A new home with the Fang

Year 449 in the Unified Temple Calendar

  The Imperial City of Sentinal

Toli bent his neck and stretched his fingers, groping around for the wooden handle. The machine thrummed against his cheek and cogs whirred within inches of his bare arm.
"Get in there," Mr Orin ordered. The ruddy-faced man rarely strayed from his stool or took his eye from the web of yarn spooling out from reels attached to the wall. It was his job to make sure none ran out or got knotted before entering the machine. "I want my knife. What's the point of having you runts here if you can't get inside the machines?"
The rope shed was one of the longest on the wharf and home to Toli and his older brother. They kept it clean, running errands for the workers, and in return, they got to sleep in the rafters. It was hard work, especially for a ten-year-old boy but Toli liked it well enough. There was plenty of food and cats to keep the rats away.
"I've got it." Toli curled a finger around the handle, coaxing it toward him but as he did his arm brushed one of the spinning cogs. Metal teeth ripped at the skin and spraying the boy's blood onto the emerging rope. Toli wrenched his arm free too shocked to cry out. "Mr Orin?"
"What have you done?" Mr Orin asked without taking his eyes from the yarn.
"I cut myself." Toli let out a whimper as he clamped a hand over the wound.
"Stop your whinging and show me." Mr Orin slipped from the stool and loomed over the boy to inspect the cut. "It's not that deep. Wrap this around it and get back to work."
Toli took the square of cloth, wincing as he pressed it to the wound. "It really hurts."
"It's meant to otherwise how do you learn not to make stupid mistakes?" Mr Orin looked over as a taller boy entered by a side door. He was wearing a sling bag and had a blanket over his shoulder. "And where have you been?"
"Busy." Cosi ignored Mr Orin and went to his brother instead. When Toli tried to show him the wound he pushed the bandage back down. "I'll have a look in a while but we have to go."
"The only place you've got to be is under that machine." Mr Orin bent to peer at the inner workings. The handle of his knife was just visible but there was no way he was putting his hand anywhere near the spinning cogs. Too many men lost fingers that way and he wanted to keep all of his. "Don't get up, boy. Reach in and get the knife, it's just there."
Cosi made to crouch but Toli pulled him toward the door.
"Why've you got the bag?" Cosi noticed his brother was wearing his boots and not barefooted like he was. "Have you been outside? You know Master Davies doesn't like us wearing boots indoors."
"I don't know what game you're playing but I haven't got time for it," Mr Orin said as he grabbed Toli's arm. "Get my knife or they'll be trouble."
"Is it like this one?" Cosi asked brandishing his own blade. The handle was bound with frayed yarn but the narrow point was sharp enough.
"Cosi," Mr Orin gasped as he stumbled backwards into the spiderweb of threads. They wrapped around his arm, tightening as they pulled him toward the narrow opening in the machine. "Help!"
The machine creaked as Mr Orin pulled at the rope but the cogs kept whirring and the strands of yarn tightened until his fingers looked ready to pop.
"I've got it!" Toli shouted as he broke from his brother's hold and rushed to throw the lever shutting down the machine. With the cogs still, Toli was able to retrieve the knife. "Here you go."
"Go get Master Davies," Mr Orin said turning redder as he struggled to cut the strands with his free hand.
"We have to go," Cosi hissed as he took his brother's hand and ran for the door. They burst outside into the yard, dodging around one of the other workers come to investigate the shouting. The old guard on the gate called out to them as they ran past but there were out on the road and soon lost in the busy traffic. Waggons creaked under stacks of crates and sacks of wool, pulled by horses three times as tall as Toli, sailors staggered from one pub to the next and an army of factory workers marched through massive gates.
"Where are going? Mr Davies is going to be angry." Toli was too surprised by everything happening to worry about the blood dripping from his arm. A horse snapped at Toli's head but Cosi yanked him out of the way.
"We don't have to worry about that anymore." Cosi stopped in the lee of a fruit seller's cart to sort out his bag. Toli stared at the apples on display and reached up only for Cosi to slap his hand. "We never have to steal again or work in a smelly factory. We'll be free men. Take your blanket."
"I don't understand." Toli took the blanket feeling the reassuring roughness beneath his finger. It had been a while since Toli had been outside the factory gates and he eyed everything warily. It all seemed a lot bigger than the last time he'd seen it.
"Mum left me in charge so you have to do what I say. You promised, remember?"
Toli remembered the day well despite only being small. The priest had held his hand while he stood by his mother's bed unable to understand why she wouldn't come home. She'd made him swear to always do what his brother told him and to take care of each other. Then she'd hugged him and the priest had taken him to the kitchen to eat while she spoke to Cosi alone. It was the last time he'd seen her but all he could remember of her was the coughing.
"I remember," Toli said in a small voice.
"Good, now follow me and stop asking questions."
