Twists and turns, up this alley, down that one, and in circles we go. That’s how you make your way to the Burnin’ Stallion where the most recent murder had happened. Another small child, a fourth from the shady town, Torinaet. The screams were heard around the first hour of the new day. There were few people who understood the way the children often died, and even fewer practiced. Things are about in the year fourteen of Domiscus. The Burnin’ Stallion is known for it’s violence and crime rates, however it is not normal for children to be attacked.

Today was the day he was free. Sashin’s streets were filled today with young fools, setting out on adventures. Some to never come back, and many scared into working in factories. Timothy, a good gent whom stood with his copper hair slicked back underneath his top-hat, decorated by the gent himself with cogs and gears that glinted in the sun’s fading light. “Just the evening,” he began looking at the old, green door. “That is where my life shall begin! I’m heading out Alabaster, making my way to the ol’ temples. They say they’re up in the crags near the ol’ lands. Up north, don’t you see that direction?” Now the white Persian cat was pulled up into the gent’s arms, getting more white fur all over his clothes.

  The cat didn’t care, his mechanical ear twitching, he just enjoyed the hand of his savior running against his fur. Alabaster used to hate it when he pet him like this, but it seemed his side had at least healed. Allowing for the mechanical cage around his side to work as it should, protecting the animal’s tender insides. Tim had to remind himself that he would need to pay attention to this daily. “There’s a place nearby,” he whispered to his cat, stepping away from the door and down the steps to the streets below. “It’s a floating inn, one in the sky. We shall sleep there.”

  Ever since he was young, he had held an interest in that inn. Despite all the rumors, he had his mind set on going there. The lad began to navigate the streets he called home, for the last time. He didn’t know this then, but he would never be able to make it back home. His feet took him past his old hotspots, a diner on the corner of some crossing, a few friends’ houses up in the buildings, and the pizza joint that was just going out of business. He waved sadly to the pizza place, as he passed it and made it closer to the bus stop. On the bus he sat in the back, Alabaster just barely passing under their noses. “Alright Alabaster, we gotta make this quick,” he whispered to his companion who just purred. Sighing, this was not the same as having a friend with him. Maybe he’ll make some, you never know after all.

  So many people crowded themselves on the small vehicle, making it harder to breathe, and harder to keep the cat calm. Some were singing, there was two girls giggling and falling over everyone, some guys looking like they really didn’t want to be there. At one stop, half the bus got off and half of that came back on. New faces, same amount. This happened a few more times before Timothy got fed up with it and nearly ran off the bus. He was now several cities away and unsure of where he was. He hoped this was where the inn was, the lady did say that, right? That it’d be in Juroa? Oh well, even if it wasn’t he’d find his way to it. Timothy just knew it, he was one with a sense of direction.

  As he hoped, his feet brought him upon the floating inn. It certainly stood out like a sore thumb compared to the tilting, vertical buildings made out of metals and stone. It really brought out the feeling of difference that the country of Sashin felt. “Well, hello,” Tim greeted the lanky, almost dangerous looking ladder that led up to the inn. Making his way up the ornately painted steps, he decided he would greet the innkeeper with his cat under a table. Luckily enough for Tim there was a table near the door, several, in fact were crowded in the decently furnished belly of the ship. “Hello sir, oh and a cat! How majestic! Her name?” Timothy nearly jumped six feet in the air, causing the man to laugh. “Calm ye’self kid! Calm, haha. Food or drink? Where ye from?”

  Timothy sat at the bar, allowing Alabaster to prowl around on his own. The cat decided to be lazy and stick by his master’s side, sitting underneath his feet. “Food, please. And ah, his name is Alabaster. I saved him. Milk please, and bread. Or soup?” Timothy wasn’t sure what to ask for exactly, he’d never been in an inn before so he did not know the routine.

  However he pulled it off well enough in front of the innkeeper, “Soup? And bread? Ain’t ye the simple kind? A’ight. Four sashes, and two slaints.” This made Timothy wince, four sashes!? He had to be kidding him. He pulled the coins out anyway, the sashes were thicker and were similar to a wax seal (instead though with the face of their dictator), while the slaints looked more like simple copper coins. He didn’t get knucks very often, only if he paid over. “Here ye go.” The food was set on the bar, then the coins were taken up.

  “Thanks.” Tim set the cat’s milk on the ground, who greedily lapped at it. The inn-keeper was of shorter stature than Tim, and he was much rounder though not obese. He held a sort of charm about him, and his black hair stood up in different ways. He wasn’t a very clean fellow, but he ran a nice establishment. Sipping his soup he listened to the inn-keeper rattle on about news from Lysteria.

  “They say they’re gonna come right in, swooping in like hawks from below and take us! Take all these kids and turn them to slaves, they say.” The man nodded to himself, drying some glasses with a rag. “Y’know anyone from up there?”

  “No, can’t say I do. Hey mister, how much is a room?” Timothy adjusted his jaw, keeping it tight to avoid letting a yawn out.

  “Just a sash, it’s not much.” A sash was given to him, “Room to the left.” The inn-keeper noticed he didn’t finish his soup as Timothy stood up and checked on his cat, who had finished his milk, and scooped him up. “Have a g’night.” A wave of a finger and Tim was making his way to the rooms below middeck. In the small room, he noticed there was just enough space to set his bag of gear on the table.

  Slipping out of his outdoor wear he slipped under the sheets, snuggling down for the night. His eyes closed and sleep came rather quickly for the young man. It swept him off to the dream world, allowing for things to take place.

  Chapter 2: The Break-In

In the early hours of the morning there came two new patrons. Just walking straight in, one was a bit taller than Timothy, and the other just barely shorter. The siblings looked around, taking in the layout for the first time. They had spent months doing guesswork, for Jack did not believe in letting others do anything. Jack’s grey eyes found what he was looking for, the door behind the bar. It led to the captain’s room, where the inn-keeper lay, sleeping much like Tim. “A’ight, go check it out.” Nodding his dark-blue head towards his lighter colored sister.

She nodded and made her way towards the back where Tim lay. Jack made his way behind the bar, then pulled at the door to find it was locked. He expected this and pulled out his case of “emergency supplies”. In there were some lockpicks, of which he pulled out one and slipped it into the door’s lock, taking a second one he jammed it up in some kind of angle. (Research how to pick locks, again.) The lock clicked as the tumbles worked and were set into motion by the pick, pulling both away and slipping them back into their casing the dark-haired gent opened the creaky door.

  As he thought, the old man laid on his bed, passed out. Exactly how it should be, were his thoughts. He pulled from his side a long sword. “Get up,” Jack commanded the old man as he used the handle to smack the man as he slept across the face. This awoke him with a cry, which was quickly changed into strangled whimpers by the tip that poked into his throat, just threatening to cut. “Get, up.” This time the old man moved to rise out of bed, but Jack kept his eyes on him and the sword to his throat. “Where’s that damned treasure?” The old man shook his head, licked his lips, tried to speak but nothing came out. “Quit your damn blubbering! Tell me, now.” There was a crash, and a curse escaped from his lips.