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A shout travels from somewhere down the street. Footsteps pound toward me.
My pulse stutters. I glance over the noblewoman, but death emanates from every inch of her body.
She’s gone. There’s nothing I can do for her.
I can only make sure I don’t follow the same path.
I shove to my feet and run.
Two
Even after I’ve left the noblewoman’s gory corpse far behind me, my heart keeps beating too fast.
I hunch down at the edge of one of the stone-lined culverts that wind from the Starsil River. My hands shake as I rub the blood off them.
I suck in the sour air and will my nerves to settle. It’s over now.
It was none of my business anyway. I didn’t even know her.
And it isn’t as if I’m a stranger to death. I’ve witnessed it more times than I care to count.
I’ve dealt it out myself, wittingly or not.
But something about that moment when her gaze bored into mine leaves a lingering uneasiness that I can’t totally shed.
So, I simply ignore it. I straighten up, give the soles of my leather boots a quick rinse as well, and check my tunic and breeches.
A few speckles of blood hit my sleeves, but they’re barely discernable in the dirt-brown linen. There’ve been plenty of days I’ve gotten more soiled.
If anything, I got off easy.
I can’t quite convince myself to laugh. It’s as if I can feel the noblewoman still staring at me.
When I touch my pockets to confirm I haven’t lost my remaining loot, a strange lump meets my fingers at my hip. I fish inside the pocket and pull out a delicate chain.
A bracelet.
The metal links glint gold in the dwindling sunlight. They hold a thin gold bar imprinted with a few abstract shapes that don’t match any symbols I know and two small red gems on either side. Rubies, I’d wager.
I study the bracelet for a minute, my body tensed. I must have taken it off the noblewoman.
I don’trememberpilfering her jewelry. Maybe my thieving instincts kicked in and my hand moved of its own accord during the brief spell when I blanked out?
If I hadn’t taken the bracelet, whoever found her body probably would have. I can wait a few weeks to make sure there’s no furor around her death and then see if I can hawk it without drawing unwanted attention.
But I’d rather not have it at all. In these neighborhoods, a piece this expensive makes a person an automatic target.
I was trying tosaveher, not steal from her.
At least, that’s what I thought I was doing. No matter how much good I try to do…
My stomach lurches. I shove the bracelet back into my pocket.
It’s a problem for another day. I have other tasks to finish.
Returning to my planned donation route doesn’t seem like the wisest idea when I had a very good reason for fleeing. I consider my mental map of the city and decide I’ll skip ahead to the edge of Slaughterwell. I can double back for the families I missed in a few days when I’ve got more bounty.
Having a clear plan boosts my spirits. I hop across the culvert and follow its curving path to more rows of drooping houses.
