by Shelby Hild
Just one of the coats was thicker than either of the bags Darissa brought with her. She had seen the bags. Goodness, she had helped carry one of the bags into the cabins.
“When the Trials are being held temporarily at your estate,” Darissa said as they joined Prince Aiden to the side of the cabins, “you are able to hide bags in carriages.”
“When did you even have time for that?” Vivilyn asked, slightly louder than she intended.
“Does it matter?” Prince Aiden said. “We are running out of moonlight. We need to go.”
“Just let me get this straight,” Vivilyn said. “We, including the only daughter of a wealthy merchant and the prince of the freaking kingdom, are going after dark to a city. Not just any part of the city, but the poorer part of the city. And not just any city but a city that I, someone whose family isn’t well known, has already almost been kidnapped in?”
Her mind was screaming at her that this was a horrible idea. Almost as bad of an idea as she felt going to the old throne room again would be. Too many things could go wrong. Would they even have a guard?
“That sounds about right,” Prince Aiden said as Maxwell pulled up, driving a carriage. “Right on time, Maxwell,” he said. “Glad you could join us.”
“I am not going to turn down an adventure with my future king,” Maxwell replied, as he pulled the carriage to a stop.
Aiden turned to Vivilyn, and asked, “You’re coming, right?”
“Does anyone know where we’re going?” Vivilyn asked.
“I left a note for Adontus on the desk in my cabin,” Aiden said.
“So if something happens to us, he’ll at least know where to start?”
“Exactly.”
“After you, I guess,” Vivilyn said with a weary smile.
Chapter 15
“Stop the carriage over in that corner,” Prince Aiden directed Maxwell, as they entered Crysteal City. Two men in uniforms exited the building as Maxwell parked.
“There’s no parking here, folks,” the taller one said. The other man stretched backwards enough Vivilyn heard his back pop from where she sat.
Both men rested their hands on their hips as they waited for the errant parkers to drive away.
“Where can we park nearby?” Darissa asked, but Prince Aiden shook his head.
“This is the closest place to where we need to go,” he said quietly before stepping out and onto the ground. Despite being slightly shorter than the uniformed men, Prince Aiden held himself with more authority than both the men combined.
When he spoke to them, it was obvious that the prince knew what he was doing. “We need to park near here, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”
“What you need and what you’ll do are two completely different things, kid,” the tall man said.
“Let me,” Maxwell said as he slipped out of the driver’s seat. Both Darissa and Vivilyn scooted to the edges of their chairs, hoping to see what was going on a little better.
“Don’t no more of y’uns step out of there. You’ll just have to get right back in.”
“How much will it take for us to be able to stay here for a few hours?” Maxwell asked as he gestured for the prince to take out a pouch from his pocket. “Three gold, four?”
“What kind of policemen do you take us for?” the taller one sneered. “Offering a bribe.” Prince Aiden pulled up his pouch and reached in as subtly as possible.
“Then eight gold,” the prince said, “for each of you.”
“Eight gold?” the short one said, lifting his head enough that Vivilyn assumed he was watching the glint of the light on the gold in Prince Aiden’s hand. “To leave your carriage there for a few hours?” Prince Aiden nodded. The man turned to his partner, “What’s it gonna hurt?”
The other man crossed his arms and shook his head.
“You remember what happened last time, Brock,” he said.
“This isn’t last time,” Brock replied.
“Fine,” Prince Aiden stated as he hid his pouch. “You’ve driven a hard bargain, but ten gold pieces.”
Both of the officers sputtered.
“Who are you?” the shorter one asked, as the prince tossed one of the coins up and caught it repeatedly. The short officer visibly licked his lips as though Prince Aiden was offering him an especially delicious piece of meat.
“That doesn’t matter,” Prince Aiden said. “Take it or leave it.”
“We’re taking it,” Brock said at the same time the other one said, “We’re leaving it. Skid-at.”
