Written by Fulgur
Illustrated by Crosschan

Chapter 10

The Maid's Secret

"Any thoughts?" I asked.
Merta just shook her head. "None, Zack."
I sighed.
The problem was money. Damn girls! If not for their dress shop escapade we could afford the inn - and the ship! I was still angry with them, but I had already spanked them and they were supposed to be forgiven.
And I forgave them, it's just that this is...
...bad.
I turned around. "Well? Do you happen to have any idea? Anything at all that might get us from the mess we're in?"
"Maybe..." offered May, "we could work."
"Ha! Not a bad idea, May - but what would you do? A waitress?"
I instantly knew I shouldn't had said that. No girl should have to look the way May did just now.
"Sorry," I apologized. "I didn't mean it that way. Look, there is bound to be some work in the docks, I can..."
"No!" cried May. "Zack, you don't understand! I don't want you to work! We got in this mess and we will get out of it! By ourselves!"
I sighed. "You don't have to. You've been punished, and..."
She flashed me so cold a look I froze in mid-sentence. "You just don't understand. I'm not a little girl, Zack! I will correct my mistakes whether you like it or not!"
And as we went further, still arguing, I never noticed that Grace and Merta silently sneaked away.

"What do you need?" asked Merta once they stopped in a small, dark alley.
Grace smiled. "Merta, I know how we can get the money we need."
"Really? How?"
Grace hesitated. "I have... something I've hidden in my home, Merta. It's expensive, so we can sell it and make money!"
Merta thought about it. "But your home is in Ceris!" she pointed out. "That's a long way from here!"
"Exactly," nodded Grace. "Which is, where you come in the picture. With your teleportation, we could be there in a flash!"
"But..." Merta was puzzled. "But I never got it working right."
"But I think you've never tried to teleport someplace you know," replied Grace. "I think that if you imagine some place, imagine it real well - then you can get there without trouble."
"But we have to ask Zack..."
Grace shook her head. "No, we don't. Zack would worry way too much."
"I can't do that!" cried Merta. "Please, you can't ask me to..."
Grace sighed. Then she put her hands on Merta's shoulders.
"If you won't do it, that's OK," she said.
"It is?"
"Yes, but if you don't want to, I will have to..."
Merta blinked. "Yes? You have to what?"
Grace smiled. It wasn't a happy smile. "I will have to talk to Raia."

It wasn't a good day.
"Where could they go?" I wondered. "We can't really afford to split!"
"I hope they will be back soon," added May.
"Well, those two, at least, are responsible unlike you," I said. "OK, so what's next?"
"Well, the grocery store didn't need any helpers..."
"But the fishmonger does," supplied Soot. "but the payment is low. And we can only work there until noon, since then he leaves."
"What do you think, May?" I asked.
She nodded. "I can do fish! It will be OK!"

Merta's eyes opened wide. "What... what are you talking about?" She was hyperventilating. She reached for her throat, uttered a little squeak...
And fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. When she raised again, she was... someone else.
"Can you get me to Ceris?" asked Grace quickly.
"Excuse me?" The girl blinked in confusion. "Girl, do you have any idea who I am?"
"Yes," said Grace simply. "I know who you are. And I need to get to Ceris, fast."
"I am Queen Raia, the..."
"I already told you - I know who you are."
"You know who I am and you are asking me for a lift?"
"Why not?" said Grace, carefully. "I mean, it must be easy for you."
"The thought that I might just dismember your brain with a single gesture didn't come on your mind at all?" Raia sounded really confused.
"Why? I don't think you would hurt me."
Raia blinked again. When she talked again, she didn't sound as sure as before. "Look, I was never exactly known for my helpfulness. Why would you expect I'm going to help you?"
Grace hesitated. "Please?" she suggested. "I mean - there might be something in Ceris for you, too."
It seemed Raia was fighting some sort of inner struggle, but then she conceded.
"If I killed you, it would be way too messy," she growled. "OK, let's go."
She moved her hand in a quick gesture. A translucent, rotating cube appeared in the air.
"I never saw Merta do this." remarked Grace.
Suddenly her right hand clenched itself into a fist and before Grace could do anything, she punched herself in the stomach. She doubled over, trying to breathe.
"You won't say that name again while I am here," said Raia pleasantly. "Is that clear?"
Grace nodded. "Yes..."
A second cube appeared in the first. Then, theiir corners joined. Then...
Grace couldn't really see what happened, but where there was a cube previously was now a tunnel.
"Go through this - you get to Ceris quickly," said Raia. "They can trace dodecahedra, but not this. It won't stay open for too long, though."
"Can you go with me?" asked Grace, standing in the tunnel.
"I am not your slave!" growled Raia. "You wanted me to help, I helped. But I'm no good samaritan, damn, I am..."
Her eyes opened in fear. "Oh no," she murmured. "Not now."
She suddenly jumped and tackled Grace. She felt a weird force acting on her body, then they were out of the cube and sprawled in another dark alley. In the moment Raia touched the ground, the cube disappeared. It made an audible snap.
Grace grabbed Merta's shoulders and shook her hard.
"Hey! Hey! Wake up! Wake up, whoever you are!"

