Late into the next day, the girl finally stirred. Bruises had grown dark, and dry blood caked the cuts and scrapes she was riddled with. She wore no shoes, and her clothing was torn and full of holes, though Roux suspected that wasn't from last night, but rather the permanent state of her belongings. She moved, slowly, crawling to a nearby bucket that had a puddle rainwater in it. Among other things. She grabbed onto the bucket like it was made of gold, shooed away the frog that had been living in it, lifted the thing to her lips, and poured the dirty water down her mouth. Roux felt a bit queasy—not a feeling lemons usually felt, but that water couldn't be good for the girl's health. With a sigh, she let go of the now-empty bucket and lay back down against the grimy dirt floor of the alley.

  ...Would you like me to fetch some more water? Roux asked hesitantly. The girl's eyes shot open in alarm, and she tensed, ready to scramble away. Then she winced. Tensing was not an option, in her current state. She relaxed again.

  "Flaming bells, I thought you were just in my head. You're real, ain't ya? Really real?"

  As real as anything, I suppose. Roux nodded in response. And I would greatly appreciate your help. Which means I need you to stay alive. Water?

  The girl shivered, mumbling about ghosts walking up and down her spine, but she looked back and Roux and nodded. Roux looked around, but the only things he could see in the alley were more dirty puddles and buckets. He looked up at the roof that a ladder was leaning against. Aha. Roux quickly climbed the roof and walked up to a water barrel that was set up to catch the rain. It was nice and full of clear water. Not a frog or patch of mould in sight. There were even some simple construction runes marking the inside, making the water inside extra pure. Roux felt very pleased with his find. He looked at the barrel, then turned and looked down at the girl. Then he turned and looked at the barrel again, then down at the girl. I haven't quite thought this through, have I? Roux mused to himself. How to get the water to the girl? He was a lemon.

  He walked around the barrel, poking and prodding with his feet, until he saw one plank on the side of the barrel looked particularly old and weathered. Roux pushed against it a little bit, testing its strength. The plank flexed and shifted. Roux gave it a good sharp kick.

  With a sharp crack, the plank gave way, and a stream of water shot out of the barrel, ran down the roof and spilled over onto the alley below. Straight onto the poor girl nursing her wounds.

  Oops.

  Are you ok? Roux shouted down. The girl's response was to start giggling. It must have been cold, to be under this shower, but giggles turned into chuckles, which turned into full laughter. Roux started laughing nervously with her, as it seemed appropriate. He hoped she was ok, and that her mind hadn't cracked.

  The girl lifted up her face against the steady stream of cold, fresh water. It washed away the dried blood. It washed away the grime that matted her hair. It washed her clothes several shades brighter, as a couple years of dirt fell off her, onto the alley floor. She opened her mouth and took a drink. She rolled around, to make sure the water washed her all over. Then she stood up and stomped and splashed in the puddles quickly forming, doing a little dance in the impromptu rain. Her joy was infectious, and Roux found himself doing his own little stomp on the roof.

  They stomped and danced in sync for a little while, until the water ran out. Then a backdoor to the building opened up, and a man's head stuck out to see what was going on. He saw the girl and his face instantly grew furious. Quick as a flash, the girl ran up the ladder, bruises and injuries forgotten. The man yelled at her, but she had already scooped Roux up in one hand and set off, leaping across rooftops like her life depended on it. It often had.

  They ran for quite some time, coming to a stop at a rooftop that to Roux looked like any other, but the girl had clearly been aiming for it. She put her hands on her knees, red in the face. Her bruises were showing an ugly purple.

  "We're out of the Settler's territory now, back in Freefer. Should be safe." She panted.

  Freefer? Roux prompted.

  "Free-fer-all, fancy word, means no gangs here." She sat against a brick chimney, looked around to make sure nobody was watching, then wiggled a brick loose. Behind it were a few precious possessions. A button she quite liked, a small bundle of thread, a wooden toy mouse, and a dirty piece of bread. The bread looked burned on one side and had been sitting in mud at some point. She popped it into her mouth with relish, closing her eyes to savor the experience. "Been saving this," she mumbled, "but I need it now."

  ...You're not a very powerful human, are you? Roux asked. He'd been hoping this girl could lead him to some magic, but she seemed even more in need of it than himself. She eyed him sideways as she finished her burnt crust.

  "You're a talking lemon." She replied.

  Touché.

