Atticus shuffled away from the Abyss. His stomach growled and twisted. Each step was a chore as his body weighed him down, but he had to keep moving. He kept a wary look out for the men that were pursuing him before.  

    The fact that they followed him after he came into contact with Io was confirmation that they were Edan’s henchmen. Why else would they be after him? No one had taken an interest in him enough to chase him before he met with Io. And they didn’t appear to be the talking type. It was likely they wanted to scare him. Rough him up a little. A warning at the very least and a dangerous encounter at the most.  

    A crowd of men and women marched toward Atticus. Their expressions were disgruntled and angry. Atticus glanced behind him, only to see no one else around him. He stopped; hands raised.  

    The crowd pushed past him, ignoring his presence. Atticus watched the crowd as they made their way into the direction of the Pantry. 

     Atticus reached out and grabbed the arm of the nearest person. “What’s going on?” Atticus asked. 

    The man came to a halt, pointing a finger at the mines. “Those elves closed the Pantry! But they still expect us to keep working in the mines. This is ridiculous! They can’t do this; we won’t let them.” The man said. 

    Atticus glanced at the Pantry and nodded. “Good luck.” He said. If they were looking for what Atticus thought they were, they would be disappointed.

   The man left, disappearing somewhere into the crowd. Atticus pushed past the people, his destination in the other direction. 

    There was a building which stood opposite the temple, called the Emerald Hall. Built into the walls it was one of very few structures that had direct access to the catacombs.  

    Although as far back as Atticus could remember, the tunnels in the Emerald Hall were blocked by dirt and stone. However, just because it was that way the last time Atticus had seen it doesn’t mean it was that way still.  

    What made Emerald Hall interesting was the fact that it was the house of all Edan’s girls.  

    These women lived there.  

    Ate there.  

    Worked there. 

    They didn’t leave the building without muscled escorts and when they did it was only to wash their clothes at the river.  

    The only people who could come and go as they pleased were the customers. Otherwise, the women were under watchful eyes nearly every moment.  

    With Emerald Hall built into the wall of the city, many had assumed it was a secure fortress with no weaknesses.  

    They assumed wrongly.   

    Hidden behind a statue that stood nestled between the Emerald Hall and the river was a man-sized hole that couldn’t be seen from the front. Or even from its only access point. It did well to blend into the shadows. 

   Atticus looked over his shoulder, scanning the area around him. The men were nowhere to be seen. Nor were there any people in general. 

    Ever since the last Harvest the number of citizens had decreased greatly. The gods had made sure to act out their punishment for the lack of precious stones they received by slaughtering nearly half of those that lived.  

    It was a horrifying event to witness. Atticus could still hear the screams. Smell the stench of burning flesh. If he let his mind wander too far, he could even feel the heat of the flames licking his skin, burning the hairs off his arm and chest. 

     However, because of the reduced number of people, sneaking into Emerald Hall was an easy feat. 

    Atticus wandered to the wall of the Emerald Hall then lowered himself to the ground and crawled through the hole. He found himself in a cramped room. The room was dark, but he could see the outline of dozens of furniture, art and the like taking up empty space.  

   This room, which had been affectionately dubbed by the tenants, ‘House of the Abandoned’, rarely ever had   company. 

     Atticus ran his finger across a table, the tip of his finger covered in dirt. He narrowed his eyes, noting the thick air of dust that floated all around the room. Atticus covered his mouth with his hand as he used his free hand to follow the length of the wall.

   Even though it had been some time since he had been there, he knew there was a secret passage that led directly to Kalista’s chambers.  

    His hand pressed against a secret button, followed by the sound of stone grinding against stone. 

   A portion of the wall opened, creating a gap large enough for him to get through. Atticus stumbled up the stairs. The darkness caused his eyes to adjust slowly. Once he drew closer to the top of the stairs, traces of forever light escaped through the gaps of the hidden door.  

  Shadows swayed back and forth in a rhythmic pattern. Familiar noises escaped the room and entered the stairway. 

   Atticus froze.  

   And then he waited. 

  Not long after his arrival the shadows stopped moving and the noises ceased. A single figure walked about and then the creak of the door and the sound of a latch followed the disappearance of the figure.  

   Atticus knocked on the door and winced when the light hit his eyes.  

   A petite woman, wrapped in only a thin blanket glared up at him. Her hair was in disarray. And sweat lined her brow. Her eyes flickered up and down. Her lips pursed in a suppressed frown as she rolled her eyes.

   “I knew I would regret showing you this door.” Kalista said, stepping to the side, letting him in. “You’ll have to be quick about it, I only have a limited amount of time before the next customer, and I would like to freshen up.”

   “I didn’t come here for that.” Atticus said with an small apologetic smile. 

   Eyebrow raised, Kalista crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh really? I find that hard to believe. I hear rumors, Atticus. It’s been a while since you last had a good time, if I’m correct.”  

   Kalista sat herself down on a pile of fur blankets. Next to her was a leather pouch. Reaching a hand inside she pulled out a piece of dried fruit and began to eat. She scooted to the side and patted her hand on the empty spot next to her.  

