Machine of Fire and Blood

ONE

The Manor on Rodham Hill was a grand, towering structure of stone and steel. Those who lived within its high ceilinged rooms and long, winding hallways lived the life of luxury. Everyone in the town below knew its residents were the richest of the rich. What they wanted, they got. Calaithe Daystrom, however, did not live in the Manor. She lived in the cavernous furnace room beneath the Manor.

Calaithe looked up at Morrice, whom they referred to as the head of engineering due to the fact that he'd kept the giant furnace running for so many years, her eyes going wide. "Really?"

Morrice nodded, his eyes gleaming despite the grime that covered the rest of his face. "You've finally done it. Come the end of today, you will officially be a free woman."

Calaithe slumped back in her chair. Her entire life had been leading up to this moment. Years of shoveling coal, of sweating in the suffocating heat of the furnace chamber, had all finally paid off.

"You've worked off every cent of your father's debt. You're no longer shackled to this place."

Calaithe stared at Morrice's neatly organized desk. She'd been dreaming of this moment for years, but now that it had come, she wasn't sure what to do. Did she just walk out? Even if she did, where would she go?

"And Cal, the rest of us have put together a little present for you. Something to celebrate you finally reaching your goal," Morrice said.

He reached into one of the desk drawers and pulled out a small, velvet pouch. It clinked  as he set it on the large oak surface. Calaithe looked up at Morrice with a questioning look.

"It's enough coin to help you get settled. It's not much, but you'll be able to get yourself a small room, some food and clothes... It'll help you get by until you can figure out what the next step will be for you."

Calaithe shook her head. "But how? Giving me this much... this will set you all back for years. Put this money towards your debts, pay them off and get out. I cannot take this from all of you."

Morrice smiled sadly. "My dear, sweet Cal. My debts are far too great. I will never leave this place. Not alive, anyway. Master Danson is a cruel and sharp witted man. He's conned so many into incurring debts far greater than that which your father had. It's how he keeps his house running. He acts like he is doing you a service by swooping in with his charm and money to save your sick family, or dying business, but then you discover that his kindness comes at a cost. The cost I owe is just too great. The least I can do is help you to live a better life in my stead."

Calaithe shook her head, emotion welling inside her. Some sadness, yes, but more than anything, anger. Anger at her own fate, anger at the fate of those within the furnace room, those she'd grown up with, and anger at the corrupt world she lived in. The rich stayed rich while the poor got poorer and poorer.

"It'll be strange to see you go," Morrice continued. "I can barely remember a time without you here. I've watched you grow up."

"You raised me, more like," Calaithe corrected.