In the midst of the boys was a small girl dressed in a roushspun robe, with tousled brown hair and a dirty face. She had dark eyes and a sharp nose. The boys were laughing and pushing at her, as she swatted at their hands and pushed them away. The boys seemed to think what they were doing was great fun, but it made little sense to Nikolis. It seemed only…wrong. He saw in the little girl’s face, and in the tears that were welling in her eyes, the same fear that he had experienced at the hands of others, much larger and in control.
Despite her predicament and the pending fit of crying that was sure to come, the girl grimaced at the harsh treatment she was receiving. She was biting her lip and fighting back. Nikolis looked down both sides of the street. Why is no one around? Is there no one who will stop this? Where are the guards?
After a few moments of watching the spectacle, he could remain silent no longer. He made his way over to the group of boys and started to push in amongst them. They were all taller and broader in shoulder than he, but at first, they paid him no heed, and so he managed to advance. It occurred to him they didn’t even seem to notice that he was there.
Nikolis worked his way to the front of the small crowd, was almost to the center of the circle, when a boy looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. “Hey, what you want?” the dirty-haired boy said. His teeth were crooked, and his face and clothes were soiled.
“Let me by,” Nikolis said, pushing the boy aside. He stepped into the middle of the circle and the boys stopped laughing.
“Who’re you?” another boy said. He jumped down from a barrel nestled in a nook of the alley. “What you doin’ere?”
Nikolis turned to face the boy. “Why are you doing this?” He looked at the girl. She was gathering her clothes about her. For the first time he noticed they were torn, and that she had deep red scratches in several places on her body.
The taller boy took a step toward him. “What bis’niss is it of yours? What you some lordy or somethin?”
“No,” Nikolis replied. He looked down at his clothes, and then at the dozen boys surrounding him. They were all unkempt and dirty. He was well dressed in comparison.
The outspoken boy took a step forward, and several others followed suit. “We got two for fun now,” said the boy, a bit of a nervous laugh edging his words.
“Stay back,” Nikolis said. They didn’t listen. They only got closer. “Stay back, I said.”
The boys continued on, getting closer and closer, hands reaching out slowly and steadily to grab him. Why have they not overtaken me yet? Why are they approaching with such caution?
He felt a tugging at his waist, but he ignored it. All about menacing grins looked him up and down as if he were a fine meal. They kept coming in, slowly still, but a few of them were nearly upon him. He could smell the stink of their clothes and unwashed bodies. The tugging started again, he chanced to look over and saw the girl pulling at his belt. What was it?
Of course – the sword as his waist. Am I daft? That’s why they were approaching with such caution. Nikolis took hold of his sword, just as the boys were about to grab him, and drew it forth. Immediately they took a step back. He moved in a circle around the girl, pushing the crowd out and away from him. The boys backed away from the blade. Nikolis felt a surge of exhilaration.
“Ten stone says he can’t use it,” the outspoken boy said to the others. “I say we jump him and take that pretty thing for ourselves.”
Nikolis saw the eyes of the other boys narrowing. They were considering it. They started to inch closer. What should I do? He had never actually conceived of using the sword before, really using it to do harm to another.
Before he could decide the girl, whom he had almost forgot about in his moment of glory, grabbed his arm and pulled him toward an opening in the crowd. She ran and Nikolis followed, but then she pushed him to the fore. With his sword ahead, they broke through the bodies of the boys, and made their way out of the alley and down the street.
Without hesitation, the sound of many footsteps sounded from behind. Nikolis turned around once to see the dozen boys following close in pursuit, before forcing his gaze back ahead. The girl pulled him on. She didn’t let up. They headed into another alley that ran between two tall buildings. Several arches overhead connected the structures, creating a dark tunnel. Light flashed above as the eaves opened up, but just as soon as there was light, they were plunged back into darkness.
The sound of footsteps behind them started to grow distant. Nikolis smiled. We’re losing them. Ahead, the girl led them around a few twists and turns, and then they emerged back into the light. They were standing on another poor street; it was narrow, twisting off in either direction. They continued to run. Nikolis was starting to breathe heavily, despite being in rather good condition from his exercises and training. His chest was starting to hurt and his legs to ache, as they had not in some time.
In fact, he almost thought to suggest they stop, take a rest, when ahead, the rabble emerged from an alleyway. They were breathing hard as well, but they also had an odd look on their face: a look of hunger, a look of excitement. The girl changed direction without a second thought, spinning Nikolis about with her forward momentum and pulling him along. Before he could register the fact that the group had somehow gotten ahead of them, he was being dragged back down the twisting road.
Nikolis started to think about what the boys would do if they caught them. Sure, he had a sword, but he had never faced more than one opponent. He might manage to stick one, down the boy if he could bring himself to do it, but the others would surely swarm in and overwhelm them.
They went through another series of alleyways, emerging onto streets, dodging carts and men and women, before heading down another. The boys were still on their heels. The thundering footsteps did not cease.
