✴

The door creaked in a way that suggested it might fall off its hinges at any moment. Thia locked it behind her, though she didn't know why she bothered. If anyone wanted to rob her, she suspected they might break the door down by simply knocking on it firmly enough. Not that there was much to rob, besides a few extra pieces of clothing which she had hidden under a loose floorboard.

It was still early in the morning. The sun had been up for an hour at most, and it would be several more before it peeked over the edge of the outer wall. Growing anything in the Boroughs was impossible. The sun appeared over the wall shortly before noon and settled behind the mountains early in the evening. Worse than this however, was the lack of arable soil. She wondered how the Ascendant managed to grow crops, even in the High Ward where access to sunlight was better. She knew they sometimes sent out caravans beyond the outer wall to gather soil from the Barren Plains outside the city, but that dirt was hardly fertile. They obviously had their methods.

She made her way over to Grand Avenue at the center of the Boroughs. The wide road cut the whole city neatly in half, running in a straight line from the outer gate and through the inner wall, leading up to the castle. People were gathering along the edges of the street, near the gates to the High Ward. The area was engulfed in a musty stench—the kind of odour associated with having large numbers of people huddled together. Thia had a strange realization that this is what cattle farms must have smelled like, in earlier times when people were still able to maintain them. Meat was a luxury long lost to the Seoran people—a memory growing fainter and fainter with each generation.

"Hey!" a familiar voice bellowed.

Thia turned and spotted a tall, bulky man in the crowd. He had a big grin on his face and was waving one of his arms enthusiastically. She walked over to him.

"Morning Ortis," she greeted with a nod.

"You seem chipper as always!" he said, giving her a firm pat on the back that caused her to stumble forward.

"Yeah," she scoffed. "What's the deal?" She nodded towards the gate. "They haven't arrived yet?"

Ortis shook his head. "Nope, they seem to be taking longer than usual. Probably means they're bringing an unusually heavy load, right?" he said with a smirk.

"Right," she responded sarcastically. "Fat chance."

"That's what I'm saying," he said heartily. "We're finally going to get a chance to put on a little fat, I think!"

She rolled her eyes but formed an involuntary smile in the corner of her mouth. A moment later the gates to the High Ward opened. Five carts loaded with vegetables were rolled out, accompanied by two dussin guards forming a protective shell around the caravan. The guards wore steel armor and carried long spears which rested vertically against their shoulders.

"Five?" Thia exclaimed with a stunned expression. "Only five carts?"

Even Ortis' cheerfulness seemed to falter at the sight of the carts. There was not nearly enough food for everyone.

"This is bad," he muttered under his breath.

The gathered masses formed lines to each of the carts and the guards started handing out small bundles of vegetables. There were eggplants, artichoke and potatoes—all dry and undernourished, which was to be expected. The amount in each bundle was less than ideal though.

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"One ration per person!" one of the guards bellowed. "Stay in line and advance in an orderly fashion. I assure you, there's enough for everyone."

The crowd stirred anxiously. Parents shepherded their children in front, some of which were very young. Having children was a good way for households to earn extra food, as kids generally didn't consume as much as an adult but still received the same size bundle. Extra food was easy to convert into other items, either by exchanging the surplus directly or by using the extra energy to work more. The Boroughs had their own economy, where basic necessities like food or clothing served as currency and could be traded for other services. Having less food than usual wasn't just a matter of nutrition, it was a simultaneous blow to all aspects of life.

"This is insane!" a middle-aged man exclaimed, holding up a bundle of vegetables. "Aren't we starving quick enough for you?"

"This is what's available," the guard responded. "If you don't like it, you can take your chances with the Judgement like the rest of us."

The man quieted. The Judgement was the one chance given to Lowborn to rise above their miserable lives. It was the path to ascension. Either that, or it was the path to a quick death. The latter was much more likely.

"This could be it," Thia whispered. "Maybe people have finally had enough this time."

