Ever since her, or rather Ronan’s, glider landed her north of Dawngold, she had weaved through the woods fringing the city, pausing only once or twice to haul herself up a tree whenever she heard the heavy footsteps and harsh voices of pursuing members of the city’s border patrol. They thrashed through bracken and the thick undergrowth like a herd of large, cumbersome and noisy cows - it was impossible for them to catch the elusive thief in the dense woods, Noelle had laughed bitterly to herself.

She was still unable to shake off the fact that she had abandoned her companion, guilt imprinting itself onto her consciousness.

Her hometown, Blackfog, was a day’s journey from the city that she had just left behind. The day before on her hurried journey to Dawngold, she had paid for transport in the form of a public coach drawn by horses and squeezed in between a pair of chubby, jovial twins along with their quiet, fair-skinned sister. Her current circumstances, however, called for a faster, more private mode of transport – she wasn’t entirely sure for how long until the city’s border patrol gave up on pursuing her, and it was best that she kept interactions with people at a minimum until she was safely back home.

Besides, with at least a dozen vials of the Defiance, she could more than afford almost any form of transport available. Even the most law-abiding citizen wouldn’t refuse free Defiance.

Having left the woods a while back, Noelle had skirted along the outskirts of Silverdale, a large town bordering the eastern marshes that stretched out for a good distance, before merging with coastal waters far beyond. Tucked away in a quiet corner, Noelle found what she was looking for:

Silverhawk Services.

60 gold pieces per flight, comfort saddle included.

We will not be held responsible for any lost limbs, bad weather, flight issues, life-threatening situations, etc.

Non-refundable.

“Good day, sir.”

The owner of the Silverhawk Services sat reading papers on a wooden desk. An impressive amount of claw-like scratches gorged deep into the wood decorated one end. Otherwise, the piece of furniture was free of blemish.

“Good day, sir.” Noelle said again, firmly.

The papers were brought down. Behind them, eyes framed by a thick set of glasses squinted at her.

“My apologies. What is it that you need?”

“A Silverhawk, please.”

“That would be 60 gold pieces.” The man tapped on a dishevelled piece of paper nailed to the wall behind him, stating the obvious fee. He eyed Noelle distrustingly, seeing only a dirty, bedraggled girl where she stood.

“Are you sure you can afford that, eh?”

“Absolutely."

Casually, Noelle placed a vial of Defiance on the wooden desk. The man only stared, wide-eyed. His mouth gaped open.

“May I have my Silverhawk now?”

“A-Absolutely…” He stuttered, then added, “... Miss.”

“I might remind you to keep your tongue from wagging about this. You should know why, I need not explain myself.” Noelle held his gaze with a firm stare.

“Y-Yes yes. Of course, Miss,” the man gulped and glanced around nervously. Hurriedly, he grabbed the vial of Defiance and tucked it safely into a coat pocket.

A good moment later, Noelle had pulled herself up the back of a Silverhawk with relative ease. It was not much larger than a horse, but for a hawk of that proportion armed with viciously sharp claws and a vile, monstrous beak, Noelle might have reason to utter “May the lords watch over my flying body” yet again. The flight home went without much event, although her ride found it necessary to dive-bomb poor cattle grazing in open meadows. However, much preoccupied by thoughts was her mind, that the only thing she last registered was the surge of relief when her hometown came into view.

The annoying bird gave Noelle a rough, affectionate shove against her shoulder, before propelling itself skywards, eventually disappearing from sight.

Blackfog was a small, hardy town plagued by harsh rainfall all year round. Each day saw thick blankets of fog that rolled through the town from the woods that encircled the human settlement. The constant dull weather seemed to have rubbed in and sunk permanently under the skins of the town’s inhabitants, for one could scarcely travel a few streets without being met by a disapproving frown or a scowl, for no apparent reason.

A cold, dismal town.

Clutching her satchel tightly against her chest, Noelle gave a quick acknowledging nod at the sentries posted by the gate as she walked briskly past them; in small towns like Blackfog, there was rarely a face that she couldn’t match with a name.

