Kid glanced over his shoulder as he climbed the many switchbacks up the cliff face to Bleakridge Castle. The main gate loomed high above him and his legs burned as he ascended the final rise before the castle gates. The view of the city was breathtaking. Kid never realized how large his home was until now. From way up here, the city walls he lived next to looked as if a mouse could scale them with a good running leap. In fact, the more he looked at it, the dizzier he felt. Kid shook his head and edged further away from the cliff face, running his hand against the rock wall.

The wind was strong up here and it chilled the sweat on his brow. He welcomed the sensation after his long climb and tugged at the collar of his green coat to let some cool air in. He wrinkled his nose as his hand ran over the rough surface of dried blood on the inside. Hilda had provided him with the uniform of a dead Venaran messenger boy to help him talk his way past the guards. The blood was mostly invisible aside from a slight red tinge around the collar, but the dark green fabric hid it well. The thought still made Kid nervous. What was the punishment for impersonating a messenger? Kid rubbed his elbows, thinking of the men he saw hanging by the city gate.

The portcullis was closed. Kid stared at the barrier, unsure how to proceed. He could see soldiers milling about in the courtyard. Should he call out to them? He was suddenly struck by how little he knew about castle protocol. Hilda had given him a pouch of money to get a haircut and a bath and orders to make it to the castle kitchens. He had no idea why he was supposed to go there. Kid shifted nervously.

He stared at the iron gate a moment longer and realized he had to do something. It wasn’t going to open on its own. He was about to call out when he heard the clacking of hooves on the road behind him. Kid looked over his shoulder to see the most stunning woman he could ever remember seeing. Long dark hair curled around her angular face. She had intense gray eyes that seemed to read his soul. A thick, black fur coat adorned her lithe shoulders, contrasting sharply with the white mare she rode upon. He was so taken with the sight of her, he failed to notice the Greencloak escort around her.

Kid scampered away from them out of habit. He bowed in their general direction and the man in the lead nodded at Kid as he came to a halt. “Drop the wine and open the gates!” the Greencloak yelled.

Kid heard muffled cursing from high above. A head peeked over the ramparts and its eyes widened. More cursing, followed by the clanking of the portcullis as it began to rise.

Kid stood to the side of the grandiose party and shrunk under the scrutiny of the woman on horseback. He turned to look inside the courtyard but could still feel her eyes on him. Curious faces were turned toward the rising gate and a soldier raced into the keep. Kid nervously tugged at his collar.

“Are you a messenger?”

Kid jumped as the woman spoke to him. He turned to her and did his best to meet her gaze. “If you please my lady,” he mumbled.

She arched an eyebrow at him. “I don’t particularly please either way. I merely wanted to inquire whether or not you had any interesting news.”

Kid forced himself not to swallow. “For the Earl’s eyes, only. Sorry.”

She shrugged. “I’m headed up there anyways. You may accompany us and maybe I can listen in on whatever secret you seem so protective of.”

Kid frowned. “I really shouldn’t-”

She cut him off. “Careful. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

Kid raised his hands. “That would be these, Mistress,” he said without thinking. The Greencloaks shot him a glare.

For a moment, she only stared at him. Then a smile creased her lips and she released a chuckle. “It was touch and go for a moment, but I’ve decided I like you. Come,” she beckoned, riding through the gate.

Kid wondered how close he came to a beating. Judging by the looks on her escorts faces, pretty close. Kid forced a smile and followed the group inside. He had to struggle not to gape at the sight of the keep. He had seen it from a distance his whole life, but seeing it up close was a different matter. He didn’t realize people could build things so large. Even the city cathedral was dwarfed by it. And where the cathedral was all sprawling arches wide windows, this was a mass of solid stone. It was beautiful in an entirely different way. It spoke of safety and security.

Kid tore his eyes from its towering walls. He eyed the courtyard warily, but next to the group of Greencloaks ahead of him, Kid was invisible. He watched as the noblewoman dismounted, catching sight of her shapely ankle. His day was already looking up. A groom appeared to take her horse and she turned to Kid. “I don’t believe you mentioned your name.”

“Kid,” he replied.

“Kid?”

“Kid,” he affirmed.

“That’s hardly a name. And you have no surname?”

