Girl Who Killed a God Remake - Chapter 5

Twenty minutes later, after stopping by her nearest stash house to store a good portion of her loot, wipe herself down and change clothes, Grace found herself deep in Lowtown close to the place her and her brother were staying for the time being.

It was a two-story old wooden boarding house that had changed hands a dozen times in half as many years according to rumor, but the man who owned it now, Max, was a decent enough sort. It wasn’t much to look at from the outside, but it was sturdy, clean, and most importantly, had decent locks on the doors.

Max ran it with his thugs, and let her stay for a percentage of anything she brought back.

With the coin she brought in, they could’ve afforded to stay at a reasonably priced in closer to Midtown, but Grace didn’t want to draw attention to herself or her brother by advertising she was bringing in more than the gangs thought she was. All that would do was put a target on both their backs, and she was already keeping one eye over her shoulder already. If she had to give up the second eye watching her back, she’d run headfirst into the blade she didn’t see coming.

As she came upon one of her stashes in an abandoned bolt hole in a crumbling down apothecary store, she slid part of the floorboards away, grateful for the still lingering scent of herbs that helped mask the scent as she dropped into one of the many decommissioned sewer lines in this part of the city.

It smelled worse than she remembered, and Grace realized that since Azaroth had put the black gem in her hand, every one of her senses had seemed sharper.

After carefully counting the bricks, Grace pried a few of them loose from the crumbling mortar to reveal a small hole about the size of her torso from the mason’s who’d not properly reinforced this section of the sewer.

It was sheer dumb luck she’d found the location, but she was more than happy to capitalize on her good fortune. Inside went two of the stolen daggers along with the rest of the coin purses she’d stolen that night.

She hadn’t had a chance to count the coin, but from the heft, she’d likely made more tonight than she had in the last month combined.

Despite everything, it had been a damned profitable night.

In more ways than one…

One dagger was in another of her stashes, and the last, she hid up the back of her shirt. It wouldn’t serve her to advertise that she was armed. Especially after tonight. Everyone knew her as a thief, and that was how she wanted to keep it.

She had nothing to do with the guard’s deaths.

I was working Midtown all night. Slipped into a crawl space under one of the bars and collected all of the coppers that had slipped through the cracks in the bowed floorboards.

Grace had been nowhere near the markets.

After storing everything away, she took out an empty coin purse and slipped a few dozen coppers and a single silver into the bag. It was a decent haul for one night—far from her best—but believable enough to match her story if anyone challenged her.

Shen then took out a few more silver coins, and with a grimace, Grace slipped the coins into her mouth. The bitter taste of the metal was replaced with a cool rush as she took a swig from a waterskin. She swallowed them, knowing it would be unpleasant to retrieve them later.

But trust and thieves went together about as well as priests and piety, and if Max shook her down as he always did, this was the safest place to keep them and still have access to them without running back to one of her stash houses.

Coming and going too often would draw attention to them and a secret known was no secret at all.

When she was done, Grace carefully replaced the bricks and made sure the coast was clear before slipping back up into the apothecary store. She then backtracked for a moment to old woman Josie’s house and after exchanging a couple coppers, Grace came away with two loaves of freshly baked bread and a small jar of garlic and olive oil spread.

In addition to being her and Levi’s dinner for the evening, the scents would hopefully overpower the slight hint of herbs and sewage that clung to her clothes. After all, in a city like Toran, she could never be too careful.

Grace took a bite from one of the loaves as she walked to the boarding house. It was delicious, and the crust hadn’t hardened over so severely that it would chip a tooth like most bread she had acquired when she first came to Toran.

Scarfing down a few more bites to staunch the hunger clawing at her belly, she kept her head high and did her best to ignore the three men and two women outside the main entrance to the boarding house.

Their eyes followed her as she approached, and Max was the first one to call out to her, “Evening to ya, Grace.”

The large man was slightly overweight and balding, but his size only fooled the stupid ones. The leather armor he wore bore the scars from where many had tried and failed to kill him. It was scuffed and patched with bits of cast-off leather and steel, but Max wore it with pride.