Noelle jogged past the usual roadside stalls, wells, cattle and wooden houses. People went about their solemn business, paying no mind to her.

Good evening... Noelle thought to herself, you all have no idea what i just went through.

Noelle made it a point not to cross the Finhinders’ residence, not until she had laid down everything with her mother.

She made her way uphill, towards her home. She and her mother lived in a decent-sized wooden establishment, two storeys high and topped with a stout timber roof like most of the other houses in the vicinity. The small chimney that poked out from the center was chugging smoke; Noelle did not need further confirmation that her mother was home.

Walk in, dump what I don’t need, bring one vial for Elric. Noelle pictured herself doing just that as she ascended the steps to the worn, weather-beaten door of her house. She was not ready to break the bad news to her mother; she knew that she would simply be stalled in the living room and interrogated, but Elric was her priority now. She cared for Ronan, but nothing exchanged between her and her mother would change the fact that her partner had been compromised.

Here we go…

Noelle pushed open the door carefully and stepped in. She didn’t bother rubbing the dirt on her boots off on the rug; her mother was not in the living room, but there was hardly any point in poking her head around the house looking for her. Noelle threaded lightly as she went past the hearth and straight into her room.  

Noelle pondered for a moment about the whereabouts of her mother as she placed her satchel down on her bed, its flimsy frame creaking at the slightest pressure.  

I’d assume she heard me entering the house; best I run back out before she can pounce on me.

Noelle fumbled with the straps on her bag and reached in, grabbing the nearest vial her fingers came across. She twirled the vial in her hand, wondering just how much time one small quantity of the Defiance gave. This tiny vial was enough to shut up the man at Silverhawk Services: the gobsmacked expression on his face told Noelle she had overpaid him - by a lot.

Noelle racked her brains as she continued staring at the vial: she was pretty certain this was all she needed for the time being. Was she just going to feed it to him or……

The syringe! Noelle thanked her lucky stars; her instinct had told her to bring it along and instinct was right. She remembered how the Defiance rotted away into a disgusting black substance when exposed to the environment outside its container.

It was time to save Elric.

Noelle grabbed her cloak off its hook by her bed and hid both the vial of Defiance and the strange syringe underneath it. She ran out of her room, went straight for the door…

“Hold it right there, young lady,” Mrs Devonne’s voice boomed from one end of the house to the other.

The fingers grasped around the half-turned doorknob suddenly froze over. Noelle let a few dreadful moments pass, before she turned around slowly.

“Where’s Ronan?”

Noelle cringed; her mother had just asked the worst possible question.

“He paid the price for your stupidity, did he not?” Mrs Devonne’s face was devoid of emotion. Everyone said Noelle looked like her mother - dark brown hair complete with the same stormy grey eyes. But when it came down to this, her mother had the scarier glare.

Momentarily, Noelle met her gaze. Her mother’s sharp, penetrating stare was accentuated by a set of thin arching eyebrows.

“Yes,” she answered. Lies as of this moment would not benefit her.  

“But I-” she began.

“I know. You have what you need to save the boy. Go save him then. Go on!” Mrs Devonne’s calm demeanour suddenly vaporized, “or rather, you have only found a way to prolong his suffering!”

“I am fully aware of that, mother. You need not remind me,” Noelle snapped, biting back a snarl.

“So you choose to gamble with a dying boy, and to disregard the life of a fellow comrade? What happened in Dawngold, Noelle? Did you refuse to come back with him? Did you drag Ronan along with you on your ridiculous quest?”

Noelle’s mother took heavy steps towards her and she tensed up, expecting a punch or a hook to suddenly make contact with her face.

“What happened to him, Noelle?!”

“It wasn’t his fault! He was too late! I had the Defiance by the time he caught up with me!” Noelle yelled back at her mother.

“You irresponsible…”

“You sent him! You sent Ronan! If I was being reckless and stupid, then why didn’t you let me be reckless and stupid on my own? There wasn’t a need to send him! I would have been fine on my own…”

Noelle choked on her words, for she knew it wasn’t true.

“Really now? Noelle Devonne, the great thief, pulled off a heist in Dawngold, alone? I think not!”

