Rising Embers

Chapter 1

The streets were familiar and dirty. I ran through them, going from house to house, handing out deliveries from a large sack that I carried which was also heavier than I was. My back was curved, shoulders slumped, as I navigated the shallow alleys—shortcuts to minimize the travel time.

Usually, I would take a while scrolling through downtown, relishing the clop of my worn, reliable boots against the dry cobblestones warmed by the sun. Feeling the breeze especially during spring and loving each second I find myself alone and away from the busy shop I work in. Most often than not I would stall and take my time to finish deliveries before heading back to the shop and close for the day. Pack everything up after cleaning every nook and cranny of the messy but somehow organized hut housing the many magical products my employer hand makes herself.

Today, however, I had to make haste.

Today only came to pass once a year and I intended to make it more special than last.

A stray crate almost tripped me when I took a sharp turn two blocks from where I just handed over madam Lisa’s order, but I caught myself at the last minute and I paused. It was a great and calm day and aside from the little evidence left of last night’s revelry in the streets, the surroundings were peaceful. The breeze was cool against my damp skin and I wished I could enjoy the moment more but the clock was ticking.

I needed to get back home.

Excitement filled me when I knocked over the next customer’s house and swung my sack to bring another bag out, realizing it was the only one left and the biggest one at that. A huge order of Mistress Tatiana’s gems, though not from a patron. I had been to this neighborhood before but never delivered in this house. I also never knew of any patrons of my Mistress who lived around here, her gems costing the way they were and could only be afforded at most by the middle class.

By the weight of the sack, I estimated most of the weight of my delivery today had to be contributed to this. For whatever reason a person would need this much gems was not my business, but I cannot help but be tempted to have one tiny look.

Curiosity never did me any good in the past and Jacques had always warned me about it coming to bite me in my, and I quote, “adorable little bottom” one day if I cannot control my urge to stick my nose in everything that did not concern me. I never admitted to doing it all the time.

I also never admitted to not ever doing it when I sense that I wouldn’t be caught either.

There was a thud behind the front door a moment before it swung open. The hinges were loud and as decent as the front of the house looked outside, I could only imagine what the back of it looked like. Settled between two run-down houses in a row littering one block of the neighborhood, the customer’s home was the only one freshly painted with fixed exterior walls in contrast to the naked drywall falling off the others with their washed out and chipped paint.

“Yer have something for me, lass?”

I quickly stretched out my arms towards the customer, straining a little bit when he did not take the bag from me immediately. I held my breath as his eyes were looking down on me, deep brown beneath his thick, dirty blond hair. Unruly, but didn’t seem unwashed which was something commendable for someone who lived here almost to the outer ring of the city.

For someone who lived beyond the inner rings of the kingdom, really.

One would think that the city capital would be the center focus where all efforts to make it civilized and orderly would be granted, but how do I know how King Orlik manages his kingdom?

The customer eyed me for a second before huffing under his breath as if he sensed my frustration regarding how Fae Harrow was ruled… Should be ruled.

“Give it here.”

Without hesitation, I let go of the bag when his huge hands closed around it. He nearly brushed my fingers, but I was careful not to make contact. I felt bad feeling uncomfortable around him, but I just couldn’t shake the sense that I should be hurrying away from here. The man seemed harmless enough yet a girl could never be too careful around strangers, especially ones who were significantly more packing in physical attributes than she was.

Blame it on the scarcity of food.

Well, more specifically, the lack of nutrients in the rubbish that goes in my stomach—not enough in either quality or quantity. It’s a miracle I still had the energy I needed to toil my adorable little bottom off to survive. That, and the constant company that I keep. Who was always bringing me the sort of food I could never have in my life ever tasted if it wasn’t for him. But I was not a bottom feeder who took advantage of anyone, even if that someone always insisted he kept me fed. He was not my keeper and as much as I care for him, I still had my pride and I long since accepted that my life was how it was and living within my means was never something I had been ashamed of. I could accept help, but I would very much like to take care of myself and stand on my own two feet.

I slinked the sack around my neck, straightening up and feeling the crack of my spine at the relief of the weight loss. “Thank you for making purchase at Tatiana’s Apothecary, good sir. We hope you enjoy your product and please do not hesitate to stop by the shop should you ever experience any dissatisfaction. We always welcome opinions from our customers and aim to produce the best of service. Have a nice day.”

Turning back around to sprint away after delivering my practiced speech with barely restrained hurriedness, I felt my body being tugged backwards and I almost lost my footing. The man had one hand on my elbow and his face was suddenly so close to mine that I could see the freckles dotting his nose, the grays on his hair. My chest pounded from fear that replaced my previous excitement. Sweat dripped down my temples and I felt it on my skin when after all this time that I had been out and about, I did not even

I heard enough stories during campfire nights from young ladies about unfortunate people being at the wrong place at the wrong time. More often than not, the wrong place being one of the areas closest to the walls, surrounding the outer city. In alleys during evenings when it was dark and almost everyone was asleep, on the streets in plain sight when no one was paying attention or cared enough to bother that someone was being attacked.

There had been incidents in broad daylight, of that I was sure of though it seemed unheard, and it didn’t help that my brain kept telling me that I was just about to be that one in a hundred incident about to happen. The man’s gaze was intense on my face and he seemed strong enough to actually be able to haul me back to his house while he carried his order of gems with his other hand. I did not even have the time to think of a counterattack or how to escape when he started to move even closer to me.

His scrutinizing gaze met my wide eyes as he asked, “You have been to the palace before, have you?”

My nervousness was replaced momentarily by confusion, then… fear.

The palace…

I hope the man can’t hear the sudden drop in my heartbeat. I needed to get away from here. Now.

“What—what do you mean, sir?” Damn my voice for wavering. The cool wind felt cruel now, chilling my skin and making goosebumps appear.

He dropped my elbow as my realization slowly registered for the both of us. Jacques could always tell when I lie. Oh, how I long to go back home now more than ever and tell him everything that was happening right now. I used to believe that it was because he knew me very well, like the back of his hand, to know when I was lying but he always commented about how it was plain as day when I do. The stranger before me was proof of that.

We studied each other momentarily, my head slowly clearing with his question and probing, and I decided on my defense should he start to move towards me. He was not touching me once again. Just who was this man? Did he mean what I thought he did? By the way he was watching my face for my reactions, I was becoming more convinced that he did.

Denying would only dig me to my grave but admitting it was also not an option. I didn’t know how he knew, how he put the pieces together, but silence was always the best answer when there was no correct answer.

And that was what I gave him.

That was as I calculated if I could outrun him if he gave chase. Just the thought sent a new wave of anxiety in my stomach but I was more than ready to get the f*ck away from here.