  "Well, not a talking lemon. That would just be weird. Like some magic experiment gone wrong. No, you're a lemon that reaches into my soul, takes a bite, and leaves words to fill in the missing bits."

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  That was... poetic.

  "Just sayin'. You're not weird. You're terrifying."

  Was that it? Simply the way he communicated? Roux thought about it. It was true. When people or critters saw him, they took no offense. But as soon as he tried to speak into their minds, they fled. Even whispering didn't help. If anything, they ran faster. Roux sighed. He needed to find a new source of energy, at this rate. He kept finding reasons to use what he currently had. With a bit of effort, he formed a mouth, turned to the girl, and spoke out loud for the first time.

  "Is this better?"

  The girl's eyes grew wide, and she sat very still for a very long time.

  "Are you a changling?"

  "What's that?"

  "No idea. Some kinda demon that changes. When I was young I had to eat vegetables to make sure they stayed away. I thought I ate enough of 'em, but..." She eyed Roux nervously.

  "I am a lemon."

  "Ok."

  They sat staring at each other for a time. Roux didn't see what the fuss was about. Perhaps not many beings in the world could grow mouths on the spot? Roux didn't know. He just needed to do something, so he'd done it. The girl sighed.

  "Well, I guess if you were gonna eat me, you'd've done it by now. My name's Orphan."

  Your name's Orphan?

  The girl—Orphan—shivered.

  "Flaming bells, man, er, lemon, if you got a mouth please use it. And yea. I had a fancy name once, but it doesn't help me none out here. So it's Orphan."

  "Ah, right. I've never really had a name, haven't needed one till now. You're the first person willing to talk to me."

  "Makes sense, I woulda bolted too, if I could. Hmm, how about Roux?"

  "Roo?"

  "Roux. Like the fancy bit o' food prep. You make the roux first, and then you turn it into the meal."

  Roux looked at Orphan quizzically.

  "My parents were chefs, back when I was 'Sophie'. I learned things, ok?" Orphan seemed to be simultaneously opening up about her past and resenting Roux for having to do so.

  "I see. Why roux though?"

  Orphan sighed and settled against the rooftop, looking at the sky. She glanced at Roux, then back at the sky.

  "Roux's the start, you see? Everything fancy starts with roux. My pa's sauces could make a nobleman cry. It always started with the roux." She fell silent, and Roux had the sense she had more to say. He was content to sit there. Some clouds were drifting across the sky. Roux watched them approach the city. For a fraction of a moment they flickered, as if something dark and huge flitted across them, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

  Probably nothing.

  "I'm going to be a powerful wizard some day." She confided in a low voice, not wanting to disturb her deepest wish with any sudden move or loud noises. "I don't know how, yet, but I'm gonna make it happen. That's why I was in Settler's territory in the first place. Looking for something to steal. Then somehow you walk into my life. Do you know how rare talking lemons are?" Roux shook his head. "Me neither, but I bet it's rare. Hey, Roux, let's make a plan." Roux liked the way she said his name. Something stirred within him. A warm feeling. It made him feel like he had an identity. He was a lemon, but also a person.

  Orphan propped herself up on her elbows and started using her fingers to count. "First, we need food. Then money. Clothes and shelter. Then we need secrets. A way to get strong. You said you wanted something magic? How about joining me in my quest? You can be my sidekick or something. What do you say?"

  Roux nodded, and smiled his first smile, with his brand new mouth.

  ***

  The Dark Shadow flitted from cloud to cloud, using the height to see huge swaths of the kingdom at once. His scales bled darkness, hiding his true form. To any onlooker, he was just a shadow in the cloud. The only odd thing was the occasional bird falling dead out of the sky, when they got too close. Not much he could do about that. His very presence was death.

  He knew the general area, but hadn't yet pinpointed the location. He narrowed his cat-like eyes, glowing a soft orange, and swept lower over the city that sprawled along a wide river. He saw every street at once. Every human, cat, dog, rat and bird. Some more exotic beings, too. Everything that moved was vulnerable to his eyes. Everything exposed. Everything weak. He snorted in disgust. There was nothing special about this place. No hidden powers worth his time. No great magic. Certainly no dark forces strong enough to bend the laws of magic and time.

  He circled the city three times, to be sure, then flew on. They weren't what he was seeking. He was seeking hints of something destructive, something powerful, something terrible. Something worth fighting. He smiled to himself, long teeth coming out that would have gleamed in the light, if not for the darkness covering him. It had been a long time since he was allowed to fight.