Kael passed his thumb over the set of scales minted on the metallic token. Each coin felt real against his finger, but it was the heart on the other side that forced him to cover his mouth. It was soft; the kind of soft that didn't belong to metal.
Like flesh.
He yanked his thumb back, covering his mouth. Locks of dark hair fell over the sweat glistening on his forehead.
"To which of the eight bastards does this belong?" He couldn't detach his gaze from the token.
Divine pantheons interested him as much as his last pair of knitted shoes—not in the slightest—but even he knew the three major gods.
Morvana, the weaver of fate, and her lacework of strings. The eternal flame, Kythra, and her burning sun. And Solaron. That one he didn't know much about. No one did here, except that he was a god of order or some other trash he didn't manage properly, anyway.
None of them, he was sure, used scales as their symbol...
Among the other gods, he knew the Quiet Hand and that he hid secrets older than the world. Theda, the goddess Garrick worshipped, spoke about strength in conflict.
Then came Kraghor, the most revered god in the slums. Miners and beggars prayed to him, and so did his mom, Tonio's brothers, and Arthur.
Endure poverty. Endure hunger. Endure injustice. I behold all with equal gaze, and a god does not punish the brave twice. For them, I have prepared a place in my divine realm, where peace rests frozen for eternity.
The bastard words he had heard from his mom's mouth.
Sure. Suffer until you die, then let the same mongrel who watched you without raising a finger decide whether you're worthy enough for his peace. The frozen peace, more like the god of frozen eyes. I'd rather drop into hell.
He chuckled. Weren't the slums hell already?
Beside him, Els' voice broke his bitter thoughts. "What's so fun?" She tilted her head playfully.
"Just something I thought about. Anyway, you can help me." He met her green eyes. "You know about the bast... the gods? I can't remember the last two."
"Oh, you must be thinking about these two. Easy!" Els lifted her finger with a smug grin. "There is Lyra, the goddess of languages. Her interpretations are really fascinating, and honestly, I'm glad we had her, or we'd be growling like animals. Can you imagine it?"
She paused as if to let Kael laugh. He shrugged. Language didn't need coins or hearts.
Pouting, she continued. "I don't know much about the last one. Not because he's secretive like the Quiet Hand, but because he's not a god for us. Dad said only the wealthy pray to him. And when I say wealthy, I don't mean Garrick, but people like real kings and queens, with crowns and enough gold to bathe in it."
"Hmm. He might fit." Kael leaned closer and showed her the token. "Is this god represented by a scale like this?"
Els took the token from his hand and raised it in the flickering light of the lamppost. Her eyes narrowed on the intricate stack of coins and on the heart. "I can see why you'd think that. Good craftsmanship, but shouldn't it be silver or gold? No, Kael. That god's words are about growth. Dad said plants would likely represent him. See? Not a god for us."
She brushed the heart and flinched.
"What's this token then?" Kael took it back, frowning.
"It's soft..." she muttered, her fingers trembling. "I don't know. Something evil. Maybe a dark spawn... Throw it!"
"A spawn? Met one. The damned thing broke my arm and whispered with mom's voice. They don't need tokens. I'll keep it until we find out."
Els' eyes widened as he pocketed it. She gripped his shoulders, shaking him and blurting out. "You met one?! Where? How? Are you alright? You mean the arm from back then? I thought it was Ash!"
"That's what I let you think." Kael shook his head. "In the mines, down a lake of corrosive water. Does it even matter? It tried to kill me. I survived. End of the story, unless you want to visit it."
"Kraghor protects me from your stupid ideas."
Kael clenched his fist. Just thinking about the tentacles, the voice, the freezing and burning water—this nightmare—made him gasp for air. His heart drummed against his ribs, and he found himself back in the mine lake, broken, thinking only about surviving.
Els pulled back. "You okay?"
For a moment, Kael exhaled. With each breath, the phantom tickle of the water on his skin faded. The ringing in his ears cleared, and his eyes focused on what mattered. The present. "Yeah. About your offer, I feel like training now."
Els exchanged a long glance with him. No words, but her hand found his. With a gentle rub, she whispered. "You keep more to yourself."
She walked to the center of their shelter. When she turned again, her lips curled in a warm smile. "I just want you to know that I'll listen whenever you're ready."
Kael opened his mouth, then closed it. Words failed him for a second too long.