Kid frowned. He hadn’t had to have this conversation in years. The words seemed to stick in throat as he forced them out. He looked down at the cobblestones, unable to meet the woman’s eyes. “My mother never gave me a name.” He shifted his feet. “So, people just called me Kid and it kinda stuck. I don’t have a father, so I guess you could just call me Kid Noson.”

A frown creased her lips as she paused to consider his words. She stared at him for a long moment before putting a velvet gloved hand on his shoulder. The touch made Kid blush and he made an even more careful examination of the cobblestones. “Come with me. I’ll take you to the kitchens, so our cook can feed you. You must be famished after walking up that hill.”

Kid released a sigh of relief as she turned from him. He waited while she stood on her tiptoes and whispered into the ears of one of the men. He had a stupid grin on his face soon after.

“See you later Ilyena,” the Greencloak breathed.

“Thanks for the escort Brian. Ever my champion,” she said with a smile. “Come, Kid.”

Kid paled. He was talking to Ilyena. This was not part of the plan. He was supposed to avoid attracting attention and here he was striking up a casual conversation with the Earl’s daughter. But now, he had no choice but to follow. Kid found it hard to keep his eyes off her swaying hips as she walked into the keep. This was quickly corrected by a guardsman who cuffed him across the back of the head. “Eyes up,” the man whispered.

Kid blushed, hoping Ilyena didn’t hear the man. The smirk she gave him over her shoulder only made him blush a fiercer red. Kid followed her through a long, stone hallway. He couldn’t discern any particular purpose for it, but there were strange holes all along its walls and he could hear soft voices speaking through them. A huge vault-like door sat at the end of the hall and opened as they neared.

They passed through door and met two guardsmen on the other side. Both bowed to Ilyena. “My lady,” they said in unison.

She beamed at them. “Hello Gerald, Hey Jareth. I would stop to chat but I’m taking this messenger to the kitchens for a quick meal.”

She brushed by them and Kid followed. The guards shot her confused looks as she walked down the hall toward the stairwell. “But my lady-” one called out.

Ilyena wiggled the fingers of on hand over her shoulder as she walked away without looking back. The man Kid saw run into the keep earlier appeared around a corner and walked by without a word to either of them. What the hell? Kid was starting to get a bad feeling about this. But what was he going to do? Run?

Ilyena led him down the hall past a menagerie of people. There were dozens of girls near his age carrying baskets full of laundry, trays of food, and a thousand other mundane items. They wore black dresses as if in mourning. The way they scurried about combined with their black attire reminded him of ants and he couldn’t help but stare. He didn’t think he’d ever seen so many attractive girls in any one place outside of a brothel. Older women in similar uniforms bearing the Thorne family crest shepherded the girls and gave orders.

Several large porters carried heavy bags of flour past him, a dusting of the white powder marring the blackness of their garb. Aside from their tidy uniforms, they looked similar to the men Kid saw by the docks. He wondered where they were headed with all that flour.

His attention was diverted by a beautiful tapestry hanging along the wall. It depicted Bleakridge castle standing high above the city. Its high walls seemed to touch the overlarge moon hanging in the sky. Kid reached out to stroke it as they passed. His fingers glided over the fabric. It felt like the pocket of a noble, pure silk. If he could somehow sneak it out of here, he would never have to work again.

He tore his eyes from the tapestry as llyena led him deeper into the castle. Kid lost track of how many turns they made and was soon very lost. He wondered what idiot designed such a confusing floorplan.

The rich decorations continued to draw his eyes. Paintings worth a small fortune hung at every corner. He now refrained from touching them after a passing Guardsman smacked his hand. Kid held the hand to his chest with a grimace while Ilyena wore an infuriating smirk on her face. Kid didn’t know whether he wanted to smack it or kiss it. The thought made him blush and he made a careful inspection of his shoes.

After a half dozen more turns, they reached a stairwell. Kid followed Ilyena up the stairs. The steps curved in a tight spiral and ascended in a never-ending circle. Ilyena climbed them with a practiced ease but Kid kept stumbling over the awkward angle of the steps. Who the hell made stairs like this? Kid’s thighs still burned from climbing up the cliff and he wondered if nobles had some kind of fetish for climbing things. It felt like that was all he had done this afternoon.

