Chapter 13: A Trapped Rat

A Proper Young Thief

M.K.Barry

Chapter 13: A Trapped Rat

Lissa couldn't scream. Her voice was caught, stuck inside of her. The face rose up from the water. A slender hand reached up, and grasped at the edge of the well. The figure, with soaked, slicked back hair took a deep, silent breath before opening her eyes and looking right at Lissa.

It was Ella.

“Hurry it up, I can't sit around watching you all night.” The guard snapped from behind her.

“I.. I'm done.” Lissa muttered. She looked back at Ella, wondering how she could quickly ask for help without saying anything.

Thankfully, Ella already knew she needed help. She mouthed something, but in the darkness, Lissa couldn't see what she was saying. She leaned in close to listen. She missed most of what Ella whispered, but managed to make out the word Pub. She mouthed the word back. Ella nodded.

Lissa moved quickly away from the well, and took the mules, leading them by the reigns. “Sorry to be such a bother.” She said to the guard, trying again to deepen her voice. She suppressed her natural manners, which told her to curtsey, and settling for a quick nod of her head, to cover up for the twitch that might have been a curtsey, she pull the mules along, and looked around the square quickly. There was only one building that still had lights on in the window. She figured that that was the Pub, and made her way over.

The Guard watched her carefully as led the wagon across the square towards the building. She didn't know off hand where to bring the wagon, she of course couldn't just take it into the pub, but since Ella had told her that she could bring the wagon here, she assumed she would know what to do soon. She reached the door, and made to knock on the door, but realized that if it was a pub, it would probably be strange for her to knocked. She pulled on the door handle, but it was locked, so she knocked anyway. IT was very quiet inside. She knocked again and heard footsteps. A moment later, the door opened, and a frazzled looking man with hair the colour of ash threw the door open and glared at her.

“What!” HE hissed.

“I.. I brought a delive-”

“Delivery?” HE looked past her and at the wagon. “About time. Bring it down the alley and into the side door.” He slammed the door closed, and she could hear a latch slide into place.

She looked behind her quickly, and saw the guard starting to walk away. She could hear him starting to mutter, but she couldn't understand his low, echoing voice.

She turned, and led the wagon down the alley. Boxes were piled along the side, but it was wide enough for the wagon to fit, but only just. At least here, there were no rats scurrying around in the alley, though the smell of rot still lingered. She reached the door midway down the alley, but there was no handle. She reached up to knock, but the door swung open before her. The man was there again, leaning out of the doorway, staring at her. “delivery?”

“From Ella?” she said. “Ella told me to-”

“I see.” He said. “Come in.”
“What about the wagon?”

“I'll take care of that.” He said, pulling her in. She was in a small storage room, with boxes piled up along the walls. He pushed Lissa into the darkness of the storage room,and quickly closed and locked the door behind her.

“Ella will be here soon?”

“Probably not.” he said. “Ella doesn't come here after packages are delivered.” He grabber her by the wrist, and pulled her through the storage room, “Come quickly now.” HE said. He opened another door, and pulled her in. This new room was brightly lit. Tables were filled with cages, each with a single rat inside. Some were sleeping, some were thrashing wildly against the cages. Others were twitching and frothing. One light brown rat was sitting, it's eyes bloody and red, staring out at the room. A bot bubbled over a large fire , and in the center of the room, one large table stood, filled with glass vials, shining metal instruments, and finely ground powders.

She backed up, and turned to open the door, but the man grabber her by her wrists, and pulled her over to the wall. Chains were attached to the brick wall, with old, but well kept shackles on the ends. She thrashed against him, but he acted as though he didn't even notice, and soon had her hands locked into the shackles.

“Don't worry sweets.” He muttered, “It's nothing personal, really. I need subjects for my experiments, and I can only go so far with rats.”

“Experiments? But Ella said-”

“I pay Ella very well to bring me unwanted runaways, little urchins. It's easy for her. You were a little harder though, I think. I needed someone in relatively good health, not the half-starved wretches that she's been bringing me as of late.”

“But she said... Auntie Ella said-”

“She's a thief. She lies. What do you expect?”

She pulled against the shackles, but they were strong, and of course she couldn't get out. “What are you going to do with me.” She whispered.

“Well, I happen to have been working on a little something to protect people from poison. A neat little trick that counters most poisons in the system.

“And...?”

“Well, first you drink that. Then I feed you poison. See if it works. If you're still alive after the poison should have worked, I give you another dose of my potion, and another poison. We continue until a poison kills you.” He shrugged as he brought a small metal cup, filled with a pus-coloured liquid over to her.

The last one Ella brought me lasted for two days of testing. You might get at least three.”