Page 2 of Rite of Blood and Secrets

"Have you been a good girl?" I ask as I rub her head. Her fluff stands on edge in response but her mouth hangs open with her tongue poking out of the side of it. She pushes her head back into my hands in order to get more fuss, which I happily oblige in doing.

My feet start to tingle from the damp of my shoes and I have to push my dog to the side so I can take them off and place them by the fire to dry. Once that's done, I'll have to see if I'm actually able to mend it.

I pat Pip on the head one last time before getting to my feet. I head over to the cupboard where we keep our money to drop the meagre remains of the coins I took with me to the market back inside.

The moment I pull open the drawer, my world starts to spin. We don't have much, but we do have enough to put a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.

Except that now, all our remaining money is gone.

Chapter 2

The stew bubbles on the stove, but I can't focus on the fact we're going to have hot food tonight. I'm too busy biting the skin of my fingers and trying to work out what could have happened to our money. We need it in order to live, and I don't know what we're going to do now it's gone. Bastian has his job, and I do a lot of fixing and mending of clothes for those too busy to do it themselves but are in possession of a little coin, but it's going to take more than we make to replenish our resources.

And I just know Bastian is going to blame me for losing it.

The door opens and Pip raises her head, but doesn't rush over to the door like she does to greet me.

A crash of lightning lights up the doorway and Bastian standing there with a couple of boxes in his hands. The rain is coming down faster than before, the storm well and truly underway, and it looks darker than it should be given that it's still only early evening.

"Sister," he says.

"You should take off your jacket and dry it by the fire," I tell him, going over to take the boxes from him.

He nods and shrugs it off, throwing it over the washing line without bothering to unfold it properly. He kicks off his shoes and leaves them haphazardly in front of the hearth. I bite my tongue and don't tell him that he should take more care of his belongings if he wants them to be dry in time for work tomorrow, but I know he'll just get at me for nagging.

I place the boxes down on the table and give the stew a stir.

"How was work?" I ask.

"It was work," he responds. "I'm going to quit tomorrow."

“You can't." Some of the stew splashes over the top of the pot and onto the floor.

Pip is out of her bed in an instant, sniffing at the spilt piece of carrot as if it's a gourmet meal.

"Of course I can. It won't take me more than a week to find something new," Bastian responds.

I bite my lip and consider whether I want to tell him about the missing money. I know I have to, but it's whether now is the time.

"Bastian..." I take a deep breath. "You can't quit your job, and I'm going to have to do more mending. Our money is gone."

"Of course it's gone," he responds. "That's what happens when you spend it."

I blink a few times, trying to work out precisely what's happening. "We spent it?"

"Well, I spent it." He waves towards the boxes.

"On what?" My voice comes out as barely more of a squeak as I try to work out precisely what's going through his head for him to think that was a good idea. The money was supposed to be our safety net, it's all that was left after Da died.

"A dress for you, and a suit for me. Fine clothes, none of these rags." He plucks at his shirt.

"You did what?" I stare at my brother, trying to work out why he would want to do something like this.

"We can't turn up to the Golden Moon wearing these clothes," he points out.

"We shouldn't be going to the Golden Moon at all," I counter.

"What do you know of it?" Bastian leans back in his chair, seeming not to care in the slightest that he's put us in a strenuous position.

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