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Description
Chapter One
I pulled myself onto the roof, finding minute finger holds between the shingles on the steeply slanted surface. I had slept in the ally below. I straightened up, balancing on the pointed beam where the two slopes of the roof met, and watched the sun throw its first rays of light out over the water, turning the sky pink and the waves yellow. I watched as a gull swooped into the water stealing a fish out of the waves. After a moment, I turned my back on the sea and surveyed the structure of the roofs behind and above me. I ran forward across the roof and leapt onto the slope of another roof. I scrambled up this roof and ran across the top of it. I used a shuttered window to propel myself onto the edge of a widow’s walk. I stepped over the short wooden fence bordering the platform and turned to face the sea again. The sun was just clearing the tips of the waves. I crossed to the opposite side of the widow’s walk and grinned. The edge of this roof brought me right up to the lattice between the highest row of houses and the outer wall of the city. Some people called it the thieves’ boulevard. I thought this was quite accurate, as it allowed easy access to the roofs of the city’s richest households. Also, I used it a lot.
I began to run lightly along the thieves’ boulevard until I reached one of the “catches” of the boulevard - a thick, gnarled, and nail-studded beam stretching across the boulevard at just the height that it couldn’t easily be jumped over or ducked beneath. I inspected this catch, and eventually decided to squeeze beneath it. Coming up on the other side, I realized that the next stretch of the boulevard was thick with catches. Instead of navigating around them, I chose to scale the roofs, as I had before. I wedged the toe of my whale-leather boot between a pair of nails and pulled myself up onto the roof. Straightening up on top of the roof, I noticed a traveling caravan was visiting the city. There were crowds milling about in the marketplace despite the early hour, and I caught sight of the glint of silver and the scent of tanned leather as I traversed the rooftops to get a better view of what was up for grabs - i mean, sale.
I slid down off a single-story rooftop, landing lightly though rather awkwardly in a cobbled alley. It had taken me weeks of practice before i could pull that off without ending up with a twisted ankle. I strolled casually around the corner and into the marketplace, allowing my nine fingers to flick into purses and pockets and snatch coins, trinkets, a tinderbox, a rolled up pair of socks, a twist of silver, a braided leather cord, and other random objects. I tucked them into the many pockets inner of my jacket, unnoticed by my many marks. I pause at a wagon offering sugar and various cotton garments and pouches, most likely bought from the edges of the swamp a few months ago and traded to craftsmen and refineries a few towns northward.
“Hey, you buyin’?” asked the vendor in a thick Akon accent.
“Depends,” I responded in Akon. “How much for this?” I plucked a nondescript cotton travelling bag with a long crossbody shoulder strap and a clasp on each side of the flap from where it hung on the side of the wagon.
“Twenty tolar,” the man responded in his home tongue.
I managed to haggle it down to fifteen, dropping ten tolar coins and fifteen of the smaller crups onto his wagon’s counter and scooping up the bag. “Thanks.”
He swept all the coins into a locked wooden box. I turned and walked to the next cart, a more permanent booth which was selling Purple Cup juice and poppy and mustard seeds to the visiting traders. I stole more coins on my way over and made a quick transaction of four tolar for a flask of Purple Cup juice and moved on. The next wagon was run by a girl who looked about a year older than me and a woman who was obviously her mother. They were selling different silver and gold wares, including twists like the one I had taken from a stranger's purse earlier.
“Morning,” the girl greeted me. “You interested in gold or silver from the Eink Mountains?”
“No, I want news on the war. Are the Allent fighting for the Einklin?”
“Yes. Not many Einklin are actually fighting. For the most part, the Allent are causing avalanches that cut off our supply lines and stop our troops from marching across the border. Everywhere within three miles of the border is so cold your breath freezes and falls like snow.”
“And the Allent did that?”
“Nature couldn’t do something like that,” She said, and I realized she was right. The Allent were able to twist the forces of nature to their will - some could control fire, and others water, weather, metal, or, rarely, other people or two or more of those powers combined, in the case of many of the noble families. The members of the Einklin royal family usually even possess In Einklina, the Allent are trained to use their powers. Sometimes, the Allent even allow the king to tell them who to marry to increase the prowess of their children.
“So, um, are you gonna buy something, or are you gonna leave?” the girl said suddenly.
“Oh, actually, I was wondering if I couldn’t join you. I’m heading toward Sea City, and as I understand it, you are, too?” I reply.
“You’ll want to talk to our captain,” she directed me toward a cart selling several varieties of sugar, molasses, and rice. I thanked the girl and walked over to it.
“Can I get half a flask of boil-sugar syrup?”
“Twelve crups, five daleri,” he replied.
“I’ll give you twelve crups.”
“Deal,” he poured the syrup into a small leather waterskin as I stacked the coins on the counter in twos and threes, searching through my - and other customers’ - pockets.
“Also, I was wondering if I could join your caravan on the way to Sea City?” I asked.
“Can you walk or ride for over six hours every day and take care of any animals you bring along?” He inquired.
“Of course,” I responded.
“We’ll spend the night here and leave first thing tomorrow morning. Meet us by the southern gate by sunrise.”
“I’ll see you then.”