“Watch your step,” Ilyena said after Kid tripped and fell against the wall.

“Watch your mouth,” he didn’t say.

They emerged into a long hallway, on what Kid believed was the fifth floor. The hall was absent of any decoration and had no branching paths. He followed her down the austere hall, adorned only with flickering torches that provided the sole source of light. It felt as if he had gone far beneath the earth, but he knew the opposite to be true. The feeling was disorienting. Kid nervously tugged at his collar as Ilyena stopped before a large oaken door set into the wall. She paused as a guardsman passed by. The man eyed Kid, but seeing he was with Ilyena, the man let him go without incident.

She pulled the door open. “After you.”

Kid shrugged and walked into the room. He didn’t know where he was, but it wasn’t the kitchen. Weapons and tattered banners hug from the walls and the stone gave way to hardwood floors. A bowl filled with fruit sat atop a table whose wood was so polished Kid could see his reflection in it. Across from him were two sitting chairs next to a lit hearth, giving the room a warm glow.

Kid stumbled as Ilyena pushed him further inside and shut the door behind her. “Father,” she called. Kid froze. Shit.

One of the chairs creaked and Kid watched in horror as a man rose from it. He was dressed in well-tailored black wool that matched hair, not yet fully grey. The man turned to face Kid, revealing grey eyes, like Ilyena’s. Kid’s mouth fell open. He was so dead.

“You disobeyed me,” the Earl said.

Kid was about to fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness of whatever he had failed to do when Ilyena spoke up. “I had to see the soldiers off. I’m sorry daddy. Grim said it was alright.”

Kid blinked in surprise, edging out of the way, and hoping he could somehow melt into one of the walls. The Earl snorted. “You can do better than that.”

She smiled. “I can.”

Ilyena walked over to the Earl while Kid edged toward the door. He caught the words “blood on his collar.”

Kid bolted for the door, but the Earl was faster. He felt a hand roughly pull his collar, then his feet left the floor and he was flying across the room. Kid landed with an audible thunk against the wood floor. He scurried backward, away from the Earl who followed him. Kid’s back hit one of the plush chairs as the boots thumped closer. He froze, staring up at the Earl, panic overtaking him and paralyzing his muscles. Out the corner of his eyes he saw Ilyena eat a grape. She caught his eye and winked before popping another in her mouth.

Kid’s hands shook as the Earl knelt to his level. “Who are you really? And why do you claim to have a message for me?”

Kid stammered. “I- I-”

The Earl seemed to lose his patience. He rifled through Kid’s pockets until he found the letter he was supposed to deliver to Grim. The Earl took it and warmed the seal over a candle. Kid shivered as the Earl drew his belt knife, imagining it sinking into his guts. Rodger Thorne pushed the knife beneath the seal, opening the envelope without breaking it. He pulled the letter out and passed it to Ilyena. “Read.” He then shook six silver coins from the envelope, letting them fall into his palm. He looked at them curiously.

The girl took the note and ran her eyes across the words. She burst out laughing. “Well?” the Earl asked.

Ilyena shook her head, still grinning. “These Sons have a sick sense of humor.” She walked over to the Earl and whispered into his ear. The man actually smirked. Then he looked at Kid and chuckled.

He put the coins and letter back in the envelope and resealed it. “Damnit Grim,” he said, shaking his head.

Kid shied away as the Earl knelt before him once more. “Do you know why you were caught?” he asked.

Kid frowned, struggling to speak past the lump in his throat. “The blood?” he managed

The Earl shook his head. “The Venarans don’t hire children from the Outwalls. There’d never be a messenger named Kid. I get the impression your handler didn’t fill you in on this. I bet they didn’t even describe the layout of the castle to you. Do you know where you are Kid?”

Kid shook his head, fighting back the tears threatening to appear in his eyes.

“That’s what I thought. They sent you here entirely unprepared. I suspect your handler wouldn’t miss you very much if you disappeared.” The Earl ran a finger along the edge of his knife. “But I have a better use for you. Tell me, do you want to live Kid?”

Kid nodded, fingertips digging into the hardwood.

