The Silent Deal (The Card Game #1)

Ch 1 - The Prisoner

CHAPTER 1

THE PRISONER

On a drizzly afternoon, a peasant boy named Viktor jogged down Prospekt Street with a pocket of jingling coins. The cobblestone avenue was slippery underfoot, and the air was chilling, but Viktor didn't mind. He enjoyed visiting the heart of Aryk, even if it was just to buy loaves of bread.

As he often did, Viktor meandered through the endless streets until a shop sign caught his eye. This time it was "The Pushnoy Pastry Shop." Making his way over to the pink painted storefront, his eyes ate up the elaborate display of pies and tarts in the window. His stomach growled as the glazed cakes pulled his nose closer and closer to the glass.

Smack!

Viktor recoiled in shock as something hit the window right where his nose had been pressed. He blinked away stars and looked up to see a heavy-set lady smirking from the other side of the window. She tapped her giant ring against the glass and her pudgy hand waved good-bye. Other shoppers laughed in the background.

Stoppering a nosebleed, Viktor sprinted blindly away from the pastry shop, flushed from embarrassment. Yet no sooner had he begun to run than he knocked into a richly dressed group of men. They were stumbling out of a brick building with a golden sign reading "Royal Spirits Tavern." The leader of the group snarled and swung his silver cane. Viktor ducked the blow and hurried off into the crowd. Nobles, he cursed. His mother always warned him to stay out of their way, and it was easy to do so near his home in the peasant territories of Aryk, but Prospekt Street was swarming with the upper class. The shops drew in nobles like moths to a light.

The attractiveness of Viktor's freedom was beginning to wear off by the time he passed Barkov's Corner. His own shabby boots had come from the secondhand serf shop, and now water was leaking through them, chilling his feet and making his whole body cold. The rain picked up; the wind howled. Pulling his wool hat tighter over his short brown hair, Viktor remembered the real reason his mother had let him go to Prospekt Street alone: They were out of bread. Grandpap couldn't go out in the rain, his father was busy working in the mines, and his mother was working in the textile mill. Some freedom,Viktor thought, kicking a puddle. He sighed and jogged toward Daily Bread, the bakery as old as Aryk itself. At least the shop would get him out of the rain, and it did have warm brick ovens and a fresh aroma ...

As the bakery came into view, movement out of the corner of his eye distracted Viktor. Far in the distance, it looked like people were congregating in Town Square. He paused. Youths weren't allowed at most meetings, but this was a chance to taste real freedom.

Without looking back, Viktor jogged toward Town Square, which was located at the west end of Prospekt Street. The Square served as the final boundary of the civilized world. Past it, a large green plain stretched all the way to the great forest that surrounded the entire town of Aryk. Town Square also served as the main venue for gatherings and performances. A large elevated wooden stage had been built in the middle of the cobblestone area, and it was perfect for speakers or shows. Viktor had seen the stage and courtyard when it was empty, but today it was packed, and so was the area around it. He did his best to weave in between laughing nobles, weepy serfs, and dirty-faced peasants without attracting too much attention to himself. It was odd, for even though it was working hours, many miners were present in the crowd. Viktor wondered if his father was included in their numbers. No doubt he would disapprove of his son sneaking into a town event. Still, a crowd this large meant something important was happening.

Viktor eyed the Square. He wouldn't be able to see the stage unless he moved closer. Unfortunately guards were posted all along the perimeter of the area. Besides maintaining the peace, they would have strict orders from Master Molotov to keep women and children away from the proceedings.