"Nah," Ortis responded. "Things will be harder, sure, but the economy will stabilize. As long as the shortage affects all of us equally, everything should—"

"I'll do it!" a voice sounded from among the crowd.

People parted to reveal a young man, no more than eighteen, standing with a proud posture. He had a slightly crazed look in his eyes. The guard looked intrigued.

"Well, well," he said. "I guess there's hope for some of you after all."

He waved this hand at another guard who retreated into the High Ward—armor clinking—and returned moments later carrying a dark wooden box. The craftsmanship was exquisite, featuring delicate ornate carvings which reached around the sides and top of the box, converging on a metallic keyhole. It was about the length of a forearm, but looked relatively heavy from the way the guard was carrying it using both hands. The first guard produced a key and opened the box, plucking a small black bead from within. It was Duacillin, a sacred substance in ancient Seoran tradition. Upon swallowing the bead, it was said to judge one's moral purity and decide one's fate accordingly. He held his hand out to the young man—the Duacillin resting on his palm.

The man paled and clarity seeped into his eyes. Thia could feel the panic emanating from him, enveloping her, causing her heart to beat faster. Her breath quickened and the urge to flee crept up on her. She wanted to run into the comforting embrace of the sprawling city—away from that cursed bead which now seemed like a blackened eyeball, staring directly at her. Then the feeling was gone, and resolve had returned to the man's face. He picked up the bead and swallowed it in a single fluid motion. The street became unnaturally quiet. Thia realized that everyone, including herself, were holding their breaths in anticipation. Then, as suddenly as a candle flame being blown out, the young man's eyes glazed over and his body went limp. The reaction was so sudden and final that it was impossible to mistake for a mere loss of consciousness. It was like someone had cut the strings of a marionette doll—and what thumped down on the street was as lifeless as the stones themselves.

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The crowd gasped. It was not a sight you grew accustomed to, regardless of how many times you saw it. Parents neglected to shield their children's eyes from the horror, knowing that they would inevitably witness the Judgement sooner or later. Better to expose them early—this was part of life in the Boroughs, after all. But did it have to be? Thia wondered to herself.

"We should do something," she found herself saying.

"Don't be stupid," Ortis whispered in response. "This is how things are. There's nothing to be done."

"Lowborn outnumber Ascendant at least fifty to one," she insisted. "If we only organized, we could take Seoradel. Why should they dictate our lives, just because they survived that stupid test?"

"You know what they can do," Ortis said patiently. "You're very skilled with a knife Thia, but I doubt even an army of you could take on the High Guard. Besides, the Ascendant are suited to rule. This is what the Judgement ensures."

"You really believe that crap?" she scoffed.

Ortis smiled down at her. She would have thought his expression patronizing if not for the genuine warmth in it. "Doesn't matter what I believe," he said. "What matters is what most Lowborn believe, which is that the Ascendant are benevolent by nature—that surviving the Judgement proves their righteousness." He glanced at the guards who stood with emotionless faces, watching a group of Lowborn men and women carry the corpse of the young man from the street. "And even those who doubt this," he continued, "still feel that there is a certain fairness to how things are. We all start off the same, you know. Everyone has the same chance."

"The chance to screw over everyone else, you mean?" she muttered.

"I don't disagree, Thia," he said understandingly, "but it's like I said: there's nothing to be done."

She bit her lip. We'll see about that, she thought. Sure as dirt, sooner or later we'll see.

They went over and collected their bundles of food. She hoped the rations would be more plentiful tomorrow. She didn't realize she had spoken out loud until Ortis responded.

"Speaking of tomorrow," he said, "I've got a job I could use your help on. Simple escort gig—the usual rate. You in?"

"Sure, looks like I could use it," she answered dryly.

"Attagirl." His smile broadened. "I'll come get you in the morning."

With that they departed Grand Avenue, which was still busy with people queing for their daily rations. They went their separate ways and she watched Ortis disappear into the crowds. Even after the morning's depressing events, he still had a spring in his step.