Steal My Heart

They had been walking for what felt like hours when Dani suddenly stopped, staring at the floor in front of them. At some point the floor had broken, the far half of it falling to the floor below them. It was too far to jump across, so the only way left to them was down, or back to the entrance. Dani wasn’t eager to go either way, but down gave her the best chances of getting out of this without being thrown in the dungeon.

“What is it?” Wulfram looked over her shoulder, and grimaced at the floor. “How deep do these tunnels run again?”

“Deep. But this should only lead to a second floor. As long as we keep heading straight we should be fine. I just need to get to a more familiar area and I can find us a way out.” Dani sat down on her rear, starting to carefully scoot down the slope. “There’s a ton of stories in the Rats Nest talking about just how deep. And of course the things you can find in them. Remember? Undead, vampires, beasties that go bump in the night.”

She spoke with a confidence she didn’t feel, the glowstone gripped tightly in one hand. He’d have to follow her if he didn’t want to get left in the dark. But at least she’d know where to find him if he decided to stay behind. She glanced at the bracelet around her wrist, her stomach twisting. He’d probably be able to find her too.

“Rats Nest?” Wulframs voice was curious, and she could hear him starting to slide down the broken floor after her. For some reason that was comforting, she didn’t want to be alone down here. Even if the other option was some clueless prince who thought he knew about the city when he obviously didn’t.

“The Tangle, Rats Nest, used to be called the Warrens at one point too. You know, the area of the city between the docks and the cliffs? Where none of the rich types or nobles wanted to live after the rockslide?”

“The rockslide? That was years ago, before either of us were born.”

“Sure was.” Dani agreed, standing up when she reached the bottom of the slope. Her leg still ached. No, actually it hurt like hell. She was beginning to wonder if she really had broken it, but there was no way she was going to just lay down and die down here. She’d get out, find someplace to lay low, and sleep until morning when she could maybe see a healer.

Wulfram was silent behind her, although she could feel his bulk as he stood up, towering over her. It hadn’t been long before they were born, but it had decimated the city. From the stories it had been a difficult rescue mission, and the nobles had just left the rockslide in place when they realized how much work it would be to clean it up. There were stories of people trapped in their shops or houses, dying still waiting for rescue. Every now and then someone would dig down into one of the older buildings and find skeletons clutching burnt out candles, or loved ones. The Quietus temple was always notified. After the valuables had mysteriously disappeared of course.

Dani glanced back to make sure he was still with her before continuing on. “What, nothing to say? When the rich folk moved out or died, we moved in. We built our homes out of what was left and made do.” She shrugged slightly, a note of pride in her voice. The shrugging made her wince but she continued on. “Face it blue-blood, the kingdom abandoned the Rats Nest.”

“We did not abandon anything. To move all that debris would be a huge undertaking. You might as well ask us to move a mountain.”

“Oh I’’m not asking you to move shit. The Rats Nest is ours now.” Dani smirked, pausing to look around. They were still going in the right direction, but at some point the walls had become much more regular, carefully carved instead of rough. “These might lead to the older crypts, maybe. Feels like we ain’t deep enough though so maybe they’re part of some ones old wine cellar.”

“What makes you think they’re crypts?” Wulfram asked, loosening the peace knot on his sword.

Smart, there was no telling what was down here.

“Well, that for one.” Dani froze, pointing into the room she had just checked. The blue light of her glowstone illuminated dust-laden floors and cobwebs, just barely reaching the trio of skeletons huddled in a corner, faintly glowing mushrooms growing between the bones. “Except that I don’t normally see skeletons grouped like that in the catacombs.”

“And you’ve seen a lot of catacombs?” Wulfram asked, staring past her at the skeletons. She could almost feel the tension in him like a weight pressed against her own heart. “But you’re right. That is not how most people are laid to rest.”

“I’ve seen a few. Slept in one, once.” And the less she thought about that night the better. It sure said something about her life when the safest place to sleep was with the dead.

