Cathrac the Gilded City

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lightning flashed as the first rainstorm in four years hit Cathrac since the big hurricane. Boy and Useless ran to finish up there stall. They had managed to sell their catch before the storm had hit the mainland. Boy pocketed his ten percent and meager three coins and Useless put the rest into the purse. Boy didn't even try to convince Useless to steal from his father. He knew it was against Useless's code. Boy never got Useless's code but he respected it.

As Boy tumbled along in the dark he tripped over a small lump in the alley he took as a shortcut to his house. He was picking himself up when the lumped sniffled. Boy stopped, "I got move on I can't really help here" He immediately turned around and picked up the lump and carried it to his house.

When he got to the house he rinsed off the lump in the rain and discovered not a lump but a beautiful little girl. Now the older of his sisters was strikingly beautiful well the younger was homely. No, she was ugly. She surprisingly fat despite their circumstances and had sunken in eyes and too big of a mouth and a piercing voice. Boy was sure she would grow into her looks but he prayed to the Creator that it would come fast.

Now, this little girl was beautiful. She already had well defined facial features. She had green eyes that looked like pieces of emeralds and naturally red lips. Her hair, once he had cleaned it out, was lush and black. He stole Lily's hairbrush and began to brush her hair. She was tiny even for her age and fell asleep in his lap and put her right hand in her mouth. This showed her only flaw. She had only a thumb and a ring finger left. The others were all different sizes but less than the first knuckle.

As Boy brushed he began to sing a song his father had sung to him.

Freedom

Freedom

It's worth dying for

It's worth living for

Oh give me sweet freedom

The only thing better than freedom

Is the girl waiting for me

after the war for freedom

Oh she will be waiting for me

He sang in the slave language which all in the house but he had forgotten. He sang softly but with passion and his voice was clear as day. There on the dirt floor of a third level house Boy heard his own voice. Something he had not heard in six years. Tomorrow was his eighteenth birthday.

He looked down at the tiny thing in his lap and whispered clearly in the slave language, "Chan eil mi eòlach ort sed semper custodiat te Non refert tempestas Non refert Dolor" (I do not know you but I promise I will protect you no matter the weather. No matter the pain.)

When he looked up his sister Silk (for her hair her one pride and joy) was sitting next him She whispered "That was beautiful"

Boy cleared his throat and spoke with his normal scratchy voice, "How long were you there"

She smiled and said, "I saw the whole thing from when you started to rinse her off."

Boy sniffled, "Is he here" At that moment the door swung open letting in the rain and the smell of strong alcohol. Boy whispered angrily, "Where did he get more money for the good stuff."

Silk whispered back "he raided our room."

Boy grew very pale, "Did, did he, did he find it"

Silk smiled and shook her head.

Chubbs had never outgrown his first name and his great belly entered the door first as he swaying crossed the floor to where they were sitting. "You talking about me"

"I asked you a question"

He yanked on Silks hair "Huh I feed ya clothe ya protect ya and love ya anthis is the thanks I git." Unfortunately, Silk had been hiding the baby and he had quite accidentally moved her out of the way.

"What is this little shite doing here we can't feed another mouth in here" Chubbs roared sending his foul alcohol-laden breath into silks face making her gag.

Boy could take it no longer, "That's because you drink away all my money!"

"Boy yer asken for it. This my roof I put the food on the table."

"What little money you do make you make from betting on me at the pits."

"Yeah and who let you in the pits a little early".

"I was twelve my first fight was against a goblin. Who was taller than me!"

"Good thing I put my money against you the first couple years"

"You didn't let me sleep inside if I had lost" Boy had finally run completely out of temper and into a rage. He was screaming as loud as his hoarse voice would allow him.

Silk laid a soft hand on his tough shoulder "Stop now before mom wakes up."

"Too late," said a grave voice that filled the room. The alcohol stench grew greater as she entered the room. Boy you know we can't afford another person here," she pleaded with Boy.

Boy spoke quietly barely above a whisper but crystal clear, "Because you spend all the money I earn drinking"

A loud pounding on the door interrupted them. Boy opened the door making sure he kept the little girl hidden.

A Palace guard with various levels of guards. "Have you seen a little girl with black hair and a disgusting hand."

"No I haven't why, she missing?"

"Yar and there is a reward five hundred gold pieces and a promise of moving up a level and a job to match your new status."

"Wow, thanks for sharing we will definitely keep a lookout."

Boy looked back at his stepfather wondering why he hadn't interrupted to get the reward. He was passed out with Boy's mother kicking him awake. When he awoke Vakker spoke quickly, " Boy just cost five hundred gold pieces."

Before she had finished Boy and Silk were in their room packing. They had practiced and practiced. Boy removed dug up their hidden fortune. Well a fortune to them. It had thirty gold and twelve silver with a number of copper pieces. The city of Cathrac had decided to use little beads of precious metal instead of wasting time putting images on the coins.

Silk packed up her few items she couldn't live without and started grabbing Boy's fighting gear. Boy Had just finished gearing up when chubbs burst into the room wielding Savantar's sword the one item of his friends he had not sold for a drink. Savantar's sword was special it had been made years and years ago. It never rusted and it never dulled. The blade was made out of Kapril it was metal that was shaped as steel but harder and had the appearance of pure white. Kapril came from one of the eight stars that fell to the earth eons ago. The hilt had been shaped into a red-tailed hawk the guard was the wings and the head was on the beginning of the blade and the tail was on the hilt the only color on an otherwise flawless blade.

Boy cared well for his pit gear. It was specially crafted leather armor. the cows hide was cut and then hardened. They then proceeded to add more and more layers fusing them together with a mixture of glue and heat. It gave him the speed of leather armor and nearly the protection of full armor. He had not put on his helmet or his breastplate. He had on his greaves and gauntlets and his component belts. One across his shoulder angled towards his hip and one on his waist. He had to tighten them because he had them loosened to be able to be worn over full armor. He had filled them with valuables for in the heat of battle and off the battlefield.

Boy laughed at the sight of a true warrior's blade in this fat man's head. He stepped forward aggressively. Chubbs raised it to swing but Boy moved too quickly. As the blade went up Boy closed the remaining three-foot distance, twisted Chubb's wrist a grabbed the blade before he could drop the flawless blade.

Boy laughed, "Always wondered where you hid it. He put his foot on Chubb's chest and told his sister where to dig she pulled up a long object covered in a dirty cloth. It was a leather sheath for his father's sword. Surprisingly the sheath was pitch black and had ravens circling a human skull on it. He attached it to his left hip and moved his short sword beneath the other one on his right hip. Boy liked Short swords best but was also trained hand-and-a-half blades as well.