Silent Hall by NS Dolkart

grateful for the inn stay, but he still didn’t think he liked this fellow Hunter. He was a tough guy, which reminded Narky of Ketch. Hunter had paid for two rooms: one for the two girls and one for Narky, Criton, and himself. There were two beds in this room, and a straw mattress had been laid out on the floor. Naturally, this ended up being Narky’s bed. Now Hunter was downstairs, no doubt buying drinks for Criton and asserting his dominance. Narky despised such people. If only he had some money of his own, he would be able to buy his own room next time, with a proper bed.
    And why shouldn’t he find some money somewhere? This inn was full of wealthy merchants, the kind that Pa had always admired, who came to Atuna in order to buy stakes in the success of its many cargo ships without ever risking their own lives or even setting their dainty feet on a boat’s planks. Atuna was the greatest seaport in the known world, and it attracted these sorts of people. Oh sure, Hunter could shower Criton and the others with his wealth. Narky would find money his own way.
    The room next door was locked, but it was a warm night and the windows were all open. The rooms were not far apart, and, by clinging to the shutter of his own window, Narky managed to plant his foot on the next room’s windowsill. Then he had only to transfer his hands to the next window’s shutter, and he was soon inside. But Narky’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest when he realized that the room was occupied.
    A mustachioed man was sleeping in the bed, snoring softly. One of those financiers, judging by the fancy clothes piled at the foot of the bed. On a little stand beside him stood a candle burnt almost all the way down, next to a thin chain necklace and a large coin purse. Narky tiptoed over and lifted the necklace, giving himself some time to think about how to remove money from the purse without making too much noise. He definitely had no intention of taking the whole purse, firstly because this merchant might recognize it if he saw it on Narky, and secondly because Hunter and the others knew that he didn’t have that much money.
    The necklace was silver, its centerpiece a rather ornate bird design. Very distinctive. He would have to sell it in some other town, far from here. Narky carefully slipped it into his shoe. The fellow in the bed stirred a little, and rolled over to face away from the candle. Narky breathed. He wondered how much this man had had to drink. He hoped it was enough.
    As carefully as he could, taking only one coin at a time, Narky transferred some of the man’s considerable wealth into his own empty pocket. When he thought he had taken enough to strain credulity, he climbed back out the window and returned to his room. That had gone remarkably well, he thought.
    The next day, Hunter led them to Atuna’s temple square, where travelers from all over the known world could buy wine, goats, doves and even the occasional bull for sacrifice on one of four public altars. Little shrines to various Gods dotted the square, dwarfed by the grand buildings and tall spires of the established local churches. Travelers yammered to each other in all different languages, their foreign tongues mixing in with the bleating of goats and the cooing of birds. The Atunaean workers who cleaned the altars in between patrons chatted with the visitors of the larger temples, swinging their buckets idly. The city’s patron God, Atun, had the greatest church here, but other popular choices such as Elkinar the life God and Atel the Traveler God also came well represented.
    Narky was grateful enough to have escaped Tarphae and justice that he followed the pretty girl’s lead and bought a dove to sacrifice to Atel. The girl thanked the Traveler God in beautifully chosen formal words, which Narky tried unsuccessfully to repeat. When that was done, she sacrificed a second dove to Atun, with a prayer for His hospitality, and then