The back alleys of Kasin passed by in a blur as Kris made her way home. Slowly the buildings became more stone than wood as she left the slums around the canals, eventually winding up in one of the poorer mercantile districts. The scents of spices and cooked meats met her nose, and her mouth began to water. Everywhere she looked there were stalls and storefronts, offering goods ranging from exotic foods to weapons to sturdy clothing. Ignoring the ache in her belly, she kept her eyes peeled for the guard she’d pilfered from earlier, as well as any other faces that might recognize her. Thankfully, she was small enough to slip into the crowd unnoticed, weaving through the waves of people without much difficulty.

This was her typical ‘workplace’, and one she had come to know well. When a troop of guards entered the same courtyard as her from the opposite end, she quickly and silently stepped into an alley barely wider than she was. It took a few extra minutes, but soon she was behind the guards, slipping back into the crowd like nothing had happened.

It didn’t take long for her to exit the mercantile district, heading south until the buildings once again became weathered and downtrodden. The smells of cooking meat and spices were replaced with unwashed bodies and human waste, the sharp, metallic scent of blood breaking through from time to time.

The buildings became taller, too. Stone at the base for a few stories, but then with wooden extensions built up from the rooves, sometimes adding four or five extra stories to the original structure. In places they were connected by wooden bridges or supports, leaning against each other until at times it became unclear where one building began and the other ended. Gradually, most natural light was filtered and blocked out, the web-like network of makeshift structures above her almost like a roof.

She kept to the ground level, weaving her way through the crowds as quickly as she could without drawing attention. They were thinner here, most people off at whatever work they might have, legal or otherwise. The ones that remained though, they were exactly the types Kris wanted to keep her distance from.

“If ya ain’t got the coin fer it, then the bloody hells are you even doin’ here?”

“Just give it to me! I’ll pay the rest later, swear it!”

Kris kept her eye on the sudden commotion, taking place right at the edge of an alley. The two men arguing, both pale, dirty and dark haired, were glaring at each other dangerously. The one who’d yelled first was the larger of the two, a middle aged, barrel chested man with a grimy beard down to his belly. The other was younger, thin and shirtless, his wiry frame tense like an animal about to pounce.

“Ya said that last time, now get the fuck out.”

The wiry man ground his teeth, nearly frothing at the mouth. Kris skirted around the two, staying as close to the far wall of the street as possible, along with the other members of the crowd.

Without warning the wiry man lunged, and blood sprayed from the larger man’s stomach. The wiry man ripped his knife back out, then stabbed again, and again, and again.

“Give it, give it, give it!” He screamed.

The larger man flailed as he tried to block, but his eyes were wide in shock and he moved too slowly. Eventually the younger man switched his grip on the knife, holding it in an icepick grip as he took to stabbing the taller man in the chest.

“Where is it?! Give it to me!”

The larger man coughed and choked, sliding down the wall as the other now took to brutalising his neck, plunging the knife in time after time.

Much of the crowd watched in shock, backing away. Kris did much the same, trying to push her way through but finding too many bodies blocking her to move.

“Where’s my fucking mince, damn you!”

Kris stepped out into the clearing that had formed as people backed away from the assault. She took off at a sprint, putting the commotion behind her as the screaming continued, slowly getting quieter and quieter.

She ran the rest of the way through the district, not caring who saw. She just needed to put that behind her, and the sooner the better.

When she finally reached the edge of the tent city, she finally slowed, a sense of relief washing over her. She sighed, almost laughing at herself in disdain. It was the first time she’d ever felt relief upon coming here, and all it had taken was two murders happening right in front of her in an afternoon.

It took a while to navigate back to her family’s tent, carefully keeping her distance from the endless eyes that searched her for anything of value. Her own people, Arklanders and outsiders alike, looked at her without an ounce of familiarity or kindness.

An ache in her heart reminded her of a time before this, just a few short years ago when the Arklands had been their own nation. Even in the midst of war, they’d been neighbours, countrymen and friends, people that Kris and her family could trust.

Now, she was terrified that a single coin might clink from within the coin purses she carried, and that one sound could have her killed.

