SHORT STORY: PERF Part 1

It's a pity these clothes itch so badly, Perf thought to himself as he shambled along with the morning crowds, I might not mind being a beggar so much if it weren't for that.

Perf smiled to himself, a rarity for a beggar, and he quickly subdued the emotion. Such visible signs of happiness tended to get a beggar punched or kicked...or worse. A happy beggar was unnatural, and people hated things that were unnatural. Thankfully, no one noticed Perf's brief laps from his solemn misery.

The city wall of Serl seemed to grow taller as the crowed moved closer. The wall's white stones from the nearby Serl mountains were streaked with gray at the top from the centuries of rain. Red mingled with the gray every so often, marking an anchor for the watch lanterns. The road rose slightly just before the city gate where it crossed the river Serl. The river flowed into the city from the back and then exited via an underground aqueduct set in the center of the city.

The city of Serl, the Serl mountains, the river Serl, Perf cursed in his mind, I think the royal family's taken things a bit too far. He gripped a small patch of his ragged clothes where a pouch had been stitched. At the moment it was full of sundry items and sealed shut to prevent anything from slipping out. If the city guard, or anyone with some common sense, saw what he carried, he'd be killed.

Guards stood on either side of the city gate, stopping and checking the occasional passerby. For the most part the guards busied themselves with the merchants and performers and only paid any attention to beggars when they, the guards, were bored, or if a beggar drew the attention to him or herself. As it was, Perf made it through the gates without being stopped or abused and he found a nice spot in the Main Square to sit down and look miserable in.

The merchants and performers set up around the beggars, occasionally kicking one or two beggars out of the way to get a better spot for their booths. The beggars always complied for fear of the city guard getting involved. Disputes between beggars and merchants never ended well for the beggar, even when the guards sided with them. The beggar might get a prime spot for begging that day, but they'd be all the more likely to be killed that night, either by a jealous beggar or an enraged merchant.

Perf chose a quiet corner where he was bound to have absolutely no qualms with anyone, but still get enough castoffs to fill his stomach. He didn't like quarrels. He could handle himself in a fight, better than most would suspect in fact, but he didn't need the attention. The spot he'd chosen was beside a meat vendor, a little ways up some stone steps that lead into the domestic quarter. Within an hour Perf had his first piece of rotten meat and a copper coin. The meat he chewed on and the coin he quickly stuffed out of sight. Few beggars knew the benefits of staking out the domestic quarter. True, they weren't allowed into the city beyond the Main Square, but the paths that lead to the main city could still be squatted in. Most beggars looking for coins clogged themselves into the High Street, hoping to catch the occasional gold or silver piece from the passing gentry. The beggar lucky enough to survive the ensuing scuffle and still have the coin would have to scurry off and spend it before it could be stolen.

The Domestic quarter housed the gentries servants and many of them came from beggar ancestry and tended to be fairly generous in their own right. True, copper pieces were not the same as gold, but the price for such wealth to a beggar could be far too steep.

No, Perf thought to himself as just such a scuffle broke out, Far too much trouble.

Guards went over and carried off the beggars who were either dead or too badly wounded to move themselves out of the street.

Poor fools, Perf mused as he watched the guards carry the beggars out of the city gates toss them, dead and wounded alike, into the river.

Perf took advantage of the guards momentary distraction and he slipped up the remaining steps into the domestic quarter. Within moments he was out of sight of the guards down in the Main Square but that didn't mean he was out of danger. There were still patrols and the city watch he had to be wary of. Perf ducked down the first sheltered alley he came to and quickly ripped off his beggars robe. Ignoring he sudden nakedness, he turned the robe inside out and tore the seal off the hidden pouch. Careful not to spill any of the contents, he sorted through until he found what he wanted: a piece of white chalk.

Perf sealed the pouch once more and then set the garment off to the side while he drew a rudimentary door on the alley wall. He muttered while he worked and as he finished, he spat a wad of bloody meat he'd been saving in his mouth, onto his drawing.

The chalk glowed briefly and then the wall opened. A small horse and cart waited on the other side and Perf, careful not to step through the doorway himself, coaxed the beast through. The cart scraped against the wall as he lead the horse and the doorway shuddered. Perf held his breath, true fear striking him for the first time in weeks, but the portal held. He realigned the horse and guided it through the rest of the way without incident.

As soon as the horse and cart were through, Perf muttered a few more words and the door shut. Perf took the water skin off the cart and poured a little water onto the stones above his drawing. The water broke the chalk lines and the wall became solid once again looking like an ordinary wall that a child had scribbled on. All the same, Perf pulled out a change of clothes and dressed quickly. His magic should have been simple enough to go unnoticed by the cities Augers, but he still didn't want to risk being seen.

Perf led his horse and cart out of the alley looking like a merchant of the Mid Square, where only merchants of high birth were allowed to work. Perf allowed himself a smile. He'd been a beggar for so long that it felt good to be able to smile again without worrying about who was watching.

The Mid Square lay ahead of him, past the domestic quarter. He'd have to say that he got lost, came in through the wrong gate. The guards would believe him. It happened often enough.

And then he'd be one step closer to the High Palace and Perf smiled more broadly than ever.

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 So I'm trying some more fantasy. I like the genre and I'd love to be better at it. So help me out, what's missing/lacking? I understand that this is only the first few pages of the short story, but how can I make this a more believable world?