Kate kicked a rat off of her foot and sat up straighter, looking around.
We cant stay where we are, she said.
Sophia nodded.
Well die if we stay here on the streets.
That was a hard thought, but it was probably true, as well. There were so many ways to die in the streets of this city. Cold and hunger were just the start of the list. With the street gangs, the watch, disease, and all the other risks out here, even the orphanage started to look safe.
Not that Kate would ever go back. She would burn it to the ground before she stepped back through its doors. Maybe one day she would burn it to the ground anyway. She smiled at that.
Feeling a hunger pain, Kate pulled out the last of her cake and began to wolf it down. Then she remembered her sister. She tore off half and handed it to her.
Sophia looked at her hopefully, but with guilt.
Its okay, Kate lied. I have another in my dress.
Sophia took it reluctantly. Kate sensed her sister knew she was lying, but was too hungry to deny herself. Yet their connection was so close, Kate could feel her sisters hunger, and Kate could never allow herself to be happy if her sister was not.
They both finally crept out of their hiding place.
So, big sister, Kate asked, any ideas?
Sophie sighed sadly and shook her head.
Well, Im starving, Kate said. It will be better to think on a full belly.
Sophia nodded in agreement, and they both headed back toward the main streets.
They soon found a target a different baker and stole breakfast the way theyd stolen their last meal. As they ducked into an alley and gorged themselves, it was tempting to think that they might live the rest of their lives like that, using their shared talent to take what they needed when no one was paying attention. But Kate knew it couldnt work like that. Nothing good lasted forever.
Kate looked out at the bustle of the city before her. It was overwhelming. And its streets seemed to stretch forever.
If we cant stay out on the street, she said, what do we do? Where do we go?
Sophia hesitated for a moment, looking as though she was as unsure as Kate was.
I dont know, she admitted.
Well, what can we do? Kate asked.
It didnt seem like as long a list as it should have been. The truth was that orphans like them didnt get options in their lives. They were prepared for lives where they would be indentured as apprentices or servants, soldiers, or worse. There was no real expectation that they would ever be free, because even those genuinely looking for an apprentice would only pay a pittance; not enough to ever pay off their debt.
And the truth was that Kate had little patience for sewing or cooking, etiquette or haberdashery.
We could find some trader and try to apprentice ourselves, Kate suggested.
Sophia shook her head.
Even if we could find one willing to take us on, they would want to hear from our families beforehand. When we couldnt produce a father to vouch for us, they would know what we were.
Kate had to admit that her sister had a point.
Well then, we could sign on as barge hands, and see the rest of the country.
Even as she said it, she knew that was probably just as ludicrous as her first idea. A barge captain would still ask questions, and probably any hunters of escaped orphans would watch the barges for those trying to escape. They certainly couldnt rely on someone else to help them, not after what had happened in the library, with the only man in this city she had considered a friend.
What a naïve fool she had been.
Sophia seemed to get the enormity of what faced them as well. She was looking away with a wistful expression on her face.
If you could do anything, Sophia asked, if you could go anywhere, where would you go?
Kate hadnt thought about it in those terms.
I dont know, she said. I mean, I never thought past just surviving the day.
Sophia fell silent for a long time. Kate could feel her thinking.
Finally, Sophia spoke.
If we try to do anything normal, there are going to be just as many obstacles as if we shoot for the biggest things in the world. Maybe even more, because people expect people like us to settle for less. So what do you want, more than anything?
Kate thought about that.
I want to find our parents, Kate said, realizing it as she spoke it.
She could feel the flash of pain that ran through Sophia with those words.
Our parents are dead, Sophia said. She sounded so certain that Kate wanted to ask her again what had happened all those years ago. Im sorry, Kate. That wasnt what I meant.
Kate sighed bitterly.
I dont want anyone to control what I do again, Kate said, picking the thing that she wanted almost as much as their parents return. I want to be free, truly free.
I want that as well, Sophia said. But there are very few truly free people in this city. The only ones really are
She looked out across the city and, following her gaze, Kate could see that she was looking out toward the palace, with its shining marble and its gilt decorations.
Kate could feel what she was thinking.
I dont think being a servant at the palace would make you free, Kate said.
I wasnt thinking about being a servant, Sophia snapped. What ifwhat if we could just walk in there and be one of them? What if we could persuade them all that we were? What if we could marry some rich man, have connections at court?
Kate didnt laugh, but only because she could tell how serious her sister was about the whole idea. If she could have anything in the world, the last thing Kate would want would be to walk into the palace and become a great lady, to marry some man who told her what to do.
I dont want to depend on anyone else for my freedom, Kate said. The world has taught us one thing, and one thing only: we must depend on ourselves. Only on ourselves. That way we can control everything that happens to us. And we dont have to trust anyone. We have to learn to take care of ourselves. To sustain ourselves. To live off the land. To learn to hunt. To farm. Anything where we dont rely on anyone else. And we have to amass great weapons and become great fighters, so if anyone comes to take what is ours, we can kill them.
And suddenly, Kate realized.
We need to leave this city, she urged her sister. Its filled with dangers for us. We need to live out beyond the city, in the country, where few people live and where no one will be able to harm us.
The more she spoke about it, the more she realized that it was the right thing to do. It was her dream. Right then, Kate wanted nothing more than to run for the gates of the city, out into the open spaces beyond.
And when we learn to fight, Kate added, when we become bigger and stronger and have the finest swords and crossbows and daggers, we will come back here and kill everyone who hurt us in the orphanage.
She felt Sophias hands on her shoulder.
You cant talk like that, Kate. You cant just talk about killing people like its nothing.
Its not nothing, Kate spat. Its what they deserve.
Sophia shook her head.
That is primitive, Sophia said. There are better ways to survive. And better ways to get revenge. Besides, I dont want to just survive, like some peasant in the woods. What is the point of life then? I want to live.