The man wandered the Dreyamere market, his head turning every which way to take in the sights. The Merchant’s Fair often brought foreigners, and he was no exception. His brightly colored robes, light and flowing, were an oddity. His hair, long and braided, was not a local style. Vendors took note of this, calling out to him with one hand raised, while simultaneously raising their prices with the other. The man wandered over to a stall, drawn in by the aroma wafting across the courtyard.

  The vendor, a large man with an array of baked goods displayed, greeted him with outstretched arms.

  “Well met, good sir! I can tell you’re not from around here! Have you had a chance to try a local delicacy?” He asked.

  The man bent down, eyeing the treats with delight.

  “I have not, but they look delicious! How much for two?” Replied the foreigner with a strong accent.

  “For you, only four silver!”

  The foreign man reached inside a billowing sleeve for his coin purse, but hesitated. The vendor, noting his expression, whipped his hand back and forth in the air.

  “Oh but of course, if you haven’t tried those, you probably don’t know about these!”

  From under the counter the vendor pulled another tray of treats, different from the first.

  “I’ll throw one in for free!”

  The foreigner smiled at the second tray, and pulled the pouch of money from his sleeve. Before he could begin counting out coins however, someone crashed into him.

  He stumbled, barely catching himself from crashing to the cobblestones.

  “My apologies mister!” Called a small girl, quickly running off.

  “Get outta here, you guttershite!” The vendor shouted. “I hope you’re not harmed sir!”

  The foreign man stood back up, the smile returning to his lips.

  “No, no, all is well. Only…” He patted his robes and looked around. “I seemed to have dropped my purse.”

  Young Sophie skipped through the market, the lofty bag of coins tucked away in her vest.

  Too easy. She thought triumphantly. Out-of-towners are always the best marks.

  She rounded a turn, thinking to swing by a vendor she knew to have some amazing fresh juice, when she came face-to-face with a boy. She skidded to a stop, swinging her arms to stay balanced. The boy glared down at her, as did his friend who stood off to one side. Both boys were taller than her, and older by several years, with Sophie having just turned 14.

  “Sophie the stray,” Said the boy. “Funny I should run into you here. I assume you were coming to find me and pay me back?”

  “Wendol the worm,” Sophie taunted back. “I already paid you what we agreed, now

  ‘Scuse me while I go find a drink.”

  “Not so fast.” Wendol said, moving to block her. “I heard that necklace sold for nearly double the price, so where’s the extra?”

  Sophie laughed. “We agreed That if I could sell it for two silver, you’d get one silver. We never agreed on what would happen if it sold for more.”

  Wendol’s face turned red with anger. “We agreed on half! Half of what it sold for!”

  “That might be what you intended, but that’s not what you said, boy-o” Sophie said playfully, spinning past him and his friend.

  Wendol reached for her, but she easily dodged, zipping off down the street, slipping through the crown in a way that she knew he couldn’t. She grinned as she heard him shouting for her off in the distance. She decided the juice could wait for tomorrow, and instead slipped down an alley. The sun was setting as she approached her home, a run down storage building in the slums.

  She hopped through a window, since the door was chained shut. Inside, someone approached from out of the shadows.

  “Who goes-OH! You’re back early!” A girl close to her age stepped forward, a make-shift club in her hand.

  “Yea I ran into winey Wendol and decided I should call it a day. Besides,” Sophie pulled the purse she lifted from the foreign man from her vest. “I made a good haul today!”

  The girl let her by, and Sophie hurried deeper into the building. A few other kids were around, but most were out. After all, the fair was an opportune time to make some money. One of Sophie's friends was at a table sifting through a satchel.

  “Whatcha got there Anna?” Sophie asked as she approached.

  Anna stepped aside, sweeping her arm across the table. An assortment of cheap jewelry was set out in little piles.

  “Wow, you got all this just today?” Remarked Sophie.