"So?" Palm up, Els playfully waved her fingers at him. "Are you training or brooding?"
A smile crept on Kael's face as he joined her. "Thank you."
"Thank me after you become strong enough not to end up wounded. Now, hit... Not too hard, please?"
With a smirk, Kael threw his first punch. Instead of focusing on strength, he refined his movements. Feet and hips spun, and back tensed. Precision increased. Thoughts about his ledger, the token, and its connection to spawns dissipated with his sweat. And for the following hour, not a single impact made Els wince.
His face dripping with sweat, he turned at a rustle in the doorway.
Tonio pushed the cloth aside, instantly wrenching the round glasses from his face with a screech. "Bad!"
A scent of blood clung to the rat-man, who shoved relic 78 in Kael's chest pocket, then forced something cold into his hand. "Fast dog. Catch tomorrow."
Twisted necks and jutting bones poked Kael's fingers. When he lowered his gaze, he dropped three dead rats the size of an adult's palm. "Damn it all! Don't put that shit in my hands!"
"Why?" Sitting, Tonio picked a rat. He brought it an inch from his mouth, as if to show it was more than shit.
With a grunt, Kael slapped the rat off Tonio's hand. "You can't eat it raw!"
"Bad! No meat, no strength. Kael weak forever." Tonio showed his squarish teeth.
Before he grabbed his rat again, Kael snatched it. Though Tonio glared at him, his own gaze softened. "You've eaten raw rats for so long you forgot you could cook them."
He scratched his head vigorously. No meat, no strength. Maybe it was true. At least, he wouldn't improve without eating. But rats... His mom saw many eat them, and more lose their health because of it. Besides, he couldn't look at the rats without his stomach churning.
"Cooking's not enough." Els took the rat from his hand. "Lana actually showed me how to eat them without catching their diseases. It's quite good." She cupped her hand against Kael's ear, adding, "Isn't it cannibalism? I mean, he's a rat-man."
"You think that as well?" Kael smiled wryly before his lips froze. "Wait! You ate rat meat?"
"Yup."
Tonio growled. "Hungry!"
Els gathered all the rats and rubbed Tonio's head. "I know. But we can eat them the safe way, the good way. I'm sure you'll like it better, too. All it'll cost you is a little time."
Though Tonio grumbled like a kid, he remained seated. When Els asked him for a knife, he shook his head and pulled scissors from his pocket.
Kael's eyes followed every motion, widening as Els skinned the rats and casually removed their guts and organs, complaining the whole time about lacking vinegar or alcohol to soak the meat. "Kills diseases," she said without seeming to understand how.
She moved to the hole in the ground, where she lit the coal that remained from her candle molding. She planted junk spikes into glowing coal. Once the metal turned orange, she skewered the rats and planted them around the heat.
"Now we wait for the fire to kill diseases."
An aroma better than anything Kael expected began to spread in the shelter. Beside him, drool smeared Tonio's fur as he pulled three medium water canteens.
"Huh? Where did you get them?" Kael spread his palms before he remembered Tonio's headshake about knives.
Instantly, his eyes darted to the rat-man's coat pockets. Items had bloated them two hours ago. Now they were almost empty.
Tonio uncorked a canteen, his chest puffed out. "Knives useless. Trade water. Tonio smart."
"The copper crowns? You didn't use them all, did you?"
"Shiny mine." Tonio showed the five copper crowns looted from Jones' group. Then he threw something else in front of Kael. "Yours."
Kael let out a relieved sigh before his eyes trailed to what Tonio presented. Gray shoes laced from linen and reinforced with leather over the toes lay before his bare feet.
"For me? You... you saw me searching for shoes this morning..." His voice cracked. The rats bore no nail marks, meaning Tonio consciously avoided contaminating them. The water, and now the shoes...
"Ground bad. Cold." Tonio drank from his canteen, his lips curled.
"You're right. You're very smart." Warmth filled his chest as Kael put on his new shoes.
He hopped three times, the comfort of sturdy soles kissing his feet. Better of all, they fit him. Never had he worn such comfortable shoes. Well, he did once, but he consciously shoved the poisoned gift out of his mind.
As a genuine smile curved his lips, Els clapped. The scent of cooked meat permeated every corner of the shelter, enticing a grumble from Kael's stomach even though his thoughts cursed in betrayal.
"Dinner's ready, guys!"