Chapter 1

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The cool night air whipped through the vacated street of Aurum, the capital of the Divitas Provinces. Hidden in the shadows, a black figure with a tall stature and a slender girth crouched quietly so as to avoid unwanted attention. The figure slowly crept to a low window of one of the tall mansion houses along the street. Slowly, he placed one of his slender fingers to the glass and proceeded to draw a circle. Where the figures finger traced, a thin, blue glowing light appeared in its wake. When the circle was completed, he pressed the palm of his hand to the center of the glowing circle and pulled back. But, strangely enough, the glass came with the hand, and the figure gently set the circular pane to the ground. With swift, soundless moments the figure crawled into the house and began their search, what for, no one could quite yet know.
Carefully, the their rummaged through a jewelry box until he seemed to find what he was looking for. A pendent. It was simple, but still elegant. It had a thin sliver chain, and the pendent itself was just blue glass in the form of a rounded teardrop. He quickly slipped his treasure into a hidden pocket in his cloak before returning the other items to their places. He quickly went out the open window landing with a soft thud on the street outside. Turning back, the figure replaced the glass and ran the pad of his thumb along the line making it seem as though it had never been removed in the first place.
The cloaked figure then fled from the street swiftly and soundlessly running toward the poorer districts, past the the tall Victorian styled mansions. When he reached the Pauperibus District he quickly turned into a dark alley near the end of the dingy walk. He took a quick peak around the corner to make sure no one was around before searching for something along the wall. What he found was a hole just big enough for a person to squeeze through. Once inside, he covered the hole with a thin cloth and went to find something else. He came across a candle and some matches. He lit the candle and set it on a small table.
Although the light was dim, you could just make out of the rest of the room. On the left wall was a pile of blankets and what seemed to be a make shift pillow. On the other side was a wooden box and inside were clothes. They were feminine in nature and very peculiar for a thief.
The thief retrieved the small pendent from his cloak and set it next to the candle. Slowly, he pealed off the long cloak revealing plum colored hair that reached his waist. turning back toward the light you could make out her features.
She had a hard jaw line and almond shaped eyes that were like sapphires in the flickering candlelight. She also had full lips that were a pale pint color and high cheekbones.
Slowly, the mysterious girl picked up the candle and blew out the flame leaving only a dim moonlight that was not blocked out by the makeshift door. She climbed onto her blanket pile and wrapped herself up in a dingy sheet and fell asleep.
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"Ama! Ama, wake up! Rise and shine! You've got work today!" A voice called, waking me from a deep sleep. I know that voice.
"Go away, Jez. I'm tired and I'm not in the mood. I was up at till one waiting for those imbeciles to go to bed and now I'm exhausted." I replied pulling whatever I could grab over my head to block out the sunlight and Jez's booming voice. He laughed at me.
"Ama, get up right now, I don't care how tired you are, you have to be at work in fifteen minutes unless you want me to fire you! I love ya, Ama, but you can't be late every day. People'll start thinking I'm givin ya special treatment."
I peaked out from under the cover and gave my best pouty frown.
"You wouldn't. You love me too much to fire me. Besides, I'm the best waitress in all of Aurum. You wouldn't dare get rid of your best employee. And anyway people all know I'm basically your sister." I stuck my tongue out at him electing an eyeball from said brother figure.
"Just get up. Ten more minutes!" He yells back to me as he exits my tiny room in the side of the diner. He can barely fit through the opening.
I sigh and sit up. I look at my trunk with utter disgust. I get out of bed and make my way toward my small trunk to pull out my uniform. For a diner in the Pauperibus District, it was pretty nice. We have real seating, a clean building, a working kitchen, and we could even afford proper uniforms. I slipped into my the clothes, a simple and modest white bodice with the diner name Inde Pulmentum. The skirt reached my mid thigh and was a deep wine color that almost perfectly matched my hair. My was pulled into a tight ponytail at the top of my head with a white ribbon.
When I had finished dressing I hurried to the diner I had about two minutes before I got called out by Jez.
I got into the diner right when he was opening up. He just shook his head at me and made a shooing motion with his hand. I gave him a bright smile and went into the kitchen to converse with Min, one of the waiters.
