The Infernal District lit up at night.

  No oil streetmps, of course. Even as old as those were, they’d only made it to the district's outskirts. Instead, assortments of nterns and interior dles lit up the district. The city operated some of those, but most were not and would flicker off as their owners went to bed. No one wao use up fuel they didn’t need.

  Money was tight here. Some were born who didn’t know the feeling of having to keep track of every half-penny. Those lucky few. I had not numbered among their ranks. I remembered scraping and g for anything I could grasp, not long after they’d kicked my mother into the district for birthing me.

  Saying every Infernal oor or a member of the District would be an ht lie, but for the majority, both those facts held true. Even to the other scum of the empire, devil blood marked you as scum, so the other slums were out. Anything higher than that was more polite in their methods, but the results were the same. Very few escaped the district.

  Those who did typically tried it via the military, but most of them ended up slinking back here after their tours of duty. The guarantees were for them alone, not for families, although some were lobbying to ge that. You either were a couple hoping both survived your tour, or you escaped to the Fields by yourself.

  The other solution to leaving the district was a truly staggering amount of money. to leave the empire. That rarely ended well.

  I wrinkled my nose, having just escaped the grasp of the district’s loannery. Another indication of our disfavored status. Tanneries were kept oskirts of towns precisely because of this stench, but Infernals had to stay within w distance of the district. And Jasper Leatherworks was one of the most stable employers around.

  Most people just pretended not to notice the smell, although I would have to bathe if I didn’t want to stink of the leatherwork. It seemed a minor pint but ohat would be avoidable if we were just allowed to move from the district.

  The situation wasn’t much better elsewhere in the empire. Every city had its Infernal District, and rural towns and vilges were much less tolerant of us thaies.

  In fairness, our forefathers and mothers were responsible in part for the Infernal Empire when the Prince Below married the Princess Above. It took time to pay off the crimes itted back then. The scars from thns still y deep, healing slowly or not at all.

  Some might call it unfair but given the choice between today and the historical suggestions of Duke Brixton? That the elimination of the Infernal Taint should not end at Her Most Profane Highness Inferna? I’d take this over our entire race beiinguished.

  The night streets were bare enough that you could keep a doze between yourself and anyone else the eime.

  It hadn’t always been like this. Back when I ran with Voltar, the district had five times the Infernals it did now. The aftermath of his downfall, the riots, and heavy scription since had reduced it to a more manageable size, leaving many buildings unoccupied.

  They were filling back up, though. In some ways, paring us to vermin did hold true.

  “Alms for a war veteran miss?”

  An Infernal y against the wall, rags drawn closely around them. Usually, you had about a hundred fake veterans along your path, begging for whatever s they could get.

  I gave this one a once-over and was ined to believe he told the truth. Waxy, disfigured skin, with patches of it pale like the color had been drained out of it?

  “You get back from the fight with the Avennders?” I asked.

  He gave me a grin g half of its teeth. “Earlier campaign than that, miss. g underground nd from the dwarfs. Got sprayed by some fire-spitting thing of theirs. Got lucky.”

  “I have a few pounds I spare, just a sed.”

  Very lucky io survive the alchemist’s fire with only discolored skin, but I was ined to believe him. It would be easier to disguise yourself as a veteran of Avennd.

  “They say they're going to open up the Fields for us!” The beggar said.

  Others oreet paused, trying to see what the noise was about. Me, I finished ting out three pounds in small age. I could afford to be generous today, despite the efforts of leeches like ly.

  “Get yourself some good food. Maybe some better clothing. Even if you’ve found an abandoned building, it will get cold e winter.”

  Winter’s bite always took lives, even with so many uninhabited buildings to break into and cim as your own. The quality of building here after the Infernal Empire had always been abysmal. And the sellers of oil and coal knew when people would be at their most desperate to buy fuel to keep their families warm.

  My b was one of those buildings that’d been cleared out as the popution had been bled out of the district. Setting it up between two different apartments had been burdensome, especially until I’d taken a week to put a hole in the wall between them.

  It took ten more mio reach there, sparing a quick che one of the ground floor buildings. It seemed the ndlord I rehese apartments from was out. If only the nddy for my actual apartment was gone as often as he was.

  I walked ihe darkness, a little unnerved. Ihere was barely any noise, only muffled sounds from outside seemingly ing out of the dark. Usually, I appreciate both. Tonight, it would have been a little reassuring knowing someone else was in here.

  I could smell the chemicals, their st leaking out the door. I’d sealed everything i some smells simply permeated. I hadn’t opened a window in a while to air it out, and the apartments weren’t well equipped for cyg air in and out.

  I stifled a yawn as I put the key in the door’s lock. I had a few tinctures to keep myself alert and awake. They were all smashed, courtesy of that tussle with the Pure-bloods.

  Just as well. Every hour staved off aid with another hour slept when it wore off, and I couldn’t afford aire day. Hopefully, I will be able to spare some time iure. Right now, sleeping a full twelve hours sounded beautiful.

  After opening up my door, the smell became much worse. Okay, something had broken. Likely, one of the other tenants had done an experiment that had rocked the building just enough to knock a jar off of its shelf. I took a few more tentative sniffs. Lionseed oil.

  Some good news in that. At least it was a cheaper ingredient and one whose fumes weren’t dangerous. Just annoying in how it stank. And would stink for at least a week.