Cosi led the way, striding so that Toli had to run to keep up. Tall-masted ships lined the harbour, and navy frigates moored up alongside fat merchantmen waiting to be unloaded. Hundreds of people filled the street, selling wares or carrying goods and Toli soon grew so overwhelmed that Cosi had to take his hand to keep him moving. They soon left the docks and reached the high wall that surrounded the castle. The enormous edifice dominated the harbour and Toli recognised it from the view out of one of the factory windows. He was about to tell his brother when they reached a gate with two armoured soldiers standing guard. Toli came to a stop expecting to be told off but Cosi dragged him through.
"We shouldn't be in here," Toli said as they entered a courtyard in the castle. More soldiers stood guard before a wide set of doors but Cosi rushed past them to another opening and into a wide field. Several hundred tents took up one side while on the other armoured men and women trained with weapons and horses. Banners fluttered over the encampment and from the high castle walls. At a command a line of women raised their long bows and let a volley of arrows fly at straw targets set in front of an embankment.
"What are we doing here?" Toli asked. He clutched his blanket tightly and tried to keep up but Toli was walking quickly and searching the banners and the tents. Metal clanged as they passed an open-air forge and a dwarven blacksmith thrust a glowing blade into a bucket of water.
"There!" Coli stopped and pointed at a banner so his brother could see. "The Red Fang."
Toli stared at the flapping square of tattered cloth and at the bright red wolf's head emblazoned on it. Blood dripped from its open maw and its eyes shone gold in the bright sun.
"It's a wolf," Toli said but Cosi was already running toward it, dashing past the open tents and vanishing quickly. "Cosi!"
Toli ran but stopped when a bushy-bearded dwarf stormed out of a tent almost colliding with him.
"What do we have here then?" the dwarf asked. He belched but covered his mouth with a gnarled hand.
"I lost my brother," Toli said peering around the dwarf unsure where his brother had gone.
"Oh, have you now." The dwarf raised a bushy eyebrow and fixed him with one eye. "Is he lost or is it just you?"
"Is he...No, he was looking for the red wolf." Toli pointed at the banner flapping over a large tent. In front of it was a campfire surrounded by a motley gathering of humans and dwarves. The circle rang with laughter and the odd snatch of song.
"He won't be far then. What's your name, lad?" the dwarf scratched at his belly as he spoke. A cheer went up in the tent behind him but the dwarf swore under his breath before turning Toli away. "Let's get out of here before those fools burn the place down."
"Toli."
"Well met, young Toli. My axe is taller than you but I guess you'll grow." The dwarf looked him over and shook his head. "If your brother's come to find the wolf I think I know where he'll be."
Cosi followed the dwarf to the big tent and ducked inside when he lifted the flap. A large table took up the middle of the space but there was a bed at the back and several trunks along the canvas wall. A tall and richly dressed man with a fine sword resting on his hip stood in front of the table with his arms crossed over a large belly.
"You found our straggler then, Sam," the tall man said with a hearty chuckle. "I told you not to worry."
"I told you to keep up," Cosi said pulling his brother to stand next to him. "Captain Barrow, this is my brother Toli."
"Welcome, Toli," Captain Barrow said bending slightly at the waist to be closer to Toli's eye height. "I understand you want to join our ranks, is that so?"
"I don't know." Toli glanced from his brother to the dwarf at his side.
"Answer the captain, lad. He may look like he'll eat you but he won't," Samuel said.
Toli gripped his blanket and tried to stand a little straighter. "Who are you?"
"We are the Red Fang," Captain Barrow said resting a hand on the pommel of his sword. "The mightiest of all the companies roaming Nostvary."
"Soldiers, lad," Samuel said when Toli gave him a confused look. "You're brother already took the coin. You're too young to fight but there's other work to be doing. You just have to tell the captain that you'll be loyal and that will be that."
"Am I?" Toli felt small standing before the captain, even his brother looked to have grown in the past few minutes. "Cosi?"
"This is our chance," Cosi said. "We can leave Sentinel. Captain Barrow promised he would look after us."
"This can be your family, young Toli, you just have to say you want to be a fang," Captain Barrow said.
"I've never killed anyone," Toli said.
"I should hope not." Captain Barrow said with a wry chuckle. "This life isn't about killing, it's about being free. We take orders from no one, go where we like and do what we want. If you're one of us you'll be respected and feared and no one will dare raise a hand against you."
Toli caught the look of reverence on his brother's face as he stared up at the captain and a memory of their father sprung to mind. For a brief moment, he was back home playing on the kitchen floor as the strange man came in through the back door. His father had just stood there with the morning sun behind him before scooping him up and spinning him through the air. Toli had the same light-headed feeling as he looked up at the captain.
"I want to be a fang." As soon as Toli said the words his brother slapped him on the back and the captain clapped his hands.
"Excellent. Sam, see them situated." Captain Barrow returned to his seat behind the table. "Find them boots. I'll not have their feet bleeding on the march south."
"Will do, captain," Samuel said as he escorted the boys from the tent.
"When do I get a sword?" Toli asked as he ducked outside.
"Soon enough, soon enough," Samuel said as he let the tent flap fall behind him.