Maybe she really did need a change. But what would she do? Go work with Mrs. Haversaun? She’d probably get bored out of her mind. Work with Therija and her father in the bakery? She could cook okay, but there was a reason they didn’t let her watch over the ovens. Of course it was looking like she may not have much of a choice in what came next in her life. She glanced down at the bracelet that used to be a crown.

“You slept in one?” Wulfram didn’t even bother disguising the shock in his voice.

“Well I didn’t say I enjoyed it. Hey, you thirsty? I bet we’re in the cellars of what used to be someones house. Might be a wine cellar ‘round here.” Dani continued down the hall, pausing to look back when she didn’t hear the princes footsteps right away.

He was staring at her, pity warring with horror on his face.

Dani sighed and rested a hand on her hip. “Don’t give me that look. Listen, sometimes all the options for places to sleep are bad. But I can make it on my own, I don’t need pity from someone with a magic crown and a bed that’s likely the size of my last room at the inn.”

Wulfram closed his mouth, looking for a moment like he might want to argue. But finally, he just nodded and gestured for her to lead the way. “Understood, lead on little Mouse.”

She felt her eye twitch at the nickname.

But rather than comment, she turned and started down the corridor again. She’d show him mouse! Once they were out of here she’d scurry away and lose herself in the Rats Nest. Even his magic bracelet couldn’t possibly follow her through all the twists and turns there.

Right?

For right now she took comfort in the sound of his footsteps behind her. They were solid, human and sure. If something came up behind them, he’d be able to fight it off, she was certain of it.

Now if only they could find a wine cellar or a way to the surface, they’d be fine. The group of skeletons didn’t give her much hope, but they also looked old and like they hadn’t moved in a very long time. That was good, it was less likely they were the restless dead, and more likely they were just normal dead that happened to run into bad luck when the cliff came down on the city.

Just to be safe though, she sent a quick prayer to Quietus, the goddess of death. It didn’t hurt to show respect for the dead, and sometimes doing the opposite could be fatal. Not that that stopped the body brokers.

Dani peered into rooms as they passed them, finding store rooms that had once held food and other supplies, most long since rotted away. Some held more skeletons, one of which was still holding a bottle that had once held wine. Long since evaporated in the musky air.

Finally, she hit upon what she had been looking for, a grin breaking out on her face. “Jackpot.”

She stepped carefully over broken glass to the racks still full of unopened bottles of wine and mead. Casks sat to one side of the room, covered with dust. She had to wonder if the people they had come across before had died drunk. She hoped so, it was better than dying in fear and despair. She shuddered at the thought and pulled a wine bottle off the rack. “A little drink to wet the whistle and ease the pain.”

Wulfram stepped into the room behind her, scanning the dark corners as if he was looking for something to jump out at them. “I’ll admit that I’m thirsty... but don’t you think it a bit disrespectful to steal from the dead?”

“Why? They’re dead, they don’t care.” She looked at the bottle in her hands, letting out a whistle. It was fancy, the lettering on it Elven, surrounded by green leaves with the faintest shimmer of magic still on them. “Look at this.” She held the bottle out to him, and grabbed another for herself. If they were going to die they might as well die drinking fancy Elven booze.

Wulfram took the bottle, and his eyebrows shot up, eyes widening. “This is- this is from the Anselvain Winery, but they haven’t used this labeling in over two hundred years!” He looked up at her, gawking when he saw her working the cork out of her own bottle with her knife. “You can’t possibly be thinking of drinking this straight from the bottle!”

“Sure am.” Dani said with utter conviction, working the cork free with a gratifying little pop.

“Have you no concept of how rare this wine is? Better yet, have you no respect for the dead? There are skeletons in the next room, this was likely their home!”

Dani let out a snort. “Like I said, they’re dead. They don’t care if we indulge in a bit of their booze. If you’re looking for respect for the dead the Rats Nest isn’t the best place to find it. Most of us don’t make it to the Quietus temples. Need some help opening that?”

