Child of the Stars

CHAPTER ONE

 "After that scammer!"

Shoot. They figured me out.

I turn around and see a Kaipa tailing me through the packed street. I've got to pick up the pace if I'm going to lose him in the crowd.

I pick my way carefully through the street, weaving in and out of dense throngs of people, trying to lose the Kaipa behind me. I don't even know why that shopkeeper thought I did something bad enough to send a Kaipa after me.

All I did was talk him up with my undeniable charm, then use some expert sleight of hand to swipe some produce. That does not warrant a Kaipa. It's just a little bit of theft. Just a bit.

I soon find what I'm looking for. A small, abandoned building tucked into a shabby alley.

Using the crowd as cover, I slip into the alley and nudge the door open.

The family hiding inside panics when the door opens, until they realize that it's just me.

"Here," I say, handing the father the food I managed to snatch from the market. "I'm sorry I couldn't get more for you."

"Thank you," the mother says, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you so much."

"Anything to help," I say warmly. "I'm afraid I've got to get going." The moment I finish my sentence, I hear the Kaipa asking people in the crowd if they've seen someone matching my description. "May the stars shine upon you." I leave the building through a back door, as to not lead the Kaipa right to the people I

was trying to help.

Once I arrive back on the main street, I scour the crowd

for any sign of the Kaipa who had been looking for me, and seeing nothing, I started making my way through the busy street.

All of a sudden, something catches my eye in an abandoned factory to my right. There aren't supposed to be lights in that building. It's been shut down for years. I've got to check this out.

I creep into the building and search the first floor. After finding nothing, a reasonable person would leave. Not me.

I find the stairwell and start making my way up the floors on the rickety steps.

When I finally reach the top floor, I pause to catch my breath. There were way more stairs than I thought that there would be. After a few moments standing by the stairwell, I start looking around. I don't even know why I'm looking on this top floor; it's almost completely empty. There are a few sets of shelving and workstations still scattered around, but other than that, there's nothing.

Clang. I hear a tiny sound in the room. My muscles tense, and I begin to creep through the room, weaving through the furniture pieces left in here.

Clang. That sound again. Where is it coming from?

I'm on edge. The knowledge that there's another person in this building has put all of my senses on high.

Clang. I whip around, pulling out my dagger, ready to fight... a rat?

The rat skitters away from me, holding a moldy crumb of some unidentifiable food.

I relax, putting my knife away.

As I begin walking back to the stairs, I see the Kaipa hiding behind a table. Before I even have time to react, I'm in a headlock.

Instead of struggling, my instincts kick in. I send my left

hand sailing over my head, colliding with the one place where the Kaipa doesn't have armor; right beneath his left ear. One hit,