Central Square was swarming with people. Many gathered beneath the iron clock, finding a good place to watch the light show.
"Ru, over there," Elsie pointed to where a tall gaslight stood at the corner of the square.
"Let's go up."
"There is nowhere to sit."
He felt her shrug. "That's okay because you didn't want to see the lights, so you can hold onto the lamp and make sure we don't fall while I look at the show."
Ignoring her suggestion, he searched for a path through the crowd surrounding the iron clock. Finding a hidden door tucked to the side, Rune entered the tall metal structure. Cool, stale air swept past his face as he ascended the steep steps to the top of the clock, with Elsie occasionally coughing slightly from the dust covering the passage.
At the top, a wooden chair rested on the miniature perch, hidden from view to those at ground level, as the clock's shadow encompassed the slight space exposed to the night sky.
He put her down on the stool and looked down towards the crowd. Families from upper Alta and those from Driftwood all gathered, laughing as they waited for the annual light show to commence. Women from the brothels who would often work the night were also there, slapping away the hands of orphans who tried to snatch the jewels pinned in their hair and clothing.
Despite the circumstances everyone was in, it seemed all were in good spirits, which was probably because the Madam and the Reapers weren't attending the event.
Wait what? They're not here?
Rune's eyes scanned the crowd once more as he failed to see a single Reaper or a worker of the Madam stationed within the square.
The prickling feeling beneath his skin flared to life as the sensation of needles dragging along his back caused the hairs on his arms to stand up in alert. Something was off.
"Ru, didn't Nilu say she'll be here?" Elsie looked around, searching for her ghoul-eyed friend, who often kept them company despite having a home on the upper side of Alta.
He didn't know what she did, as most of the day, she would accompany them on Rune's delivery runs while she snagged fruits from vendors.
He failed to understand Nilu's need to resort to thieving. She always carried a bag of coins tucked within her vest pocket, but whenever he asked why she wouldn't use them, she would shrug her shoulders. "They aren't mine."
Like Silus, Nilu's milk eyes unsettled him. It was common for Eastern Nythians to have milk white or shades of brown as eye colours, but Rune always felt uncomfortable whenever their eyes would peer into his own. He knew his mother was ghoul-eyed, but she didn't pass down any of its traits to her children.
Rune wouldn't know if he could stand being under the scrutiny of milk-white eyes from Elsie if she hadn't been born with near-black eyes. Although neither had ghoul qualities, they were not immune to the common occurrence of eye shifts, which was when an Eastern Nythian's coloured brown eyes would slowly fade until they became milk-white.
The colour shift was not associated with eyesight, so many went on with their lives after, with nothing changed.
Much remained a mystery about the cause of the transformation in eye colour among the Eastern Nythians. Many scholars from other nations believed that this phenomenon occurred only in those of Eastern Nythian blood, asserting that it represented a defect that emerged early in Nythos' reign and did not appear in those from the West. Following the civil war, Western Nythians exploited this trait, along with bloodletting to examine blood colour, as methods to distinguish themselves from their Eastern counterparts.
Yes. An East Nythian's blood differed from their Western counterparts or any other person on Terra. They were the only ones who bled black blood instead of the standard red shared by everyone else.
Movement from a Driftwood alleyway dragged Rune from his thoughts as a short figure with long red-brown hair darted into the crowd.
"Look, look, look, she's here! Nilu's here!" Elsie excitedly pointed at the red-brown hair moving in their direction.
Grabbing the bag of grilled fish from Rune's hands, Elsie looked inside the paper sack and then back at Rune.
"The rest are for Nilu."
Rune gaped at her. "But I didn't get to have any!"
"Nilu is hungry. The Madam will have something for you when we go back. She likes you."
"Have you seen the woman? When has it ever looked like she likes me? All she does is glare at me and scold me for the teeny tiniest mistake."
"Well, that's because you're not listening to her."
Rune threw up his hands in resignation. What could a five-year-old understand his plight?
Grumbling his frustrations, the soft patter of boots sounded as Nilu joined them, squeezing beside Elsie on the wooden chair.
Elsie smiled, handing the bag of fish to Nilu. "These are for you."
Nilu nodded her thanks, giving a smile of her own as she happily crunched Mavrik's signature grilled fish, finally noticing Rune was also there.
Taking my food. Another reason why I hate your company.
Rune's stomach decided to grumble out his frustration just as Nilu was analyzing the state he was in.
"You look hungry. Do you want some?" She asked innocently, unaware of Elsie's earlier attempt to prevent him from eating.
"I'm not hungry. I'm quite full, thank you."
"Then why is your stomach growling?"
"What? Is my stomach not allowed to growl?"
A sudden boom interrupted Rune.
Both Elsie and Nilu turned from Rune, looking up into the sky as the show began. With each boom, lights of different colours expanded in the sky, the crowd cheering their approval as beautiful shades of orange, yellow, and green filled the night sky.
Rune also gazed up. It was nice to have something bright and pretty for a change. A single day within the year when everyone could forget about the troubles living in Alta City brought into its inhabitant's daily lives.
Still feeling uneasy, Rune looked back down toward the crowd. While the crowd's attention was on the show, he tried to look for signs of suspicious motion.
His concern was soon justified as he found Frendil's men scanning the crowd's faces, their usual clothes replaced by those of the wealthy.
