A Proper Young Thief
M.K.Barry
Chapter 19: Magic
Lissa slowly made her way to the west side of town, carrying the package in her arms. No one was paying her any mind, no one was bothering her. She was left, unhindered, to go to Lawson's house, and deliver the package.
“He's not going to recognize me.” She thought to herself. “HE's probably not even going to see me. He likely has someone there to get deliveries and open the door and scratch his arse. He likely doesn't answer the door himself.” She took a deep breath, then took off running down the street, bumping into a man, who smelled of ale as she did. He turned and shouted, but she paid no attention to him. She ran until she was breathless, stopped, started walking, then ran again once she thought that she could. The houses gradually got nicer, the streets got cleaner. Then, there at tall, stone wall with an iron gate before her. The gate was open, and It was unguarded, but despite this, no one seemed to be going though the gate, not unless they had business. Everyone was carrying packages, or leading horses, or had the look of someone very busy, running off.
She entered the gate. The houses on the other side lacked the look and smell of decay from the other. Most of the houses were built with stone, not wood, the streets were cleaner, and though she couldn't see as many people, the few that were here looked cleaner, were dressed nicer.
“The rich side.” She muttered. She guessed that the west side was the rich side of town then. Not surprising, really, if Lawson was supposed to be here. He wasn't a lord, but he was rich, and well off enough for Lord Mintas to try to arrange a marriage between his son, and Lawson's deformed daughter.
After she got further into the rich part of town, Lissa realized that all the houses were big, of course, and she couldn't remember if the apothecary had told her anything about it. She slowed down, and stood amid delivery boys, merchants, and men in fine clothes with doll-like women at their sides. She needed to ask someone, but all these people were rushing around so fast, and looked like they wouldn't give a moment of attention to someone like her. The thought of just walking up to someone and asking for directions made her slightly sick.
'Delivery boys' she thought. She had seen a lot of them, all she had to do was find another and ask. She scanned around, and after a moment, she saw a young boy, running towards her, carrying a package in his arms.
“Excuse me.” She said as he passed by her. He stopped and turned around, staring at her. He was a younger boy, perhaps only a few years younger than she was, but it showed, he still looked like a little kid. After a moment, she realized that she had used her normal tone when she had spoken to him. She lowered her voice, slightly, and without the guttural undertone that she had used before Ella had corrected her.
“I'm looking for Lawson's place.” She held up the package.
“what you don't know the whore house?”
Lissa felt blood rise to her cheeks, “I'm still new here.”
“Well, come on. That's not fair. We all know where it is.” he glanced back at him. “I'll tell you a secret?”
“A-alright.”
“We're not allowed in, but in the back, where the windows are all boarded up, that's where Lawson's whores do all their tricks. We've managed to crack the windows enough so that you can see through the slits in the bottom.” he gave her a quick grin before running on. “It's better at night though. You can see better.”
“Thanks.” she muttered. She wondered if she would have been one of those whores if she had taken Lawson up on his offer, or if she would have been his new wife.
The kid took her around a few corners, and led her though a shortcut though a clean alley. The only clutter there was a small collection of empty wooden crates.
“Have you seen the castle yet?”
“The Castle?”
“Yeah. You said you're new.”
“I haven't, no. I've not been here yet.”
The kid pulled Lissa between two houses. HE led her down the alley and brought her to a ladder that was leaning against a house.
“Hurry up.” the kid said, “Take a quick look, then I have to hurry.”
'You brought me here, kid.' she thought. She ignored him, and quickly climbed up the ladder. IT was rotted and creaky in places, and it shook, but the kid was holding the ladder in place. She got to the top of the ladder without hurting herself, climbed onto the roof.. She pulled herself up, holding onto a stone chimney for support.
Stretching out around her was a vast field of rooftops, and short trees of chimneys, with leaves of smoke that rose up into the air. The roofs rose up, like a hill, towards the castle in the centre of town. Many large, tall pillars rose up towards the sky, with one in the centre rising up above all the others. Resting over the castle, like a glass cover over a plate of food, was a reddish dome It didn't obscure the view of the castle but rather, made it looked as though it was encased in a smoothed ruby. The central tower reached just over this, and on top, a large platform rested, looking as though it might topple over.
“Most of it's held together by magic.” The kid called up the ladder, “And the dome protects it from any weather. My dad says that it was made hundreds of years ago, and that the Magus who made it has to still be alive, or the whole thing would fall apart.”
Lissa took a long look at the castle, then hurried back down the ladder. The kid was still waiting on her, and she had things to take care of anyway.
The castle could wait.