Description
Chapter One
I pulled myself onto the roof, finding minute finger holds between the shingles on the steeply slanted surface. I had slept in the ally below. I straightened up, balancing on the pointed beam where the two slopes of the roof met, and watched the sun throw its first rays of light out over the water, turning the sky pink and the waves yellow. I watched as a gull swooped into the water stealing a fish out of the waves. After a moment, I turned my back on the sea and surveyed the structure of the roofs behind and above me. I ran forward across the roof and leapt onto the slope of another roof. I scrambled up this roof and ran across the top of it. I used a shuttered window to propel myself onto the edge of a widow’s walk. I stepped over the short wooden fence bordering the platform and turned to face the sea again. The sun was just clearing the tips of the waves. I crossed to the opposite side of the widow’s walk and grinned. The edge of this roof brought me right up to the lattice between the highest row of houses and the outer wall of the city. Some people called it the thieves’ boulevard. I thought this was quite accurate, as it allowed easy access to the roofs of the city’s richest households. Also, I used it a lot.
I began to run lightly along the thieves’ boulevard until I reached one of the “catches” of the boulevard - a thick, gnarled, and nail-studded beam stretching across the boulevard at just the height that it couldn’t easily be jumped over or ducked beneath. I inspected this catch, and eventually decided to squeeze beneath it. Coming up on the other side, I realized that the next stretch of the boulevard was thick with catches. Instead of navigating around them, I chose to scale the roofs, as I had before. I wedged the toe of my whale-leather boot between a pair of nails and pulled myself up onto the roof. Straightening up on top of the roof, I noticed a traveling caravan was visiting the city. There were crowds milling about in the marketplace despite the early hour, and I caught sight of the glint of silver and the scent of tanned leather as I traversed the rooftops to get a better view of what was up for grabs - i mean, sale.
I slid down off a single-story rooftop, landing lightly though rather awkwardly in a cobbled alley. It had taken me weeks of practice before i could pull that off without ending up with a twisted ankle. I strolled casually around the corner and into the marketplace, allowing my nine fingers to flick into purses and pockets and snatch coins, trinkets, a tinderbox, a rolled up pair of socks, a twist of silver, a braided leather cord, and other random objects. I tucked them into the many pockets inner of my jacket, unnoticed by my many marks. I pause at a wagon offering sugar and various cotton garments and pouches, most likely bought from the edges of the swamp a few months ago and traded to craftsmen and refineries a few towns northward.
“Hey, you buyin’?” asked the vendor in a thick Akon accent.
“Depends,” I responded in Akon. “How much for this?” I plucked a nondescript cotton travelling bag with a long crossbody shoulder strap and a clasp on each side of the flap from where it hung on the side of the wagon.
“Twenty tolar,” the man responded in his home tongue.
I managed to haggle it down to fifteen, dropping ten tolar coins and fifteen of the smaller crups onto his wagon’s counter and scooping up the bag. “Thanks.”
He swept all the coins into a locked wooden box. I turned and walked to the next cart, a more permanent booth which was selling Purple Cup juice and poppy and mustard seeds to the visiting traders. I stole more coins on my way over and made a quick transaction of four tolar for a flask of Purple Cup juice and moved on. The next wagon was run by a girl who looked about a year older than me and a woman who was obviously her mother. They were selling different silver and gold wares, including twists like the one I had taken from a stranger's purse earlier.
“Morning,” the girl greeted me. “You interested in gold or silver from the Eink Mountains?”
“No, I want news on the war. Are the Allent fighting for the Einklin?”
“Yes. Not many Einklin are actually fighting. For the most part, the Allent are causing avalanches that cut off our supply lines and stop our troops from marching across the border. Everywhere within three miles of the border is so cold your breath freezes and falls like snow.”
“And the Allent did that?”
“Nature couldn’t do something like that,” She said, and I realized she was right. The Allent were able to twist the forces of nature to their will - some could control fire, and others water, weather, metal, or, rarely, other people or two or more of those powers combined, in the case of many of the noble families. The members of the Einklin royal family usually even possess In Einklina, the Allent are trained to use their powers. Sometimes, the Allent even allow the king to tell them who to marry to increase the prowess of their children.
“So, um, are you gonna buy something, or are you gonna leave?” the girl said suddenly.
“Oh, actually, I was wondering if I couldn’t join you. I’m heading toward Sea City, and as I understand it, you are, too?” I reply.
“You’ll want to talk to our captain,” she directed me toward a cart selling several varieties of sugar, molasses, and rice. I thanked the girl and walked over to it.
“Can I get half a flask of boil-sugar syrup?”
“Twelve crups, five daleri,” he replied.
“I’ll give you twelve crups.”
“Deal,” he poured the syrup into a small leather waterskin as I stacked the coins on the counter in twos and threes, searching through my - and other customers’ - pockets.
“Also, I was wondering if I could join your caravan on the way to Sea City?” I asked.
“Can you walk or ride for over six hours every day and take care of any animals you bring along?” He inquired.
“Of course,” I responded.
“We’ll spend the night here and leave first thing tomorrow morning. Meet us by the southern gate by sunrise.”
“I’ll see you then.”