“It’s ten gold,” Brock said in a loud whisper as he grabbed the front of his partner’s uniform. “For each of us.”
Vivilyn wondered if he thought his partner didn’t understand that.
Something about Brock made her skin crawl in a similar way that the dark mass in the old throne room had. Every time he looked into the carriage, a shiver went down her back.
“Ten gold will help you get the ring for Dahlia.” Brock pulled slightly at the front of his partner’s uniform. “And even a down payment to get out of that shack. Her papa would surely approve of that.”
“Fine,” the man said with a sigh. “Three hours. If it’s still there after that, we’ll tow it off ourselves. And you won’t like that.”
Vivilyn looked between the men as Prince Aiden counted out the coins into each officer’s hand. A bribe of ten gold would grant her entire town food for at least two days. Maybe not the best food, but still. His pouch still jangled heavily as though the missing gold barely made a dent.
Was the prince one who would be willing to give up some of his comfort in order to help those others?
As she watched the prince reach back to help Darissa out, she nodded to herself.
Him learning the truth about what was going on in his kingdom was why he was here. It was why they were all there.
The wind blew through Vivilyn's clothing even with the extra layers Darissa had provided as they walked in silence towards the outskirts of the town.
“How common is bribery accepted among our police forces?” Prince Aiden whispered to Maxwell so quietly Vivilyn barely heard him.
“I’m not sure,” Maxwell said with a shrug as he played with a small camera that he was setting up to hide within his hat. “It works in Ettravil, so I thought it worth a shot.”
“No it doesn’t,” Prince Aiden argued weakly, his voice lifting in uncertainty. “The police of Ettravil are honorable.”
“Even the most honorable person can be bribed or threatened,” Maxwell said and shrugged.
“Shh,” Darissa whispered as they stepped out from the light of the small remaining post on the path. After that, things were only lit by small fires near buildings.
They could hear people yelling and cheering. Music played in the distance.
As they got closer to the biggest fire, they all saw people dancing and singing along with musicians playing on makeshift instruments. Jugs and tubs, strings attached to a wooden hoop, and a whistled made of wood sounded together to create a lively tune that was just ending as they approached.
Nearby, buildings, if they could be called that, were clustered together. Walls were haphazardly set up with fabric or metal being used for roofs and curtains.
“And who might our newcomers be?” The woman blowing notes into the top of a large jug asked from the side of a marked off stage. Everyone stopped dancing and turned to look at the four as they drew closer.
“Just passers through,” Maxwell said. His voice held a bit more of an accent than Vivilyn was used to it having. “We’z been drawn by the fire. This wind’ll be biting all night, I reckon.”
“That it be, that it be,” the man who was tapping out a rhythm on the backs of some pans said with a nod. “Tanya,” he called into the crowd. “We’z got stew left?”
“Yes, Paps,” a young girl said with a huge frown on her face.
“Get some for our guests, gull,” the man yelled back at her. The girl ran to another fire,
near some of the buildings.
“We’z not got lots to share, but we’ll share what we can,” the man said as Prince Aiden, Maxwell, Vivilyn, and Darissa moved closer to the front. “Not many of us walk through here na’more,” he said as the little girl balanced four bowls on a single tray while walking over to the group.
“Is best stew I’ve made,” Tanya said. “Please take some.”
The little girl sniffled as she handed the bowls to each of them.
“She’s a right little chef, she is. Got it from her Mamsi,” the man sighed, half proud, and half lost in memory.
Vivilyn’s vision shifted slightly to a warmer night. The man’s beard wasn’t as unruly as it was now but he was sobbing red-faced into the side of what Vivilyn thought was a woman laying stiffly on a table with blankets over it.
“Yuh can’t leave me, Netta,” he whispered. “We need yuh. Tanya and I canna be without yuh.” The little girl who served them bowls of soup stepped into the room. She was maybe a year or so younger than she was now. In her arms were two young rats.