  Anna nodded. “A lot of new people turned up for the fair this time, and most of them don’t know how to play cards.”

  Anna ran a card racket, appearing like a little girl just trying to make some money, but would regularly end up taking people's valuables and getting away before they realized what happened.

  Sophie dumped the coin purse she acquired onto the table, spilling its contents. About two thirds were coppers, but the rest were gleaming silver. She squealed delightfully as she counted it all up.

  “This should get us enough food to last the month!”

  “Only if you stop bringing home kids every day.” Teased Anna.

  It was true, Sophie would regularly turn up with homeless kids. She’d find them living in garbage, hiding from guards, or simply laying in a ditch starving. After escaping from the Silverblood compound, she refused to simply let them be, even if it meant she would go hungry for a few days.

  But she wasn’t worried–not anymore. This year's Merchant Fair was bigger than ever, with more people than she’d ever seen. Besides, While she was prowling the market this morning, she had heard a juicy bit of gossip.

  As if on cue, a boy with long black hair strolled in. He saw Sophie at the table and moved to join her.

  “Jacob! Have you heard the news?” She asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

  “About the jewelsmith who just got into town?” He replied, knowing exactly where her mind was going.

  “Oh no.” Said Anna. “Sophie, not another burglary! You barely got away the last time.”

  Sophie frowned at her friend, even though she had a point.

  “That wasn’t my fault! Besides, I didn’t really plan it out with you guys.”

  Anna rolled her eyes.

  “You really think you could get away with robbing a known jewelsmith from out of town? He’s probably got a lot of security.” Remarked Jacob.

  “That’s why I need your help to plan it out!” Sophie argued.

  Jacob was mulling over the idea, his head down.

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Asked Anna, looking at Sophie with her head cocked to one side.

  Sophie nodded once, her face stern.

  “Look, more and more kids are showing up homeless. I want to help them, and to do that, I’m going to need more money.”

  “And a new house…” Mumbled Anna under her breath.

  Sophie glared at her. Anna held her hands up defensively.

  “Alright, let’s talk about it.” Said Jacob, sitting down at the table.

  Sophie dropped down from the window ledge, landing deftly on the balls of her feet. She was on the second floor of the small mansion the jewelsmith was staying in. This place was empty most of the time, only used by important merchants or political folks from out of town. Only two guards protected the building, one at the main gate, and another roaming the grounds. Climbing the fence, sneaking across the grass, and scaling the walls had been child’s play to Sophie, and now that she was in, she figured the hard part was done. There may be a guard lazily patrolling the halls, but she wasn’t concerned.

  The hallway she dropped into had a plush red carpet running the length of it, allowing her to move silently. Pictures of elegant men and women hung from the walls, wearing crowns or armor, all people Sophie didn’t know, nor cared to.

  At the end of the hall she peeked around the corner. Not a soul around. She crept into the second floor lounge, full of plush furniture, dusty bookshelves, and a cold fireplace. The place was dark, with no lanterns to scare off the shadows. Sophie briefly peered around, but didn’t spot any kind of lock box, chest, or secure container that a jewelsmith would carry.

  Probably on the first floor. She thought. From one of her pockets, she pulled a crumpled piece of paper. Jacob had gotten a hold of a rough map of the place for her. He was great at obtaining little pieces of information like this, and she had no idea how he did it. According to the map, the staircase was on the opposite side of the building. She had gone the wrong way. She stuffed the paper back in her pocket, and stealthily moved back down the hallway.

  As she approached the opposite end, she slowed. Two men’s voices drifted through the cracked door. She frowned. One guard was certainly a possibility, but two was totally unexpected.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but a bit odd. She contemplated what this could mean. Perhaps there’s something worth a lot more here than we figured!

  She crept through the door, keeping low. Two men walked up the center staircase with lanterns. She couldn't see details, but they had cloaks and swords. These weren't the run-of-the-mill city guards or hired muscle, they looked more like soldiers.