"Duck!"
I managed to get out of the way in time to avoid crate crashing down on my position.
"Sorry about that, man," shrugged the sailor. "Happens at times."
I was helping with loading crates on a ship while the girls were selling fish. I managed to convince them that we need all the money we can get,  and they (albeit reluctantly) agreed that I had to work too. They weren't too happy about that, though.
I would get ten gold pieces if I keep this up the whole day. Girls would get five by the noon - both together. This made fifteen...
And we needed fifty.
I hoped girls will find some employment in the afternoon. And Grace and Merta could help...
But they were nowhere to be found - and we didn't even had time to search for them. True, I couldn't force them to work, as they had no hand in what happened yesterday, but it wasn't good.
All in all, I was getting worried.

"But how did we get here?"
Grace decided not to tell the whole truth. "You teleported us, can't you remember?" she said. "But it strained you and you fell. Merta, I'm so sorry!"
Merta shook her head. "Why are we in Ceris?" she asked. "It's dangerous here."
Grace smiled. "We need to get into Mayor's mansion. I've hidden something in there - something expensive. We take it, we get back to Rego and sell it - and we should have enough money!"
"But Zack must be worried about us!" pouted Merta. "We shouldn't be here, Grace. He will spank us after we get back!"
Grace shook her head. "You are not doing anything wrong, Merta. I claim full responsibility. Yes, Zack will most probably punish me after he learns what I did - but I'm prepared to pay that price. It's important to get the money for him."

The Mayor's mansion loomed the city square. Grace's eyes darted around. There was a guard station next to it - the same guard station where Zack has originally found her.
What will he do when he learns the truth? she wondered.
The entrance of the mansion was guarded. Of course. Grace remembered that she might be a wanted criminal here.
"Merta," she whispered.
"Yes?"
"I need to get in. Do you know any trick that would help here?"
Merta considered that.
"I'm not sure... Maybe fire?"
Grace nodded. "Good idea, girl. A good old decoy. Get to it. Please."

At noon, we met again in the docks.
"I'm worried about them," said May. "I really am."
"I don't feel that Merta is be in danger," I said. "But the same, we will have to have a very long talk after they come back!"
"How much do we have?" asked Soot.
"Five gold pieces," answered May. "Plus a fish for lunch." She sighed. "But we have no way to cook it here."
"It's too small for three, anyways," I said. "Go outside and eat. I... have more work to do."
The day after tomorrow, I thought absent-mindedly. That's how long I have to wait before I can give Grace the spanking she so blatantly deserves.
I vowed to myself that I'm going to turn her over and spank her until her bottom is maroon. She won't like it, that's for sure, but I felt it would be necessary.
I sighed and went back to the docks. My stomach rumbled.