“Mamsi,” she said as she hopped on the bed, “I brought you my friends, they’ll…” Tanya looked up at her father and then back at her mother. “It’s too late, isn’t it,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “Donny and Danny can’t do nuttin.”
“Tanya, please take your pets outside,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.
When the little girl complied, the voice continued, “Davie and I can help you with the burial. We’ll have a celebration of her life, too short though it was.”
Vivilyn returned to the present and saw she’d been left alone next to the stage. The others were talking with different people throughout the encampment. With a small bite of the warm soup, Vivilyn caught hints of taters and a small amount of stringy meat.
She wasn’t sure how long they remained within the encampment, but she had never felt more welcomed in a group in her life. They accepted them without question, offered them food and drink despite not having much of it to share.
“One more song,” the man who’d brought them in said. “Then we’z callin’ it a night.”
The song he began had a slow beat and somber sound. It was in stark contrast to the lively tunes they’d been playing before. Darissa approached Vivilyn, a hand held up to her mouth.
“Are you okay?” Vivilyn asked. She wasn’t positive but Darissa seemed paler than normal to Vivilyn even with the lighting around from flickering flames in the distance.
Darissa shook her head. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she whispered.
“What’s wrong?”
“The meat,” Darissa said pointing to the stack of empty bowl. “The reason Tanya is so upset is because the meat was from one of her pet rats.”
Vivilyn held back her initial reaction to gag.
I brought you my friends, Vivilyn had seen the girl say.
“Don’t you understand?” Darissa said as she sat next to Vivilyn. “This little girl had to sacrifice her pet to try and feed these people. No one should have to do that.”
“I can’t imagine,” Vivilyn said.
The little girl approached the pair with something in her hands. It was the other rat.
“You’z going somewhere else, right?” Tanya asked. The women both nodded. “Good. Can you take Danny with you?” Firelight reflected on tears all the way down the girl’s cheeks. “She deserves more than I can give her and maybe, maybe she’ll make a nice little family and have lots of little babies like her kind are s’posed to, y’know?”
“Are you sure?” Darissa asked as she reached a hand forward. The rat squeaked and tried to scamper back into Tanya’s hands as soon as she set the rat in Darissa’s hands.
“If she stays here,” Tanya said softly while looking back toward the pot of soup, “no good will come from it.”
“I would be honored to hold on to her,” Darissa said, “until you need her again.”
After the last song, Vivilyn remained sitting near the stage on a barrel as the other three walked around and chatted to everyone they could. It was interesting seeing the prince talk with the man who was obviously in charge of the group. Whatever they were discussing seemed intense.
Darissa spoke with anyone and everyone who passed by her. Even in the half-dark, her smile practically glowed. Maxwell stood to the edge making large gestures toward the roofs with a large man who seemed familiar to Vivilyn.
Vivilyn knew they should leave soon when she saw Prince Aiden shake hands with the leader, Dock.
“I know you,” a voice hissed in Vivilyn’s ear. It startled Vivilyn into standing up. “These new friends,” the woman yelled to the group, “they’re frauds.”
Vivilyn recognized who the woman was as soon as she said fraud. This was the woman who attacked her the last time she was in Crysteal.
“What’re you yapping ‘bout, Kat?” Dock said, practically sighing.
“These aren’t other people like us,” Kat said, pulling Vivilyn in front of her. “This is the Treelyn girl from the Trials. We can’t let them leave.”
The woman gripped her arm so tightly Vivilyn was sure it would bruise.
“Release her, right now,” Dock said as he stepped closer.
“They’re our chance to have a little more than this measly camp they allow us to stay in,” Kat said, her grip only tightening.
“If you do anything to harm these people, we will lose our chance to anything in this world.”
“In a world where we have no say,” Kat yelled as she shook Vivilyn.
“Not yet,” Dock said, “but there’s change in the air.” He nodded over to Prince Aiden. “Release the girl.”
“Auntie Kat?” Tanya said, walking forward toward Vivilyn and her captor. “What’s going on?”
