An Ember Bright

Chapter 1

"We're going to get caught if you don't stop moving."

"Well it's going to rain, and I don't want to get wet."

I roll my eyes and look up at the sky. There are a few small, grey clouds, but not enough to warrant any concern.

"Finn, it's not going to rain before we're done, if it even rains at all,." I say, exasperated. Loading days are already hard enough, and doing anything with Finn is so mentally taxing that he's always begged not to go out on jobs. Not that he minds. The lazy fool would gladly sit around all day, i. If it wasn't for the fact he'd be on his own in the streets if he didn't pull his weight.

"Where are all the Aurelians?" Finn asks. "They're usually crowding the whole city today."

"As if I haven't noticed our suppliers aren't here," I reply.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd? They never miss a day." As Finn speaks, his voice becomes louder. He's oblivious, of course, to the strange glances pedestrians give to the talking bush.

I clap a hand over his mouth. "Finn, be quiet. The city guard already has it out for me. I don't need you getting me caught." I shake him a bit for good measure and resume my search for an ignorant Loader.

"How is this even going to work? It's not like they're going to hand out their money to us."

"Were you not listening to anyone before we left?" I ask incredulously. He has the gall to shrug. I stare at him, considering how much trouble I'd get into if I shoved him in front of a speeding horse. "The nobility are too wealthy for their own good," I remind him. "Our sector's got the highest-quality goods sold, meaning more Loaders. Sometimes they'll get careless with their purse and happen to lose a few coins here and there."

Finn stares at me blankly. "What do you mean?"

I groan. How is it possible for someone to be this dense? "On the off chance they notice their pockets are a little lighter, they'll assume they bought an overpriced necklace or left their change at a seamstress. While a little extra money means the world to us, it's another tax for them to add on," I add bitterly.

In the distance, the clocktower bell rings through the air nineteen times. I groan and shift my position. It's been three hours since Finn and I came to the market. It should have been a one-to-two-hour task of bumping through a few nobles, keeping our heads down. Then we'd return with enough money to last our crew at least a month. But Finn and I have been crouching behind the same bush for hours, waiting for even one Loader to walk by.

"Where are they?" I mutter. Along with the lack of nobles, it appears everything has lost its life today.

The vendors - regularly yelling over one another and vying for the attention of customers - cry out half-heartedly, as if skeptical they will sell anything at all and may as well save their energy. Usually, children run around the stalls and chase after one another in their games, but they don't run as fast today. They seem tired and play like it's a chore. The people - always bustling from one seller to another while constantly chattering - are abnormally quiet, shuffling from one stall to the next with their eyes half open. It's like the lack of nobility gracing us with their scheduled presence has leached the world dry of its energy.

Only the city guard act normally. They prowl through, eyes scanning everything and anything, searching for someone to cause a problem with. The guards assume they are above the rest of us Standards. Although, all are Standards like us, the crest of Rioda printed on their grey chests give them the twisted ideal the rest of us are worthless.

One guard with an especially malicious expression sets his eyes on a nearby woman's bosom . He smirks and nudges the guard next to him. The two stare at the woman and launch into a conversation about herthe woman, based on their gestures and expressions. The woman notices and glances down at her chest, then back at the guards. She meets their eyes and they give her an awful grin. She puts her head down, cheeks flaming, and rushes away. The guards laugh for a bit and move along, looking for another to harass.

My temper rises. It's all too common that the guards take on that sense of authority and abuse it with no repercussion. Supposedly here to keep the peace and ensure the safety of Standards. We would be better off without them. Their inflated sense of superiority is almost matched with those of the nobility. The only difference is that the guards don't discriminate on who to victimize. It's always whoever is unfortunate enough to fall in their path.

Out of nowhere, a carriage runs past Finn and I. Finn falls over and I yank him up by the collar of his shirt. The horses sped by so fast I couldn't get a proper view of the coach. But it doesn't matter. Loaders come in packs like wolves.

"Finally," I sigh.

The horses halt a few yards away from our bush, but the carriage is at an angle where only the rear is visible. I still can't see the crest. It's fine, I tell myself.