Grace slipped through the double door into the Mayor's mansion. So far so good - the decoy has worked perfectly, as thundering explosion in the alley caused the guard to go investigate.
But there were certainly more guards inside the house.
Grace shuddered. There were bad memories here. Fortunately, she didn't have to spend a long time in here.
And she knew the house.
All the shutters were closed, creating a dark atmosphere in the building. It looked like a dead house.
But it was all right, wasn't it? The Mayor was dead, Feltar told that... he won't beat her up anymore...
This used to be her room. It wasn't locked - in fact, it couldn't be locked. The door had a round hole where the lock once was. All maids' rooms had. The mayor liked to peek when they undressed - and they couldn't do anything about it, for hanging a towel or anything over the hole could get them stripped and flogged.
"I didn't kill him," whispered Grace. "But I'm really glad he is dead."
She slipped in the room, reached under her bed (still in the same state as when they came for her and took her to Feltar) and moved a loose board.
She slipped her hand in and her fingers close on...
Nothing at all!
She searched and tapped everywhere in the hole, but there was nothing!
"You are probably searching for this," said a cold voice behind her.
She tried to get out, but then she felt a blow and then nothing at all...

Grace opened her eyes and screamed. This was not good.
She was tied to a kitchen bench, lying on her stomach.
Just before her eyes, there was something golden, swinging...
She raised her head and faced Feltar.
"So it's true," he hissed. "The cuplrit always comes back to the scene of the crime!"
"I didn't kill the Mayor!" shouted Grace. "You did! I was in the prison when he died!"
"Might be," shrugged Feltar. "But you stole this, didn't you?"
"It was mine! The Mayor took it from me!"
"It was probably too pretty thing for you to have," snarled Feltar. His eyebrow twitched. Then he pulled out his little flail.
"I'm going to show you what happens to naughty little maids who try to get away from their rightful punishment!" he shouted.
"There's noone else here, is there?" asked Grace calmly. "No witnesses. You really want to savor this alone."
"They would be troublesome," agreed Feltar. "Not everyone shares my views of proper punishment."
Grace felt him handling her skirt. Not good. Definitely not good.
"I think your bottom comes first," he said. "After it won't be able to feel pain anymore... well, there are plenty other areas. Nobody is in the house. Nobody can hear you."
"There is somebody," said Merta.

The girls came back and they started to search for another part-time job.
"Hey, this one would be perfect for you," chuckled Soot.
May read the stall card.
"Fine hairbrushes for both good and bad girls. Make hair silky and bottoms red... No way, Soot! It's a spanking stall!"
"And what, young lady, is wrong with that?" asked a man behind the stall. He was a young man, actually, but he sound older because his voice was quite raspy. "Just look at them - every one of them an unique piece of work! Hand-made and hand-used, that's my motto!"
"She got spanked this morning, so she's a bit grumpy about it," explained Soot. "Nothing personal."
"Well, I overheard - you would like to work here for a while?"
"We need money," admitted May, "but... what exactly does work here mean?"
The man shrugged. "Oh, I don't show off the effect of my goods on helpers, don't worry. The thing is, I was calling out this whole morning - and I don't feel exactly good. In here, you won't attract any customers if you don't shout. A help would be appreciated."
"How much you pay?" asked Soot, the eternal pragmatist.
"Ten gold pieces for both of you," he replied.
Soot smiled. "We are in."
"Welcome aboard," he beamed. "My name is Max. Max's hairbrushes for the Max effect!"