“You seem to be walking a bit taller than usual,” he said, eying the sway of her hips as she sauntered forward—though it had nothing to do with her body, and all to do with the clink and jostle of the coins in her purse. “Good haul tonight?”

She shrugged. “Decent I suppose. Spent most of the night under the Tapped Tap, a few coins washed loose from last week’s rain, so it was easy enough.”

“Hey now, I was the one who told ya about that spot in the first place,” The short one they called Bones, due to the number of bones sticking out of holes he created in his ears and nose said as he produced a knife and started whittling on a white bone. “Shouldn’t I get a—whaddya call it? A finder’s fee—commission! That’s the word. Yeah, a commission, for giving you an easy spot to earn without risking robbing a rich man’s purse?”

Grace held up a single finger to the spindly little man. “Yeah, I got your commission right here.”   

The others all cackled, while Bones glowered at her and turned back to his carving. “Skivving bitch,” he muttered under his breath.

Max glanced at Bones before standing up. The aging chair he had been sitting on groaned in relief as he rose off it. “I’m glad you had an easy night at least. Word got back just a bit ago about some trouble near the markets. Sounded bad.”

Grace frowned at what sounded like genuine concern in the man’s voice. “Worried about me? That’s sweet of you, but you’re too young to be my father and way too skivving old to be my lover. You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

Max just scoffed and a corner of his lip curled. The man’s three-day stubble of facial hair helped hide a scar that stretched along on his cheek where someone had plunged a dagger into it. He folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the side of the boarding house. “Shite, girl. No need for all that. Skiv me for giving a damn.”

Grace was about to mouth off again, then shook her head and sighed. “Sorry, Max. It’s just been a long night. I’m tired as hell, and just want to eat and go to bed.”

He nodded, his scowl softening. “Aye. Then I won’t keep you. Settle your dues, then you can go get some sleep.”

Bones and one of the nearby women, Scarlett, moved toward her. Bones winked at her and grinned, showing the gaps in their teeth, lost in a fight or to bad hygiene, one. “I’ll gladly check her for money, Boss,” Bones said with a slight chuckle. “Who knows where she might be hiding it.”

She longed for a bath just being near those two. They were a disgusting pair of humans who had no morals besides not getting killed by Max. Any other night, Grace might have been forced to let them search her. Her mouth had likely worn through any goodwill she might’ve gotten from Max, so he’d probably let them get a little handsy with her as payback for her lip.

But tonight was not the night.

A rush of energy flowed through her and she surged forward, snatching the sharpened shiv out of Bones hands and jammed it straight into his groin. “Careful now, Bones. Any sudden movements and you can say goodbye to your two closest friends.”

“Why you lit—”

Bones tried to move back, but Grace stopped him by digging the shiv into his rotten jewels. “I wouldn’t try it. You jerk and my knife goes into your femoral artery—you'll be dead before you get within half a mile of a physician.”

Scarlett took one look at her and laughed, a rush of crimson filling her cheeks almost as bright as her hair. “Ooh, feisty. I like this one, Max.”

Grace snorted and gave her a wry smile. “No thanks—I don't think we'd get very far as a couple in the long run.”

Scarlett grinned back. “Who said anything about being a couple? I’m just looking for a taste of Malkin chocolate. I bet you’re simply delicious.”

She didn’t know whether to be flattered or revolted by such a statement, so instead Grace chose to laugh it off. “Again, no thanks. There's a better than likely chance one of us wouldn't leave that bedroom alive.”

The lithe redhead winked at her. “That’s what makes it fun.”

“Hey!” Bones shouted. “If you two are done playing handsy uncle tickles, I’ve still got a knife to my nuts.” He glanced over at Max. “Boss, skivving do something!”

Max just shrugged. “I can, but if I try, I’m guessing first thing Grace does is jam that shiv as far as she can into your balls. Seems like she’d got you over a barrel. I’d apologize to the young lady if I were you.”

His dark eyes widened as he glanced down at the shiv and gulped. “Alright, alright. I’ll back off.”

