Finding Magic

Silver and Copper

The crowds' cheers roar in my head. The bartender glares at me as he wipes his blood from his lips. I just step back and fasten my cap tighter on my head, making sure my dragon tattoo is hidden.

The bartender lashes out at my chest, hoping to knock the wind out of me. I dance out of the way, but he manages to hit me on the forearm. The crowd jeers and laughs. With a roar of anger, I tackle him. The bartender falls rather inelegantly on his butt. But I wasn't being careful. My cap slides off my head and my braid spills out.

The crowd is silent for a moment. Then they laugh at the bartender for losing to a girl. As he gets up, the bartender shoots me one last glare and sulks off.

The fight master comes and gives me my winnings. It's a sad sum. 2 silvers and 3 copper. I take my money and walk away from the fight. A young man steps in front of me on my way out.

"Tough one, aren't you? Won't you let me buy you a drink?" I give him a smoldering glare. He reaches around to play with my long braid. "And you're awfully pretty...."

I lift my knee sharply and hit him squarely where the sun doesn't reach. He doubles over, coughing. I stalk off.

I blink as I walk out of the alleyway. People bustle about, crowding the streets. Small open shops on the side of the road display wares. Maids sweep and dust the outside of stores. Servant boys scramble after their mistresses, struggling to hold parasols over the ladies' heads or carrying heavy packages.

I walk briskly into the main street. Some people gawk rudely as I walk past. At first I think it's because if the gash on my arm from the fight. Then something tickles my arm. I grab it and realize I left my braid untucked.

The people are staring because they think they see a young woman in a tunic and breeches. I thank Shire that I'm strangely flat-chested for a girl my age.

I duck into another alley and tuck my braid back under my hat. Then I briskly walk out into the street again.

*************************************

It's nearly sunhigh by the time I reach the shop. I shimmy up the candle post and drop neatly into my room. A slender girl with short black hair sits by the table. Alle jumps as I tap her on the shoulder. She sets the sheet she was mending down in a huff.

"You know I hate it when you do that!" Alle says. Then she notices the long mark on my arm.

"Oh no. Kaida, you haven't been in a scrap fight again, have you?" I give her a sheepish grin as I put my money into my coinbox.

"You know Magie doesn't like you entering those." I don't look up as I untie my boots.

"It's the only way I make decent money." I say. Alle sighs.

"I know." She sits down next to me. "We both know Magie would pay us more if she could." I finish untying my boots.

"But she can't." I say coldly. "Because of the taxes."

The kingdom is almost bankrupt. The kin needed money and he got it by taxing the people. Our shop does well enough, but space costs money. I knew I could make pocket money by scrap fights, but by the time I was old enough to enter the scrap fight, rules had changed.

It used to be if you won, you got the money bet against you. But now the people who bet on the fight get the money. The fighters got money bet on them. I'm not good at betting, but I'm decent at fighting.

Alle has the same thought.

"I know you win. But you worry Magie. Frankly, you worry me." I tug on my corset.

"It's our day off. Why are you working?" I say, desperately trying to change the subject. Alle grins.

"I have nothing better to do. The mistress next door is paying me 3 copper to mend these sheets." As she talks I open our closet to decide on a dress. I select a silky sky blue shift and skirt with silver embroidery.

"What do you mean, nothing to do?" I say indignantly while I pull on the dress. "Come to the scrap fights with me. There are plenty of handsome men there. I'll fight and you flirt." Alle flushes a deep red, making her freckles even more noticeable. I smirk and slide my mother's silver slippers gracefully over my feet.