Empty building was an understatement. Practically the only thing remaining of the building was this door into the sewers. Time, weather and brick thieves had left a weathered ledge that directly overlooked the cliff.

  The view was beautiful. The potential drop was rightly terrifying.

  There wasn’t even a door in the front door arch. If the sewer door didn’t look so much like the cliff behind it that door might be gone too.

  ‘Slicing the pie’ like I was in a first person shooter, I cautiously left the building. The next few buildings on the row weren’t much better. I took the first stairs I saw to the next level up, which I could see was in much better shape. Seemed like the cliff street was empty all the way to that mansion over there. It wasn’t new construction, but it had been repaired over and over with different materials. There were even some wide open cave like spots. I looked away. Probably not good to stare at a well guarded house.

  At the top of the short flight of stairs was a former street that had turned into an alley. There was a fence around part of it, a midden on the other side in another abandoned building, and piles of rubble everywhere else.

  Just as I was wondering if I should have worn nicer clothes, I sat down on the corner with my back pressed against a garden wall to watch the people go by.

  A man who was walking past tossed something towards my lap, casually, barely looking at me. It was a silver coin. I looked at it curiously.

  I actually hadn’t ever had to use coins. There were stacks of gold ones in my ring, but I hadn’t even bothered to look at them.

  Despite the cluttered side street, I was on a well traveled thoroughfare lined with shops. Most of them were the kind with housing above. Except for some rows of purloined masonry, the construction was modern, as in did not match the ruins on the lower street.

  A woman who left a hat store crossed deliberately to shower a pile of copper pennies on my lap. “Bless you, child. Try the temples.” She said. Then she bustled away.

  Nine coppers. Clearly change for a ten. I put those in my shirt pocket with the one silver. I had sewn my rags together from clothes probably included in the supplies as disguises for her highness. Rough cloth. I also had a sweater with holes in it that I had sewn ‘inexpertly,’ just enough to keep the yarn from unraveling more. That had been a fun project.

  My pants were like the shirt, sewn from pieces.

  “Move along.” A guard tapped my bare foot with the blunt end of his pike.

  “Ow.” I said, more from surprise than pain.

  “Go on then, or I’ll give you something real to complain about.”

  “I say, my good man, be gentle with that child.” A man said. “Are you an orphan, child?”

  “Half of one at least.” I shrugged. “My mother is tied up in the wars. I’m alone at the moment.”

  “Have you been to any of the temples? They can give you better clothes, at least.” He pressed a coin into my hand. “The wars have made too many orphans.”

  “Fine, but not here. It interrupts commerce.” The guard walked to the store I was leaning against and I saw the sign on the shop was the same as the patch on his jerkin.

  I had assumed he was a city guard. He was just shop security. Huh.

  “Thank you for your kind advice.” I said.

  “You sound so educated. How did you come to this?” He seemed almost distressed, but he walked away before I could respond.

  I was definitely going to have to change my clothes. I was too roughly dressed.

  I balled up the sweater. At least the sewn together rags were mostly similar colors like I had cut down an adult’s clothes. Fair. I had cut down an adult’s clothes.

  “Huh.” A man I passed looked at me curiously. “I thought for sure I was going to catch you cutting my purse.”

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  I smirked, then laughed aloud. “Glad to see the citizenry alert and aware.” I quipped. “Are you having a nice day?” I asked as we walked along, already going in the same direction.

  “Oh. Well… no, actually. The shipment of rare hardwood boards I am expecting is six days overdue and I am out of material entirely. I have a commission… why am I telling you this?”

  “Because I asked seriously, like I was actually interested. Do you think the wars have disrupted your supply line?”

  He snorted. “That might be the excuse most ships would give, but sky ships from the Rye Islands do not have that excuse. They don’t fly over the battlefields.”

  I looked to the sky, as if I might somehow see the ship in question in the sky overhead.

  “The ship didn’t sail with a communication array?”

  “Oh, it did. And they’re still answering. I’m starting to think they aren’t really coming or that pirates or mutineers have taken over.”

  “Do you think that’s possible? Are there sky pirates?”

  “Are you daft? Of course there are sky pirates! Anywhere goods are shipped there are pirates, brigands and thieves.”

  “Huh. Sheltered mostly. My street urchin cosplay is apparently over done.”