Feltar's face became white as he saw Merta - no, this was Raia, realized Grace - come down the steps in the kitchen. "Y..you..." he said.
"Feltar, you are really a disappointment," sighed Raia.
"I don't understand... I did everything you asked for... So why..." He was screaming now. "Why won't it go away, my Queen? Please, make it go away!"
"You just don't understand, do you?" sighed Raia. "You got everything you wanted. You got power, you even became the mayor. I made the people accept you. And it's still not enough to you?"
"The fire... the pain..." he managed to utter.
"Yes, I was just about to get to the good part," smirked Raia. "Because, frankly, you need me - but I don't need you. You can't help me. And I'm disgusted by you. So that's why."
"What did you do?" whispered Grace.
"I made him an addict," chuckled Raia. "If he doesn't cause pain to other people, he starts to feel it himself. It made him zealous in the beginning, but now the mitigating effect is almost gone and the pain starts to be unbearable. But he knew this - I offered it in a package. He was just stupid enough to take it."
"You deceived me!" cried Feltar. He was trembling like a cornered rat.
"Surely you shuld expect that!" responded Raia. "After all, am I not famous for being evil?"
Feltar threw the flail away and brandished a sword.
"I'll kill you!" he cried. "Then the pain will end!"
"The pain will only end if you kill yourself," answered Raia. "That's the only path for you to take."
Feltar breathed laboriously.
"Why are you doing this to him?" cried Grace. "He's a human, too!"
"He was about to beat you to death," said Raia. "I can see his mind, you know - it's like a can full of slimy, disgusting maggots. Slimy and disgusting."
"But was he originally like that?" asked Grace. "Or did you make him so?"
Raia shook her head. "He is a stupid man who orchestrated his own downfall," she said. "I only helped him to do so. It was... fun."
"You proved your point! Now take that curse from him!"
"Why should I? You are the one tied up here! What right do you have to give me orders?"
Feltar screamed and finally thrust his sword towards Raia, but she just waved her hand and Feltar slumped on the ground.
"Well? Answer me, you stupid girl!"
"It's just... wrong to torture people like this!" spat out Grace. "If you do that, you are no better than him!"
"I never claimed I'm better. I said he is stupid, not wrong."
"But you know he is! Raia, I don't believe you are as evil as him!"
Raia was silent. Then she said: "All right. I release him. In fact, I give him the opposite curse - whenever he hurts another man or woman, he will feel the same pain. I can do all of this, but it won't be for free."
"I'll do anything!"
"Why?"
"Because... however bad this man is... I still pity him."
"Lots of people who crossed my path ended up worse," said Raia. "I will grant your wish, but..."
"But?"
"But you must take the full responsibility for his actions from now on. Every time someone gets hurt or killed because of this man, remember that you could leave him to die and you choose to let him live."
Grace nodded. "I can accept that. It would be worse for me to know I let him die."
"Also, there might be other consequences. Everything relates to everything else. Do you accept the responsibility for them, too?"
"Yes, I do!"
"Plus, for doing you a personal favor, you have to do me one, too."
"What favor?"
"I can't tell you. Not yet," said Raia.
"I accept it, whatever it is!"
"Then it's a deal."
Raia touched Feltar's forehead.
"His charisma is also broken now," she said. "He will lose his position quickly, he will lose even his old Guard job. He will be an outcast. But I won't change this part of his destiny, even if you begged me to."
"I won't," said Grace. "Now... could you untie me, please?"

"You are really into it, aren't you?" muttered May. The hairbrushes were the main line of Max's enterprise, but there were other things.
Wooden spoons, for example. Belts.
"Cook the food - or boil the bottom!" shrugged Max. "Max's belts keep your trousers up - and girls' skirts up! Why not?"
"I just think it's not fair to make money on people's unhappiness," said May. "I mean, aren't you ashamed people use your wares to hurt girls like us?"
She had her qualms, but Soot was evidently enjoying herself.
"Come here, all you mothers and fathers! All you boyfriends and husbands!" she cried. "When the one dear to you are not-so-dear, we have just the thing to help!" She lifted one of the hairbrushes. "One sight of this beauty is more than enough to put any thoughts of naughtiness out of their heads! And if they don't want to look - they can feel it!"
"She's a natural," said Max admiringly. "They sell good."
"I mean," continued May, "can't you sell something else?"
"Well, I thought about extending the line to include fly-swatters..."
"Excuse me?"
"Just a joke, May," chuckled Max. "But I believe that 'my goods deal good'. A spanking for one naughty thing can prevent a worse one."
"Really? I suppose you have this covered by research, right?"
"Well, you are still spanked, aren't you?"
"Yes..." admitted May reluctantly. There was no reason not to - girls of her age were almost always spanked.
"Do you deserve it?"
May thought about yesterday. "Mostly," she admitted.
"What did you do to earn the last one? Oops, sorry... That was too personal a question."
"I did..." May sighed. "Something real stupid."
"Do you suppose the spanking helped you not to do it again?"
May grimaced. "I see your point. Still..."
A shrieking sound made her look up.

