Under Ground

Bare feet pounded the cobblestone street, the sound of shouts to ‘freeze’ or ‘hault’ echoed from far behind. The feet skidded to a stop at the mouth of an alleyway. Running down, the street was a battalion of guards giving chase. The alley was dimly lit by the magic street lights that lined the road ways. The faint cyan light made the shadows long, and deep.

Iggy bumped into the wall at the end of the alley, one of the many cave walls that stretched all around the subterranean city. She quickly dropped to the ground, and slightly sideways crawling into a crack between the building and wall. Holding her breath and pulling herself through, into the home’s back garden lit by similar lights as the street.

She could hear the shouts coming through the space in the wall. Questions of where did she go, how could she get away, and similar questions like it. Iggy held her breath again. Trying to not make a peep.

“She’ll have to show herself sooner or later.” The captain of the guard said, “We’ll get her then.” he added before telling his men to move out.

“All this for a few coins people just left sitting out.” she thought, sitting down and leaning against the outside wall of the building. “Don’t leave them sitting out then.” she added with a huff. Iggy stood and brushed the dust off her clothes she’d gathered crawling across the floor. “Now what am I going to do?” She asked herself looking around the garden for a different way out, looking at the hole she’d barely managed to squeeze through. She got down low to crouch past the home’s windows as she made her way to the other side of the yard. Hoping it had a path on this side, rather than only having the back door to the home being the only egress. “I could try and spend them before they catch me…or I could put them back…” she mumbled quietly as she pondered her options to get herself out of her current predicament. “Though, putting them might do nothing since they are already mad…” Iggy said, arguing with herself, running her hands through her hair in frustration. “With my luck the Captain will play all the parts in my punishment.”

On the other side of the garden she found no better way out, meaning she had only one option. Risking getting stuck the way she came. “Jeez…this better not end up like the time I got my head stuck in the bannister…” She said, “but this would be far worse.” she added. “At least that was breakable, who knows how I’d get out if I got stuck between a building and a rock.”

Taking a few breaths to loosen up she laid down to crawl through again, the opening was more narrow on this side so getting at the right angle was harder but eventually she managed to crawl through, with a few grunts of effort. She hopped back to her feet and started walking, ignoring the dust for now, no reason to stick out like a sore thumb. Iggy walked towards the city square, a place that was easier to blend in, and right now vanishing was the better part of valour. When she knew for sure she was mostly in the clear she’d figure out what to do about this whole coin thing. “Maybe if I act really sorry they’ll just give me a slap on the wrist again.” Iggy suggested to herself, “Fat chance.” she told herself. “Captain Slate was really mad this time.”

Upon reaching the market square Iggy caught sight of one of Slate’s men, and she melded into the crowd. Worming her way through them to try and throw off any chance of being tailed. Pushing her way through in some places to the protests of others, with “excuse you’s” and “watch it’s”. “Sorry.” were Iggy’s only replies as she was already past them. Over the head’s of the crowd Iggy caught sight of the Stalg twins for a moment. Mite and Tite, brains like rocks but they were loyal to a fault to Slate. Doubling back she saw Gneiss, a mountain of a man pun not intended, and ducked lower. “How did they find me?” She thought. “Well you did go to the only place in the city where you can spend the gold at this hour.” she answered herself. “Right… maybe since they are here I could triple back and go home. They could be looking here for hours.” she thought, letting a little smile across her face. “Iggy you genius.”

As she made her way back through the crowd headed towards whatever street she ended up closest to when she popped out the other side. Just as she was reaching the people on the outer ring of shopping stands a large hand grabbed her wrist and lifted her bodily off the ground. Iggy suppressed a scream “Let me go!” she hissed at her captor.

“Iggy, be quiet, please.” a booming but gentle voice asked her.

“Officer Talc?” She said, opening her eyes and stopping her thrashing to get free.

“I will put you down if you promise not to run from me.” Officer Talc told Iggy.
“Fine…” Iggy said defeated, “I won’t run. Besides with arms like that you’d catch me before it could even make it to a light jog.”

Officer Talc let Iggy down gently “I ask you as a favour to return the coins to me.” he said, “If you do I will speak to Slate and insure no punishment comes to you.” he said, as Iggy handed the coins over he asked “Might I ask what possessed you to steal coins from the Fountain of Offering?”

“I was hungry, okay…” she said, “I needed money for food, and the coins are just sitting there, not like they vanish when you throw them in and say your prayer. They just sit there forever. I only took the really old ones that have been there for a long time. If those prayers haven’t been answered yet, they aren’t gonna be, and besides I think the gods would understand if the coins weren’t being used selfishly.”

“Iggy…” he said, his tone fatherly. “You can’t steal…” he said, looking around and pulling a few coins from his own pocket. “I shouldn’t be doing this but I will not see you starve. Just do not let me regret this by stealing again.

Iggy took the offered coins and nodded, “Fine…I won’t take coins from the fountain again.”

“Good.” Officer Talc said, seeing Slate approaching, and going to meet him. “Please stay out of trouble for the day…” he told Iggy walking off.

Iggy hurried away as she saw Talc and Slate in conversation. “That could have gone far worse,” she said, taking the long way to the stall where they sold mushroom stew.