The girl headed down yet another alley, Nikolis in tow, then rounded a sharp corner into another passage. Nikolis looked back again and he could no longer see their pursuers. He could hear their footsteps though, and they were coming fast. Turning around, he saw the girl leaping up onto a crate, only a head shorter than her, then on to another piled slightly higher, and then onto another past that. On the last crate the girl teetered, trying to keep her balance, as they were not stacked very well. She was now standing before a small window, boarded up from the inside.
The girl pushed at the boards, and then banged at them with her shoulder. The footsteps were growing louder. She banged again, then leaned backward and put her full force behind her movements. On the last attempt she went crashing through the barrier and fell into the darkness beyond. Nikolis could only stare in question at the now open window. Is she okay? Is she hurt? Should we be doing this? Whose shop or flat is this?
After a few moments passed, he heard some clutter and then the girl poked her head out of the window. “Come on, you fool,” she hissed.
“I don’t know if we should– ”
“Afraid to get your trousers dirty?” The girl shook her head sending greasy, mangled locks flying back and forth.
The footsteps were growing louder behind him. The boys were almost upon them. Nikolis looked back once, then hopped up onto the first crate, then to the second and third. Surefooted, he made it up faster than she had, and just as the boys were rounding the corner, he too fell into the darkness.
Nikolis crashed onto a hard-packed dirt floor. He was about to yell out in pain, when the girl came from behind and clamped a hand over his mouth. He held his breath.
Outside the boys approached. They went past the window, and seemed to stop, not there, but at the end of the alley not too far off. He strained to hear their voices.
“Which way’d they go?” one asked.
“Cripes if I know,” said another.
“Well?” asked a third.
“I don’t know,” said the first.
“Bugger,” said the second.
“Split up! Split up!” said the third. “You fellas go down that way, and we take this way. Shout if you find
‘em.”
Footsteps trampled off in either direction, growing faint. Nikolis let out a sigh of relief. The girl climbed up onto a shelf underneath the window that let in a small stream of sunlight. Then she climbed onto another above that, clinging to the wall. She peered out of the window.
“Looks like they’re gone,” she said. “Best we lay low for a while, stay in here where they’re not like to find us.”
Nikolis nodded. He studied her in the harsh shadows. She was young, probably a year or so younger than him. Ragged clothes hung on skinny arms and legs. Her face was dirty, and her hair was unkempt clumps.
The girl climbed off the shelves and moved about the room, inspecting it. As Nikolis eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he began to be able to make out various crates and jars, on shelves that lined the walls from end to end. The girl took the lid off one of the jars and sniffed at it.
“I don’t know if we should–”
“You say that a lot,” the girl said, interrupting. “Must be, you lead a pretty boring life.”
“Well, I–”
“Never mind about that. You don’t really know what to do with that thing, do you?” she said, eyeing his sword.
“I’m an apprentice,” he replied. “Still learning.”
The girl laughed. He wasn’t sure what to say. “Well,” he managed, “I thank you for helping me out of that situation, at any rate.”
“I should be thanking you,” she said. “If it weren’t for that iron there, we’d both be in a spot.”
Nikolis looked down at his sword. “It’s steel actually.”
“What?” she asked.
Nikolis smiled, brushing his hand by the weapon. “Never mind. Ah…” What should I say? “My name is Nikolis. Nikolis Ledervane.”
“Huh,” she said, with little concern or interest. “Sounds all high and proper.”
“What’s your name?” Nikolis asked.
The girl moved to another shelf and tried to pry the lid off a crate. “Me ma called me Dally, before she died. Never had much use for a name, but you can call me that if you like.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What, about me ma? Why, lessen you had somethin to do with it?”
Nikolis shook his head. “No, I…”
“A jest.”
“Oh.” He scratched his head and stood, looking about. Dally took some sort of pickled vegetable out of a jar she was holding and started to gulp it down. After quickly devouring the first, she started on a second.
“I’m not sure you should do that,” said Nikolis. “They aren’t ours.”
Dally shrugged. “We already broke in. Midas well not be for nuthin’.”
Nikolis turned about, scanning the room. “These things don’t belong to us. It isn’t right to take them.”
“Girl who follows that rule is a girl who doesn’t eat.” She polished off another of the pickled things.
“What do you mean? Isn’t there someone who makes sure you’re fed?”
She moved to another jar and uncapped it. “Ain’t no one feeding me, lessen I feed myself.” She downed another piece of something that looked like salted meat of some sort.
“What about your father?” he asked.
“Don’t recall as I have one.” She gnawed at a piece of the hard meat. “Least I ain’t never seen no man that claimed to be.”
“What? Who do you live with?”
Dally smiled. “With meself mostly. Some of the other girls run with me sometimes, but mostly I’m on me own.”
“Where do you sleep?” Nikolis was perplexed. How could a girl so young be out on her own?
“Here and there. Whatever corner I can find when the sleep creeps up on me.”
“That’s awful,” he said.
The girl shrugged. “Ain’t so bad. Least no one’s telling me what to do. Only thing I got to watch out for is the guards, and those boys.”
“Why were they pushing you?” Nikolis asked. He had almost forgotten about that in all the commotion.