Bones slowly stepped back and moved to the others who were on the opposite side of the walkway from Grace and Max. A breeze whistled through the street as Max just stared at her with an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Alright, Grace. That’s enough fun and games for one night. Pay up, and you can go.”

She shook her head and thumbed back towards Bones. “I pay you to keep creeps like him away from me and my brother. You want to get paid? Then how about you do your skivving job!”

Max’s crew all raised their eyebrows at Grace’s words and just stared between the two of them. It seemed like forever as Max stood there, yet it was only seconds. He frowned. “Your mouth is especially caustic tonight, Grace.” He sighed and shrugged. “But I guess you have a point. You’ve always paid your dues on time, and I’ve had no trouble from you or your brother. Least I can do is keep my crew from hasslin’ you.”

Max then turned and scowled at the two who were almost next to Grace, both looking at him with a confused expression. “Ya all get yer kicks elsewhere and leave the girl alone. No more searching her till I say otherwise.”

“But bos–”

Bones' words never finished as the large man moved like a lightning bolt. Even for his size, he was fast. Grace knew she would struggle to move faster than he did.

His massive hand grabbed Bones by the neck and lifted him a foot off the ground in a heartbeat.

“If I say something, don’t question it,” the large man growled.

He tossed Bones to the ground, and everyone else stepped back, not wanting any part of Max’s rage. Bones glanced at Max and quickly scooted back on the dirt. He looked at Grace and scowled before jumping to his feet and moving off to the side, away from everyone.

A few laughs came from the others until Max looked at them. He grunted and nodded before returning to his chair, the wood groaning as he sat on it. When Max was settled, he glanced at her. “No dues today, Grace. Have a good night.”

Grace grinned and dashed past him and everyone else, not wanting to spend another moment near the gang. But as she moved past Max, the tiniest things caught her eye, like the knife she now knew was in Max’s massive boot that she hadn’t noticed before.

Standing in the hallway to the run-down property, the smell of sweat and grime was only outdone by the scent of human waste. Glancing down the dark hallway where a single lamp barely burned, she saw a pot outside a door and knew the old woman who lived in that room with her four grandkids had just set it outside.

Eyes watering slightly, Grace hurried toward the end of the opposite hall, moving to the door that was hers and her brothers.

Knocking three times quickly, followed by a slight pause and two more timed knocks, Grace heard the sounds of feet coming toward the door.

“Is that you, Grace?”

Smiling, Grace felt tension she didn’t realize was inside her leaving as Levi’s voice came through the wooden door.

“It is. Now open up so I can hug you, you fool.”

A small laughter came, and the sounds of boards being lifted from their spot told Grace that, for once, Levi had obeyed her.

The door finally swung open, and she saw her brother, dirt on his face, barely noticeable usually against his deep black skin but now, it was easy to see, even in the dim light of their apartment. His hair was nappy, and Grace tried not to frown, realizing how upset her mom would be if she saw the state of him.

Absently, she reached up and touched hers. It was frazzled and going in every direction after everything that had happened tonight.

How many hours did we sit, laughing as she braided it and fixed it…

That memory made her wince, and she quickly shoved the memory down, and instead focused on how she had enough money to head to the bathhouses tomorrow with Levi. They could get clean and have their clothes laundered.

The thought of being clean with a full belly was enough to banish her melancholy in an instant.

Levi stared up at her for a moment before his eyes widened. “Your scar, its gone!”

Grace’s hand automatically went to her neck, where a thick, knotted scar had been for the past few months—ever since one of Grimdon’s devoted had thrown a noose around her neck and dragged her through the streets of Cressida.

She’d attacked the men who’d murdered her mother and father, and they’d strung her up for it. If it wasn’t for a squad of Malkin royal knights, she’d have been killed that night the city burned.

His head started bobbing and weaving as he stretched his neck, trying to see anything else that might be different. “What happened? You seem different. Not just your scar, either.”

She frowned, trying to figure out what to say to him that could explain what had happened to her. To buy time, she turned and shut the door and slid both wood planks into the homemade locks she had built. She knew they wouldn’t keep out anyone determined to break in, but it would stop any opportunistic thieves. And if anyone actively tried breaking in, the noise would draw others.

