Coldmaker: Those who control Cold hold the power. Daniel Cohen A.

scrutinizing everything closely, its rays focused and strong. My corner’s tiny lip of stone was no match for the sky’s flare, and I could feel the moisture beading out of my forehead. I knew every Jadan on their corner would be wondering the same thing: who did these footfalls belong to, and where had our Jadanmaster gone?

      The sky seemed eager to lap up our tension.

      ‘Spout,’ a smooth voice announced.

      I nodded, keeping my head tucked in. ‘Yes, sir.’

      There was another rustle of parchment, and a fine pair of leather shoes came into my vision, their bottoms cupped with iron. ‘Peculiar. That’s what the scroll says. But Spout is not a name.’

      My chest squeezed with worry. I noted the ease with which this new Nobleman was speaking, as if he already belonged here. ‘My Barracksmaster calls me Spout, sir. So do most of the taskmasters and Nobles who know me.’

      ‘Look up.’

      I hadn’t realized how sweaty I was until I jerked my head up, flinging a big, globby droplet from my forehead, which, thank the World Crier, fell just shy of his fancy shoes.

      The Nobleman above gave me a disgusted look from a flat and broad face. Light grey stained the hair at his temples, and a deep scar crossed his face from forehead to ear. He had the look of an assassin from one of the High Houses. His stance was commanding, accentuated by a knotted red rope around his shoulders; and his hand was cupped gracefully around a crisp roll of parchment.

      The man scribbled something onto his sheet. ‘Gramble is your Barracksmaster?’

      I nodded, the sweat stinging my eyes.

      His lips thinned, the scar settling deeper into his face. Stepping back, he announced to the whole street in a booming voice: ‘Ears! I am Jadanmaster Thoth. I am now in charge of the slaves in this Quarter, as Jadanmaster Geb proved to be ineffective. For the next two years, you will be under my supervision. You will receive water and figs at bell three and bell seven. If you miss water because of an errand, then you will receive an extra portion on the following bell. Praise be to the Khat.’

      He relaxed his chest, lowering his voice so that only I could hear it. ‘I know that Gramble takes certain lenience with his slaves, but I assure you that I am not as soft-hearted as he.’

      ‘Yes, sir,’ I said.

      ‘What is your given name?’

      ‘Micah, sir.’

      Thoth kept his expression firm. ‘Rules six, seven, and eight for a Street Jadan, Micah.’

      I didn’t hesitate. Taskmasters had been asking me to recite the rules since I was a scrawny thing, all knees and elbows. ‘Rule number six: a Jadan will do whatever errand their superiors ask, unless it involves the direct harm of another superior. Number seven: a Jadan will be as unobtrusive as possible. Number eight: all forgotten Noble tokens will be handed over to the Jadanmaster at the end of the shift.’

      A long pause hung between us, my eyes begging to go back to the street. Staring into Thoth’s severe expression was nearly as unpleasant as getting pinched by a scorpion while trying to extract its venom.

      ‘Spout. I understand now. Humorous.’ Thoth reached out a finger and swiped it across my forehead, rubbing the sweat in between his fingers. ‘Does this seem unobtrusive to you?’

      ‘No, sir.’ I pleaded with my forehead to stop this nonsense. ‘I’m sorry, sir.’

      Thoth leaned over, blocking the Sun. I’d have thought this would have been a pleasant distraction from the heat, but Thoth’s eyes were nearly as fiery as the sky itself. ‘Irrelevant. You shouldn’t be sorry. Because it shouldn’t be an issue.’ He scratched something onto his parchment without breaking his gaze. ‘Your water rations will be cut in half for the time being. If you have water to waste in sweat, then obviously you have too much water inside you.’

      His pronouncement was worse than a dozen lashings, and I felt light-headed at the thought. I made sure not to show my dismay. ‘Thank you, sir.’

      Running his tongue across his lips, he carried on down the street without another word.

      I was still shaken by the news that Jadanmaster Geb was gone. I couldn’t help but feel responsible. He must have been fired because the Upright Girl had picked our road to waste that Shiver. And although I couldn’t prove it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was trying to reach out to me.