Monsters & Magic

The sound of feet on a cobbled road drowned out Cora’s own footfalls as she made her way through the market. Her stomach growled and she walked a bit quicker, keeping pace with the crowd of shoppers who had waited out the rain. Overhead, the midday sun began to cut through the last of the rain clouds.

Up ahead, a stand with brightly colored fruit caught her eye. Water dripped from the checkered canopy above the stand, splashing down on the cobbles below. Cora adjusted the hood of the old gray jacket she wore and maneuvered herself toward the outside of the crowd. This would have to be a quick grab, while the attendant was occupied with a woman a few paces in front of her.

As she neared, she watched the woman gesturing to different sections, pointing out the fruits she wanted. Her large umbrella and high-topped boots were clear indications of wealth. The pockets of her overcoat appeared to be full, and Cora adjusted her aim, brushing against the woman as she passed.

She quickly moved back into the crowd. It was always a gamble, pickpocketing, but she had practice picking out the right targets. The woman hadn’t even noticed.

A few stands down, Cora slipped into an alley. It was one she knew well, lined with stacks of wooden crates. She ducked behind one of the stacks and opened her hand to reveal a gold pocket watch. An intricate floral design was etched into the front with small gems scattered throughout. For a moment, all Cora could do was stare. Then, her heart sank. This watch would be no good to her. As soon as she tried to sell it in the local pawn shop, it would be recognized for sure. Even in this city, where the rich flaunted their wealth, a piece like this was unique.

It would have been better to stick to her original aim. At least then she would be able to eat. Instead, she would now have to look for a place to ditch the watch without being seen. She swore under her breath.

Footsteps echoed from the mouth of the alley, and Cora tensed. The pace was slow and deliberate, not the quick movements of another of the street kids. She stuffed the watch into a pocket, her mind working quickly. She could stay where she was and hope she wasn’t noticed. She had gone far enough into the alley that it was unlikely anyone would stumble upon her. If she left her hiding spot and made a run for it, she could try climbing up the crates to the rooftops. They would be slick after the rain, but that also meant she wouldn’t be followed.

She chewed the inside of her lip, listening to the heavy footfalls moving down the alley. Time was running out. Confident no one had seen her, she made her decision and pressed herself against the hard wall of the building, counting on the crates to hide her.

“We know you’re there,” a low voice called.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” another added.

The words made her stomach flip. How had they seen her? She held her breath, and hoped they were calling after someone else. Her heart pounded in her chest as they neared her hiding spot.

They continued until they were right around the corner of the crate stack, and Cora wished she had chosen to run instead. She wished so even more when a burly man in a black jacket stepped in front of her, blocking her exit.

“Hah! There you are.” The smile on his face sent chills down her spine, and she tried to duck out of his reach only for him to grab her arm and yank her out into the alley. “Thought you could steal from our boss?”

Cora kicked out, landing a hit on the man’s shin. His hold on her arm loosened just enough for her to slip out, and she took off back down the alley, heading for the street.

The man swore, and she heard him stumble, then he yelled, “Get her!”

Before she could react, the other man stepped out in front of her, a toothy grin on his face.

She ducked to the side to avoid being grabbed again. Then, just as she was almost out of the alley, her feet were knocked out from under her and she fell, hard, on the stone street. Laughter accompanied the rushed movements of the men as one grabbed her by the arm and hauled her up. “Nice try,” he sneered.

“Let me go!” she ground out, struggling in his painful grasp. “I didn’t steal anything.”

“You think we’re stupid?” The man yanked on her arm, harder than before. Pain lanced through her shoulder, and she was forced to move closer to avoid falling. He grabbed her other arm as the first man came to stand in front of them.

“Nice try, rat.” He grabbed the front of her jacket and stuck his hand in the pocket. When he pulled out the pocket watch, he held it up to the light and examined it. “Yep. That’s it.” He looked down at her with a hard expression. “You’re coming with us.”

Gritting her teeth against the pain in her arms, she kicked her foot back and slammed it into the shin of the man holding her. “No.”

For a moment, she thought she had succeeded. His hold loosened and he let out a hiss. Before she could break free again, the wind was knocked out of her when the first man landed a punch to her stomach.

He laughed when she fell to her knees. “Let’s go.” He motioned with his head toward the end of the alley.

The second man hauled her to her feet and pushed her ahead of him. “Move, rat.”

The crowd parted for them as they pushed Cora down the street, passing shops with bells that chimed when their doors opened, and stands with colorful overhangs. Eyes glanced in their direction, and voices became hushed.

She had seen police capture other rats, kids who had to steal to survive. They always ended up in the jail at the city center for a few days before being released. There was no place for people like her in this city. These men, however, were taking her in the opposite direction where the mansions of the wealthy circled the outside of the city.

She fought again when they came to the end of the market street, earning her another punch, this time in the back. It knocked the wind out of her, and she was forced to keep moving.

They came to a stop in front of a particularly large mansion with turrets on each corner and spires that reached higher than any of the buildings in the center of the city. The first man moved to open a gate in the black iron fence that stood in front of the mansion. He pulled it shut with a clang when they were through, and led the way around the stone house to a door at the back.

Cora would have fallen down the dark stairwell had it not been for the second man, still holding her arms. The steps were steep and the air damp and musty.

At the bottom, wall sconces lit a long hall, and their footsteps echoed eerily as they made their way further in.

At the end of the hall, she was forced through a heavy wooden door into a room with barred cells along one wall. Small windows at the top of two of the walls told her they were at the far corner of the mansion.

The men opened one of the cells and shoved her in before slamming the barred door. The lock made contact with an ominous click. “There. The boss will be in to see you when she pleases,” the first man said.

Cora remained silent, glaring as they left, closing the door to the cell room. Then, she let out the hiss of pain she had been holding in, rubbing her throbbing shoulder. Pacing the cell, she searched for a route of escape. Its stone floor and walls, barred in on two sides, offered no help. A wooden plank, anchored to the stone wall without the window was the only thing inside the cell. No matter how many times she paced the small space, she couldn’t see any way out.

A slow drip of rain water from somewhere outside the window ticked off the time while she waited. When the door did open again, she stood waiting to meet whoever was coming. To her surprise, the woman she had taken the watch from strolled into the room, her boots tapping across the hard floor. She looked much taller in the cell room than she had picking out fruit. Her yellow hair hung in loose curls down her back, adorned with gold and jewels.

Her bright eyes found Cora and narrowed. “You…” she said softly. Her voice did not match the malice in her eyes. “You thought you could steal from me?” She put a hand to her chest, over a jeweled necklace that, Cora thought, looked ridiculous against her black button-up dress. That necklace alone could buy food for all the other “rats” she knew for at least a year.

Cora ground her teeth, glaring back at the woman.

“Well. No matter.” The woman paced once in front of the cell. “You won’t steal from anyone ever again.”

The way she spoke sent chills down Cora’s spine. “Why? Are you going to grow a heart and feed all the homeless kids in the city?” she spat without thinking.

The woman stepped toward the barred door, looking down her nose at Cora. “No,” she answered simply. “I am going to make an example of one.”

Cora held her glare until the woman turned on her heel.

“I’ll be seeing you…” she called. Then she shut the door, leaving Cora alone.

“I’ll be seeing you,” Cora mocked. She spat on the ground. A mixture of anger, fear, and pain churned in her empty stomach. She had to get out of there.