Chapter Five

This is chapter five of my work in progress, Independence. Read chapter four here or start from the beginning here.

If you’d like to follow along, please subscribe.

This isn’t the final draft, so if you have any feedback, leave a comment and I’ll consider it in my next revision.

Thanks so much,

Alex Rosenthal

Chapter Five

The door shut on Sparrow, sealing away her hopes. This was bad. Tadia was the only fence who would work with her. Having the music box meant nothing if she couldn’t move it.

She turned away from the shop, her boots thumping on the wooden street as she headed back toward the stairs. She’d need to stop by the market again. If she couldn’t sell her goods, she’d need to nab a purse. That was less reliable—people took more care with their pockets than nicknacks left lying on the corner of a stall—but if that was what Sparrow had to do, she’d best be about it.

“Hey.”

The sharp whisper spun Sparrow around. Lelia the shop girl was peering at her from the alley beside the shop. She beckoned.

Sparrow glanced around the street. There was a flow of people on the stairs at the end of the street, but none turned off. This area was busier later in the day. Still, Lelia could hardly have been more obvious. If she’d just come out to grab Sparrow, no one would have paid any mind, but the ducking and beckoning would draw any eye that happened to glance out of a shop window.

With a sigh, Sparrow followed her into the alley. This place was tight, still shadowed even as noon approached,  the wood they walked on slick with ice. Lelia stopped half way down, glancing back to make sure no one watched them from the street.

“What is it?” Sparrow asked.

Lelia held up a single silver Nywek.

“I can take care of myself,” Sparrow pulled her coat tighter around her. Had she really let herself seem that pathetic? “I don’t need charity.”

“Then don’t take it as charity,” Lelia said. “Sell me the music box and you’ll be the one giving me something. It’s worth at least twice this, but it’s all I can spare.”

Sparrow narrowed her eyes, looking for the angle, but she couldn’t see one. Lelia got a deal, Sparrow got money. One Nywek wasn’t enough to get her through the winter, but it was a start.

“Come on,” Lelia said, thrusting the coin at her, “take it.”

Sparrow dug the music box from her coat, then slapped it into Lelia’s free hand before taking the coin from the other.

“Thanks,” she said, flipping the coin in the air. It was much heavier than a copper Shywek, and landed with satisfying force in her palm.

“If you ever need something—a hot meal of or a place to sleep for the night—come find me at the shop,” Lelia said. “Not charity. I owe you now.” She held up the music box and smiled warm as summer. Then she turned to scurry toward Tadia’s back door.

Sparrow flipped the coin again. A Nywek could get her a room for a week or so, or food for two months if she supplemented with a little thievery. Not enough for the winter, but she had a little time now. She wouldn’t need to pick multiple pockets a day just to keep herself fed. Whether she called it charity or not, Lelia had likely just saved Sparrow’s life.

“What you got there?”

Sparrow turned to find three boys blocking the mouth of the alley. She recognized the leader from the gap in his teeth. The snitch from the market.

“Nothing,” she said, pocketing the coin. “Or did you mean this?” When she pulled her hand back out of her coat, she was holding the knife they’d tried to stab her with in the market. It was a small thing, the finger-length blade made for cutting purses, but it would still do damage.

The boys showed no sign of fear. “I’ll be having that back,” said the leader.

“So you can try to stab me again? Not a chance. Get out of my way.”

Gap-tooth stuck out his tongue at her, but the three of them vanished around he corner.

Sparrow limped after them, putting her hand in her pocket, but keeping hold of the knife. She slowed as she approached the corner. It would be just like the little bastards to—

Gap-tooth jumped back into the alley and spat a greenish mass into Sparrow’s face. She was too slow to dodge, but she shot out her free hand and grabbed his wrist. His vengeful smile turned to panic as she jerked him close. He struggled, twisting violently, but Sparrow was older, bigger, and stronger. She pushed him up against a wall, pinning him with a forearm on his chest.

With his struggles obviously futile, the boy snorted to ready another spit.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Sparrow said, pulling out the knife, and holding it up to his face. His eyes widened, and the spit dribbled down his chin as his mouth formed a surprised “Oh.”

“Stay back,” Sparrow said, glancing to the alley mouth. Just as she’d thought, his two friends were coming up to help, but at the sight of the blade held to their leader’s face, they backed away.

“You won’t stab me,” said gap-tooth. He was trying for confident, but it was undercut by the quaver in his voice and the way his lips trembled as he spoke.

She didn’t want to. He couldn’t have been older than twelve, and it wasn’t like he was the only one who’d do something desperate to stay alive. Besides, Sparrow had never really hurt anyone. But gap-tooth didn’t need to know that.

She leaned in close enough for him to feel her breath on his face. “You have no idea what I’ll do.” She let the knife rest gently on his cheek, and raised her voice.

“Listen carefully, all of you. This is your only warning. You stay away from me. If I ever catch so much as a glimpse of you thrice-named little bastards, I’ll cut me off some souvenirs.” She moved the knife up so the the point hovered in front of Gap-tooth’s eye. “Am I clear?”

“Yes, miss,” said Gap-tooth, all trace of confidence gone.

“Good.” Sparrow released him, taking a quick step back. “Now get out of my sight.”

The boys scampered away. Hopefully that would be the last she saw of them.

Sparrow pocketed the knife, and her heart dropped. She felt around that pocket, then the other. Her silver Nywek was gone.

She ran as fast as she could for the mouth of the alley and burst out into the street beyond, casting around in desperation. The boys were already half way to the stairs.

“Looking for this?” Gap-tooth yelled, holding up something that glinted silver.

He laughed, then all three of them took off in a sprint. Sparrow tried to follow, but pain jolted up her lame leg. She ignored it, managing a few more steps, but the limb buckled and she fell to one knee, barely managing to avoid spilling face first onto the street.

“Beggar curse you, you bastards! Name you a thousand times!”

Her curses did no good. Still laughing, the boys joined the crowd on the stairs and vanished down toward the docks, taking Sparrow’s last bit of hope with them.