Jano passed under an old wooden archway. It was covered in scratches and scrawls and the fading wood was falling away at the edges. Those things weren’t rectified in the Slums. As long as they still functioned, they would be left until it rotted all the way through and collapsed. Then something might be done.

He was walking through the northern end of the Slums, almost entirely the other end from where he lived. This was often referred to by the people who lived in it as the “posher part of the Slums”. The residents certainly acted that way. Looking at his tattered, worn clothes he drew sharp glances. As if he didn’t belong. Even though it was all a matter of scale when it came to holes in clothes.

Even Jano had to admit, the smell of waste was less strong at this end. It was closer to the Middle than his home and its waste pipes must be better maintained, due to that fact. After all, it wouldn’t be proper to allow the respectable merchants and citizens of the Middle to be subject to the same conditions as the Slums.

Despite the odd glances, Jano wore something close to a smile as he walked, still upbeat about the situation he had somehow found himself in. He was looking for a small shop which Darrel had asked him to retrieve something from. Something apparently valuable. He was looking for a sign which had a half moon and a mug on. What sort of shop has those on its sign? He thought as he walked. It sounded like an inn or an ale house but he couldn’t recall any with that sign hanging outside. The majority of the buildings were still made of wood, but there were a few stone buildings. Cracked, crumbling stones. He noticed that the eaves of one of the buildings were crooked, like an uneven smile. But it was still better than the wood which was common at his end. He stopped as he observed a tree on the corner of the street. A rare glimpse of nature in the city. It’s yellow and brown leaves looked as though they might fall at any moment as they slowly rocked in the breeze.

He walked another few paces and turned down a dead end street, as he had been instructed to do. At the end, sure enough, the half moon and mug displayed on a damp wooden sign. The rusty hinges held it only on one side, so that the sign hung at an angle. Jano took a small pause outside the door and adjusted his tattered clothing before he walked in. “Good evening.” Said an old croaky voice from the back of the small room and Jano noticed the small man dozing in a chair.

“Good evening sir. I’m here to pick up a package.” Jano said, though as he had walked through the door he realised he hadn’t thought of what to say, so the words came out a little rushed.

There were a dozen shelves behind the shopkeeper. Each shelf was slanted, just like the adorning sign outside, but not quite enough for the items to actually fall off. Each shelf was skewing a different way, forming an odd pattern of chaos. “Hmm” the shopkeeper said as he stroked his chin. He seemed to be eyeing Jano up. After a moment’s pause, he went on “you ‘ere fer Darrel?” The man grumbled correctly.

“Yes sir” Jano answered, a little taken aback. He had been told he was expected, but he didn’t think that he stood out so much as that. “He sent me to retrieve something. Though he didn’t tell me what.” He said.

“Well that’s not too helpful.” The shopkeeper said as he began rummaging through his shelves. “Lucky fer you, that I have it ‘ere. I was expectin’ you like.” He pulled out a small package and placed it on the counter.

Apparently finished, he started placing things back on his shelves. Jano started to walk over to the shopkeeper and his desk, but as he did so, a couple of customers walked in, heading straight to the back of the shop by the shopkeeper’s chair. They were covered in long cloaks, with their faces entirely covered. It looked as though they might walk straight into the shopkeeper, but as they rounded the counter, they disappeared. Jano thought he heard a soft noise that could have been a quiet door coming to, but he wasn’t sure. The shopkeeper looked over his shoulder at Jano and smiled a knowing and somewhat suggestive smile, before he went back to tending to his shelves.

Jano finally decided to put it out of his mind and retrieve the small package he had been sent for and which still sat on the counter, wrapped in crinkled brown paper and tied together with thin white thread. The shopkeeper stopped what he was doing and passed the package to Jano, the thin smile was still stretched on his face. As though there was some secret which he decided not to share with Jano.

He thought he could hear muffled noises coming from where the couple had disappeared, but he decided not to investigate any further. He looked at his wrist, the living tattoo a reminder of his station in the world. “Don’t you go losing this now.” The shopkeeper said almost under his breath.

“No I won’t sir. Thank you for all your help.” He tucked the package away in a pocket. Jano could definitely hear those noises now he was closer to the counter. They were growing louder. Grunting and groans and oddly, even what sounded like cheering and glasses clinking. With a worried look at the shopkeeper, who still wore his thin smile, he hurried out of the shop and back into the brown streets of the Slums. Though it was now coming on very dark, this end of the Slums even had more lamplights so he could see. Perhaps the residents were right to be proud of this part of the Slums, he thought as he walked. He checked his pocket for the package more than once as he passed through the streets which became less and less familiar as he grew closer to the Middle. He needed to relax, or he’d develop a nasty habit, or so the old folk used to say.

The clouds looked full, threatening rain once more, he broke into a fast walk. If he ran, he might get stopped by a stray Guard, who could accuse him of something or other. That might complicate matters for his new employer. A fast walk would do. After all, the rain could only go skin deep as they say.

He quickly passed through the Slums without incident and entered the Middle. He hadn’t entered from this direction for a very long time and it all looked strange and unfamiliar. Almost as if the streets and the buildings were the wrong way round.

