“Quit yer sniveling!” He reaches out, backhanding the girl. “And make me some damned money.”
Unrelenting rage fills me as memories of Margaret’s abuse flood to the surface. She left permanent scars that won't heal, no matter how much time passes. My fists clench at my sides, nails biting into my skin as I do my best to control myself.
“Get lost, halfling cunt!” the man yells at me.
I snap.
“What did you call me?” My voice booms throughout the street as I surge forward, taking elongated strides toward him as I pull my dagger.
The older girl beside him screams, dropping to her knees and burying her face in her hands. As she bends over, the scars on her back come into view—deep, brutal lines that someone must have left with a whip.
I raise my blade to strike when the man bolts from his place, scurrying off like a rat. He leaves his two daughters behind, turning down a small alley and disappearing. Stopping my approach, I slowly lower the dagger to my side. The street around me is deadly silent, and the onlookers stop as they watch with bated breath.
Sighing, I put my weapon away.
So much for developing a good rapport with the locals; there will be rumors circulating the castle by dawn about how the halfling girl almost slaughtered an Elvarran. This gossip will stay with me for quite some time, harming the reputation I’m trying to craft.
The girl is still on her knees, shaking with fear. “Please don’t kill me,” she cries.
“I’m not going to kill you,” I say softly. “What’s your name?”
“Aurelia.” She raises her head to look at me, eyes rimmed in red.
“How old are you?”
“N-nineteen…”
My chest aches. What an awful existence these poor girls are living. I take two of the three coins from my shift and hand them to her. “Here. Try to get an inn for the night or some food.”
Aurelia shakily reaches out, taking them from me. She wears a pale, tattered dress that is stained and thinning at the hem. Her brunette hair is unkempt, and her skin is sallow and malnourished.
The younger one, Violet, hugs my leg. “Don’t leave us, nice lady.”
I hesitate, unsure of what I have gotten myself into.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Morning, Bryn,”I say as I enter the kitchen for breakfast.
“Hello, Raelys,” she replies, plucking a bowl of food from the counter and passing it to me. The fragrant smell wafts up, making my stomach growl in excitement.
“Thank you.” I take the bowl from her. “I have a question. Do you have a moment?”
Bryn wipes her hands on a rag. “What is it?”
“Do you need any extra help here in the kitchen?” I start. “There’s a girl I met in the eastern part of town whose father is abusing her, and I want to help her.”
A crease forms in her brow. “All employment has to go through the king's justiciar.”
“And that would be…?”
“Barnham Bainbridge.”
“Wrath's brother?” My eyebrows raise in surprise.
Bainbridge.The king's house name! I wonder why Wrath is so secretive about his namesake. He must be hiding something. I should research his family’s history and potentially uncover if he is hiding anything. That is, if I can find the library in this labyrinth of a castle, which I am constantly getting lost in.
Bryn nods. “You gotta ask him.”