“No. No I do not. Why don’t most people make it to the Quietus temples?” He looked down at the bottle, his back stiff as a board. Had she struck a nerve? She leaned back against one of the casks, taking a sip of the wine.

It was the best thing she had ever tasted.

Cool, sweet and refreshing, it left a tingle across her tongue and down her throat. The taste of sun-ripened berries lingered well after the liquid reached her stomach, and a deep contentment flowed through her, relieving the fear and worry that had filled her. It even helped her not ache so badly! She had expected it to take at least a bottle to ease that! “Most people wind up at the body brokers.”

“The what?” Wulfram set the bottle she had given her aside, although a bit reluctantly. Apparently he wasn’t that thirsty. She shrugged philosophically, if he didn’t want to drink it, she wasn’t going to force him. But for her, it was a damn near religious experience.

“The body brokers. They’ll take a body off yer hands, strip it of anything valuable, and then sell the body or dump it somewhere if they can’t sell it.” She took another sip of the wine, letting the sweet tingle wash away the vile taste the concept left in her mouth. It wasn’t like there was anything she could do about them, but to think of some of the things that happened to bodies after people died... it made her sick.

“Who would want to buy a body?” Wulfram looked at her with dawning horror, looking as though he was regretting his decision not to drink.

“Healers hall, shark hunters, some of your less reputable mages. Although I know one pie shop you’ll not want to go to, I suspect they buy the bodies too.” There was certainly something wrong with their meat. She had gotten sick the one time she had gone there, and had never dared go back.

For a long time, Wulfram just stared at her, his face contorting with anger and disgust. He finally picked up the bottle he had set aside, drawing his own dagger to work the cork out. Once it was open, he took a long swig that did the wine no justice at all.

When he spoke, his voice was a growl. “Have you ever stolen from the dead?”

Dani was silent for a moment, mulling over the question. Had she? She stood by her assertion that the dead didn’t care what happened to their stuff when they passed on, but that didn’t mean she went out of her way to rob them.

The dead may not care, but Quietus might. And she was already on some gods shitlist, she didn’t need to be on more. “Unless you count now? Nah. Most of the dead down here are ones that would fight back, or have been picked over long before I saw ‘em.” She leaned over, gently clinking her bottle against his. “Don’t stress too much ‘bout it. And drink yer wine, it’s open now, it’d be more of a sin to waste it now.”

Wulframs scowl didn’t lessen, but he did take another drink of his wine. “You will show me where these body brokers are. If what you say is at all true, they need to be shut down.”

Dani resisted the urge to make a stupid face at him. Who was he to give her orders? Oh right, the guy that had put a magical bracelet on her. She stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes at him.

So much for resisting making a stupid face.

“Why? Where are people going to leave their dead and dying if not with them? In the streets? Or will the high and mighty nobles pay to take them to the healers hall or Quietus temple?” Dani waved her bottle in the vague direction of the temple district, the wine sloshing in the glass. “Or maybe we should leave our dead and dying on the Trade Road, I’m sure that would look grand.”

“I’ll speak with my mother about the possibility of putting a Quietus temple in the Tangle, as well as a Healers Hall. Of course if what you said has any ring of truth to it, they’ll need to be investigated as well. I can’t imagine what the Healers Hall would want with bodies though.”

“Maybe ask them in your investigation.” Dani shrugged. Personally she didn’t want to think about what happened to a body after a person died. When the best case was rotting away peacefully, there was no sense thinking about it. It would just give her nightmares.

She froze suddenly, looking towards the door, her ears straining to pick out sounds. She had thought she had heard something....

Wait, there it was again!

A scraping of bone against stone, the rattle of bones held together by something other than muscle and skin. Her stomach lurched, and she took another swig of the wine, straightening from the cask she had been leaning against.

Wulfram followed her gaze to the door. He set down his wine bottle, hand drifting to his sword. “Hello?” He called out, and took a step forward, putting himself between the door and her. “Who goes there?”

A faint green glow illuminated the hall beyond, and a skeleton shambled into view.