“Then from now on when you are given a message, you bring it to me first.” He sheathed the knife. “If anybody tells you something interesting, you inform me. If you serve me well, you will have my protection. If you betray me, you will be my enemy. I never forget the face of an enemy, Kid.” The Earl leaned closer. “Fortunately, I have few to remember.”

The man’s eyes bored through Kid, seizing his spine in a cold embrace of fear. He could only nod.

“Good.” The Earl reached into his pocket and pulled out a Golden Hart. He placed the heavy, golden coin in Kid’s hand. “For your first letter. Now go deliver it,” Rodger said, rising to his full height.

Kid rose to his feet, staring wide eyed at the coin in his hand. “My lord, where are your kitchens?”

The Earl stared at him until Ilyena spoke up. “For future reference, the kitchens are on the first floor. I’ll take you.”

“Like hell you will,” Kid said, finding his voice and quickly regretting it. He winced, expecting the Earl to strike him but instead, he gestured to the door. “Out. Both of you.”

Ilyena left and Kid followed her to the door, not daring to disobey. As he walked through the doorway, the Earl spoke again. “I expect to be seeing you soon Kid.”

Kid looked back to the gold coin clutched in his palm. He knew he would be back. A voice in the back of his mind whispered, “Greed is the death of thieves.”

“What’s that?” Ilyena asked.

Kid blinked. He didn’t realize he had spoken out loud. “It’s just something my mom told me when I was little.”

“Was?” she asked. Kid glared at her. “A word of advice, Kid. You’re not the first runner my father caught and made that offer. If greed is the death of thieves, then I suggest you become a pauper.”

Kid grew a shade paler. “How many?” he asked as they entered the stairwell

“Enough for me to know you’re expendable to them. Father is your best chance.”

Kid swallowed. He was pretty sure the Earl scared him even more than Marc. “Why are you helping me?”

She shrugged. “Because it amuses me. It’s rare that I get to do anything remotely enjoyable around here. And you made father entirely forget I misbehaved. Thanks, by the way.”

“Was I so obviously out of place?” he asked

“Only once you opened your mouth.” Kid nervously tugged at his collar. Ilyena stopped in the hall and looked at him. “Stop doing that,” she whispered, “How do you think I noticed the blood?”

Kid closed his eyes and sighed in frustration as Ilyena started walking again. The two guards by the keep entryway gave them quizzical looks as they passed by again but didn’t comment. Kid grumbled under his breath. It should have been obvious she was leading him astray. It made him think back to the Earl’s words. Could Hilda have been trying to get him killed? He frowned. In the future, he would have to be more careful around her, just in case.

Ilyena stopped outside a large pair of double doors. “Here we are. I trust you can finish your subversive mission without the help of the family you’re trying to subvert?”

Kid wasn’t sure what any of that meant but he nodded. “Uh. Yeah.”

Ilyena rolled her eyes at him and started to walk away. She pinched his butt as she passed. Kid jumped and turned beet red. Equal measures embarrassed and annoyed, he still couldn’t help watching her walk away. Kid shook his head. He needed to get his shit together. This whole day was turning into one of those twisted nightmares where you forget to put on pants all day. Except instead of forgetting his pants, he lost his wits.

Kid sighed in exasperation and pushed the kitchen door open. He started salivating as a vibrant rainbow of aromas assaulted him. Warmth from the fires rolled over his skin, already making him start perspiring beneath his jacket. Kid walked inside and watched the dozens of kitchen staff chopping vegetables, cooking meat, and baking fresh loaves of bread. The mere sight of it all made his stomach rumble. Not knowing what else to do, he took a seat at one of the tables.

Within seconds a portly middle-aged woman appeared before him. She leaned on the table in front of him and in a very grave tone asked, “How long have you felt like a goat?”

Kid sighed and pursed his lips. “Since I was a Kid.”

The woman snorted. If I ever catch who comes up with these dumb phrases, I’ll fong him over the head meself.” She shook her head and extended a hand. “I’m Mara, welcome to my kitchen.”

Kid clasped her arm and shook it. “I’m Kid. Just Kid.”

Mara giggled and rolled her eyes. “Sure ye are.” She lowered her voice. “I’m going to need you to wait here until the kitchen closes after dinner. If anybody asks, tell them you got wrangled into cleaning the stoves tonight. I’ll get ye some food in the meantime.”