"Thank you," said Grace when they left the kitchen. "I really appreciate what you did. If it wasn't for you, I would..."
"You can't rely on me that much," Raia warned her. "I'm notoriously unreliable. Plus..." She sighed. "I might not be around for much longer, you know."
"So it's true? Are you... dying?"
Raia nodded. "That girl is stronger with every day. I can only surface at times. Creating her was a stupid idea."
Was that a glint of afternoon sun or did a tear actually appear in her eye?
"At least we can get the money we need," said Grace, showing off the jewel she took from unconscious Feltar. "We pawn this..."
"No," said Raia. "You should keep that. It's yours, after all."
"But..."
Raia opened a door to one of the rooms.
"We can use this."
She came to the wall. There was a safe built into it. Raia made a tetrahedron - very small one - and she simply burned through the lock.
The safe cracked open. It was full of gold coins.
Grace gasped. "Raia - how did you know..."
She smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. "Feltar wanted to become a mayor. I thought that I could use... a man in power. That was before Zack busted the bars and got me out. So when Feltar went to the Mayor's house to capture you, I..."
"You killed him," said slowly Grace.
"Whatever you might think," said Raia, "I am not a nice person. Not at all."
Grace took some gold from the pile. "He was corrupted," she said. "I imagine people will want their money back."
"What? You actually think this gold will find its way back into the right hands? First one who comes in here will take it all!"
"Let's just say that I'm an idealist, Raia," smiled Grace. "I'll take a hundred, no less, no more."
"Fine with me. I don't need money, as I am."
"Now, we should..."
She gasped.
Raia has fallen down again.

It was a man with a small girl - eight, maybe nine years old. She was probably pretty, but it was hard to tell, because her face was streak with tears.
"I want to buy something," said the man. "I always use my hand to punish my children, but it seems it's just not effective enough anymore."
"No, Daddy, it is!" cried the girl. "Please, spank me with your hand, I don't want any of these things!"
"What an interesting turnabout!" said the father. "Up until now you wanted just about anything! And when I didn't buy you those beads, you even tried to steal them!"
"Uh-oh," said Soot quietly. "That's what happens when amateurs try it."
"Well," mused the father, "you already have a hairbrush and I already have a belt, but I bet Mom would be delighted about a nice new wooden spoon for her kitchen..."
"No! I will never steal again!"
"Or if you do, do it properly," murmured Soot. Aloud she said:
"Well, sir, if it's a wooden spoon you want, we have a large variety of sizes. How old is your daughter?"
"Nine," said the father.
"Nine... nine..."
Max got up. "I'll handle this, Soot. Well, sir, I'm afraid my wooden spoons are designed in five-years old size, ten-years old size and fifteen-and-older size. Your daughter might benefit from this ten-years spoon."
He held it up. It was smaller than spoons in May's mom's kitchen, but the girl yelped and hid behind her father when she saw it. Not a bright idea, of course, but then she probably wasn't a very bright girl.
"One gold piece," said Max in the same tone a judge might pronounce a death sentence. "Twenty-five smacks are effective punishment for ten-years old, so I would suggest twenty at most for your daughter. If she deserves bigger punishment, you should give her a small handspanking before you bring in the spoon."
"I know how to raise my kids," said the man, slightly annoyed. "Believe me, she will get it good after we get home."
He paused for a moment. "Or maybe I should give her the spanking right here and now! Your girls could take a break for a while - I bet Mary is going to bring in some customers for you!"
"What?" cried May. "That's the... ummph..."
Soot covered her mouth. "Don't," she whispered. "He's still a customer."
"But that man wants to spank his daughter in public! I would die if something like that happened to me!"
"I thought it did."
"No, I was spanked in front of the guests in the restaurant - this is different. Anyone might look!"
Max smiled. "Sorry, sir, but public showing of our implements is not our policy. If you want to spank your daughter now, the restrooms have an area used specifically for that purpose. It will be one gold piece, please."
When the man paid and took his crying daughter in the direction of restrooms, Max sighed.
"I'm worried he will use excessive force," he said. "People seem to forget that spanking is a tool for shaping children, not breaking them. In fact, that thing is designed to sting without using much force."
"I could... follow them and make sure," offered May.
"No, I'll go," sighed Soot. "You couldn't do anything about that. Besides, you could sell something, for a change. I'm the one making all the money around here."

