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“It’s an orphanage for boys,” she said. “My sister knows the head mistress. They do an excellent job at disciplining their charges and making sure they grow into obedient, hard-working husbands.”

An orphanage?

I thanked all three women, letting them continue on their way, then leaned against the building’s wall, trying to process what I’d just learned.

Why would Salas visit an orphanage? Did he come to see somebody? A nephew? Or maybe...a son?

Oh Goddess... My heart beat faster at that assumption. Could that be the reason for him to keep selling his freedom over and over again? Did he have a little boy to support? Was that what he needed the money for?

Stunned by the realization, I missed Salas exiting the building. I only noticed his large figure when he was already way down the road and heading back to the palace. Peeling my back from the cold gray rocks of the wall I’d been leaning on, I promptly followed him again.

He turned into a narrow side street, avoiding the main road this time. As the evening grew into the night, the pedestrian traffic had thinned. Salas would be easy to spot on the mainroad now. He obviously wished to attract as little attention as possible, choosing the route away from the light and the people.

We entered the part of the city that respectable folks tried to avoid. It was close to the “fun district” as it was unofficially called. Here, the fun was provided by establishments with questionable reputations, such as gambling halls and brothels, also called “fun houses.”

With his legs being longer than mine, Salas had gotten farther and farther ahead. After turning around yet another corner, I lost sight of him completely.

Running at full speed, I approached the narrow street he’d turned into the last I saw him. Several voices reached me from a distance. Salas’s deep, low drawl intermingled with a higher feminine pitch.

Carefully peeking from around the corner of a building, I spotted four women dressed in the city guards’ uniforms.

“What is such a handsome thing like you doing alone at such a late hour?” one of them asked Salas. “Doesn’t your wife want you home by now?”

All four guards were armed with swords and daggers in the sheaths attached to their belts. In addition, two of them also held long spears and had crossbows strapped to their backs.

“I am on my way home, madam,” Salas replied calmly.

“And where is home?” the leader of the guards asked.

“There.” He waved a hand in the direction of the palace.

“Nothing much is out that way but the queen’s palace, boy,” a guard pointed out.

The leader snorted a laugh.

“No offense, but you don’t look like you belong to the royal court, sweetie.” She raked her eyes up and down his body. “Why are you alone and so close to the fun district? Are you one of the working boys, maybe?”

“No,” he replied flatly, holding his back as straight as a rod.

Another guard grabbed his arm. “Let’s take him in. I have a lot of questions.”

He stiffened, squaring his shoulders. But he couldn’t possibly fight back. Lifting a finger to a woman, especially to a figure of authority, carried a death penalty.

“I need to get home, madam,” he said slowly, his voice strained.

If he didn’t make it home on time, I imagined the barrack’s door would be locked. Then, he’d have to spend the night outside, risking running into the palace guards and being detained for lurking. Even if the door of the barrack didn’t get locked for the night, his absence would surely be noticed and likely reported to his owner. If she deemed it an escape attempt on his part, he’d face a punishment far more severe than another flogging.

There was just no avoiding getting in trouble in this situation for Salas, no matter what he did at this point.

I cleared my throat and stepped out of my hiding spot.

“Oh, there you are!” I threw my hands up into the air dramatically. “Thank you so much for finding him for me, ladies.”

They all turned to me. Shock registered on Salas’s face for a moment, but he quickly schooled his features into a neutral expression.

It was fairly dark in the narrow street, with only a faint glow of the streetlights from the main road reaching in to lighten the shadows. I kept my hood draped low around my face. The guards didn’t know who I was, just that I was a woman who spoke with confidence and that proved enough for them to stand to attention.

“Do you know this man, madam?” the guards’ leader asked.