Kid nodded his understanding and watched as the portly woman walked around her kitchen, gathering various food. First, she grabbed a loaf of bread and tossed it to Kid. “They say that in the Outwalls if you give a pretty girl some bread she’ll give you some head,” she said. Kid winced. It wasn’t far from the truth.

As Kid devoured the bread, Mara grabbed a plate and started heaping dinner rolls atop it. “They say a roll a day for a roll in the hay.” Then she grabbed a haunch of lamb with the fat still dripping off it. “They say for a handful of meats you’ll be in the sheets.” She added an ear of corn to the plate. “For bit’o corn she’ll see you in the morn.”

Kid was blushing yet again. This was shaping up to be one of the most embarrassing days of his life. Mara put the plate in front of him. “There ye go young master, all the tools ye need to become an aspiring young philanderer. Never forget, the way to a woman’s heart is through the belly,” Mara said patting her ample stomach and giving Kid a wink. He wished he could crawl into a hole and die. Many of the kitchen staff were smirking and shooting glances at him out of the corner of their eyes.

“Ey! Back to work all of ye!” Mara cried, grabbing a ladle and thwacking one of the grinning staff across the backside. All eyes immediately left Kid as they returned to work in earnest. Kid felt vindicated and allowed himself a self-deprecating smile before digging into the food. It was hands down the best meal he had ever eaten.

Several hours passed while Kid lounged about in the warm kitchen with a full belly. If he was going to get paid by Marc and the Earl to do this all day, then maybe this assignment wasn’t so bad after all. Kid released a happy sigh as he patted his full stomach in satisfaction. The last few members of the staff were finally exiting the kitchen, leaving Kid and Mara alone.

Mara closed and locked the door behind them. Then she turned to Kid. “Come boy.”

Kid followed her to one of the large stoves. “Up you go then,” she said.

Kid stared at her with the expression of a particularly confused cow being led into the slaughterhouse. “Up? There?” he asked, turning his head to the chimney.

Mara nodded. “Yup.”

“You’re joking.”

Mara raised an eyebrow. “I am surely not. Didn’t they mention this to you? They didn’t pick you for your dashing good looks. They sent you here because you’ll fit.” She looked at the chimney. “In there.”

Kid swallowed. “And why exactly can’t I take the stairs?”

“If you want to dance to the gallows, be my guest. You’re not the subtlest boy who’s come through here, but at least you had the sense to give me a fake name. Kid? Phaw.”

Kid mentally berated himself, but didn’t correct her. Idiot.

Mara continued, “Messengers aren’t allowed on the upper floors without an escort and believe me, ye don’t want them looking too close at ye. Some might look the other way, but I know enough hard-asses not to want you to bet yer life on it.”

Kid nodded. “Okay. But how does climbing a chimney help me?”

Mara furrowed her eyebrows at him. “Yer seriously not having a spot of fun with me?” Kid shook his head. Mara frowned. “Word of advice Kid, watch your back. Information is life in your line of work and somebody’s been holding out on ye.”

Kid swallowed a rising bubble of anger. He was going to hit Hilda over the head with a frying pan when he got back. A scowl lined his face. He was getting back.

Mara gestured to the stove. “The chimney connects to the ventilation system for the fireplaces throughout the castle. Too small for a man to get in, but just big enough for a pipsqueak like yerself to shimmy through. But, if too many fires are burnin, It’s gonna be damned hard to breathe so you gotta be quick.”

Mara pulled a rag from her waistband and dunked it in a nearby barrel of water. She held it out to Kid. “Tie this around your head. It’ll make it a little easier to breathe.”

Kid took the rag from her. “Could you give me some directions?”

Mara nodded, the frown still creasing her lips. “Eh, to Grim’s room- Yer going to want to climb straight up two stories to the third floor and-” Mara started counting on her fingers. “Eh. Six- No! Seven rooms to your right. Go down that chute and you should pop out in his fireplace. Here’s to hoping it ain’t lit.”

Mara grinned at him. Kid sighed. “Then I wait for him to come home, hand him the letter and leave the same way?”

Mara’s grin slipped away. “Yer giving it to him in person? Not leaving it? That’s- highly irregular.”

“What do you mean?”