She stopped just outside the walls of her own tent when she arrived. Taking a deep breath, she hoped that he wouldn’t be inside, and pulled aside the flap.

“Kris!” Harriet cried instantly, beaming at her.

But for once, it wasn’t her little sister that caught Kris’ attention.

“Ma?” She asked, blinking a few times.

Her mother smiled back tiredly, the bags under her eyes laying heavily.

“Welcome home, Kris.”

Kris ran straight to them both, throwing her arms around first her mother and then Harriet when the little girl got up from her bed to join.

“How are you? Have you been eating enough? Oh, girls, you’re so thin…”

“Ma, you haven’t been home in weeks. Are you well?” Kris asked, looking her mother over with every bit the worry that her mother was doing to her.

“I’m fine. Kris, where were you? I came home late last night, and you’ve been gone since I arrived. Where did you go?”

Her mother pulled away from the embrace, looking Kris over intently with piercing green eyes. Her hair was the same dark jade colour as Harriet’s, something rare even among Arklanders, and even rarer here in Kasin.

“I was… working,” Kris said quietly, her shoulders shifting a bit in guilt.

Her mother’s eyes narrowed, then softened as they turned towards the ground in shame.

“You shouldn’t have to do that.”

“But look, I got something!” Kris said, trying to sound excited for Harriet’s sake. She pulled out the coin purse she’d snatched, holding it up for all to see.

Her mother took the purse from her, looking it over carefully.

“Kris… this is a guard’s purse.”

Kris froze, all pretence at excitement gone. Her mother glared daggers at her, clutching the purse tightly.

“You know it’s too dangerous to be stealing from guards! You could’ve been killed. Do you want to be up in the gallows with every other rotten thief and crook in this city?!”

“Ma, I-”

Her mother stepped in close, and Kris was smothered in a tight hug before she could respond. It took her a second to react, but Kris wrapped her arms around her mother back.

“Please, Kris, I’m back now, with enough coin to get you through the month. Don’t… don’t put yourself at risk again. Let me and your Pa look after you, yes?”

Kris slumped in shame, her limbs shaking as she let go.

“Pa hasn’t brought back a coin in weeks,” Kris muttered.

Her mother’s jaw clenched, and a pained look crossed her face.

“Well, that’s fine. You girls have enough here for now.”

“What?” Kris asked, pulling away. “You say that as if you’re leaving again.”

She smiled sadly back, and Kris’ heart dropped.

“Don’t go,” Kris pleaded.

“My… work won’t let me leave for too long. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“Ma, please,” Kris said, stepping closer as tears pricked at her eyes. “You just got home.”

“I know, sweetie, I know,” her mother said softly. “Look after Harriet for me, will you? Make sure she eats something.”

“You’re leaving?” Harriet asked timidly.

“Not for long. I’ll be back in a few days, if all goes well. Just stay out of trouble until then for me, okay?”

Harriet shrunk down, sitting back onto a wooden crate and hugging her knees to her chest.

“Fann,” an unfamiliar man’s voice said from the entryway, drawing the girls’ attention.

Standing there in the entry was a stranger, a man with dark hair that hung in braids down his back. His nose was crooked and his face lined with scars, and his green eyes glinted dangerously with the promise of violence.

“You wanted to stay til the other came home. We’re running late as is. Wrap this up.”

Kris bristled at the man’s curt tone, but her mother squeezed her shoulder and subtly shook her head.

“Come here, both of you,” Fann said, pulling them both into another hug.

“Who’s he, Ma?” Harriet whispered.

“We work together,” she whispered back. “Don’t worry about him, Hari. He’s here to keep me safe.”

“Do people want to hurt you?” Hari asked, her voice a tiny, mouse-like squeak.

“No, no… I’m fine. I promise.”

Kris bit her tongue. She didn’t believe her mother for a second.

“I’ll see you in a few days,” Fann said, pulling away from them. “Hari, show Kris where we hid the coin. Kris, make sure you both eat, for goodness sake.”

