William thrashed against the person who had grabbed him. He had to escape before they forced a rat into him. Had to get home. Had to—
"Quiet!" a voice hissed in his ear. "Do you want the guardsmen to find you?"
William stopped struggling, though his breaths still came hard and fast as the hand pressed against his mouth. His legs burned from the exertion of running through the market, his muscles throbbing in time with his heartbeat. Working in the forge had gifted him with well-muscled arms, but nothing had prepared him for the guardsmen giving chase. Unlike the children whose shorter legs had slowed them down, the guardsmen had faced no such obstacles as they'd followed him through Aerzen. Only this stranger's intervention had spared him.
Aerzen's forge filled the alleyway with the steady clanging of a hammer striking an anvil and a constant stream of smoke. William's throat burned as he suppressed a cough. The hand covering his mouth lessened its pressure, and the voice next to his ear lowered to the faintest whisper. "They won't see us if we stay by the wall. Follow my lead."
They backed up until the heat of the forge sent sweat running down William's forehead. The boy standing behind him bore the worst of the heat, with his heart hammering against William's back as they pressed against the wall.
It was then William realized they were trapped. Stone walls towered over both sides of the alleyway, with the other end blocked off by the broken remains of an abandoned wagon. The only way out was back into the market, where the guardsmen would eagerly snatch him up and deliver him to the Piper.
"Take it easy." Only when the boy brushed away his tears did William realize he'd started crying. "We'll get through this. I just need you to be quiet for a little longer, alright?"
William blinked back his tears. Nodded. One thing had remained true throughout his life: he had to stay strong for Emma's sake.
Maroon uniforms flashed by the alleyway's entrance. Paused. One of the guardsmen wiped at his face, coughing as the forge's smoke filled the air.
William's lungs burned in sympathy, but even as his eyes watered against the fumes, he refused to react. Like when Father's temper was running high, one ill-timed twitch could be the difference between escaping unscathed and a world of pain.
The boy held William close. His grip was firm, yet, unlike Father's, there was a degree of care to it. This was not the firmness of someone who would shove him before the guardsmen if it meant he could save his own life but that of someone who wished to offer him reassurance.
At last, the guardsmen's heavy footsteps faded into the distance.
After enough time passed for William's breathing to fall into a regular rhythm no longer labored by the chase through the market, the boy loosened his hold on his mouth. "I'm going to check if they're still nearby," he whispered. "I need you to stay quiet. Nod if you understand."
William nodded.
The boy removed his hand from William's mouth and sidled along the wall of the forge, keeping his back firmly pressed against the stone. Now that he'd had a proper look at him, William couldn't help noticing how haggard the boy looked. His clothes hung from his shoulders in tatters, and a layer of grime covered every inch of him. Yet, despite his bony frame, the boy moved with all the nimble sure-footedness of a cat hunting mice in the fields.
He paused at the mouth of the alleyway, crouched and ready to run. None of the townsfolk paid him any mind as he peered through the crowd, turning his head this way and that.
William silently watched him, fully prepared to rush to his defense should any guardsmen attack him. Besides Burdock, this stranger was the only ally he had in his struggle against the Piper.
After surveying the market, the boy crept back into the alleyway. "Should be safe now," he said. "Looks like they've gone back to their posts."
William released a sigh of relief. "Thank you for saving me."
The boy tilted his head, his eyebrows scrunched together. "Mind repeating that? Hard to hear you."
As noisy as the forge and the nearby market were, William could hear the boy as clear as day. Nonetheless, he inched closer to the boy and bowed his head. "Thank you for saving me from the guardsmen. I was sure they'd catch me."
"It's a miracle they didn't." The boy shook his head. "What in the Lord's name were you thinking attracting their attention like that?"
Heat rushed to William's face. "All I did was ask a few questions. How was I supposed to know they'd react like that?"
The boy hummed softly. "I suppose you wouldn't." He held out his hand. "Now that we should finally have some peace for a while, I suppose now would be a good time to properly introduce myself. My name's Thomas Wright."
"Mine's William Smith." He stifled a wince as their handshake sent pain radiating from the bruises on his wrist. After everything he'd been through in the last few days, William longed to collapse in bed, refusing to stir until the Harvest Festival.
"Well, William, you're definitely not from around here. Where are you from?"
"I'm from Hamelin. It's a couple hours' journey by cart."
"That explains it," Thomas said. "Folks from out of town don't tend to last long. It's usually alright if they just come to buy or sell a few things, but it's not a good idea to linger long."
"That doesn't surprise me," William muttered. The townsfolk hadn't seemed like the most welcoming lot even before he'd discovered their true nature. Yet, somehow, Thomas wasn't like the others. "Why did you help me?"
Thomas smiled sadly. "I know what happens to those who are caught by the guardsmen. It's a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone." He tilted his head to the side. "So, how did you manage to catch their attention?"
"I don't know. All I did was ask where I could find the Piper."
Thomas let out a long, low whistle. "That'll do it. The Piper is nothing but bad news. You'd be wise to steer clear of him."
"I have to find him."
Thomas scowled. "No, you don't. I don't know why you're seeking him out, but I promise you are not that desperate."
"I have to save my sister!" Both of them tensed, and William slapped a hand over his mouth. When it became clear no maroon uniforms were making their way toward the alleyway, he lowered his voice. "She hasn't been herself for weeks."
"She's under a rat's control?" At William's nod, Thomas swore under his breath. "They're spreading. How many have they taken?"
"All the children," William said softly.
"You still have time, then," Thomas said. "You can still save the others."
A cold weight settled in William's stomach. "What do you mean?"
"When my family moved here a few years ago, the adults were still normal, but the children weren't acting right," Thomas said softly. "Since the rats ate so many crops, we thought Aerzen had a particularly bad infestation. Hard not to act strange when you've grown up not knowing if you'll have enough food to survive the winter."
Just thinking about the long, lean months after the rats devoured much of Hamelin's crops made William's stomach howl. Since Aerzen was dominated by craftsmen and relied on other towns for much of its food, the famine must have been especially hard on its residents.
"We didn't think much of it, and things were alright for a while," Thomas continued, "but one night, we heard someone playing a flute. The lucky ones were asleep when it happened, but..."
Thomas squeezed his eyes shut. When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse with unshed tears. "Mother screamed so loudly. I couldn't hear the swarm coming, but Father made me hide in the cellar while he tried to save her." He hung his head, his voice crackling like dead leaves. "When I came back out, they weren't the same. No one was."
All William could do was squeeze Thomas's hand. "I'm sorry."
Thomas shrugged. "At least I'm still here. As long as I don't take more than I need and stay out of the way, everyone leaves me alone."
That was no way to live. Forced to live like vermin, it was no wonder Thomas was so thin. His long, blond hair curtained much of his face, but the matted tangles could not hide the boy's desperation for things to change.
"Once I master the Piper's song, I'll free everyone," William said. "I promise."
"You're a musician?" Thomas turned William's hand in his, tracing his rough callouses with gentle fingers. "A skilled one, from the looks of it. You might have a chance at outplaying him."
"Maybe I could teach you, too," William said. "I'd have a much better chance at beating him if I had backup."
"I have a hard time listening to music, much less playing it." Thomas tapped his right ear. "Things have never come through well for me. It's made it easier to resist the Piper's song, but there isn't much I can do to help other people. He strengthens his control over everyone at the—"
A look of sheer terror overcame Thomas's features as high-pitched whistling drowned out his words. As the Piper's notes increased their tempo, William's bones hummed with the urge to follow. To obey.