Mara shrugged. “What’s the point of all the chimney crawling if you’re going to let him see who you are. The whole point of this system is the secrecy.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t do this?”

“Did you take the money?”

Kid nodded. Mara gestured to the stove.

The rag was moist against his lips as he tied it around his head, its coolness seeping into his flesh. He took one last breath of fresh air before climbing into the stove and looking up the chimney. It was pitch black. “How am I supposed to see?”

“Yer not. No way you can climb that without both hands. You’re going to have to feel through it.”

Kid chuckled nervously.

Greed is the death of thieves.

He reached his arms into the chimney and with a jump, pulled himself into darkness.

There was barely enough room inside for his shoulders to fit uncomfortably. His arms were scrunched against his chest with a modicum of space for him to claw his way upwards. His shoes ground against the soot lining the bricks. Small crumbs fell to the floor of stove beneath him. Their clatter and his already heavy breathing were the only sounds as he clawed his way forward. He scraped his feet against the wall, struggling to find purchase between the cobbled bricks. His fingers fit into the cracks between the stone, but he could already feel cuts starting grow as he struggled to climb higher.

He reached for his next handhold and his hand missed the wall. At first, he was confused, then he realized he had reached the second floor. Kid grabbed the ledge and pulled himself higher until he could reach the wall above the chute. Kid kept climbing. The air was acquiring a smoky stench and each breath was starting to burn his lungs. He clawed harder, his muscles burning from the exertion. It was getting hot. Blood flowed down his hands as the cuts grew larger. He was getting desperate, his shoulders shaking from the abuse as his legs scrambled to find footholds.

He reached another hand up, it disappeared into the wall. He reached the third level. If he had the energy to cry out in joy, he would have. Kid heaved his shoulder onto the ledge and pushed himself onto it. He hung like that a moment, torso, flopped against the warm stone, while his legs dangled out over the abyss. He could stay like that forever.

A violent cough wracked his body as the air burned his throat. No. He had to keep going. Which way? Kid could barely remember where he was anymore. He crawled into the tunnel he hung from, hoping it was the right one. This chute was even more cramped than the previous, but it angled downward, allowing him to slide his body along the soot, through darkness.

He saw the flickering of firelight to the right and left as he passed the first set of rooms. Then the second, the third. Sweat was dripping down his forehead, stinging his eyes as the heat became unbearable. Kid reached a hand forward and he touched cloth. A fit of coughing wracked him and when he finally managed to breathe in, the acrid smell of smoke was mingled with rot and the stench of burnt meat. Kid pawed at the cloth and realized there was a leg under it. He struggled not to vomit. The corpse was in his way. He had to move it. But where? It was getting hard to think and the air only seemed to grow thicker.

He grabbed the leg and hauled it toward him, feeling the skin beneath the cloth peel away. Kid vomited, but he kept pulling. Inch by inch, he pulled the corpse through his own vomit until he reached a side passage. Kid scrabbled at the corpse, pushing it to the right and shoving it deeper into the dim light emanating from the side passage. As he pushed it out of his path the light from the fire illuminated its face. Kid didn’t think he would ever sleep again. He wasted no time clawing his way through the sloughed skin and vomit. That was not going to be him.

He passed the fifth room. Or was it the sixth? He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time for doubts. He couldn’t stop coughing, but he kept moving. He passed the sixth room and pulled himself around the right corner of the seventh. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. Thank the Divines, and bless the Goddess for her mercy.

The air was better over here, but he was still struggling for breath as he crawled the last few feet. The floor gave way, revealing a room below. Kid reached down, and his hand hit a metal grate. He began to cry and started beating his fists against the grate like a crazed animal. He coughed, and specks of blood came out, spotting his hands. He could feel the grate giving way. It was starting to bend. He lost all semblance of time. He needed to get through.

The grate snapped and crashed into the floor of the fireplace with the deafening clatter of metal on stone. Kid almost leapt through the opening, but a voice in the back of his head told him to wait.

A knocking sounded from the door. A pause. A second knock. Kid shrank back from the opening as he heard the door open. Blackness was encroaching on the edges of his vision. footsteps echoed from the room below. Kid silently sobbed but no tears came forth. A moment passed. The door closed.

Kid gave himself one final pull. He had the sensation of falling-