Children of Diezor

Chapter 5

I lie in my bed, staring at the ceiling of my room. My thoughts run back to what just happened. I can't seem to put a name to what that really was though.

I follow my intuition, always. I trust it with my life. And right now I'm certain it's telling me that Livia and Lilith are not good news. Well... at least Lilith isn't. I'm not sure about Livia yet.

I take a sip from the tea Kay has brought me. She is the best. She's the only maid I can really talk with. I think I can actually call her a friend. Kay is small and quiet and very wise. She's only a year older than me. Jaim's age...

I wish he were here. But I know that's impossible. There's no way he'd appear in my room right now. Not during the day.

I think of what he might be doing in this moment. Probably offering his services somewhere. Something he does often; simply help people who needed help. Like work on a farm for a few days if a farmer's sick, or a shopkeeper, or a trader, anyone he's able to replace temporally. He didn't need the money, he would say to me. Not now he had food every day and a home every night. So why not do good? But I know it's also because he feels guilty for the things he did when he was younger. The stealing. It was the only way to survive for him, after he ran away from home and had nothing but the clothes on his back. But he still wants to repay.

Actually, Jaim is quite famous nowadays. Since he mostly stopped, he has become legend. His thievery scales were very successful and people had started to notice. So much so that there is still talk about it on the streets. Or so Kay tells me. Jaim, of course, would never talk about any of that himself. Not to me. And I'm barely ever on the streets to hear it for myself.

But that's all long past now. As his life started to become better, he gave up his stealing. Mostly. I suspected he'd still sometimes steal from the rich. He no longer stole from those average citizens, who had money problems themselves – the acts in the past he still feels guilty for. No, since the time he has a good life, he's begun to steal from those who have much more than they need. All of them. Except for the royal family. Though, I guess, if you count breaking into the palace every night and using their beds and rooms for sleeping as 'stealing', then they're not an exception.

He'd steal food and give it to the grand kitchen's food bank when it was still in need of donations. Or he would steal small objects, or little bits of money and give it away in the homeless shelters, to families in need. It reminds me of a book I read when I was younger. A tale from the human world.

These habits of Jaim are becoming less frequent though. He steals less and less, and I know there soon will come a time that he won't do it ever again. Old habits die hard, but after years, his is about to.

I, myself, don't really care if he does or doesn't steal – as long as it's only from the privileged and not too much. I kind of like the stories he brings with him afterwards. Just like in that human tale, Jaim makes people happy with what he does. I like to listen to his adventures. Adventures I so much want to live myself. Adventures I have been too much of a coward to go off and seek.

But once I will be brave enough, I swear to myself, as I've done so many times before. I swear, and then, every time opportunity presents itself, I back out. And then I swear again.

But not this time, I swear right afterwards. No, next time I will seek adventure like Jaim does. Next time I will face things head-on like Dyria does. Next time I'll be the brave one.

Tonight, at dinner, I will talk to this woman Lilith with her piercing eyes. I will get every ounce of bad intentions she has in coming to Diezor out of her. I will confront her as much as I can. I will –