Adrianna's Dragon

Chapter 1 The River Gate

The night soil crew stood quietly at the River Gate with their wheeled carts loaded with shovels, rakes and compost. The Imperial City was quiet as most of the inhabitants were sleeping. Every night the night soil crews would enter the city to shovel out the septic pits to add and rake in fresh compost. They were the cities invisible and untouchable workers that maintained the sanitation of a city with its three million permanent residences. They were allowed entrance only at night and needed to vacate by dawn. They lived in one of the numerous slums that existed outside the walled city. An armed group of uniformed guards stood at the gate.

"Night soil crew?"

"Yes sir," the group's leader, a tall thin wiry man responded. "We working Gov'ners Hill tonight."

"Lucky you," the guard said mockingly. "Move along."

They entered and splitting into smaller groups fanning out to several of the large walled villas. The villas were remarkable in that they lacked windows on the outer walls until the third floor. Each had an inner court that featured a carriage house next to the residence. The crew made its way into the inner court of the residence, after pulling the bell rope at the gate and being admitted.

"Leave us now, Adrianna," the group leader whispered, "and do as I asked of you, or you'll have hell pay."

"Yes Uncle," she whispered and removed her shoes placing them under the carts seat. She sprinted silently to a dark corner at the side of the villa's outer wall. Then using the tile gutter drains climbed to the third floor. She reached into her pocket and removed her folding tools, they had been her father's, then selecting a long thin steel blade and carefully inserted into the window lock. She bypassed the locking pins and open the window. In an instant she was in as she closed the window.

Adrianna was dressed in the black pants, cap and jacket of the night soil guild. With her long hair braided and shoved into her cap she easily passed as any of the numerous boys who worked the night soil crews. But she was a thief, the most notorious and sought after thief in the Imperial City. Known as the Clay Man, she left small clay figures behind in the homes she burglarized. She hated working as a thief, hated it with every fiber of her soul. That is why she left the small clay figurines. By giving an object that she had made herself with her own labor she was able at assay a small part of the guilt her thieving gave her. If she could run away from her uncle and be safe she would, but having no other skill or home she persevered. The frequent beatings she received at the hands of her uncle only reinforcing her helpless dependence to her family.

She had entered a long hallway as she came through the window. There was a row of windows on the outer wall of the hall and a row of ornately carved doors on the other. Crawling on hand and knees she reached the first door. The door was locked. She again removed her tool from her pocket. A thin steel bade with an "L" shaped bend was chosen and she slipped it out of the folding tools handle. The other blade was very narrow and had three bends in it resembling a lightning bolt at the tip and folded out from the tool. Adrianna slipped the "L" shaped tool into the lock, and added a light pressure to turn the lock. Then she slipped the bent blade in. Then with a light touch, she released each of the five serrated pins of the lock, and it opened. Moving silently she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

She turned around in a circle, her eyes wide with awe as she surveyed the room. The room was part of a suit. It was obviously meant for a woman. Adrianna lay on the bed and caressed the silk bed coverings with her hands and feet. "So soft!" she whispered. The room was well lit by moon light. Rising from the bed she continued to explore the room. The vanity had a large glass mirror and some of the most delicate exquisite gold jewelry she had ever seen lay neatly on the vanity surface. "Beautiful!" she whispered not daring to touch. The room had an aura of loss and sadness. It had obviously not been used for some time. "I can't take those," she whispered to herself looking at the jewelry. There was a soft cotton dress folded across a silent butler. "Red!" she whispered as she touched the soft fabric rubbing it against her face. The dress had a faint scent of lavender and of a woman. Adrianna held the dress to her and looked in the mirror, then placed the dress back on its resting place. Adrianna had an unusual sensitivity to auras and spirits in places she visited. This room was a sad room. The room's resident, who was well loved and cherished, was no longer among the living. She would take nothing from this room. Then she opened a door and entered a second room. It had large mirrors and a dry toilette. She realized that her uncle and cousins were most likely shoveling out the pit under her at this very moment. Then she saw the shower bath and gasped. She had never in her life had a warm shower. She touched the pipes and realized hot water was available. It only took a few seconds for her to divest herself of her clothing and enter the shower. She found a bar of lavender scented soap and shampoo as she scrubbed herself and staying in the shower until the hot water cooled.

Drying herself and wrapping in a thick towel Adrianna brushed out her hair as she looked into the mirror of the vanity. The light was insufficient in the room for grooming so she lit a small lamp. Then braiding her hair again, she decided to try on the soft cotton dress. She had no intention of keeping the dress, but she wanted to at least have a glimpse of herself in a dress as she always dressed as a boy. The dress was a loose fit and she admired herself in the mirror for some time. The dress had short puffy sleeves and it extended to her ankles. The neckline was square cut and she could see just a hint of cleavage. One of the sleeves easily slipped off one shoulder so she gathered the dress tighter to her. The waist gathered just below her breasts and she thought her bare feet looked elegant barely exposed by the dresses hem. The woman who owned the dress was more voluptuously built but short like her. The dress was very modestly cut and Adrianna thought the owner had most likely been young when she passed. She felt genuine sorrow for the woman who owned the dress. Then she spotted a small cameo. It was a portrait of the young woman. She was beautiful and had chestnut brown hair and blue eyes, "just a girl," Adrianna whispered. She wanted to try on some of the necklaces, but could not bring herself to even touch the jewelry. She loved feeling scrubbed and clean. She sniffed her wrist smiling at the faint scent of lavender, and another, perhaps a touch of rose. She decided she would take the soap and took a fresh bar from the vanity, and left a clay figure on the vanity, where the wrapped bar had lain. She needed to dress quickly, and enter another room to find something of value to steal, and placate her uncle thus prevent another beating.

James had been in his room reading as he waited for the water to heat. His room also opened onto the bathroom that he and his deceased sister had shared. He had dozed off as usual whenever he read and got up with a start. Then he crossed his room and opened the door to the bathroom. He was surprised to find the room steamy and damp. The two towels were missing, and the floor was wet and littered with a small pair of black pants, a black shirt, black jacket and cap. A light illuminated the bottom of the door to his sister's room. James moved cautiously into the adjoining room and saw a young woman in his sister's dress looking into the mirror. She was small and delicate like his sister, with long chestnut colored hair, but her eyes were amber. In a fit of anguish and rage over the intrusion, he rushed to the young woman, and seized her arm. Adrianna totally caught off guard, shrieked.