He is a tall boy, standing at about 6'4" with pale skin, jet black hair and rubies for eyes. He's only 17, is bisexual, and has a huge crush on Jez, who is gay. Jez is also super oblivious and can't take a hint even if it was throwing knives at him. We talked a bit about his latest attempt at getting Jez's attention. This was basically him saying that it was really hot one day and taking off his shirt. To say it didn't end well is an understatement.He got an angry remark from Jez about being inappropriate in uniform and lost a full paycheck. I compensated accordingly since technically it was my idea, and I apologized profusely.
I heard the bell ring at the front and motioned for Min to follow me. We went to the front and greeted the customers. These ones were regulars, an older couple, Veteris and Avia, and their eldest son, Filius. I smiled and led them to their usual spot and asked if they would like the usual, they spoke a quick yes and I went to the back to tell Jez that it was the Iusto's. He nodded and went on preparing a big breakfast of chicken, eggs, and roasted potatoes. It took only seven minutes since all the pans and stoves were heated and most of the food was prepared the night before. He handed me the three plate and I had to balance them precariously on my arms.
I headed out to the tables and set down the plates in front of the Isuto's. They smiled warmly and thanked me. I returned a small smile and headed to seat more arrivals while Min was busy with his section as well.
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At noon, I went to Jez and told him that I had a meeting that I needed to attend. He told me to be quick and not get caught. I only gave him a sly smile and said goodbye.
I went back to my wall and grabbed a thin brown cloak to cover my uniform and took the pendant from the table, slipping it into a hidden pocket in my robe and drawing my hood. After a quick check to make sure I had everything I left and made a dash for Hortus Magni, a park in between the Pauperibus District and the Pecunia District. It was a beautiful park where rich and poor were equal.
I made my way to one of the many oak benches lining the walk. At exactly 12:08 A man sat down next to me. I slipped my hand into my pocket and slipped the pendant into his outstretched palm. In turn he pulled out a small pouch that jangled when it moved.
"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me." I only nodded my head slowly in response. He stood up and went on his way. I watched him closely from under my hood. When he was out of sight I gave a sigh. The man was a middle class business man, and the pendent had been taken from him by one of his superiors, a noblewoman who had an eye for sparkly things. It had belonged to his wife before she died of an untreatable illness .
After another few moments I stuffed the money pouch into my cloak and took the long way back to the diner through several back alleys. Right, left, left, straight, check, right, right, left, check, left, right, left.
Well, I suppose its time to get back to work.
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Unbeknownst to Amaria, she had been followed. The stalker watched from a hidden spot as sweet Ama took off her cloak. When her hair fell out of the hood the man seemed surprised, not expecting a girl to do what she does.
Having what he needed, the hidden man ran back to his employers. He climbed up a makeshift stair case compiled of empty crates that wasn't really stable and pulled himself to the rooftop. He glided across roofs, leaping when necessary. From the direction he was running, one would think he was hired by a noble, but it was oh so much better than that.
When the spy reached his destination, he took a chance to marvel at the beauty of it. In front of him lay a great, white marble castle. The front gates where he stood were solid gold and all the statues in the front courtyard were made of the same table as the castle but they were also imbedded with jewels that sparkled under the midday sun. The grass was a beautiful green and could have been mistaken for peridotites. The flowers were in full bloom and were many vibrant colors. All in all, the entire view seemed to be from a fairy tale.
The man shook his head, refocussing on his task. He approached the front gate with his head high to symbolize that his visit is important and must be attended to quickly. When he reached the guards he told them that he had a report to give to the Duo's. He showed them the ring that the family had given him to gain access the palace through the front gates. The guard opened the gates, no questions asked.
The mysterious man entered the courtyard and made his way to the front doors, which were opened by some servants whom he ordered to take him to the royal family immediately. They did as they were told and led him to the throne room. Upon entering you could see two young children running around, chasing each other. The five elder children sat on chair near them to make sure they didn't injure themselves. The husband and wife of the Duo family sat upon their respective thrones.
When the man entered everyone quite down. The head of the family, Lord Hadse, scrutinized the man before giving a shooing motion to his guards and requesting the servants to take the two little ones out to play. The men and women did as they were told through their respective orders. When all the servants and the small children were gone, Lord Hadse spoke.
"Tell us, what did you find." The man only offered a sly smile before responding.
"Something that you might be interested in, milord."

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