“No, not yet anyway. I haven’t fed Bani yet or eaten anything myself.” Cero swatted the flies away from the rat meat that he had saved from the night before and held up a piece for Bani who flicked a tongue at it before burying his head beneath a wing.
“Sorry if I woke you up.” Aleest apologized as Cero pushed the bench away from the door.
“I didn’t really sleep last night. Sort of just laid there and drifted in and out. How about you?” Aleest slipped inside and took a look at Bani from a safe distance. The little dragon snorted and disappeared seconds later.
“What is his problem?”
“He had to settle for rat meat last night. Not his favorite from the way he turned his nose up at it this morning.”
“You did go out to one of the food shops.”
“No, I followed your advice. Bani killed one under the bed yesterday. You are welcome to what is left. Cero motioned towards the remains of the rat where the flies were swarming.
“I would rather not. Best get rid of that before Yacub sees it.” Aleest took one last look at the gutted rat before moving to the seat on the other side of the room.
“So who is in charge of selling the stuff in the wagons?” Cero inquired as he pulled a piece of bread out of his pack.
“Sticky fingers and grumpy are in charge of the wagon with the cheap stuff and Torroth is already peddling the contents of the other wagon with Inadar. That leaves us to explore and gather information for Urake.”
“Shouldn’t we help sell the supplies with the rest of them?” Cero munched on his bread with a wry expression. “This could use some water to wash it down, but I'm afraid that I don’t trust the water around here.”
“Na. It isn’t like they will sell much anyways. The people around here are just too poor. Are you ready yet? You can leave your pack here if you want.”
“Bani doesn’t like how it smells here.” On hearing his name, the little dragon opened one emerald eye that seemed to float a couple inches above the bed.
“It will smell worse where we are going.” At Aleest’s comment, Bani yawned dramatically, tucked his head under a wing, and disappeared again.
“I think you convinced him. Let’s get going then. How is it that you know so much about the city?”
“I grew up here, remember?” Aleest pulled a piece of hard cheese from his pocket, bit off a chunk and began softening the piece in his cheek.
“I thought that you were in the castle.”
“That was only after Em’risi got me the job as a groom. Before then, I was a sewer rat. Actually that used to be my nickname because they said that the rats raised me.”
“That’s a mean thing to say about anyone.” Cero scowled at the idea.
“It was partially true. I think I'm an orphan that got dumped in the sewers and left for dead. I probably would have died if it weren’t for the rats.”
“What do you mean?”
“You forget I speak a common language with the rats. They brought me food and anything else I needed. For years I stayed hidden in the deepest tunnels before the rat hunters caught me. They tried to make me hunt rats for their little games, but I ran off and lived in the streets for a few years before Em’risi found me.”
“That would explain why you have so much control over your Gift. You practically have been using it your entire life.” Cero looked at the lad at his side with a new respect.
“More or less. It took a long time before I learned to control it. This way.” Cero followed through a maze of back alleys and paths that meander through the lower city like a snake in its final death throes. The tortured paths were seemingly placed in random orientations; however, Aleest threaded them unerringly. Eventually they came to a round hole in the wall that was surrounded by ramshackle buildings.
“What is this?” Cero inquired as he peered inside.
“When Shienhin was built, there was a natural spring that brought up fresh water. They built the city around it and used it for fresh water and to flush the sewers clean. Over time the spring began drying up. It still supplies water to the castle but little more so the old sewer tunnels are empty. The new sewer system doesn’t have the fresh water