Both girls nodded their heads. Fenn sighed, sparing them one last look over her shoulder before she left the tent.

“I love you both. Stay safe.”

“I love you too,” Kris muttered in response, though their mother had already left the tent, guarded by the stranger who stayed at her side.

The tent flap closed behind them, and they sat in silence for a while. It was the grumbling of Hari’s tummy that finally made Kris get up.

“Well, Ma’s orders. What do you want to eat?” Kris asked, forcing herself to put on a smile for her little sister.

Hari kicked her legs weakly against the side of the box, not looking up from her lap.

“C’mon, Hari, I know you’re hungry. It’s been days since Pa came back with food last. Why don’t we go to the market?”

Her little sister pulled her knees up to her chest again, resting her chin on them and staring listlessly at the floor.

Kris sighed, and sat on the box next to her.

“I know we haven’t seen Ma in a while, and Pa’s… busy, but I’m still here, yeah? And we finally have some good coin, see? Take a look.”

Kris brought out both of her coin purses, the guard’s she’d stolen and her own, which still held a few coppers and silvers from her last ‘job’. Kris opened the top of the guard’s pouch first, rattling the many coins inside. There must have been a dozen silvers and twice as many coppers… more than Kris had seen in months.

“We can eat like kings tonight, if we want,” Kris said proudly, rubbing her shoulder against Hari’s. The little girl barely looked at the purse. “You want steak? Mash? Maybe something from home… boar or skipperfish? I’m sure we can find something.”

“I want to go home,” Hari finally responded.

Kris froze, and she felt a pained look appear on her face as much as she tried to continue smiling.

“...This is home, now.”

“No it’s not!” Hari shouted back, voice quivering. “I hate it here! I miss home!”

Kris felt her throat tighten. She missed home too, and it ached in her heart every time she thought about it. But what could she do? What could she say?

There was no home to return to after the war.

“We can’t go back, Hari,” Kris said quietly. “This is home now, until we have enough money to move to Orrchester.”

“When?! When will that happen? I’m tired of waiting! I’m tired of being left alone while you all go to ‘work’, when I know you’re stealing!”

Kris sucked in breath, feeling like she’d been punched in the gut.

“I can help too. I can help! I want to!”

“Don’t start with this again,” Kris shot back angrily. “Hari, it ain’t safe out there, you’re-”

“-Too little, and too young,” Harriet finished for her, tears streaming down her face. “I know.”

Then Harriet turned away, and refused to look at her. She walked to the bed and laid down, then pulled a ratty blanket up to her nose and stared at the tent wall in silence.

Kris waited a moment, unsure what to say. When it became clear Harriet wasn’t going to turn around again, Kris too turned away, and left out the tent door.

“Troubles with the young’un, eh?” An older man asked, from where he was sitting on a stool not far from their tent.

“Aye,” Kris said back quietly. “You were listening, Owen?”

“Hard not to, with how thin them tents are.”

Kris walked over and sat on the ground next to him, hugging her knees to her chest. Owen sat in silence beside her, peacefully whittling away at a thin stick with a small knife.

He was an old family friend, in a sense. Kris had known him for as long as she could remember, an old man who refused to retire from the guard of the tiny village they’d called home. He’d lost his wife decades ago, and his kids had long since moved away to the major cities. He’d been travelling with their family and several others since they left the Arklands, and had settled into a tent directly across from Kris’.

Owen was also the one who looked after Harriet while they were all away. They paid him a few silver every now and then, and he seemed content enough to watch over their tent and a few others, the same old spear he’d carried back in the Arklands resting at his side.

“Been a long time since me own were that age,” Owen muttered, his wheezing, raspy voice a familiar comfort. “Always trouble, some ways or another, hm?”

Kris rested her chin down onto her knees.

“Course, trouble’s all too common these days,” Owen continued. “Don’t need to be no troublesome age to find yerself in it.”

“Do you think Hari hates me?” Kris asked, staring down at the dirt.

Owen wheezed in a quiet laugh.

“Hate? Now what goes givin’ ya that idea?”

