by Terry Schott
"That's the way it has to be."
"Why?"
"So that he matches his home." Mouse leaned against the wall across from them. Stick sat near him, eyes closed, hand resting on his quarterstaff. "To dress better than a street dweller and remain on the streets would invite an attack."
Oak nodded. "That's clever."
"No." Mouse produced an apple from beneath his rags and took a bite. "That's common sense. I worry about you sometimes, my large friend."
"Why?"
"Never mind. Leo, you should buy a weapon. A small knife, perhaps."
"I don't know how to use a knife."
"I could teach you."
Leo considered the advice before nodding. "It wouldn't hurt to learn a bit of self-defense."
"A leader should know more than any of his followers."
"I agree." Leo picked the coins from his palm and divided them into four even piles. "If I ever meet a leader, I will pass along your advice."
Stick's eyes opened as he laughed. "Still denying that's what you are?"
Leo shrugged. He held one pile of coins out to Oak and dropped them into his hand, then he stood and distributed the others to Stick and Mouse. He nodded and tucked the remaining pile into his waistband.
"What's this for?" Oak shook his hand and the coins jingled.
"Whatever you want."
"This is too generous." Stick held the coins out to his friend. Leo shook his head. Stick sighed.
"Don't buy anything that will make you stand out." Leo tapped his boots. "New clothes that keep out the cold are good enough. We don't need silk or jewels."
"Yet." Oak grinned.
Mouse looked at Leo with genuine concern. "You have been more than generous with us already. Sharing your food is what we do, but giving us your money is not necessary. Who knows when you will get any more. You should hold onto it and make it last."
Leo raised his eyebrows and smiled. "I got lucky. Money serves one purpose on the street and you know that as well as I do."
"Yes. Money is a prize to be stolen."
"That's right. The stuff we buy with it is less attractive and much more useful to us. I don't need all of this money, and I can't use it. You are my friends. It would be terrible for me to be warm and full while you shiver and starve beside me. Use the money to buy what you want. All I ask is that you spend it wisely."
Stick pointed at the small cache of food behind Oak. "Some of this will rot before we can eat it."
"All of you have other friends who would benefit from it."
Each boy nodded.
"Share it with them."
"Feeding the alley will be noticed," Stick said.
"I expect so."
"I mean by the Lord."
"I know."
The three turned as one and looked at Leo.
"What did you do?" Oak asked.
"I paid tribute."
"What?" Stick stood and leaned his quarterstaff against the wall before coming to sit beside the other two boys. "Why in the seven hells would you do such a thing?"
"More money is coming," Mouse said.
Stick shook his head but saw the look on Leo's face and raised his eyebrows. "Is he right?"
"If things go as planned."
"This doesn't sound good," Oak said. "You've fed us and given us money. We are now part of it, whatever it is. Is it something bad, Leo? Are we to become robbers or murderers?"
"It has nothing to do with you. I swear it."
"What is it?" Stick asked.
Leo did not answer.
"I believe him," Mouse said.
"Why?" Oak asked.
"In all the time I’ve known him, Leo has never lied to me."
"Maybe you haven't known him long enough," Oak said.
"I've known him long enough, and I trust his character."
Stick looked first at Mouse and then back to Leo before nodding his head. "I've known Mouse longer than anyone in the alley. If he trusts you, then so do I."
"Thank you," Leo said.
"You may not expect anything from us," Mouse said, "but you can count on our help if you need it."
"Thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I am fine. What I am doing is safe."
Stick laughed and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "When money is involved, nothing is ever safe."
6
Leo looked both ways before approaching the baker's house. He knocked and waited. After a few minutes, the door opened and the baker's smiling face appeared.
"Right on time, and look at you. You're much cleaner than last time. I think we can dispense with the washing down outside. Come in, lad, come in."
"Thank you, sir." Leo stepped into the kitchen and stood near the door while the baker closed it.
"Here, come sit at the table." The baker pointed to the seat that Leo had occupied last time before he moved to the stove to retrieve a pot of what smelled like stew. "Tell me what you've been up to this past week. You look stronger and better-dressed."
"I have eaten well, sir."
The baker paused and went to the doorway. "He's here, son. Come down now." The baker returned to the table and dished out a ladle full of thick stew into a bowl. He handed Leo the bowl and a large chunk of bread. "Start eating, lad. Save your story until my son gets here. I want him to hear about your adventures."
Leo ate slower than the last time, but he still managed to finish his first bowl of stew by the time the baker's son shuffled in and sat down at the table. Leo nodded in greeting, but the boy said nothing as he sat down beside his father. Leo shrugged and began to spoon more food into his mouth from the newly filled bowl.
"Leo was about to tell us about his week. What was the first thing you did with the money, lad?"
"I bought food."
"I'm glad you were able to do so. I knew that it would be a struggle to find someone who would be able to make change for the silver piece, but I remember my days on the streets well. One coin is much easier to hide than a handful. Did anyone try to rob you?"
