Chapter 1 - The Thief

The light from the candelabras beside my desks was just enough to allow me to continue my work without waking my siblings. We had found a whole group of corpses this time, the ages of the deceased ranging from seven to fourty. I groaned frustatedly raking my hands through my hair, my desk was cluttered with books and papers, I had spent my last five nights reaserching every curse and every ancient sorcerer possible.

I had read through the reports from the royal coroner so many times I could practically recite them by heart now. X- marked scars over the eyes, most probably made by a knife, vertical cuts across the veins in the wrists, always done last, and small inscisions all across the body.

My parents were good people, wonderful in fact, I had no complaints about my childhood or my upbringing. However they were horrific leaders, my they were indecisive and cowered in the face of stress or danger. Which was the reason their princess / high witch and daughter - me - was trying to figure out how to save Asterin and they were sleeping peacefully in their king sized bed.

But I had always known that I was going to be the Queen Asterin needed, I already was, ruling under their names. I hate to say it, but the Witchdom would fall apart without me. I startled as there was a small crash somewhere down the corridor. I frowned, my coven wasn't guarding over us tonight and my family was already asleep.

I pulled a dagger out of a secret compartment in my desk and snapped my fingers making a small ball of light appear between my fingers, cautiously I peered out of the doorway and down the hall. There was no sign of movement, but I could feel something was off. Even though it was possible my brain was making things up because I was tired, I was usually never wrong about these sort of thing.

And over my dead body was I leaving a potential threat like this to chance, better to be safe than sorry. I snuck down the corridor my green robe swishing around my feet. I chanted the muffling spell, masking all the sounds I was making so that I didn't alarm the intruder.

A small light flickered in the crack, under the door to my parents office, there weren't any important doccuments there but I was certain I had turned that light of when I had done my nightly round of the fortress. My back against the wall I slunk up to the door, I reached for the door knob turning it slowly and opening the door to reveal a hooded figure staring at the open window they had climbed through.

Using their vulnerability to my advantage I crept up behind them, my hand snaked around their throat and I pressed my blade to their neck putting my right hand on their shoulder. They twisted out of my grip skilfully drawing their sword, the stranger advanced towards me slicing their sword through the air, I blocked their blows with small patches of strong wind.

Eventually I vanished out of their directed path and reappeared behind them before spinning them around and pressing their back against the office wall and my danggers blade against their throat once again. "Who are you?" I snarled pulling their hood down and casting my mind out across the room to light all of the candles so that I could see the strangers face better.

Two familiar cornflower blue eyes stared down at me, the stranger was a young man, around my age. Possibly a bit older maybe a year or two, so twenty or twenty-one. His hair was chocolate brown and his skin was golden-brown. His lips curved up in a smirk at my angered expression, "I will not ask you a third time, who are you?"

"Ouch princess." he said in a smooth voice, "I'm hurt that you don't remeber me." I frowned tilting my head to get a better look at him, I couldn't deny he was extremely familiar. The boy grinned smugly, "I believe I took something of great value from you." he promted.

My frown immediately turned into a scowl, "you." I muttered bitterly. He laughed nonchelantly, "me." I glared at him and his laissez-faire attitude getting on my nerves just lie it had done that day in the past. "What do you want from me Sam?" I asked coldly.

"I don't want anything from you Lila." Sam said watching me carefully, "I want to tell you something."

I scoffed moving away from him, "what could you possibly have to tell me?" he adjusted his cloak and leant back against the wall casually, "I have some information that could help you solve all of this." Sam replied studying my face. My heart stopped for a moment, but I kept my facial expressions neutral, I wasn't giving him the satisfaction of a reaction. Sam didn't need to know that I was coming to dead end after dead end.

"And what would that be?" I asked taking a seat on one of the chairs. Sam laughed, "I had hoped you new me a little better than that Lila-."

I scowled, "that's Lillian to you asshole." I told him, only people I actually liked and was close too were allowed to call me Lila. He rolled his eyes, "anyways, if you want my help then you're going to have to give me something in return for it."

Now it was my turn to laugh, how stupid did Sam think I was? "I wasn't born yesterday Sam, and frankly the fact that you think I would fall for that is insulting. Without proof that you can actually be useful to me, only thing I'll give you is help getting the hell out of my fortress."

Sam made a face at me, "always so careful Lila-"

"Lillian." I gritted out.

He ignored me, "I'll meet you tomorrow at eleven in the fortress gardens near the fountain, make sure you come alone and I'll give you some information that will definitely help you along."

I frowned, Sam had never been a stand up person, even when we were kids we always had to watch out around him. Unlike the rest of us he handn't been born to a witching familiy, he had grown up on the streets, his parents had died and he ended up getting raised by the con artists, workers and brothel owners that lived in the town. We had called him sticky fingers when we were younger, Sam had been able to pickpocket people since before he could walk. Among other not so charming skills.

"Fine." I told him as he started walking towards the window, "but Sam, if you betray me again I'll do a lot more than just curse you. I'll kill you this time." I warned as he leapt up onto the window sill. He nodded gravely and let himself fall backwards out of the window.

Before I could stop myself I rushed over to window to check he hadn't crahsed on the ground, I could see Sam climbing down the drain pipe his cloak billowing in the air behind him. "Made you look Lila." he called up to me. I huffed annoyed closing the window and magically locking it before casting my mind out to do the same with all the others.