Later that day, Elizah walked into the kitchen and stifled a yawn. She needed some more sleep, but the guards had woken her up at the crack of dawn. Sometimes she wondered if helping others was actually worth it, even if it took a lot out of her. But her answer usually was that it would always be worth it.

Jade had asked her to return in the evening because Jade wanted to finish making sure there were no poisons in the man’s system.

So, for now, Elizah was just pacing worriedly in her house. Elizah walked into the kitchen and brought out a small pastry treat to eat to wake her senses up. “What happened, Liz?” Micah asked as she sat down on the nearest chair to enjoy her treat.

“I’d prefer not to discuss it, trust me it was gruesome,” Elizah shuddered and said.

“That bad? You’d never say something like that about any patient,” Micah noted.

Elizah was about to answer him when there was a rapping at the door, and she brushed the crumbs from her fingers and walked over to the door.

“Yes, who are you?” Elizah asked gently when she met a man at the door.

“I wish to speak to Roxanne Cohen,” the man said gruffly.

“Roxanne is currently busy sir, what do you require?” Micah asked as he came to his sister’s side.

“I’m here for the taxes, you’re overdue and we’ve increased the amount by a couple gold pieces this month,” the man answered sharply.

“I’m sorry, how much is the increment?” Elizah asked, anxiety built up inside her as she said the words.

“20 pieces,” the man answered as if it was nothing.

Elizah and Micah exchanged shocked glances. They were paying all the money they could scrape together as taxes, and now with the increment, it was impossible to even try to get that amount.

“I’m sorry, we can’t get that much money,” Elizah tried to bargain.

“Young lady, these are long overdue. You pay them or else one of you will be given a job in the palace for menial work,” the man answered strictly.

“What happened Liz?” a startled Roxanne asked the two of her children as she walked up to the door.

“I was looking for you madame,” the man said from the doorway.

“Whatever is the matter here?” she asked as the man looked annoyed.

“I’m here for your taxes. You’re overdue by a month,” the man said and showed Roxanne the scroll he was carrying.

Roxanne and her two children gasped. That amount was almost a cumulative of what they paid every year.

“That’s impossible, we’ve been paying right as the seasons began and ended as we’re told to do so,” Roxanne protested.

“We no longer follow the system of seasons here, you must pay before sundown or else your son will suffice your payment,” the man answered.

Elizah’s dreams shattered at that. She wanted Micah to be with her mother forever. They shouldn’t be apart no matter the circumstances since how broken Roxanne had become upon the first time he was taken.

“Take me instead, please,” Elizah begged the man, and Micah tried to pull his sister back.

“Little girl, you’re of no use to me, unless you will be able to do the work of the queen’s chamber-maid, I warn you that is a job of pain and harsh labour,” the man said sceptically.

“NO,” Micah tried to persuade his sister not to offer herself.

“Give us time till sundown. We’ll find our alternative source for money and try to pay as much as we can. Then I’ll join you if required,” Elizah answered, ignoring her brother’s protest.

The man seemed satisfied with the deal and nodded before leaving the residence, and Elizah closed the door behind her as she walked back into the house.

“What in Spirit’s sake did you do that for?” Micah asked in outrage.

“I’m not letting you leave this household again, it broke mama apart to see you leave,” Elizah answered sharply.

Roxanne, who had been too startled to speak until then, suddenly spoke up as she choked on tears, “Please, I can’t lose either of you, I’ll go if I have to, but please I need the two of you to be safe.”

Roxanne broke down, and she began to let the tears fall. Elizah led her to a chair and consoled her slowly.

After Roxanne had calmed down, Micah came up and faced Elizah. “What do you plan on doing now?” he asked her as she stood up.

“I’m going to sort out all the money we can scrape together from this house. Hopefully, we’ll manage to pay the amount,” Elizah said as she tried to maintain a calm demeanour.

“That’s an awful lot of hope you have. It’ll only happen by any sort of miracle,” Micah said with an unusual seriousness to his tone.

“Have faith in miracles, they tend to bring the unexpected,” Roxanne spoke up, “It was something your father used to say in the bleak times.”

A sad glance was exchanged between the family.

“I’m hoping for a miracle to bring us out of the trouble. That’s all we can do right now,” Elizah answered and said, “I’ll go finish some infusions in my room and sell them for as much as I can.”

She stood up and walked into her room, and then the strength broke, and she began to cry.

“Papa, why did you leave us?” she whispered in her fury of the falling tears.

She was lost in despair. It was all her father’s fault, wasn’t it? She wondered to herself. She just sat there wishing that her father was there with her at that moment.

Soon she felt a strong arm around her shoulder. “Liz it’s okay, we’ll get through this,” she heard Micah’s voice near her ear.

“How?” she asked simply.

“Believe in the miracles, they’ll come, Liz. Papa would be so proud to see who you’ve become,” Micah told her, and he embraced her tightly.

Elizah’s sadness reduced, and she smiled slightly. She turned and embraced her brother tightly.

“I’ll do my bit to help to get the money,” Elizah said and picked up her small jars into her bag and walked out through the door. Micah watched and sighed at his sister’s enthusiasm.