"I was careful."
"Excellent. So you bought food and received change?"
Leo nodded.
"Then what did you do?"
How much do I want to tell this man? I feel that I owe him a story, but we are still strangers. "I bought boots and some decent clothes."
"Good. Anything else?"
Leo shook his head.
The baker's expression changed. His lips pursed and he folded his hands on the table.
He is disappointed with my story. "In order to get change, I had to purchase a large amount of food, sir. All I had left after that was enough for the boots and clothes. I am sorry if I disappointed you, but I did try my best to spend the money wisely."
The baker smiled and took a deep breath. "I'm sure you did, lad. Would you prefer that I give you more coins this time instead of the one?"
"Thank you, sir, but I have figured it out. One coin is much better to hide and I have found a reliable person to make change for me this time."
"That's a clever lad." The baker beamed and reached for a small dish of butter. "Here now, put this on your bread."
"Thank you."
Leo finished his second helping and then his third in silence. He pushed the plate away. "Once again you spoil me with such delicious food. I am grateful."
"Not at all." The baker stood and removed the bowl and took it to the sink. He returned with a piece of apple pie. "Eat this while my son takes hot water up to the bath for you. I have to prepare the pans for tomorrow morning."
The baker's son got up and went to the stove, lifting the large pot of hot water. As he walked past, Leo thought he caught a glare but the boy was gone too quick for him to be certain.
His bath was quick this time, just long enough to scrub everywhere. When he was done, the baker looked at his neck and behind his ears to make certain that there was no dirt. He ruffled through Leo's hair, looking for lice. With a satisfied nod he declared the boy clean. "It is not terr
ibly late. I think we should all get some sleep."
Leo knelt down near the back door to the kitchen and noticed two thick woolen blankets.
"Those are for you, lad." He handed Leo another silver piece and ruffled his hair. "It was good to see you again. Leave in the morning when you are rested and return in one week. Be careful out there."
"I will do my best." Last week, he worked while I slept, but tonight he lets a street boy be in his house while the family sleeps. So odd to trust someone he does not know in such a way.
The baker extinguished the lights and left the kitchen. There were footsteps as father and son moved around on the top floor for a few minutes and then the house became silent.
Leo lay on one blanket and bunched the second up to make a pillow. He fell asleep quickly.
***
At the first sounds of activity, Leo was up and reaching for the door. He walked through the back alley and stopped at the corner of the building to peer into the street.
He scanned for danger before proceeding. There were barely any people and he saw no trace of the Keeper. A block from the baker's home, he turned the corner and smiled with relief. His smile melted away as an arm encircled his throat and pulled tightly, forcing him to cough and gasp for air.
"A week, huh?" The keeper pulled him forward until and then slammed his face into a nearby wall with a thud which caused his vision to explode in bursts of white light.
"I've been hunting you for a week, but today I get my reward for patience." The Keeper released his grip on Leo’s throat and threw him to the ground, the impact caused his remaining breath to leave him. Leo gasped, unable to get a breath, then the toe of the Keeper's boot connected with his ribs. The sickening crack of his ribs sounded like a cannon blast in his mind. Leo's eyes rolled back into his head and the Keeper’s blows continued thudding into his body as blackness claimed him.
7
The burning pain in Leo's ribs woke him up. Instinct told him not to try and breathe too deeply and so he did his best to draw shallow breaths. He opened his eyes. Each inhalation was a little deeper than the last. On his fourth breath, the pain became excruciating. "I guess it could be worse." The sentence sounded blurred and the right side of his lip felt thick as he spoke.
"It could be," a man's voice said from beside him, "but not much worse without you being dead."
Leo turned towards the voice and pain blossomed in his neck muscles, the sensation making him gasp and cough. A hand touched his chest and rested there until he regained control of his lungs.
"Best if you don't try and move." A man moved into Leo’s view. He was a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and a thin growth of stubble. "What's your name, son?"
"Where am I?"
"The trade quarter."
Where the baker lives. I'm not among friends here. "They call me Jonathan."
"You don't live in the quarter, do you?"
"No."
"Didn't think so. I know everyone that lives here. Where you from?"
Leo remained silent.
"Well, Jonathan, you're one lucky boy. Most hurt as bad as you would've died."
"You a doctor?"
"I am."
"I have no money."
"That's not true, is it?" An old tanned hand with thin skin appeared in front of Leo's face. Pinched between the first and second finger was a silver coin. "Found this tucked into your waist. Strange that the thugs who attacked you didn't take it."
"It is."
"How many jumped you?"
"I don't remember."
"The Keeper said he chased off five of‘em."
"The Keeper brought me to you?"
The doctor laughed. "’Course not. A merchant brought you here, but apparently the Keeper was nearby. Claimed that he heard a commotion and, when he came to investigate, saw five criminals beating on you. The Keeper chased them off but couldn't catch them. When he returned, a merchant was already bringing you to me."
