Four long days.

  Relyn had been trying his luck in the city for four days now, but there were still no signs of someone giving him a job.

  He looked up to the distant walls while walking down a cobblestone street.

  In the time he had spent here, he realized there was no way to survive in this place without money, every single thing here cost something.

  From a single loaf of bread to clothes or even a place to stay, no one here was willing to give out anything for free.

  Looking at the boots he had on his feet to walk on the tough cobblestone, he was thankful he had gotten them in Salath.

  Life here was extremely comfortable, but there were so many rules to follow and consequences for breaking them, as well as so many different people everywhere. That was the aspect he didn’t like the most.

  “Boss!”

  And there’s that kid…

  “Wait, boss!” Someone called out again.

  Relyn turned his head around and saw a skinny ginger boy running in his direction with a smile on his face.

  “Hehe, boss is going early today.”

  Relyn remained silent and kept walking toward the city.

  “Here,” Kael extended his thin arm with an apple in his hand.

  “Got this one yesterday afternoon. Still fresh, boss.”

  Relyn nodded and grabbed the apple from the boy’s hand.

  Looking at Relyn accepting the apple, Kael felt extremely satisfied with himself and his smile grew wider.

  “They’re going to catch you one of these days…” Relyn said, before taking a bite of the apple.

  “Oh. Boss is worried about me?” Kael asked with a big smile.

  “Not really.” Relyn took another bite of the apple.

  The smile on Kael’s face dimmed a bit.

  “And where are you going today, boss?”

  Relyn glanced back, biting into the last of the apple Kael had given him. He tossed the core into a nearby gutter and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

  “I’ll try to see what I can find,” Relyn said.

  “You mean work? You know, there’s a place near the market. I heard they needed people. Maybe you can check it out.” Kael tilted his head.

  “I’ll think about it,” Relyn muttered.

  “If you get in, you’ll owe me a cut of your first pay.” Kael grinned.

  Relyn quietly shook his head.

  They reached the crossroads, and Relyn turned down the left road, heading toward the market district. The boy’s chatter faded away behind him and it was replaced by the sounds of the city.

  The shop Kael had mentioned the previous day wasn’t hard to find, it was on a quiet street just off the main square.

  The windows were boarded up, and there was a crude written sign hung on the door: Closed Until Further Notice.

  Relyn frowned, he stepped back and looked at the area. The usually busy market seemed quiet today. Only a handful of people were walking about.

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  He wandered the streets for some time, and the majority of stores were closed as well. Eventually, he heard voices. As he got closer, the sounds became louder and louder, all coming from a gathering of people crowded near the central square.

  Relyn walked closer, careful not to draw attention to himself. Close to him, there was almost a sea of heads all facing the same direction. He caught some of the conversation, words about assignments and candidates.

  Above the crowd there was a massive wooden board, covered with sheets of paper pinned in it. From where he stood, Relyn couldn’t make out the writing.

  ‘What’s happening now?’

  The noise of the crowd got him on his nerves, and after a while, he decided to move on. He still couldn’t handle these crowds.

  Relyn walked towards the city gates, he had an idea forming in the back of his mind. Something different today.

  When he approached the gates, four guards stepped forward, blocking his path with crossed spears.

  “Halt. What’s your registration number?” one of them shouted, barely sparing him a glance.

  ‘Registration number?’

  The guard’s eyes were briefly on the yellow strip tied around Relyn’s arm. He sighed, muttering something under his breath about “shelter folk,” and waved a hand toward another guard.

  “Just check it and move him through.”

  The second guard stepped closer, his eyes staring at the strip, not even bothering to inspect it thoroughly.

  “You’re from the shelters, right? What’s the number on your tag?” He asked.

  “I don’t-” Relyn began, but the guard cut him off impatiently.

  “It’s on the strip,” he said, squinting for a moment before nodding to his partner. “It’s fine. Clear him.”

  The first guard had already turned his attention back to the growing line of people behind Relyn.

  “Go on,” he said, and didn’t care to give him another glance.

  Before Relyn could respond, both guards were already addressing the next group.

  Relyn passed through the gates, and the landscape now were fields with different types of plants, dirt roads, and small farmhouses.

  He headed toward one of the farms he’d noticed on his first day in the city. The air was fresher here, for a moment bringing back his memories of when he was on the outside.

  Maybe that was the place he belonged, after all.

  He walked carefully and as he got closer, he saw something move through the cracks in the wooden wall. Someone was inside.

  Relyn stepped forward, watching closely. An old woman was bent over a bucket, her hands in the water, scrubbing a bunch of red leaves. She worked slowly and steadily, her back slightly hunched, seemingly unaware of him.

  ‘There’s a lot to do here, but shit, I can’t afford another no…’

  “Well, do you like watching old women work? What do you want here?” She asked, and picked up another batch of leaves from the ground.

  ‘Did she see me?’

  “Hello, I’m Relyn.” He spoke out.

  The woman didn’t respond. She continued washing the leaves and her eyes didn’t even move.

  “Do you need any help here? I’m looking for a job,” Relyn said, stepping closer.

  The woman still didn’t look at him. Instead, she spoke in a low, gravelly voice.

  “And what can you do?” She asked the question without pausing, her hands diving into the water again.

  “I know something about plants and vegetation in general.”

  “I don’t need that…” She replied curtly.

  “But I’ve got something for someone like you. We need more hands here during Solstices.” She quickly added, still working on the leaves in sight.

  “What is a solstice?” Relyn asked immediately.

  The woman, for the first time, seemed surprised. She looked at him like she was seeing a true idiot for the first time in her life.

  “You…” She started to speak, but stopped.

  “Demons killing everything when the moon is up? Every thirteen days? It doesn’t ring a bell?” She asked, almost in disbelief.

  ‘Hell days?’

  Silence hung between them for a while. The only sound was the soft splash of water as she washed the leaves.

  “No, I can’t do that,” he replied.

  ‘Mad! This woman is mad! What the fuck?’

  The woman rolled her eyes and didn’t say much in return.

  “Disgusting. You really like watching women work? What are you waiting for?” She glanced at him, seemingly annoyed he was still there.

  The entire encounter felt strange to Relyn.

  Who in this world works during a Hell day? Or a solstice?

  When Relyn returned to the shelter, the sun was already going below the horizon line. He grabbed some food, eating slowly. Something felt off. He glanced around but didn’t see Kael anywhere.

  “Where is that boy?” he muttered to himself, looking around the room again.

  Shrugging, Relyn decided to head to his cot. As usual, he slipped his dagger under his sleeve for the night. While adjusting his cot, a familiar voice broke the quiet.

  “Boss!”

  Relyn turned to see Kael grinning, holding a folded piece of paper in his hands. The boy’s face was still bruised from their recent fight, but his energy was high as ever.

  “What’s this?” Relyn asked, raising an eyebrow as Kael handed him the paper.

  “Your inscription to the Hunter selection,” Kael said proudly, and he had a smile that seemed to reach both of his ears.

  Relyn unfolded the paper and read the couple of words written there.

  “You’re welcome, boss.” Kael said, feeling good about himself.

  Relyn sighed, folding the paper neatly and tucking it into his clothes.

  “Thanks, Kael.”

  The boy, who was about to say something witty, was surprised to hear these words, and chose to remain quiet.