  The men split up at the top of the staircase, one going down the opposite hallway, the other walking towards her. Sophie knelt by a small cabinet, curling into a ball. She listened intently as the man's heavy footfalls approached. She kept her breathing slow and steady, telling herself she wouldn't be seen. As the man passed by her tiny figure, she flicked her eyes up. White armored greaves with intricate designs led up to a thick white leather jerkin. A white scabbard with etched golden runes housed a longsword with a well used hilt. As he continued away from Sophie, her eyes locked on the signal pressed into the man's cloak; Two crossed swords outlined in red, played over a dark moon. Sophie's breath caught in her chest.

  Silverblood knights?! What are they doing here?!

  Once the knight walked through the door she had crept through, Sophie rose. She quickly made her way to the staircase. Her mind raced, no longer calm and confident. There should NOT be Silverblood knights guarding a jewelsmith's house, that just didn't make any sense.

  As she hastily scanned the first floor, a pool or warm light caught her attention. A closed door off to the side was letting the glow of a lantern slip from underneath it. Sophie quietly strode to the door, keeping alert for the sound of movement. She waited for several heartbeats, her ear pressed to the wood. Fully trusting her instincts, she cracked the door open and slipped inside.

  She found herself in a study, lined with bookshelves. A single lit lantern was mounted to the wall, allowing her to quickly get her bearings. The room was empty, but a work desk across the room caught her attention. Raw materials were laid across the surface, items useful for gemcraft. Sophie could pocket some of these, the tools were certainly worth something. But the issue would be safely selling them. She didn't know any of the big time fences in the city, and none in the slums would take such easily tracked items.

  Disappointed, she roamed around the study. The jeweler either took his valuables with him, or hid them somewhere else. She flipped through books, peeked behind furniture and rifled through drawers. Feeling defeated, Sophie went back to the work table. The silver chains and unpolished golden bands would have to do.

  Bending down, a flicker of light caught her eye. On the bottom row of the bookshelf next to her, squeezed between two large books, a small lockbox sat.

  Sophie hungrily dropped to her knees and pulled the box from its cubby. Knowing from past experience, she slipped a ring onto her finger and slowly ran her hand over the box. The single gem on the ring faintly began glowing. Magic. Not enough for a trap, but perhaps an alarm? She had to move fast then. She dug her lockpicks out of a pocket, and within seconds had the lid popped open. She opened the box eagerly, trying not to get her hopes too high. Inside sat a small notebook, and a bundle of oiled cloth. She picked up the notebook, flipping through it. It looked like some kind of ledger or logbook.

  “-5g to ST.

  -7g to AL.

  -25s from RD.

  -Remind OR about the dangers of the nckl.”

  Sophie pocketed the notebook. Perhaps it could lead her to more loot some other time.

  Sophie then gently lifted a fold of the oiled cloth. A simple, rather crude and old looking necklace gleamed back at her. As she lifted it from the box, her head began to buzz. She turned, thinking it was something from outside the door. As her eyes passed across the room, her vision became blurry. Dark spots speckled across her site and she felt dizzy.

  Alarmed, she began to stand. Instead, she nearly toppled over, her feet feeling completely numb. She reached out for the desk, knocked the tools to the floor. They clattered loudly on the wood, breaking the silence. Sophie cursed, desperately trying to hold herself up. Her vision swam and her head spun. The buzzing sound filled her ears. She quickly stuffed the necklace into a pouch and stumbled towards the single window in the room. Once the necklace left her hand, the symptoms subsided, slightly.

  shouting sounded from elsewhere in the house, and running footsteps thundered down the stairs. Sophie lifted the latch off the window, pushing it open. She flopped over the ledge, tumbling into the bushes several feet below. As she landed hard on the ground below, she heard the door to the study crash open.

  Men were shouting, but Sophie was more preoccupied with trying to steady her vision.

