She spared a glance for the palace in the distance, but that was only because she hoped that Sophia was all right. That kind of place was for the likes of the dowager queen and her sons, the nobles and their servants trying to shut out the troubles of the real world with their parties and their hunts, not real people.
Hey, boy, if youve got coin to spend, Ill show you a good time, a woman called from the doorway of a house whose purpose was obvious even if it had no sign. A man who could have wrestled bears stood on the door, while Kate could hear the sounds of people enjoying themselves too much even though it wasnt dark yet.
Im not a boy, she snapped back.
The woman shrugged. Im not picky. Or come in and make yourself some coin. The old lechers like the boyish ones.
Kate stalked on, not dignifying that with an answer. That wasnt the life she had planned for herself. Nor was stealing to gain everything she wanted.
There were other opportunities that seemed more interesting. Everywhere she looked, it seemed that there were recruiters for one or other of the free companies, declaring their high pay in relation to the others, or their better rations, or the glory to be won in the wars across the Knife-Water.
Kate actually wandered up to one of them, a hearty-looking man in his fifties, wearing a uniform that seemed better suited to a players idea of war than the real thing.
Ho there, boy! Are you looking for adventure? For derring-do? For the possibility of death at the swords of your enemies? Well, youve come to the wrong place!
The wrong place? Kate said, not even caring that he too had thought she was a boy.
Our general is Massimo Caval, the most famously cautious of fighting men. Never does he engage unless he can win. Never does he waste his men in fruitless confrontations. Never does he
So youre saying hes a coward? Kate asked.
A coward is the best thing to be in a war, believe me, the recruiter said. Six months running ahead of enemy forces while they get bored, with only occasional looting to liven things up. Think of it, the life, the wait, youre not a boy, are you?
No, but I can still fight, Kate insisted.
The recruiter shook his head. Not for us, you cant. Be off with you!
In spite of his defense of cowardice, the recruiter looked as though he might cuff her around the head if Kate stayed there, so she kept walking.
So many things in the city made little sense. The House of the Unclaimed had been a cruel place, but at least it had possessed a kind of order. Half the time, in the city, it seemed that people did whatever they wanted, with little input from the citys rulers. The city itself certainly seemed to have no plan to it. Kate crossed a bridge that had been built up with stalls and stages and even small houses until there was barely enough room to use it for its intended purpose. She found herself walking down streets that spiraled back on themselves, down alleys that somehow became the roofs of houses at a lower elevation, then gave way to ladders.
As for the people on the streets, the whole city seemed insane. There seemed to be someone shouting on every corner, declaring the elements of their personal philosophy, demanding attention for the performance they were about to put on, or denouncing the kingdoms involvement in the wars across the water.
Kate ducked into doorways as she saw the masked figures of priests and nuns about the inscrutable business of the Masked Goddess, but after the third or fourth time she kept walking. She saw one flailing a chain of prisoners, and she found herself wondering what part of the goddesss mercy that represented.
There were horses everywhere in the city. They pulled carriages, they bore riders, and some of the larger ones pulled carts full of everything from stone to beer. Seeing them was one thing; stealing one was proving to be quite another.
In the end, Kate picked a spot outside an ostlers shop, moving closer and waiting for her moment. To steal something as big as a horse, she needed more than just a moment of inattention, but in principle it was no different from stealing a pie. She could feel the thoughts of the stable hands as they roved and wandered. One was bringing out a fine-looking mare, thinking about the noblewoman it was intended for.
Damn it, shell need a side saddle, not this.
The thought was all the invitation Kate needed. She moved forward as the ostler rushed back inside, probably thinking that no one could take a horse in the brief space he would be gone. Kate wove her way in between the pedestrians who littered the street, imagining the moment when her hands would finally close around the reins
Got you! a voice said as a hand clamped down on her shoulder.
For a moment, Kate thought that someone had guessed what she intended to do, but as the figure whod grabbed her spun Kate back toward him, she recognized the truth: it was one of the boys from the orphanage.
She squirmed to get away, and he hit her, hard, catching her in the stomach. Kate fell down to her knees, and she saw two other boys coming up fast.
They sent us out after you when you got away, the oldest of them said. Said that girls went for more than boys, and that they could send hunters for all of us if necessary.
He sounded bitter about that, and Kate didnt blame him. The House of the Unclaimed was an evil place, but it was also the only home the orphans there had.
She did blame him for the next punch, which rocked her head back.
Thats for the beating you gave us with that poker of yours, he said. And this is for the beating the priests gave us after.
He punctuated it with slaps that rocked Kate where she knelt.
Weve been out here more than a day now, the oldest said. Im hungry, Im tired, and I want to go back. Im due to go into the army soon, and youll not ruin that for me. So Im going to drag you back there, but not before you tell me where your bitch of a sister is.
Kate shook her head while he hit her again. She silently vowed vengeance for this moment, even though right then she couldnt even stand, let alone do anything about it all. She rolled up her hatred, tucking it deep inside with her anger at the sisters whod brought her up so cruelly, and at the world that had stolen her parents in the first place.
Her hatred didnt do anything to keep the blows away, though, or deflect the questions that punctuated them like arrows.
Where is your sister? he demanded. Where? Shes the one theyll indenture for better coin.
I dont know, Kate insisted. I wouldnt tell you if I did.
She could see people walking past now. Some did it with fixed expressions, others glancing across then looking away as they decided that they didnt want to get involved. Kate saw a young man wearing the apron of a carpenters apprentice walking past, and his thoughts flickered through her mind.
I wish I could help, but theyre bigger than me, and maybe she deserves it, and what if
If you want to help, help! Kate yelled across to him.
He turned in surprise, and actually started to step toward them out of sheer embarrassment.
Stay out of this, the eldest of the boys snapped at him, but Kate didnt need more than just that single moment of distraction.
She kicked away from him like a swimmer pushing off from the shore, then scrambled to her feet and ran. Behind her, Kate heard the shouts of the boys following, but she ignored them and kept going, not even caring about the direction she took. She headed for the thickest parts of the crowd, thinking she could slip through while the others would be slowed, then took off down an alley at random, hoping to lose them.