   Atticus took the seat, his stomach growling loudly.  

   A laugh escaped Kalista. She reached back into the bag and pulled out a small handful of fruit, offering it to Atticus.  

   Atticus stared at the food in her hand, his mouth began salivating, and his mind unable to accept what he was seeing.  

   “Are you sure?” He asked breathlessly.  

   Kalista shrugged, “I got some good customers today, so why not?”  

  Instinct took over as Atticus inhaled the bits of fruit from Kalista’s hand. His jaw quickly became sore as he worked through the chewiness of the fruit. Although not as sweet as the berries Cornelius had given him it was just as satisfying.  

   A soft smile danced on Kalista’s lips as she watched him eat, leaning her head against her arm.

   “If you didn’t come to sleep with me then why are you here? Did you miss me?” Kalista asked. Atticus shook his head as he continued to eat. “No. I actually came here to ask you something.” 

   Kalista narrowed her eyes as she straightened her back. “What would that be?”  

   Atticus finished the last bit of fruit then rubbed his hands on his pants. The stone he had gotten from the mines pressed into his skin.  

   It’s presence heavily reminded him of how little food they had left. If Kalista knew, would she still have been so generous?  

   “I heard about a girl who had been killed by Edan and I was wondering if you knew her?” Atticus asked.   

   Kalista’s eyes went wide and she reeled back. “Who told you this?”  

   “Io had–”  

   “Oh.” Kalista interrupted, wrapping the blanket tightly around her shoulders. “I thought you weren’t involved with her anymore? You know, ever since you found out she slept with Edan behind your back and spawned his youngblood.”  

   Atticus leaned his head against the wall and sighed. “I wasn’t but something came up.”  

   “What could have possibly come up that would justify you going back to her?” 

   “She’s mine.” Atticus replied. “The youngblood. Other than her skin color she looks just like me. Smiles just like me too. She also has the same ability as me. I needed to do right by the girl and visit. When I did, Io mentioned the incident. Kalista, if this is true…”    

   Atticus turned to Kalista. His eyes searched hers. A deep, dark presence sat in the pit of his stomach. Growing larger every second until Atticus couldn’t deny its existence.  

   “If this is true,” Atticus repeated, “then I am afraid of what will happen to Io and Amara. I am terrified. Maybe it would have been fine if Io was still useful to him but they left. There’s no food, Kalista. Our reserves are almost empty. The people keep working but we don’t find anything. It will only be a matter of time before we get punished again and then what will happen? Who will be next?” 

   Kalista twiddled her toes, her face contorting in an array of emotions Atticus couldn’t identify. Atticus placed a hand on her knee and closed the space between them. 

   “Kalista, did you know this girl?” Atticus asked.  

   A sound escaped her lips, a cross between a cry and a laugh. The young woman turned to face Atticus, her eyes cold.  

   “Do you know where her body is?” Atticus pushed.  

   “Why are you asking?” Kalista whispered.  

   “Because I need to know what happened.” 

   “Why do you need to know that?”  

   Atticus paused to think.  

   Why did he need to know what happened? Why did the murder of this girl pique his interest? What was it that he was really looking for?  

   Looking back at the incident with the woman he knew for certain that there was something missing in the mess. 

   Although half of the boy was missing there was no way the woman could have eaten all of it.  

   So, where did she put the bones? 

   Where was the body of the murdered mother? What was Edan doing to the bodies he made examples of? How did Edan manage to feed his people when the customers his girls served paid with small amounts of dried fruit? 

   Everything was there and Atticus feared what it was starting to say. 

   “I need to know if this is a place worth living in.” Atticus finally answered. “Because if it’s not…” 

   “If it’s not? What will you do?” Kalista asked. “Leave? There is nothing else Atticus, there is only here and the Abyss.”  

   “If there is a place outside of Terrenus, I will go there.” Atticus said. And meant it. “I cannot live in a city where evil thrives, Kalista. And if my guess is correct then evil is thriving here. Because of our desperation it thrives. I will not be a part of it. I will not allow my daughter to live in it.”

   Atticus took Kalista’s hand in his. “Please, I do not want you to be involved in it either.” Atticus said.  

   “You don’t know what you are asking for, Atticus.” Kalista said.  

    “I do.”  

   Kalista groaned softly as she stood. Crossing the floor to the other side of the room, Kalista rummaged through a dresser and pulled out a gown. 

   “Go back from where you came,” Kalista said as she let the blanket fall at her feet, slipping the gown over her shoulders “I will meet you in the House of the Abandoned once I’m done. What you are seeking is better shown than explained.” 

   Atticus got to his feet, closed the distance between them and then wrapped his arms around Kalista’s shoulders. “Thank you.” He murmured.  

   Kalista relaxed into him, bringing her hand to his arm. “You need to go now.” She said after a moment. “I will be with you soon.”  

   Atticus nodded, releasing Kalista. He backed away, returning to the hidden door. Kalista watched him as he was swallowed by the darkness. A sad smile on her face.