  “They went out the window!” Shouted a guard.

  Sophie unceremoniously removed herself from the bush, her knees wobbling unsteadily. From across the compound she could see several lanterns moving about, as a new group of knights or guards joined the two from inside the house.

  Sophie clenched her teeth and forced herself forward, towards the thick bushes and trees that lined the high fence. She scampered up a tree, climbing to the branches that would give her an egress from the grounds.

  The search party was approaching the window she had fallen from, easily spotting the bush that had broken her fall.

  “Someone came out the window! I think they went towards the trees!” Shouted a knight. The men quickly started moving towards her hiding spot.

  Sophie shook her hands, trying to remove the tingle that remained from touching the necklace, then reached out to a limb. She swung out, then released her grip, easily clearing the fence. She landed on her feet, but tumbled forward, rolling across the cobblestones.

  “There!” came a cry. “Someone hopped the fence!”

  “You there, halt!”

  Sophie dashed across the street, seeking the safety off the shadows.

  Not my proudest escape. She thought, feeling the cuts and scrapes along her skin.

  Keeping to the darkness, she slinked away towards the slums.

  A man in the shadows watched as Sophie made her escape. She likely hadn't realized just how close she was to getting caught. If he hadn't held them up by locking the front door, surely the girl would be in their grasp by now.

  The man followed Sophie's path through the alleys. She was adept at moving unseen, but he could see she was unsettled. If the info he had was accurate, and she had indeed stolen the item, she was likely suffering from negative effects.

  Once he figured out where she was headed, the man moved ahead of her, knowing exactly where she would go.

  Sophie, uncharacteristically out of breath, paused at the end of an alley.

  “This had better been worth it…” she muttered under her breath.

  Cautiously stepping from the alley, she glanced around, looking for guards. Seeing none, she quickly crossed the street. From the corner of her eye, she caught movement. A man, drunk judging by his movements, stumbled down the street. Sophie hesitated.

  Why not? She thought, moving to follow him.

  As she approached the man, the smell of Booze assaulted her nostrils. The man stumbled over the cobblestones, and she noted a bulging purse on his belt.

  Sophie crept behind him, her steps matching his. When he stopped and lifted the bottle in his hand to his mouth, she reached out, easily removing the purse. As she turned to retreat into the shadows, a firm hand grabbed her upper arm.

  Cold fear pierced her mind as she whipped her head around. The man, his eyes crystal clear and not clouded at all from drink, locked her in place.

  “It's not easy to flee from a search party of knights, especially with magical interference.” The man said.

  Sophie froze, her other hand on the hand of a knife.

  “How do you…” she began.

  “You have something very valuable, something that you don't know the true worth of. I can pay you well for it.”

  Sophie frowned, more confused than anything.

  “Who are you?” She asked.

  The man released her.

  “Tell me girl, have you heard of the Kindred Enclave?”

  “The charity group?” Sophie tipped her head to one side.

  “They are more than that, and you just so happened to lift something they are interested in. I was watching as you made your not-so-subtle escape.”

  Sophie cringed.

  “But you impressed me.” He continued. “Come with me. I can offer you a place to live. Food, water, pay, safety. And with the skills I've seen so far, you could be very useful.”

  “You haven't even told me who you are yet.” Replied Sophie, taking a step back.

  “Of course.” The man exaggerated a bow. “My name is Korrin, and I am the scoutmaster for the Kindred Enclave. What do you say?”

  Sophie stared at him. She couldn't lie, the offer intrigued her. Maybe she could use the money she made to better help her orphan shelter.

  “Why do you want what I have?” She questioned.

  “We believe the Knights are up to something, and what you stole could help us prove that.”

  Sophie wasn't interested in the politics of the city, but she WAS interested in helping people.

  “I'll come with you.” She finally said. “but I'm not going to commit to anything yet.”

  Korrin smiled. “I'm glad to hear it. Come on, let's get off the streets.”