“But I...Ronan, he…”

“We are going to the den, with the others, and we’re going to work out a plan to break him out,” Mrs Devonne leaned in and hissed: “Now!”

“But Elric-”

“You owe Ronan that much, Noelle,” Mrs Devonne held up a silver syringe - her silver syringe. “I’m not giving you a choice, child.”

“That’s...hey!” Noelle made a wild grab for the syringe but she twirled around and gave her a light shove.

When did she-?! Noelle had to hold back an outraged, cry of frustration. She had it hidden, tucked safely under the folds of her cloak. She hadn't swiped it when she leaned in, did she? A moment was all it took for her to be robbed by her very own mother. 

How humiliating. 

“Silly girl, whoever heard of a thief snatching from another?” Mrs Devonne scoffed as she proceeded out of the house. She rang a silver bell that hung from her porch and a distinct chime echoed around her residence. The same chime resonated from another home moments after, carrying on Mrs Devonne’s message.

“Mom, please, not now…” Noelle begged, tailing behind her like a desperate animal. The two of them went further up the street to the outskirts of town, and were heading for an abandoned coal mine located in the woods. The entrance into the Ring of Thieves’ main base of operations lay inside; of course, it wasn’t the only entrance. Noelle most often used the disused well near Elric’s home and the hatch beneath one of the guard towers to make her escapes. Both openings acted as highly convenient side entrances to the base.

Vanya Declan, seen as a motherly figure both feared and respected, was the very person in charge of Blackfog’s Ring of Thieves: a good half of them were teenagers like Noelle, although adults, men and women alike were among the mix. The novice, inexperienced ones were prone to landing themselves into serious trouble due to sheer carelessness, but Vanya made it a point to bail every single one of them out each time. Ronan Finhinder was not going to be an exception.

On an isolated dirt path that led out of Blackfog towards the woods, the Devonnes ran into one of the younger thieves; a boy who was even younger than Ronan came riding in on a brown horse, sporting loose-fitting khaki clothes and no footwear. Judging from the short wooden sword that swung from his hip on a strap, Noelle guessed that the boy had been sparring. His complexion took on a distinct pale, light shade of color - she never understood how an active thief like him had failed to get a single shade of a tan.

But then and again, thieves like them dwelled mostly in the shadows, unseen.

“Dallen,” Noelle’s mother acknowledged him with a light tip of her head. Dallen did the same, but ignored Noelle’s presence - not that it was anything out of the ordinary. His eyes, framed by loose, dark blonde fringe was of a cold icy blue. A hidden permanent smirk seemed to have settled where his lips once were.

“Mrs Devonne,” Dallen adjusted himself on the horse’s saddle, “Lionel is unable to make it. His fractured hip has yet to fully recover. He sends his sincerest apologies.”

“Understood. Come, let us move…”

“Is this about Ronan?” Dallen asked; his horse trotted at walking pace alongside the Devonnes. “To think that this time we will be taking on Dawngold…” he trailed off, musing in a quiet hum, his eyes sparkling in the dark of the woods.

“How the hell do you know, Dallen?” Noelle demanded. Boy, this kid knew too much for his own good, all the damn time. Her mother shot her a look but Noelle was too busy glaring at the boy on the horse.

“Everyone does, Noelle, are you really that… naive?” Dallen shrugged, “Dawngold was your most viable option, unless you had intentions to infiltrate Stormfront. Speaking of which, I heard that next month, the floating city will pass right over Blackfog. Perhaps they intend to take advantage of our…”

“Oh, be quiet now.” Noelle rolled her eyes. She was scarcely in the mood for another of Dallen’s know-it-all speeches.

“You asked,” Dallen smiled coldly at her. Noelle scoffed, turning her head away from the despicable boy and heard him quietly snort at her.

“Watch your tone, Noelle,” her mother wagged a finger at her, “remember we’re all here because of you.”

You mean it was because you sent him, Noelle had to restrain herself from snapping at her.

“Precisely, Noelle. Learn some manners, won’t you?” Dallen sighed.

Noelle growled.

