Spirit of Shadows

| Chapter One |

The shadows seemed to bend toward Em as she walked down the main street drag of the Dengov District. Her head down, hair tucked into a braid that ended toward the middle of her back. A hooded cloak was pulled over her hair, hiding her features in an image of shadow. She smirked as her hand landed on the hilt of her dagger, clipped along the waist of her pants, underneath the ratty cloak. Nightmare, the blade was called.

She tilted her head barely as she watched the people pass her by, paying her no attention. Just the way she liked it.

She took in the scenery before her. There were hundreds of tents set up along the street. Some were white, others offset grays and browns. Almost all of them had large tears or holes, leaking water from the rain that had appeared earlier in the day.

People passed Em by. Some wearing luxurious furs and cloaks, others dressed similar to Em. Women who were working the tents had their hair up in buns or ponytails as they rushed about, setting up displays and talking amongst customers. Most of the men who were working had grease or some other dirt smeared along their arms and under their nails. Especially the farmers who had brought in fresh vegetables–probably from Stonecrest. Em wrinkled her nose at the thought of the district and quickly shook those growing thoughts from her head.

Em continued on down the street. She saw a few stray dogs eating some type of small creature in the back alleyway. A small group of people, about her age were doing some sort of drug. Puffs of smoke were released from their lungs as they exhaled, their eyes looked glassy from here. Em passed them and covered her mouth with the bandana around her neck, to block out the nauseating smell.

It wasn't until Em saw an unattended cart that she had slowed down. She dipped further into the crowd, off to the side of the street. She continued to keep her head down, eyes on her black boots and only glanced up when she needed to.

She grew nearer to the cart.

Em almost stopped in her tracks, causing a few pedestrians to glare in her direction as they tripped over her patched cloak. Em couldn't help it, she hadn't seen this particular item in years.

It couldn't be, she thought. Taking a few more steps forward, checking her surroundings first.

Upon closer inspection, Em could finally validate her claim. The item of her desire was chocolate. An entire row of chocolate bars laid neatly on the top row of the cart. Smaller goodies were stacked below in plastic bags. A few cookies, some fudge slices, and was that...caramel pudding?

Em's mouth watered and she almost ran up and grab a handful of everything on that cart, until she remembered her purpose here. She needed to keep a low profile. Especially since she didn't have any money to actually buy anything here. She was planning to steal it right off that cart. But first, she'd need a plan.

With one final flick of her head, she saw that the coast was clear and continued onto the path that brought her right beside the cart. Her eyes glittered with the thought of sinking her teeth into a sweet chocolate bar later that evening.

She barely raised her hand when a thought rattled her mind and made the hair on her arms stand up. Where was the salesmen or woman? Who leaves a cart full of perfectly good merchandise unattended?

Em brought her hand down and pulled her hood a bit higher atop her head. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her somewhere in the shadows.

She waited a few moments, trying to sink into the crowd around her. No one talked to her or gave her a second glance as she rested against the pole of a nearby tent.

Just then, she caught sight of him. The salesmen of the chocolate cart was coming down the path. His apron was smeared with sugar and sprinkles as if he just had a war with a cake. Em couldn't help the smirk that curled her lips.