Chapter 5

The next evening, Carin stood at the washing area outside the dormitory. She scrubbed the mud from her hands, the cold water turning brown as it swirled down the stone drain.

From her pocket, she pulled out a small, red apple. She had found it at the edge of the market, discarded by a merchant who thought it was too bruised to sell. To Carin, it was a treasure, a rare source of vitamins and sugar.

She used the hem of her rough tunic to wipe the dust from the apple's skin. Just as she was about to take a bite, a hand shot out from beside her and snatched it away.

Carin turned. Sadie Boggs, a fox-female from her dormitory, was standing there. She had already taken a huge bite out of the apple, the juice running down her chin.

"Tastes sour," Sadie said, chewing loudly. "Perfect for a low-born like you."

The other females at the washing troughs stopped what they were doing. They turned to watch, their eyes gleaming with the anticipation of a show. They expected Carin to cry, to beg, to run away like she usually did.

Carin didn't do any of those things. She flicked the water from her hands and stepped sideways, a sharp twinge in her side forcing her to catch her breath as she blocked the only exit to the washing area. Her eyes, usually downcast and fearful, went flat and cold.

"Spit it out," she said, her voice low but sharp enough to cut through the damp air. "Or compensate me."

Sadie paused mid-chew, then burst into exaggerated laughter. "Are you crazy? Did a Blade Beast kick you in the head?"

Carin didn't repeat herself. She stood there, her body trembling slightly. Part of it was an act she had perfected, but part of it was genuine physical exhaustion. However, as she looked at the bite marks on her only source of sustenance, a cold, calculated anger completely overpowered her fear. In this brutal world, stepping back meant death. She couldn't retreat anymore. She took a deliberate step forward, her hand shooting out to grab a rusty boning knife from the nearby cutting board-the sudden movement sent a white-hot spike of pain through her fractured ribs, but she didn't let her grip waver.

The air in the washing area went dead. The watching females sucked in a breath. No one had expected the coward to pick up a weapon.

Sadie took a step back, the apple nearly slipping from her fingers. "Y-You wouldn't dare," she stammered.

"Clan law," Carin said, her voice steady and cold. "Theft of a laborer's rations is punishable by ten days in the mine pits."

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over the other females. "If I report this to the patrol, what do you think? Will you still make it to the mating ceremony the day after tomorrow?"

Sadie's face drained of color. The mating ceremony was her only chance to climb out of the laborer class. If she was sent to the mines, she would miss it. She would be assigned to a rogue.

"That's... that's not a ration," Sadie tried to argue, her voice shaking. "It's just a wild fruit nobody wanted."

Carin moved her wrist. The boning knife scraped against the rough stone trough, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. It cut Sadie's words off instantly.

"I want equivalent compensation," Carin said, holding out her empty left hand, palm up. "Now."

Sadie's jaw clenched. She knew she was beaten. With a look of pure hatred, she reached into the leather pouch at her waist. She pulled out a small leaf-wrapped packet and slammed it into Carin's palm.

"Take it, you crazy bitch," Sadie snarled.

Carin opened the leaf with one hand. Inside was a lump of coarse, grayish-white crystal. Salt. Unrefined, but still a precious commodity in this world.

She closed her fingers over the packet and slipped it into her pocket. With her other hand, she tossed the boning knife back onto the cutting board. It landed with a sharp clatter.

Carin stepped aside, clearing the exit. Sadie didn't need to be told twice. She threw the half-eaten apple into the mud and fled, the other females quickly following her out.

Carin walked back to the trough. She splashed cold water on her face, washing away the fierce, dangerous look she had worn. She touched the salt packet in her pocket. It would help her electrolytes and serve as trade goods later.

A deep, resonant horn blast echoed across the settlement. It was the warning signal: the autumn mating ceremony would begin in two days.

Carin looked up toward the sound, her eyes dark and focused. Her real battle was about to begin.