Eventually, the trio arrived at the coal mine; as much as it stuck out in the middle of the trees, the picket fence that surrounded it, as well as the warning sign that certified that the site was bought by Mrs Devonne, convinced curious passerbys not to wander in.

Noelle knew that it was going to take another five good minutes to navigate the mines into the heart of the base. To say that she was anxious would be an understatement - every second wasted made her increasingly restless. Elric was in Blackfog, his life force slowly extinguishing, corroded away by the fatal illness. He desperately needed the Defiance. Even though she wanted to save Ronan, half an hour was all she needed to deliver the Defiance to Elric. What harm could it possibly do?

Elric could die any moment now, Noelle realized.

“You can tie the horse there,” Mrs Devonne instructed Dallen, pointing to a wooden post lodged firmly into the ground at a corner. As she did so, Noelle spotted the silver syringe that was tucked in her belt, near the hip.

“I’ll catch up, Mrs Devonne, don’t wait on me…”

It was now or never.

Noelle lunged and swiped the syringe off her mother. She turned tail before Mrs Devonne could react and ran for Dallen’s steed.

“Out of my way!”

Dallen dug his feet into the ground and tried to block her but Noelle simply did a quick side-step and shoved him to the side, before flinging herself onto his horse. With her free hand, she took over the reins and dug her heels into the horse’s flanks.

“You inbred! That’s my horse…!”

“Noelle! Stop!” her mother cried out.

Noelle, being Noelle, didn’t. She rode down the orange dirt path and straight back to town, never once looking back.

“Watch it!”

“What a reckless girl!”

Noelle ignored the various cries from the townsfolk. She led the horse down the narrow winding streets, shouting out a hasty, obligatory "sorry!" every time she had a close shave with a person. Speeding through Blackfog on horseback, Noelle did not take long to reach Elric’s home, tucked in one quiet corner of the town.

“Elric!” Noelle only realized how moronic she sounded after hollering for him; her boyfriend was sick, bedridden. What was the point of calling his name? Noelle was now right outside his home and she pulled back on the reins sharply, stopping the horse in its tracks. Syringe in hand, she leaped off the horse and dashed up the wooden steps. It was funny how Elric’s home had the same exterior as every other house on the lane, but Noelle knew exactly where it was amidst the dozens.

“Mrs Aidan?” Noelle pounded her fist on the wooden door, “Mrs Aidan, it’s me, Noelle!”

The door opened instantly.

“Noelle?” A wry, middle aged woman with greying hair peered out and studied the girl curiously. Ever since Elric had fallen ill with the mysterious disease, Noelle had been visiting them every single day. She was often in the company of Elric’s mother and with each passing day, Noelle could see that Elric’s condition was taking a toll on her. Her back could scarcely move without obvious effort after spending so much time crouched over the bed, and her face was more wrinkled than it should be for a woman of her age.

“How’s Elric?” Noelle never failed to ask this question every day with the same quiet urgency.

“Every morning, he’s at his worst,” Mrs Aidan sighed. She used to cry buckets worth of tears but now, it was as if she had long ran out of them.

Mrs Aidan gestured for Noelle to come in and she did; the living room was dark and only Elric’s bedroom had the lights on.

“My husband came back from Heidra just this morning,” Mrs Aidan told Noelle, “he had no luck with the doctors there too. Apparently, Shadeston is having its fair share of people sick like my dear Elric…”

“Where is he now?” Noelle was itching to see Elric.

“He was out by noon. He went for Stormfront but I fear Elric, he...he doesn’t-”

“I have the Defiance, Mrs Aidan,” Noelle cut her off mid-sentence, barely willing to wait any longer. The girl held the older woman's gaze with a determined, concentrated expression set deep in her eyes.

It took a moment for the women to register her words.

“B-But-” Mrs Aidan began to stutter. “That should not be pos- How d-did you…”

“Never mind that, please, let me treat him.”

‘I… I see.” Mrs Aidan stared blankly at her, before a mixture of deep remorse mixed with eternal gratification came over her features.

“Oh, child, I dread to think of what you did to acquire the Defiance. But thank you, Noelle. Thank you...”