I'd grown up in my entire life, albeit a dozen times bigger. Rows upon rows of brightly packaged candy lined the walls. Display cakes and pastries of all shapes and sizes called to me like trapped prisoners. Of course, the baker's daughter in me knew not to trust those. They'd been sitting in that case all day, perhaps longer. Eating just one could mean food poisoning for days.
I'd learned that lesson the hard way when I was four. And again when I was fifteen, and Liam had convinced me they were okay to eat after we'd gotten drunk for the first time at a party, myself being considerably drunker than he was. Despite my love of sweets, I didn't touch them for almost two weeks after that.
"Yum! I swear Mr. Brightblade knows I come in here every once and awhile. He left a few chocolate doubloons just for me." Kat licked her lips as she drooled over a few round chocolate-covered sponge cakes in the display case. "Unless you two would like them. I've never had company before on a heist. You guys can have first pick. I'm sure he'll make more."
"Oh, no, that's okay, go ahead," I assured her.
Kat smiled at me, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Serena, you are the best friend ever!" Before I could react, she was hugging the life out of me again.
"You're an amazing friend yourself, Kat." A thief, but you seem to have a genuinely good heart.
Liam was eyeing a whipped caramel snowsweet pie. He grinned at me.
"You're really going to eat that whole thing?"
"I'm not going to eat it," he said, rummaging around for a to-go box to put it in. "I'm going to shove it into Cuff Boy's face the next time I see him. It'll be hilarious!"
"Liam! You are not wasting a pie on something as stupid as that!"
"But—"
I sighed. "Put it back." Grumbling, he put it back under the glass display on the counter.
Kat was still drooling over different things in the case, but she kept coming back to the chocolate doubloons. Moving to the other side of the counter, I looked for a pair of tongs and something to set the cakes on. I found a small plate but nothing to take the pastries out of the case. I shrugged at Kat. "I can't find tongs. Maybe they're in the sink."
"It's okay. Just slide the little window back and use your hands. I do it all the time."
Shuddering at the thought of our dirty hands contaminating the food, I sighed and reached inside the case. Pulling out two chocolate doubloons for Kat, I shut the case and set them on the plate for her.
"Don't want anything?" she asked, looking at me curiously.
"N-nothing is jumping out at me," I said. In reality, I didn't want to take anything. I didn't know how much anything cost and I felt guilty not paying. Clearly the same wasn't true for Liam as he happily munched on a candy bar.
"But there's a honey bun right there. Those are your favorite," he said around a mouthful of chocolate. Clenching my fist was as close as I had come to hitting him tonight. So far.
"I'll get it for you!" Kat cheerily danced to the other side of the counter and picked it up. She handed it to me.
Not having the heart to disappoint her, I took it. At least it felt fresh. Familiar sweetness hit my tongue as I bit into it.
Dear Goddess, I was a criminal.
Chapter Seventeen
Once outside the shop, I felt even guiltier for the stolen honey bun. They only cost a few coppers to make, but I still wished I had thought to leave something in exchange for having eaten it. It had been delicious.
"I'm all for sweets, but I need some real food!" Liam complained, his stomach loudly proclaiming his hunger.
"Preferably somewhere we don't have to break into," I pleaded. Though that honey bun was sitting like a rock in my stomach, I was also hungry for something hot. A hot grilled goat cheese sandwich with a bowl of mixed vegetable soup would really hit the spot.
Kat laughed at us. "Boy, you have a big appetite, Liam. We'll get along just fine."
We followed her down a few more streets. The sun was slowly rising, the sky a dusky shade of purple. I was thankful for my long-sleeved shirt when I saw the goosebumps dotting Kat's arms. She didn't seem to mind as she checked around a corner to see if it was safe. She seemed more on edge now that it was lighter out.
"Do you want us to find Cam?" I asked, looking at the restaurant. "I'm sure he'd love the chance to go out to breakfast."
Liam's eyes lit up. "That sounds like a great idea."
Kat wasn't listening as she spotted two figures smoking by a dumpster. "Shit."
Realization struck me. "You want to look in the dumpster for food?"
She nodded sharply. "Yes. That dumpster has some of the finest food in the city in it. I may be a starving street rat, but even I know I'd get sick if all I ate was sweets." Pulling out a grimy dagger she had hidden in her boot, a dark look crossed her face. My heart skipped a beat.
"What are you doing?!"
"I want my friends to have a good meal for being so kind to me. If I have to kill them to make that happen, then I'm willing to do that."
The earnestness in her voice made me want to wrap her in blankets and take care of her. She honestly thought killing others for a meal out of a dumpster was a thing you just did for friends.
"They had no qualms about hurting me when they caught me before. They will never catch me again."
"Who
a, Red, slow down! No one is killing anyone. We can find Cuff Boy and go inside to eat."
"Inside? I've never been inside there before! It's always full of people." Her mood changed as easily as flipping a switch and I could see all thoughts of killing went out the window. "They serve food at all hours so it's almost never empty. Even when it is, it's guarded because the owner keeps a ton of cash inside. Who cares about money? I'd rather just eat the food. Their beef and vegetable stew always smells so good. I'd give anything to taste it. They throw that away in a big garbage bag so it dribbles onto the ground before I can eat it." She looked genuinely sad over that fact.
"Cam can buy you bowls and bowls of it! As much as you want!" I promised.
"Really? That's so kind of him!" She tucked her dagger back into her boot. "Where is he?"
"Not sure," Liam and I said in unison.
"Let's go find him then! I would love to add another friend! I hope he's as nice as you two!" She grabbed my hand and took off in a run.
I smiled fondly at her. "He's great."
"Yeah, if you like stuck-up showoffs," Liam muttered. Frowning, I concentrated on not falling flat on my face as Kat pulled me forward.
Suddenly, she stopped. I bounced off her back. Stepping backward, I rubbed my nose. Kat hadn't even moved from the impact. She turned around, grinning, and releasing my hand. "I just realized that I have no idea what your friend looks like. Sorry, I do that a lot. Run off without thinking. Ali used to say it was one of my funniest qualities."
I giggled. "It's all right. Cam and Liam do the same thing all the time. I'm pretty used to it, actually. Cam is tall with reddish-brown hair, blue eyes, and he's wearing black pants and a black denim jacket." I resisted the urge to say Shadowsilver cuffs, though that was probably the most identifiable things about him. At least in my opinion.
It wasn't that I didn't trust Kat. I just knew Cam's cuffs were an uncomfortable topic for him. He would want to explain it himself.
"Okay," Kat said, scanning the empty streets. "Oh, any idea where he might be?"