Kris shuffled her feet uncomfortably. There was a pit in her stomach that didn’t want to leave.

“All that girl does when you’re not ‘round is talk ‘bout ya,” Owen said, continuing to calmly whittle away. “She looks up to ya. So young yerself, yet all out and about, helpin’ the family and comin’ back with foods n’ treats n’ coin. She don’t hate you, she wants to be out with you.”

Kris shrunk down a little lower. She knew all of that already… but how could she let Hari come along? To put her into the same alleys and gutters, have her see the same things she did? No, it was better to have her here, where Owen could watch over her.

“I say, you want to cheer her up, stay around for the next few days. Spend some time with the lass. Maybe ‘fore then though, bring her back somethin’ nice to eat… and a morself for ole’ Owen too, if ya can spare it.”

With a deep breath, Kris got to her feet.

“Thanks,” she said dejectedly. “You’re right… I’ll go get her something, then stay for a few nights. Do ya want anythin’ in particular?”

Owen shook his head.

“Just teasin’, lass. I got me own, and yer ma already paid me when she was here.”

Kris nodded thankfully to the man, feeling at least a little better now.

“Be back soon, make sure Hari doesn’t go anywhere.”

Then, Kris left, winding her way through the streets in the opposite direction of the district she typically ‘worked’ in. It wouldn’t do to show her face there for a while, if she could help it. At least not during the daylight.

It took a while to reach the nearby market district, a wealthier one than where she did her business, but not so wealthy that she would be out of place dressed in rags as she was. It was important to keep her nose clean in this place, and her face just another forgettable one in the crowd.

She soon found her way to a familiar stall, where a married Arklander couple had turning spits of meat roasting over an open flame. She waited in the crowd, pressed up against the wooden frame of the stall, until the woman on the other side saw and recognized her.

After ordering her usual, Kris pulled out her own coin purse, having left the guard’s back in her tent, and pulled back the drawstring. Inside, at the very top of the little pile of coins, a little piece of parchment caught her eye.

Huh? What… what is this?

She pulled it out carefully, and turned it over. It was a coin, or at least it felt like one, just the same size as all the others but wrapped tightly in a piece of worn parchment, and tied together with twine.

The woman behind the stall handed Kris her food, and Kris pocketed the strange coin quickly before paying. She carried her food to the edge of the marketplace, waiting until she found a quiet alley to duck into where no eyes would easily reach her.

She pulled out the strange object again, and undid the twine. The moment she pulled away the parchment, her eyes narrowed as a frown crossed her face.

Inside was a plain, worn copper coin, exactly like any other in her coin purse. But on the inside of the paper, scrawled words in black ink spelled out a message in a flowing, looping handwriting.

Thrice forwards and twice back

The coin is your key

For the one-eyed man hides freedom and riches

In the Well where all rats and dogs drink

At the bottom of the paper, instead of a signature, a little drawing of a songbird with spread wings stared back at her. It took her only a second to recognize the bird, one that was common in nigh every part of both Arkasia and the Arklands.

A finch.

A pang of frustration went through her, as she remembered how the strange man had stolen her purse not once, but twice. She’d guessed at its weight to see if anything had been missing, but never had she even dreamed that he’d put something inside instead.

And now, she didn’t know what to think. The riddle, if she could even call it as such, didn’t make a lick of sense. ‘The coin is your key’ was obvious enough, but… how was that even supposed to work?

She inspected the coin closely, flipping it over to see both sides. It was nearly identical to every other coin in her purse. One face held the outline of King Nathaniel the First, the current Emperor’s dead father. The other side showed the outline of the country’s border, from back before it was the Empire, when it was still the Kingdom of Arkasia. From the western coast where Orrchester lay, to the Selerican Sea in the east and the border with the Arklands.

There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary about the coin at all, other than that it was a bit outdated. But then, so were most coins she had.

Even still, she pocketed the coin separate from the rest, after wrapping it back in the paper note. She huffed in frustration, trying to shove it from her mind until later, when she wasn’t in a strange alley on the other side of town.

Her food was getting cold, after all. Whatever that man wanted from her could wait.