ADRIAN BLACK WAS crouched low behind a cabinet, heart pounding, muscles aching, as he peeked out from behind a desk into the Lord of the City's study.
The City Watch Guard outside the door paced his usual route, and Adrian counted each step, waiting for the exact moment he'd turn away.
He blinked anxiously, his mismatched eyes streaked with green and gold followed the movements of the guard even through the walls. His figure was a blot of red and orange, a color Adrian had come to recognize as the heat that living beings gave off.
At fourteen, Adrian already carried more secrets than he could count. Not even his friends knew about the things his odd eyes allowed him to do. People called it a curse, a mark of an unnatural child. But the truth was, it was survival. And in a city like Briarhold, you needed any advantage you could get.
Briarhold was a city that had learned to hate. And his eyes reminded them of monsters, of an ancient time when they roamed and wreaked havoc to their homes. They had never forgotten, sure as hell never forgiven, and that hate had been passed down through several generations.
Adrian had never been wanted by anyone, least of all his own father. But his mother... she had fought for him. It was a hard world, and Helena had hardened him for it.
She'd taught him how to survive the streets of Briarhold, to think before acting, and how to hide in plain sight.
"Always make a plan. A lookout is important. Never let yourself be cornered, but if you are, tie a strip over your eyes and pretend you're blind. The disabled make people uncomfortable. Use that to your advantage."
But she couldn't fight the wasting sickness that had ravaged her, and taken her sight. With her health declining, he had no choice but to get her to a healer.
Not the scrappy ones in their village who brewed more alcohol than they did potions, but the best money could buy, the ones who could heal with magic. And to do that, he needed money.
More money than he'd ever seen in his life.
This job, this gold, could be their ticket to getting everything they'd ever wanted. Good healers for his mother, and passage to the Federation Union, a continent more tolerating of magical creatures.
His friends, Thorne and Jax, were crouched low behind him, and just as tense, their eyes wide with anticipation. They had grown up together, and now they were all thieves - desperate and reckless, cornered by life's worse deals, with their backs against the wall.
Stealing from the Lord of the City was a suicide mission. Best-case scenario, they'd end up with a noose around their necks; worst case, well… it was better not to think about that. But Adrian and his friends were desperate enough to risk it all.
Just ahead of them, sitting brazenly on the high table, was the prize they had come for. A black chest filled with more gold than they had ever dreamed of in their lives.
Adrian initially had his doubts about their informant, an odd looking merchant named Valtak, especially since he had been so vague about everyhing.
He was the one who had contracted them to steal a magical artifact from the Lord of the City, and informed them when and where the chest would be moved.
He had promised them more gold than they could carry, so long as they got him his prize. It sounded too good to be true, but all the information he had given them had checked out.
And now that they had made it into the office where the treasure sat, begging to be claimed, Adrian's heart thundered with the possibility of what the chest held for him, for his mother.
A new life.
Absolute freedom.
Jax was trembling behind him, sweat, pooling at his brows despite the cold. Jax had always been the nervous one, the one who preferred petty thefts over dangerous jobs like this. He was hesitant, but desperation had driven him here.
"I told you it was a bad idea bringing him along," Thorne whispered.
Thorne was everything Jax wasn't - brash, bold, and reckless. He didn't care about the danger. If it wasn't for Adrian's leadership, Thorne would have gotten them all killed by now.
Adrian could see Jax's fear, and he understood. They all had their reasons for risking it all.
For Adrian, it was his mother and leaving the Emerald Dominion. For Thorne, it was a ship and the open sea, a dream of becoming a pirate.
And Jax… Jax just wanted to find somewhere safe, buy a farm, and live a simple life with a nice girl.
Adrian blinked twice at him, their code for 'It's okay, I am here. I am with you'. That seemed to relax Jax, who nodded to acknowledge Adrian's silent message.
"Once he moves, Jax, keep your eyes peeled - you're the lookout. Thorne, you're with me. Remember, don't take more than you can carry. I'll search for the artifact." Adrian's voice was low and steady, filled with the calm confidence that came from years of survival.
They waited for a few heartbeats, listening and watching the shadows from under the door as the guard walked farther down, out of earshot.
Right on time.
The Lord of the City was away for the evening, and the guard rotation wouldn't change for another fifteen minutes.
They only needed five.
Adrian moved, signaling for Thorne to follow, and Jax to stand by the door. His fingers trembled with adrenaline as he approached the chest, his lock pick at the ready.
He didn't need it.
The lock resisted at first, but with a small twist, it gave way with a creak.
"Is he so arrogant that he thought he wouldn't need to loc -"
The words died in his throat. He froze.
Inside the chest was more gold than Adrian had ever seen in his life. Piles of glittering coins, gems, and crystals, stacked high enough to make anyone's heart race. It was more gold than the informant had promised them.
Enough gold to buy the town of Briarhold.
"Adrian…?" Thorne whispered, his voice tinged with awe.
Jax, who could see the glittering pile from the door, whispered the question none of them dared ask: "Guys, what if this is a trap?"