It was a poor girl’s alarm bell, but it was about all she could do with her current situation.

When she finished locking up, she sighed and faced Levi. “You’re right. Something happened. Something good. I was given an opportunity that might get us out of this hovel and into a better life. I can’t say any more about it right now, but as soon as I can, I’ll tell you all about it. Okay?”

He bobbed his head furiously up and down. “Okay!”

Levi rushed forward and hugged her and started to laugh, filling their musty, small room with a peal of laughter only an eight-year-old could in such horrible conditions. When he pulled away, he smiled up at her.

“Well, whatever it is, we should celebrate! I got us something today.”

He peeled away from her and headed into their small little kitchenette, which only had enough from for small potbellied wood burning stove. The exhaust pipe often failed, filling their room with smoke until it escaped out the single window in the apartment. Shoved against the other side of the stove was an even smaller ice chest that was lucky to have ice in it three days out of ten.

Beyond that was a small bedroom with a single wood framed bed and a small wardrobe with a few changes of clothes for each of them. Most of them threadbare and worn. Grace wondered how much longer those would last before they were unable to consider them more than rags.

Now I feel like a fool swallowing those coins … it will take at least a day before I can get them back and go shopping…

When Levi came back, he had a whole roasted chicken on a plate and presented it to her with pride in his eyes. “I got us some chickens!”

Grace just stared at the plump, succulently roasted bird for a long moment, her mouth watering at the small puffs of steam still curling up from it. To maintain her cover as barely scraping by, any meat she brought home was mostly dried. It had been weeks since she’d had fresh, still steaming meat.

Though the moment passed, and Grace tore her eyes from the chicken and glacned at Levi, her brows furrowing deeply. “Where in the High Heavens did you get chicken?”

Her stomach twisted into knots even as she spoke.

She knew the answer, though. She knew as soon as he brought it out.

“That wicked butcher who always marks up his prices for Malkins just left them sitting on his counter!” Levi grinned. “So me, Todd, and Jesup swiped them while he was busy helping other customers. We were a street away before we heard the shouting.”

Grace sighed and ran a hand through her rats’ nest of hair. “Levi, how many times have I told you I don’t want you stealing?”

“But you do it…” he muttered, his eyes downcast, and the plate of chicken sinking as his shoulders slumped.

“And the last thing I want you doing is following in my footsteps. You’re not supposed to be stealing. I pay Bonnie and Noah well to teach you proper schooling. You have a chance for a good future—even in this city—but that goes away the moment you get caught. They’ll blackhand even a child in Toran.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

But Grace knew he didn’t mean it—not really. Levi had the same stubborn pride that she did. And if she didn’t keep a close eye on him, he was going to get himself in trouble sooner rather than later.

Grace sighed and knelt in front of Levi, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t stop you, much as I wish I could. I can’t keep an eye on you all day every day. You’re an Akem, so you’re going to do what you want, and damn the consequences.” She bit her lip as a few stray tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away and met Levi’s eyes. “But I need you to understand that if you keep stealing, you’re invalidating everything I do for you. It’s my job to take risks so you don’t have to. But if you get caught, then all of that is a waste. Do you understand me?”

Levi didn’t answer right away, which was good. It meant he was actually considering her words instead of parroting back the response he thought she wanted to hear. Eventually he nodded. “I won’t do it again. I promise.”

“Good boy.” She smiled and rubbed his cheek. “And I promise to get us fresh meat from now on, okay? No more jerky for us.” Finally, she looked at the chicken in his hands and couldn’t hold back her hunger any longer. “Now let’s eat.”

The two of them quickly dug into their meal. Grace cut half of a loaf in two and slathered it with the garlic spread before cramming as much chicken would fit between it and scarfing it down.

And she’d be damned if it wasn’t one of the best meals she’d had in months.

As she wiped her mouth with a heel of bread and devoured the last of her sandwich, she glanced at Levi and smiled as he tucked into his own meal with as much gusto as she had hers.

Just you wait, little brother. Soon, things will get better for us. I’m going to give you the world—even if I have to tear it from the hands of the gods themselves.