If he walked for long enough, he would find his way. At least, that was his working theory. He followed his gut and plumped for the direction he thought he needed to go. The lamplights were better quality in the Middle, and so he walked slower trying not to raise suspicion. Despite the better light, he strained his eyes, trying to see as far as he could in every direction before making a choice. He couldn’t walk much faster in the Middle anyway, as the fact that he was a Slummer would mark him for attention at this hour. The rows of houses were illuminated with glowing light from the inside spilling out onto the street.

He thought he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye. He kept his head down as he moved down another street. He made for the end of the path and as he was looking for the right way, he spotted a tavern which he recognised as being only a short way from the Mage’s house. He kept his head down as he passed the revellers outside, clutching large glasses of amber liquid. They were shouting and hugging each other, toasting the day’s successes and forgetting it’s failures. Taverns were a great place to both remember and forget. Usually for very different reasons. They gave him a quick look as he walked past, probably only to notice the holes in his clothes, but paid him no further attention than that.

Jano kept looking over his shoulder at the patrons of the bar. It was a sign of a particular status if you could afford to waste a few coins in the taverns of the Middle. He was also double checking for any more shadows.

He turned right down another quiet street. Definitely heading in the right direction now, he thought. There was less light pouring out of the crooks and crannies of the stone houses, as some of the houses were melded into a half residential, half commercial area. The shops were generally shut before nightfall and the rest of the street were evidently those who enjoyed an early night. Perfect place for a Mage’s hideout.

Jano felt a sharp pain behind his eyes. There was a thud which reverberated throughout his entire being as something smacked him on the back of the head. Before he could react, someone grabbed him and bundled him through a door and into one of the quiet, unlit stone houses on the way. The door opened easily as they barrelled through it and he found himself facing two strangers in a bare stone room. The door slammed shut behind them and soon only the sounds of Jano’s feet scrabbling helplessly across the concrete floor could be heard. Two robed figures stood across from him and someone was holding his arms from behind, like a Guard might hold a thief. It brought back awful memories.

“What is someone like you doing in the Middle at this time of night?” A voice squeaked at him from one of the shadowy robed figures. They looked like Mage’s robes, but they looked slightly more dull. He felt something hit him on the shoulder, pain once more searing through his neck.

“Answer her!” Said another, deeper voice.

He found it hard to concentrate, the pain in his head making everything slightly fuzzy. “I… Apologies, I was just visiting a friend.” Jano stammered. His eyes darted from blurry point to blurry point in the room, racking his brain for excuses. If the room had anything more than dull grey and wood for decoration, he might have seen a beautiful array of colour. The bleakness of his surroundings only added to his misery.

“Who would be friends with a Slummer in the Middle?”

The squeaky voice probed. “I bet you were up to something. Search him.”

A cold panic rushed over Jano. He had the package for Darrel in his pocket. It was barely hidden.

“No…. I mean, please don’t. I have nothing someone of your stature would require honoured ones.” He had no idea who these people might be, but a Class Ten was required to address everyone above them formally. “I was just trying to get a small present for my wife. We don’t have much, and I’ve been doing favours for a guildsman. A stonemason who lives close to here. He said he would have my payment ready by tonight.”

One of the shadowy figures stepped forward and grabbed the package from Jano. It inspected the crinkly brown paper and toyed with the thin string. The river figure moved to open it.

“No don't!” Jano shouted. “It’s wrapped as a present. Please, it’s something I’ve been saving for years. It’ll spoil if it’s unwrapped too rough.”

The hand stopped where it was. He regarded the questioning figures wearily, but they seemed to stop moving. Not in the way that a normal person would halt their movement. But as though there was the total absence of movement. Perfectly still. It was haunting.

Then, the shadowy figures disappeared and the package flew back towards Jano. Missing his head by inches. The pain in his head started to dissipate. His arms were free. Someone was still here, moving around behind him. Jano looked around the room. His eyes met the boyish smile of Darrel standing above him.

“Well that was a smart performance. Good job tying in the lie with some real life stuff. Overall, I’d say it was probably a seven out of ten. At least you didn’t soil yourself and offer up the truth immediately. Good job, some improvement required.”

“Sorry? What was that? Where did they go?” Jano asked, trying to sound polite.

“Well, I needed some sort of test. Needed to make sure you wouldn’t run out on me if you thought you had something valuable and that you wouldn’t talk if captured. Not immediately anyway. Decent job.” He said.

“However, I would be a bit careful about saying you have a wife if you are ever actually captured.” He said. “Just a thought. A bit of friendly advice.”

“Where has everybody gone? Who held me? What’s going on?” Jano asked, a mix of rage and confusion whirling around inside of him.

“Oh those? Those were an illusion. Pretty damn good ones. It’s something of a speciality of mine. It was me who wacked you on the head and bundled you through the door though. For that I do apologise.”

Jano rubbed his head, not only from the pain, which was still slowly ebbing away.

“It is also me making the pain disappear, before you get too upset. But I’m not a great healer, so you’ll have to bear with me.” The Mage smiled and the pain did start to ease. Jano calmed his breathing. What had he gotten himself into? He thought.