  Something had probably fallen over. I’d been still readjusting my b, bringing in the equipment and ingredients Lady Kersin had given me as part of her payment.

  Sighing, I reached for an oil ntern, only to find it missing. Strange. I’d left one on the ter by the door. Instead, my hands closed around a set of scales I used to weigh ingredients.

  I turowards the cupboards to put them back, w if I’d just fotten moving any of this.

  I knew I’d closed this one before leaving. I hadn’t moved anyth-

  I could hear someone behind me move, and I began to turn. Before I could two hands grasped me by the upper arm. I tensed, waiting for a blow, but nothing else came.

  Had they just grabbed me around my biceps like that was supposed to stop me?

  “Alright, yoing to tell me where your cures fel’s Sorrow are right now-”

  That’s what this was about? Oh, Lord Montague was about to find my price much higher than agreed upon. Lifting my leg, I shed backward with a hoof.

  My hoof smashed into the intruder’s shin, and they let me go with a cry of pain. I whirled around to face them.

  “This is my b! You’ll tell me what you were doing here right now!”

  The darkness obscured them, but I could see them hopping around in pain. Excellent, I could aim my blow.

  I kicked again, hoof impag right where their legs intercepted. To my dismay, they did not immediately crumple on the spot but instead rushed me.

  I moved out of the way, hoof shing out again at their knee. I hadn’t hit metal? Did they use Biosculpting to remove their genitals? Some did. Ah well, it didn’t matter.

  Growling, the intruder turned once again, reag for something in their coat. They still moved fluidly despite the blows to the leg. Reinforced bohey looked retively slim to have had their skeleton reinforced. It wouldn’t matter. I was going to dismahis ohhly.

  “I don’t want to do this-” They started to say.

  My hoof hit their nose, and I felt something give way underh it. They colpsed to the flrasping at their nose.

  I leaned down, staring at the intruder. I’d bite this ohroat out as a warning to any others who would think to try and rob me-Shut up!

  The distra from the diabolism e. The intruder sprang back to their feet and rammed their head forward directly into mine.

  My vision grew fuzzy as my hands reflexively released theirs. My thought became disanized as I reeled back. I…redug my horn size had really made my forehead weaker, hadn’t it?

  The stranger was running for the door. Odds were they had a key.

  They fumbled with the door handle as soon as they reached it. I ran at them, reag for ay fsk oable.

  They rammed the door with their shoulder. I brought the fsk down on their head. Gss shattered, and they groarying to turn around.

  My fist rammed into the side of their throat. A sed blow to their stomach, and they went down.

  Vision blurry and my head fuzzy, I grabbed the intruder’s shirt shoulders. I dragged them along the fln their groans of protest.

  Dragging him to my testing closet, I shoved them inside and quickly checked the interior. Nothing besides a small table was there, so I quickly pulled it out.

  They were twitg, almaining sciousness when I returhey were human and probably male. Bit of a strange-looking one, hair growing haphazardly across their faose looking decidedly unsymmetrical. Oh, that might be from my kick. Who they were was a mystery for tomorrow. They’d just started to move as I shut the door and locked it.

  The closet door shuddered as its new oct tried to break it down.

  “I wouldn’t bother,” I said. “It’s a very thick door. If you couldn’t knock me out, you’re definitely not making it out of there. You’re in my little testing pce where I put chemicals to stew that might be a bit explosive.”

  The hatled in response, mixed with a desperate yell for help.

  “Oh, calm down. I don’t have anything in there at the moment. You should be quite safe for the night. I’ll be back to see you in the m.”

  The rattling only intensified, along with the screaming. I frowned. If they yelled loud enough, somebody outside may hear them.

  “I wouldn’t suggest keeping that up for very loher. It’s already rather muffled; it’ll be even lower outside the building itself, and frankly, no one who hears it will care. May as well save your voice.”

  That did not work either, as the yelling tinued. Sighing, I looked around for something to put uhe door to muffle the noise. Ss I used for poultices would have to do.

  Before I stuffed them into the gap, I decided to try o time to end this tonight. “If you choose to answer some questions now, you make it out of there even earlier. Otherwise, I’m ing baorrow with some friends, and we’ll get some ahen. Where did you get a key from? The fact you’re alive tells me you have one.”

  There was still no response besides tinued screaming. I shrugged. They could have it their way. They weren’t going to die from half a day without water or food, and if they ended up relieving themselves, I’d ed nastier from my b.

  Holy, having ahing added to my schedule for tomorrow was just an annoyance.

  I found a whale-oil ntern and lit it. Most of my cupboards were open, and somebody had scattered the store ingredients about. Most were unopened, with the exception of a few such as the Liohe ters mainly had been cleared, although nearly everything had been put carefully on the ground. They must have po do this with as little indication of being here as possible.

  I worked on resealing the ingredients, and by the time I was dohe intruder was still yelling for help.

  Ign the screaming, I moved to one of the walls. The secret partment hadn’t been disturbed. Grabbing a chisel, I demolished the quick-dryi I’d used to ceal the partment. The rock box was brick-shaped and looked like one when slotted into the wall.

  Putting it on the ter, I lit a dle. Eight bottles left. Two were reserved for Lord Montague’s son, leaving another six for future ts. Assuming the poisonings kept happening.

  It was an ill thing to wish for, but I he money.

  I left, log the door and leaving the intruder behind me. Head ag, I began the walk home and hopefully to a bed to sleep in.