"Sounds believable."
"Not terribly original or detailed, but any less detail would sound suspicious, wouldn't it?"
He doesn't believe the Keeper. Doesn't matter. This man can't protect me. "I have to go."
"You're smart enough not to try and sit up as you said that."
"I didn't say I could go, only that I have to."
The doctor chuckled. "Your mind is sharp. Clothes are not the best, but you're not a street dweller, at least. Tell me what part of the city you live in and I will send for your parents."
"I can't."
"You're a runaway from the country, then." The doctor sighed and peered into Leo's eyes. "Follow my finger, please." He moved his finger back and forth a couple times in front of each eye and then leaned back. "I suppose there is no other option but to let you rest here until you can stand."
"How long will that take?"
"Couple days."
Leo closed his eyes and did some quick math. There is enough food in the alley to last the others that long. I will miss my meeting with the vendor, though. I don't want to ruin my relationship with him and he is counting on me. "Can you deliver a message for me?"
The doctor looked at the boy and nodded. "I'm not in the courier business, but I do my best to help my patients heal without stress. I don't leave this quarter, so if you want it delivered outside, I will need to hire someone."
"I need it taken to the docks. The tanner's place."
"That's not far out of this district. I am known in that area."
"Good, because I need you to take a note along with the coin."
The doctor considered the request and nodded. "Give me the note and I will see to it."
"I will need to borrow paper and pencil to compose it."
"You can read and write? Where did you learn those skills?"
Leo shook his head.
"You’re a mysterious one." The doctor moved to a desk and returned with a scrap of paper and pencil. Leo sat up with the doctor’s assistance and wrote with the paper against his lap.
Finley,
I apologize for missing our rendezvous, but circumstances out of my control prevented me. Please take your payment and add an additional ten percent for the late payment. If you could return the change to the doctor I would be most grateful. I will see you next week at the same time for a fresh order.
Leo
The small effort to write the note taxed Leo. He handed the note to the doctor, who took it and read it. "I know Finley. He is an honourable man who sells only the best quality food. The tanner is his brother-in-law."
Leo nodded. "Is there time today to take the note, or must it wait until tomorrow?"
The doctor read the note and looked back at Leo. "What do you want to do with the food you are paying him for?"
"Let him keep it. I can't carry it away in my current state."
"Then why pay for it?"
"Because that is our arrangement."
"But you are not able to use what you are buying."
"That isn't Finley's problem. I will need his food next week. If I don't honour my obligation to him then how can I expect him to be there for me next week?"
"Loyalty. Not a common trait in the people of today's world."
"All the more reason for those who possess it to hold onto the value tightly."
The doctor laughed and shook his head. "You are an intriguing boy, Jonathan."
"It's Leo. Now that I must involve you in my personal life, I need to trust you."
"I will not betray that trust, Leo."
If I'm lucky, you won't. "I believe you, Doctor . . ."
"Johnston. Doctor Samuel Johnston." The doctor folded the coin into the letter so that Leo could see. "I will take this now. You get some sleep. I will bring you back the change. By the time you wake up, I should be back."
Leo's eyes were becoming heavy. "The change is yours, Doctor. For your care and assistance."
"Nonsense."
"I insist."
Doctor Johnston smiled.
"When you are up and walking you can try to force the money on me."
Leo nodded and let sleep take him.
8
Leo hobbled into the alley two days later, favouring his right side where the majority of the internal damage had been inflicted.
Mouse appeared from the shadows. "What in the name of the gods happened to you?"
Leo winced. "Nothing. Have I missed anything important?"
"Here, let me help you." Mouse moved to Leo's right side and grabbed his arm, putting it around his own shoulders.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine. Tell me what happened."
"I can't."
The two walked in silence for the rest of the way. When they got close to their spot in the alley, Oak looked up and let out an excited shout. "You're back! Thought you'd gone for good there, boyo." His smile melted as he saw Leo's face. "What in seven hells happened to you? Who did this?"
"Someone bigger." Stick stood and moved to inspect his friend, touching the bruises and running a finger over the swollen eye. "Boots and fists, it looks like."
"Aye."
"More than one, at least?"
Leo pursed his lips and shook his head.
Stick frowned and helped Leo sit down. "Was it someone from the alley? Or another alley?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. I’ll be fine. It was a stupid mistake. I was caught by surprise—twice—and it won't happen again."
"Again?" Mouse raised his eyebrows. "Are you earning this money by fighting in the Pits?"
Leo laughed. "Do I look like Oak to you? No way. What makes you think I have more money?"
"Am I wrong?"
Leo grinned and removed a handful of coins—the change from Finley, which the doctor had refused to accept as payment for his service.
"How does your tribute work?" Stick asked.
Leo told them the terms.
"That's a high percentage for no protection," Mouse said.
"It's a start." Leo pushed his back against the wall and stood.
"Where you going?"
"To pay the lord his due."