When Tanya approached a bit more, the grip on Vivilyn’s arm loosened slightly. She didn’t pay attention to what the woman said to Tanya. Instead she jerked her arm away and ran forward.
“Go,” Dock said as she passed him. “All of you.” Hanging from his hip, Vivilyn couldn’t help but notice ,was Prince Aiden’s bag of coins.
All four of them, Vivilyn, Darissa, Maxwell, and Prince Aiden, ran all the way back to their carriage. Prince Aiden’s hood had fallen away from his face as they ran.
“It’s the prince,” Brock said in startlement as a light hit the four in the face when they approached the carriages.
“Oh, dear gods,” Brock’s partner said. “I’ve taken a bribe from the heir to the throne, proven my dishonorability.”
He sunk his head into his hands.
“Tell no one we were here,” Prince Aiden said, “and I’ll say nothing of your little… indiscretion.”
Then he practically tossed Vivilyn and Darissa back into the carriage. Soon, Maxwell had them moving back towards the cabins.
They were about halfway from where they started before anyone spoke.
“How are we supposed to explain a pet rat to the rest of the group?” Vivilyn asked, remembering Darissa had accepted the rat from little Tanya.
“The rat,” Darissa said before looking around her, eyes large with worry. “Where did Danny go?” A darkness expanded from Darissa’s pupils to encompass every inch of her face. “Oh no, oh no. No, no, no, no, no.” Darissa shook her head as she half stood up and shook at her coat. “I haven’t even had her for a day and I’ve already lost her. I promised Tanya. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no.”
“Aych,” Maxwell said from in front of them. “Rat, you say?” He then moved his hand back towards Darissa from his seat. Dangling off his pinky was Danny the rat. “I think I found her.”
“Oh my goodness,” Darissa said as the shadow vanished from her face. “Let’s not do that again,” she said as she set Danny in her lap and tried to calm her down.
“How can this be happening?” Prince Aiden asked, shaking his head. “People don’t starve in my kingdom. People don’t freeze. Did you see their outfits? They were so threadbare. That food was little mor
e than water.”
He shook his head and looked out the window. Vivilyn reached forward and grabbed his hand.
“Perhaps the city has just been hit hard the last couple of seasons?” he asked and looked up, almost hopeful.
“Crysteal’s shack town has been there since before my family took over the manor,” Darissa said as she lightly pet Danny’s back, finally succeeding at calming the rodent down.
“That can’t be possible. People are all treated well in my kingdom. It’s somewhere to be proud to live and work.” He rubbed at his face with his free hand.
“When I first met Iza and the other little ones, they were emaciated. Their clothes could barely be considered clothes.”
“That’s just one family, though. And hard times hit sometimes. We have programs to help with that.”
“Those programs don’t work how they advertise.”
“I just don’t understand how this can be true,” Prince Aiden said, shaking his head again. “What else is there about my kingdom that I think I know, but is wrong?”
Vivilyn didn’t know what to say, so she pulled his hand into her lap and leaned her head against his shoulder.
Chapter 16
Explaining Darissa’s new pet rat to everyone was much easier than Vivilyn thought it would be. Apparently the woman had a habit of growing attached to little creatures in the past, including a piglet, a multitude of geckos and lizards, three birds, and a flying squirrel.
It was much more difficult to explain why Darissa, Vivilyn, and the prince were all exhausted as they loaded up into carriages the next morning to head back to the manor.
Everything remained calm and uneventful for the next three weeks. It continued to grow colder, but there had yet to be a snowstorm. Everyone continued to watch the sky closely, waiting and waiting for the first snowfall.
Vivilyn had a single vision in that time, which involved Darissa telling her father she wished someone would do something. All her father told her was to give it time.
All the women had gone on at least one date in that time. Most had even gone on two. There were only six who hadn’t been on a second yet: Serinta, Rose, Clara, Mayla, Freya, and Vivilyn.