"Nilu, did you happen to see Frendil's men on your way here?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Did you, by chance, overhear anything?"
"No... Oh wait, they did say something about a funeral."
"Did they mention names?"
"They said something about the Reapers and Frendil, but I didn't hear much since they were whispering."
Rune took in what Nilu said. If something had indeed happened, it would only be a matter of time before he learned of it from the Madam when they got back.
The light show went on. Rune couldn't enjoy the rest of the show, his worry level at the highest while the two girls beside him were oblivious to his distress, giggling and whispering to each other.
At one moment, Nilu's left arm snuck around Elsie and held the bag of fish to Rune.
He looked at her, then the bag, pointing at himself. She gave her head a slight nod.
Taking the bag from her outstretched arm, he peered into the sack to see the last grilled fish in the bag.
She better not have put poison in this.
Shoving the cold fish into his mouth, the lack of temperature did nothing to the delightful flavour that came from the fish.
Rune ate quickly, not bothering to savour anything, as he stuffed himself before his sister could turn and blame him for taking Nilu's food.
*****
The warm glow of a gas lamp greeted Rune and Elsie as they arrived at the red brick building. They had left Nilu at the square, who told them she would stay a little longer after the show.
As Rune walked into the large sitting room filled with lavish tables and chairs, the secret door at the end of the hallway leading to the Madam's study clicked open.
A tall figure clad in all black emerged from the shadows. The rolled-up sleeves revealed a series of identical scars etched along both arms, hinting at the happenings of death. It was Scar, the Madam's right hand, who dealt with the upper class and merchants who came from other nations. He had his dark hair pulled back at his nape, and a violent scar ran from his forehead to his chin. His gaze fell on Rune and Elsie as he strode toward them, emerald and ruby rings adorning his fingers, along with an expensive black coat draped over one arm.
Rune tipped his head. "Good evening, Sir."
"Rune, we were just talking about you."
He felt himself pale, the blood leaving his face as his heart began to skip more beats than it should.
Scar's face remained stoic. "The Madam was about to send someone for you."
"Am I in trouble?"
"No, you're not in trouble. A complicated situation has befallen us. The Madam will discuss the rest with you. I shall take my leave."
Rune stayed rooted to his spot, not reassured by Scar's words.
"And Rune, do reach out if anyone bothers you. You know where to find me."
Rune did not move. No, he couldn't move.
Thanks, Sir. He thought as his speech was failing him.
Hearing the back entrance shut close, Rune weakly stood in front of the painting.
A soft snore came from his back as Elsie lay fast asleep while he contemplated if he wanted to figure out what the Madam had in store for him.
Of course, you are sleeping. What better time to leave your brother to confront his fear on his own? Great, just great. You must be having quite the dream on my back while I'm trying not to soil my pants and shame myself in front of the Madam, aren't you?
He sighed, envying his sister.
"You got this. Breathe—inhale—exhale." He encouraged himself, then pressed the indent by the painting. A click sounded, the wall opening into the very same dim room he had been just hours ago.
Quietly stepping into the room, Rune found the Madam standing and examining a map spread out on her desk, a permanent frown etched on her face.
"You're here."
A statement.
Silence filled the room for a brief second before Elsie's snore broke it.
"I can see she's out cold. Long day, it seems." She circled a spot on the map in red ink before looking up at Rune.
"Report on any unusual activity at the show."
Rune replied on command. "A couple of Frendil's people were poking about in the crowd. They seemed to be looking for someone."
The Madam casually responded without looking up. "They're looking for you."
Rune's heart came to a complete stop as the words 'looking for you' bounced in his head.
"Me?" he squeaked out.
"Yes, apparently, Frendil had left you something before leaving. Quite suspicious, given the incident this morning."
He was confused. What did it mean? Frendil was leaving?
"I presume you're confused."
Of course, he was bewildered. What did Frendil's leaving have anything to do with him?
"I can see Silus has kept a tight leash on everyone's mouths. The news must've not spread."
The Madam continued adding circles on the map one at a time without breaking concentration.
Rune gave her a good look, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the hair sticking out of her long braid, usually tucked in a bun at her neck. He found it hard to believe she was 50, as age had yet to mark her. Despite all the responsibilities and businesses she managed, he wondered how she maintained such a smooth, unblemished face that now showed signs of exhaustion.
Seeing the Madam unsettled somehow calmed his anxiety, with blood returning to his extremities.
The Madam once again looked up from the map.
"Ah yes, I forgot to mention the news."
"Frendil's dead."
The shock wasn't the least that he felt. His whole body stopped working then, and he blanked.
Frendil, the woman who ran one-third of Alta, was dead.
No wonder the Reapers didn't show up at the square.
"Get some rest now. A big change is about to happen. Sleep will do you good for whatever awaits us tomorrow."
"Will we be attending?" It was the question Rune didn't want to know the answer to.
"You prepare yourself now. All of Alta has a funeral to attend to."
*****
Rune walked back to their rooms, trying not to stumble.
Frendil was dead.
How could it happen? Who did it? Why did they do it?
He had so many questions running amok in his head he doubted he would get a good night's rest.
Everything could fall apart tomorrow.
The Madam, Reapers, Frendil's men, diplomats, and merchants would all gather. Everyone would be there—everyone important, which meant all hell would break loose.