“For fun, I guess. That’s what boys do.” She looked at Nikolis and smiled. “Least most of ‘em anyway.”
He smiled back then looked away, scratched his head and pushed on. “Well, at least I imagine it’s not fun looking for food every day.”
Dally sighed. “Aye, that is a bit of trouble. But I manage.”
“Maybe you can come back to the keep with me,” he said. “There’s an awful lot of room, and plenty of food to go around.”
Dally laughed: a long, loud laugh. “They don’t let the likes of me into that old castle.”
“I’m sure I could talk to the master of arms,” he said. “He’s a kind enough man, as long as you don’t do anything to make him mad.”
“Sounds like a regular gent’man,” Dally said with another laugh.
“Well, I’m sure something could be arranged, they can’t just let a girl like you wander about without anyone to care for you.”
Dally smiled. She was just starting to respond, just opening her mouth, when the door to the cellar crashed open. Nikolis and Dally ducked for cover, as clouds of dust were sent swirling about.
Two guardsmen dressed in chain from head to toe, wearing red and white tabards and holding iron spears out before them, emerged from the doorway. A fat, thick-bearded man came in after, looking about with wide-eyes.
“Looks like we got two rats in the basement,” one of the guards said.
“What you children doing in here?” the man, obviously the owner of the building, demanded. He looked about at all the opened jars. “Eating my stores are ya? A bunch of regular thieves, they are.”
Nikolis stood up and brushed himself off. “We are not thieves, we were being chased by these ruffians–”
“Enough out of you,” the second guard said. “We know what to do with thieves around here.”
“Nikolis,” Dally said. “Your sword.”
“What? These are guardsmen of Highkeep, surely I couldn’t raise arms against them.”
“They’ll throw us in a cell, please!”
“Listen sirs, I am an apprentice at the keep–”
The back of a gauntleted fist cut off his words. He fell to his knees. “I said quiet.”
The pair headed toward them, as Dally stood up and backed against the wall. She looked about, frantic for an escape. “He did it,” she yelled. “He took the food. I didn’t want to. He…he made me come down here…he wanted to have his way with me…he’s a keep boy…he’s…”
Nikolis didn’t need to hear anymore, and he didn’t need to get in trouble again. “Run!” he yelled, as he pushed past the first guard, and ran around the second as he tried to grab him. He found the cellar stair and bolted up, threw open a door at the top, and ran out into the street.
To ensure that he was not followed, he kept to back alleyways for a time. He didn’t see Dally, despite searching. He even ventured back near the storehouse they had entered, but never saw her. He hoped she had escaped. Before long, he found a view of the castle off in the distance and began to make his way toward it. Not long after, he found the main road, and followed it straight to the keep.
As he was about to make his way across the bridge to the castle gate a voice sounded from behind him. “Wait! Stop!”
His tunic caught, and he realized someone had grabbed it. They had found him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jak looked up at the roof. “We can make it,” he said, and then started to climb up onto a crate that sat beside the long, squat structure. Suddenly the situation seemed all too familiar to Nikolis. He looked about expecting the owner to come at them at any moment yelling and screaming for help.
It hadn’t been a guard that told him to stop at the castle bridge and had grabbed his tunic. Instead, when he turned around, he found himself face to face with Jak, who was short on breath, but slowly managed to get out that he had been looking for Nikolis, that there was something that he had to come and see. Jak had said no more then, grabbing Nikolis a
nd pulling him back into the crowded town streets.
After a few twists and turns, Jak had stopped and pointed to a small building with a thatch roof, saying it would be a great place to, “see it all.” Nikolis protested, saying he had to be back to his chamber, that Drennen would be looking for him by sundown. Jak looked to the sky then and had said, “It’s near an hour at least, until nightfall. Come on, Nik. You’ve got to see!”
Nikolis couldn’t help but follow. His curiosity had gotten the better of him. As Jak now reached for the roof’s edge, intent on climbing up, a head poked out over the side of the building. A pair of mismatched eyes stared down at them in question, and Jak backed away. “What do you presume to be doing, friend?” the boy called from above.
“Want to get a better view,” Jak explained.
“Let ‘em up, Raife,” another voice said, from some place up on the roof. “They don’t mean no harm. Let ‘em up.”
“Yes, let us up,” said Jak. Nikolis looked about, expecting the noise to draw someone’s attention.
“Why should we share what’s ours, with them? Eh? They might go right ahead and push us off the side just when he comes marching down the street.”
A second head, this one belonging to a pudgy-faced boy, poked out. “Hey look, Raife, it’s Nik. Let ‘em up. It’s Nik, I tell you.”
Nikolis looked up and saw that it was Raife and Garley who were up on the roof. He smiled up at them. “Hello. Yes, it’s me. This is a friend of mine, Jak. He works in the armory.”
“The field armory,” Jak said.
“Go on, Raife,” said Garley. “Let ‘em by.”
“Very well,” said Raife. He moved away from the edge and let Jak climb up. Nikolis went up next, balancing on the crate and then making his way onto the hay. When they were both up, they moved over to the opposite edge of the roof with Garley and Raife and peered over.
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