"I'm sick..."
"Hold on, Merta," said Grace. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking about you at all!"
"What happened?"
"That doesn't matter, Merta. We are in trouble! This whole city might go wild at any moment! We need to get back to Rego!"
"I got us here... right?"
"Yes, Merta! So you can get us back!"
"I'm tired... I want to sleep..."
"You can sleep later, I promise! But now I need you!"
Grace hugged her. "Please! I know I am selfish, but I need your help one more time!"
Merta closed her eyes, took the chalk and started to draw. For some reason, the lines were coming out better when she didn't look at them.
After the last line was completed, she sighed and collapsed in Grace's arms.
"Zack..." she whispered. "I want to see Zack again..."
Then the dodecahedron closed over them.

The spanking room was unoccupied, so the father dragged his daughter to the chair and sat down.
"Pull them down," he ordered. "You are going to have your bare bottom spanked, young lady!"
"No, Daddy! Not that spoon, please!!!"
He simply grabbed her panties and dragged them down. Then he turned her across his knee, raised her skirt...
Soot, watching from shadows, noticed faded marks. This girl got another spanking, not long before.
Then the wooden spoon raised and fell.
The girl was crying already, but now she was desperate! She yelled and shrieked and tossed herself, but she was no match for her father who continued to scorch her bottom.
The smacks continued and Soot calmly counted. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen...
Just before the father could bring the spoon down for the twenty-first time, Soot swiftly moved and held his hand.
"That's enough," she said. "Your daughter has learnt her lesson."
The man's face contorted with rage. "And who do you think you are, telling me how to raise my daughter!"
"And who do you think you are, buying something and then ignoring the usage instruction?" countered Soot. "We clearly told you - twenty smacks, not more."
"I think you need a good smacking yourself, you pestering..."
Soot frowned. The man blinked.
"Would you care to try that?" she asked. There was a dangerous overtone in her voice.
She helped the girl stand up. "You are Mary?" she asked.
The girl, still crying, nodded.
"Well, Mary, do you think you will ever steal again?"
Mary emphatically shook her head.
"And did this spanking teach you a lesson?"
Emphatic nod.
"Would it be of any use if it continued?"
More emphatic shaking.
"She's just a kid!" protested her father. "She doesn't know what's good for her!"
"Neither, apparently, do you," challenged Soot. "If you waited until you got home, you might cool off - and she would have something to think about. But right now you spanked her in anger - and that spoon is hard! You could seriously hurt her!"
This seemed to take the man aback a bit. "Well..." he started.
"When you spank someone," continued Soot, "the pain of spanked bottom is only a means, not an end! The end you want is better behaviour. And I think you should never forget that."
Mary pulled up her panties in the meanwhile.
The man looked positively ashamed. "Yeah... it makes sense," he acknowledged. "I'm... sorry, it's just that she tried to steal and I couldn't control my temper..."
He looked at his daughter, then at the wooden spoon. "Maybe I should put this back," he sighed.
"No," shrugged Soot. "Why? At least it will be handy in the kitchen. And Mary will certainly behave better, now that she knows how much it stings." She smiled. "We guarantee that. Just - obey the instructions next time."