  He looked closely at me. “Maybe a little.”

  I unballed my sweater and put it on.

  He laughed. “Maybe a lot.”

  “What kind of wood is it?”

  “Rye Island Ebony.” He said mournfully. “Oh. Look there on the corner. That’s what the well dressed street orphan is wearing these days.”

  “That looks like a school uniform.”

  “Even street orphans go to schools.”

  “Bollocks.”

  He laughed. “I’m quite glad we met. Turn right two turns down. Third shop on the left.” He handed me a silver. “Buy yourself some camouflage for your cosplay.”

  I let him stride on ahead and nodded to the other urchins as I passed. They eyed me suspiciously.

  So far I had a good impression of the citizens of Melanor. At least the adults.

  Before you say anything, yes this rosy outlook on life was something I developed during my aphantasia life. Everyone is willing to say a few friendly words if you talk to them like a person.

  Or, I suppose there was that guard, but I don’t hold it against him. It’s his job.

  In college I was a cashier and I perfected the two minute friendly conversation. It’s a thing. Anyhoo.

  I easily found the shop.

  “Oh, you poor dear. What a state you’re in. Come in the back and have a bite to eat while I measure you and find some clothes the right size. I keep quite a few sizes. You lot grow so quickly.”

  Bemused, I followed her. She had bread, cheese, pickles and water. She fixed me a plate and began checking me against several knotted strings.

  “A size smaller than I thought. You need to eat more.”

  I in no way ate too little. I was over a quarter through Aunt Glory’s prodigious stock of cakes and sweets in three years I’d been sneaking them in the dark. I am fairly good at hiding crumbs.

  “Just a moment, sweetie, here we are. No charge for the first set. The Empress Mother decrees. I just need you to make a mark on my ledger.”

  I stiffened. I couldn’t help it. I pivoted the conversation away from my shock. “I can pay.” I protested. “How much is the cost?”

  The woman hissed and lowered her voice. “I charge children four copper, I can charge the Empress Pretender two silver per head.”

  I tilted my head. “Is she far away? Is that why you can call her that?”

  “She and her son are guests of Earl d’Summit, the big house on the cliff. I’m supposed to send you there to audition for their retinue.” She scoffed. “As if they had more than a dozen nobles left in their coalition. Commoner support is still fawning to their faces, but now scoffing to their backs. I have even heard their own guards complaining in taverns.”

  “Good to know. I would not like to be caught up in all that. How is the rest of the war going?”

  “Are you new in town or just escaped a dark cellar?”

  “Bit of both.” I shrugged. I am too honest, too trusting and I know it. I still tend to take the world at face value.

  “The war is at a stalemate. The First and xxxth princes each have xxx of their rivals in custody. There is talk of a split government in the short term.”

  “That never turns out well.” At least it doesn’t in the history books I had access to.

  “If you’re that interested the merchants guild keeps a massive map with last known placements of people and armies.”

  “I will probably check it out. Say, if you’re contracted to clothe the children in the Empress’s name, does she also pay you to make the uniforms of her son’s retinue?”

  “She does. Gaudy old fashioned little dresses and quasi military uniforms. Why? You thinking of infiltrating to cause mischief?”

  “More to gather information so I can determine where my best interests lie.”

  “I can respect that. One silver, five copper for both costumes and the street urchin clothes, and I won’t say a word to anyone.”

  I had that. I paid without complaint.

  The street kid clothes came with a messenger bag and I put the extra clothes in it for the moment.

  She even gave me three pairs of glue bottom slippers to match.

  I ducked into an alley and boosted myself onto a random roof. I made the bag of incriminating clothing disappear. Or at least the clothes part.

  I had absolutely no intention of submitting myself to whatever interview process Horace’s mother had in mind for his future concubines and guardsmen.

  I was getting into that house, though. And I would be doing it soon. I descended back to street level and went in search of the docks. A kid in the typical street kid uniform wasn’t even looked at twice. As I walked I became aware that even the kids walking with their parents had taken advantage of the free clothes. Hardly any kids were wearing anything else. Just a few pampered girls in frilly dresses.

  The main market in the town was between the affluent neighborhood where I had arrived and the port. The temples were in well preserved ancient buildings on the highest point of the mountain.