That morning, when I woke, the first thing I heard was crying.
June.
Her little body was pressed against July's, but her face was wet with tears, her tiny shoulders shaking. She whimpered between sobs, "I'm hungry." The sound hollowed me out inside.
We were all hungry. My stomach was tight and aching, but I'd learned to live with it. June and July were too young for that. It had been nearly three days since I brought back anything to eat, and their bodies didn't have the strength mine did.
I sat up slowly, rubbing my tired eyes. Jakie and Skylar were still asleep, though restless. I could see their ribs pushing against their skin.
For days now, the lower district had been swarming with guards. Normally, no one cared what happened here. The king's men never wasted their time on alleys that smelled of piss and rot. But something had changed. Every street had steel boots on it, and every corner I turned seemed to hold another set of watchful eyes.
And that meant stealing was almost impossible.
The sellers had always been dangerous, but at least they only threw rotten food or stones when they caught me. Guards were different. Guards didn't forgive. If they caught a thief, the punishment was brutal: a hand severed at the wrist.
I clenched my fists, looking at my scarred palms. My hands were all I had. Without them, I couldn't steal, couldn't protect the children, couldn't survive.
But June's soft cries made the decision for me.
I pulled on my tattered cloak and rubbed crushed berries into my hair, trying to dull the red to something darker. It didn't work perfectly, but it was better than nothing. I tugged my hood low.
"I'll be back," I whispered to them, though none were awake enough to hear. My voice cracked on the promise.
The alleys were my only path. The main streets were crawling with guards, so I slipped into the shadows, careful with every step. The smell of stale ale and sewage clung to the air. Drunks snored against walls, their bodies twitching in restless dreams. A little further on, I passed something worse—a body lying still, face gray, flies already buzzing. I turned my eyes away and forced my feet to keep moving.
At last, the sound of the marketplace reached me: shouts, laughter, the clang of metal, the buzz of people trading and bartering. I crouched behind a crumbling wall, peering out.
The vegetable stall was just ahead. The seller was distracted, waving his hands as he argued with a customer.
Now.
I slipped forward, my heart pounding in my ears. My fingers snatched up a few carrots, a potato or two, sliding them into my pockets as quietly as I could. My chest tightened—I'd done it. I just had to get back—
And then I slammed into someone.
I stumbled back, crashing into the mud. The vegetables scattered from my pockets, rolling uselessly across the ground.
When I lifted my eyes, my blood turned cold.
A crest glinted on the man's chest.
A royal guard.
My body reacted before my mind did. I scrambled to my feet, turning to run—but collided straight into another armored figure.
"Well, well," one guard sneered, his hand shooting out to grip my shoulder. "Look what we found."
"A little thief," the second finished, smirking.
My chest heaved. I shook my head, trying to break free, but his grip only tightened.
"You know what we do to thieves, boy?" he asked.
I said nothing. My voice would betray me. They thought I was a boy—better to keep it that way.
The guard behind me yanked my cloak hard, lifting me off my feet as if I weighed nothing. My legs kicked helplessly in the air.
"Pathetic," he muttered before throwing me down. I landed in the mud with a sickening splash, grit filling my mouth.
I coughed, spitting out dirt, but before I could rise, a heavy boot pressed down on my chest. Air rushed out of me. The second guard crouched, gripping my arm and yanking it straight.
"Hold him steady," the one with the boot said. "Time to take his hand."
My heart stopped.
I thrashed, but the boot pinned me down hard. My hand was stretched out, trembling. This was it.
And then—hoofbeats.
The sharp, steady rhythm of hooves striking stone echoed down the street. Louder and louder, until the sound filled the market. The pressure on my chest eased slightly. The guard holding my arm hesitated.
I turned my head.
A carriage rolled into view, its polished wood gleaming even in the filth of the lower district. The royal crest shone proudly on its doors.
The royal carriage.
The crowd hushed. Even the guards straightened. That explained why soldiers had flooded the streets these past days.
The carriage door opened with a creak, and someone stepped out.
Blue hair caught the light, glimmering like the surface of the ocean. His face was young—too young to be the king.
The prince. The youngest son.
"Your Highness," the guard at my arm barked, bowing low.
The prince's sharp gaze swept over the scene. "What is happening here?" His voice was calm, but it carried weight, a blade hidden beneath silk.
"A thief, my lord," the guard with his boot on me explained quickly. "We caught him stealing from the market."
The prince studied me for a moment, then said, "Show me."
The guards hauled me up, forcing me to my knees. My arms hung limp, mud dripping down my face. I dared not lift my head.
One guard grabbed my hood and yanked it back. Mud matted my hair, clumps sticking to my scalp. Relief flickered through me. Maybe he wouldn't see the red beneath all that filth.
The prince frowned. "Water."
My heart sank.
A bucket was brought. Cold water splashed over me, drenching me in seconds. I gasped as it filled my nose and mouth, coughing, choking, blinking furiously.
"Again," the prince said.
Another bucket crashed over me, washing more mud away. My hair clung to my skin, heavy with water.
"Again."
The third bucket hit, leaving me shivering and drenched. The guards stepped back now, their grips releasing me. I dropped to my knees, coughing hard.
Slowly, I lifted my head.
The prince was staring at me. Not at my tattered cloak, not at my thin arms—at my hair.
The water had revealed the truth.
Strands of bright red gleamed in the sunlight, unmistakable, burning like embers.
His eyes widened.
The prince had seen it.
The color of fire.
The color of a kingdom that no longer existed.