Red Hood's Revenge

finds us.”
    Snow scowled. “This is the last time I let you plan the break-in.”
     
    Talia stood with her feet braced on either side of the hole as she lowered Danielle into the darkness. She leaned forward, catching the edge of the hole with one hand. Danielle was heavier than she had been when she first escaped her stepmother, a result of better food, pregnancy, and the muscle she had gained from her training with Talia. “You should be able to see the bottom. It’s a short drop. Keep your legs bent.”
    “I see it.” Danielle released Talia’s wrist, landing with a splash. Squishing footsteps followed.
    Talia glanced around, but most people avoided these streets, especially at midday when the heat baked the sewers, filling the back alleys with scents even fairy magic couldn’t suppress. Talia took Snow’s wrist. “You’re always saying you want to learn more about magic. Don’t you want to see how the fairies built this place?”
    “Some things I can learn from books.”
    Talia lowered Snow into the sewer. This time Danielle was able to help Snow from below, preventing any unnecessary splashing.
    Roudette was next, and then Talia grabbed the edge of the hole and swung in. Her feet kicked the far wall. She steadied herself, then dropped, legs going wide to catch the narrow walkways on either side of the sewer.
    “We need to pull the grate back into place.” Talia grimaced and stepped into the flowing muck. Her sandals sank into what felt like a muddy stream, though mud had never smelled so foul. She laced her fingers together. “Roudette?”
    Roudette put one foot in Talia’s hands and the other on her shoulder. Talia fought for balance as Roudette reached up through the hole. The grate slammed into place, showering them with grit and sand. Roudette jumped back down, splashing them all and earning a curse from Snow.
    The only light came from overhead, illuminating a thin slice of the tunnel. Dried mud and worse caked the lower part of the walls. The floor was sunken like an oversized gutter, with narrow ledges on either side. Talia stepped back onto a ledge and dipped a foot into the water, trying to rinse the worst of the slime away, but it was a losing battle.
    Snow’s choker brightened, the mirrors like tiny moons. Talia almost preferred the darkness. Patches of yellowed foam covered the water like fungus, broken only by unidentifiable lumps floating past.
    “This way,” said Talia. Within a few steps, the sounds from the surface quieted until she could hear nothing but her own breathing and the trickle of the water flowing past.
    Roudette sniffed the air. “We’re not alone down here.”
    “How can you smell anything ?” Snow shuddered.
    “Sewer goblins.” Talia kept walking. “Most cities have an entire tribe. The goblins hunt rats and other vermin and keep the sewers from backing up. In exchange for this service, they get to keep whatever treasures might fall through the grates. They’re unpleasant creatures, and very territorial, but I’m told they have an artistic side. One of the merchants yesterday was selling goblin-made sculptures.”
    “Made out of what?” Snow asked.
    “You don’t want to know.”
    Danielle wrinkled her nose. “Are they dangerous?”
    “Individually, no.” Talia paused, head cocked as she tried to shut out the sounds of her companions. The sewer lines split off like tree branches grown wild, spreading out to follow every street in Jahrasima. Those splits were the most likely points for an ambush. “Even you would be more than a match for a single sewer goblin.”
    “Thanks,” Danielle said dryly.
    “The real danger comes after the fight,” Talia said. “Take a single scratch down here, and it’s likely to turn septic. If you don’t get to the sisterhood fast, you could end up losing a limb. The goblins also have the advantage of knowing these sewers better than anyone. Probably even better than the elementals who built them.”
    Talia drew a dagger. The sewers were too cramped for swords. The splash of water marked where two tunnels merged up ahead. She studied the darkness, searching for the telltale gold reflections of goblin eyes. The brighter light from Snow’s choker would help her spot them, but it would also be a beacon to the goblins.
    “Can’t we talk to them?” Danielle asked. “We’re the ones invading their homes.”
    “Exactly,” said Talia. “They believe anything in the sewers belongs to them. Including us.