When Soot came back to the stall, Max looked at her. "How it was?" he asked.
"He came to his senses," shrugged Soot. "He promised that he won't give more than twenty - until his daughter's next birthday." She chuckled. "She won't be looking forward to it now, I guess. He's not a bad man, just gets angry a bit too easily. He told me some things the girl did before - she is really a brat."
"You were right," said Max to May. "Sometimes, I do have worries that my implements are used for bad things. But I still believe they can do much good in the world. I imagine that people who sell knives must feel the same way - knowing that people use their wares for cutting meat and vegetables all the time, but one of them might kill somebody with it."
"I noticed something," said May. "There are no paddles here. No tawses. No canes. Every implement you sell can be also used for something else."
Max nodded. "Because I believe all the little boys and girls are basically good. Buying a cane or a paddle? That's just like saying 'I don't believe you are a good child, so I need this to spank you.' But you can always use your hairbrush to brush your hair."
"You know," said May slowly, "I cook a bit. I was just thinking I would need my own wooden spoon..."
Max laughed. He selected one and handed it to her. "Keep it for free," he said. "This is the 15+ one, designed for 25 smacks for fifteen-year olds. You are..."
"Sixteen," said May. "So... how much will it be for me?"
"Thirty."
May gulped. "I hope I can keep it just for cooking, then."

Grace looked up. She was back in Rego, she just knew it, the sea breeze proved it. Her theory was right, Merta managed to teleport to the right place! Merta...
She looked around.
It was the same alley Raia opened her portal from. But Raia wasn't here. Just Merta, lying on the ground. Her mouth was bloody and she was unconscious.
Ginger cat was looking at her from a nearby garbage heap. It meowed. It jumped down and licked Merta's face. It meowed again.
Grace checked Merta, but she was still breathing. She felt relieved. Yes, there will be hell to pay - but not right now. Everything had a right time.
She took out a piece of paper and started to write.

I was tired. All this work for measly ten gold pieces?
I wondered about the girls. I hoped they found something good in the afternoon.
That got me thinking about Grace and Merta.
And right then, a pain shot through my body.
"Merta!" I gasped.
I started running.
"Be back in a moment!" I cried as I passed the sailors.

I found her in an alley. She was very pale and her breathing was shallow. There was blood on her mouth, she has bit her lip. She grasped her piece of chalk in her fingers.
I sensed movement at the end of the alley. I turned around, but I was too late. But there was a cloth bag on the ground.
With money inside.
And a note.
"Dear Zack,
You can spend this money freely. I am very sorry for what happened to Merta. I can't even say how sorry I am. Believe me, though, it was necessary to use her powers the way I did. I'm fully aware I will get punished for this. I should be punished, definitely. But I don't want to risk another switching, I'm just a coward this way.
I won't come back until my spanking moratorium wears off. When that happens, you can spank me any way you want - I know I deserve it. I promise I won't make any fuss about it.
I'll keep close.

Grace."

End of Chapter 10

May's Readers' Corner:
Well, first of all, I must admit (or, rather, Fulgur has to, but he doesn't want to) to a little mistake:

In the first chapter, he put my age as 13. But he found out that he thinks of me as a bit older than that - so he changed it. I'm 16, and for all purposes, I always was. Is that clear? You never heard any different! This is one of the things he has to correct when he will convert the story into HTML.

Also, he would like to apologize for waiting such a long time before releasing this chapter. He is very grateful noone bugged him to do it. This means (he reasons) that he has polite readers who understand that a writer is not a printing machine.

I, on the other hand, think that this might mean that most of his readers are just a figment of his imagination (hey, if he can think up me, why not a bunch of readers) and that nobody cares enough about the story to bug him about it, but he threatened to give me a big spanking in the next installment if I keep that up, so I desisted. I still feel you have right to know, though.

As a sort of epilogue (since Fulgur just had to end the chapter dramatically!) yes, we got the whole ten gold pieces - plus the wooden spoon. He actually offered something like that to Soot, too, but she already has her hairbrush... so she politely refused.
For a man who owns a spanking implements stall, he's not too bad. Nothing like Mr. Geyr from our village - he is just scary! Hmmm... maybe we will meet again?

May

May's Retrospective Readers' Corner:
Well, guess what? That little mistake I'm talking about in original Reader's Corner got corrected - now my age is consistent throughout the series. That's about all I can say about this chapter.

May