The sun was slipping behind the Cliffs of Loth, casting darkness upon the city of Zianna and making it seem much later in the day than it actually was. Locals called this time the Lothian Dusk, the hours before real dusk settled across the winding streets of the ancient city. It affected the lower city more than the upper, due to narrower streets and the darker stones used to construct the buildings. Foreigners to the city never expected the shadows to arrive so early. They weren't wary of the darkness, as the locals were. 

They never saw me coming.

I pressed myself into a thin crevice between two buildings. Holding my breath, I hoped the shadows were dark enough to conceal me as a couple of guards jogged past. I had just slipped a hefty pouch of coins from a foreign trader. I wanted to pull out the pouch and count my treasure, but I knew better. The guards would be searching the upper city for me, and distracting myself was a poor strategy. Instead, I waited until the guards' footsteps faded away before I made my move.

The upper city was a risky place for me, but the appeal of richer targets always lured me over the high wall that separated it from the lower city. I was one of the few thieves in the city who dared venture its wide streets and smooth walls. The buildings were made of pristine white stone as opposed to the rough, sandy coloured stones I was used to. The walls were smooth and hard to climb. My crevice was no exception, so I had to take the risk and slip out into the street.

Normally, I couldn't even blend in with the people of the upper city. If my clothing didn't give me away, my physical appearance would. I had dark brown hair and eyes, and my skin was the same light brown as the stone walls I often climbed over. Like most of the poorer citizens of Zianna, I was a Native Zian. We were darker than the fair-skinned people from Teltar, who made up most of the upper class. The Telts had taken over Zianna generations before I was born; the fair upper class was all I had ever known. Being used to them didn't stop me from hating them.

I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head, hoping that it would give me a little protection against the suspicious eyes of the people on the streets. My cloak wasn't quite high class, but I'd stolen it from a middle class trader so it looked somewhat respectable. I had to make my way to the wall. Once I crossed over it, the guards would have no chance of finding me. The lower city was my domain; I knew every alley, street, and rooftop.

The shadows grew as I made my way through the cobbled streets. Even the streets in the upper city were made of white stone, designed to remain as light as possible in the Lothian Dusk. It wasn't long before I could see the dividing wall looming over the buildings in front of me. All I had to do was slip through the space between two buildings and climb over the top. I was close to freedom when someone caught my eye. I froze, half of me wanting to continue my escape, the other half needing to go after the man.

He acted like a local, but his clothing made me think he was a foreigner, or maybe from one of the islands. He was wearing a dark green cloak with sliver embroidery, and leading a light grey horse instead of riding it. What really caught my eye was the thick gold ring on his right hand. Jewellery was one of my favourite things to steal. It was usually easy to take—and easy to sell. Merchants all over the lower city would pay good money for it.

I glanced quickly up and down the street. No guards were in sight, so I started trailing behind the strange man and his horse. My moment arrived when he paused in the middle of the street to speak to another man, who had been walking in the opposite direction. I slipped up beside them, using the man's horse to hide me from their view.

"It is good to see you back in Zianna, my friend," the second man was saying.

"It's been a long time," the first man agreed with a friendly nod.

I took my chance and lay my hand on the horse's side. "You've got a nice horse, sir."

The two men turned to me, looking startled. I grinned innocently at them. At most I was twelve years old, still young enough that a smile put people at ease instead of making them suspicious. "He's really friendly, sir."

The men exchanged a glance before the first man reached out to stroke the horse's nose. "She," he corrected.

"Oh, sorry, sir," I replied. I knew the two men were watching me, but they were focusing on my hands. With my foot, I carefully nudged one of the horse's legs, causing her to sidestep away from me. I pretended to stumble. 

The first man reached out to grab my shoulder to steady me. I ran my hand quickly over his as I regained my balance. "Thanks, sir. Sorry about bothering your horse, sir." I turned and jogged off, resisting the urge to go so fast that I would seem suspicious.

Finally, I made my way between two buildings and approached the dividing wall. I dropped the ring into a pocket in my cloak before reaching up, grasping a stone in the wall, and starting to haul myself up it. The wall was about three storeys on this side, but four on the lower city side, since Zianna was built on a sloping hill. Reaching the top was easier than going down the other side, but it wasn't long before I was safe within my own beloved lower city with its dirty and shabby buildings. It was perfect for a thief. It was perfect for me.

I walked down the narrow streets in the direction of the Adymuss River, where I lived near the lower city's main street. I didn't have a real home, but like most thieves, I had found a place to call my own. It was the abandoned upper floor of an old apartment building. Usually the lower city streets were crowded with poor merchants, visiting sailors or other people going about their daily business, but Lothian Dusk had sent most people inside. There was no one around to complain when I used a window ledge to climb up the wall. I slipped through a crack in the roof and entered my home.

It was a simple room. In one corner, I had a pile of clothing I'd stolen, which is where I tossed my cloak after pulling it over my head. It also served as a mattress. I buried my hands into it, feeling for the locked wooden chest I knew was there. The key was hanging on a sliver chain around my neck. The simple lock wasn't much protection, but it was better than nothing. 

I took the pouch from one of my cloak's pockets and dumped the coins on the floor. Even though the chest was full, I didn't have much money. Every coin was made of copper and only worth one siya—the lowest denomination of money. At my last count, I had about sixty siyas stashed away. I counted my new coins quickly before dropping them into the chest with the rest of my money. Then I turned my attention to the ring.

It was heavy, making it more valuable than I had thought. It had a dark stone embedded in it, which was surrounded by an engraving that I was sure was writing. Although I recognized it, I couldn't read. I slipped the ring over my right thumb. It was loose, but I liked the look of it. I rarely kept jewellery, the only exceptions being the chain I hung my key on and a gold bracelet with red and white crystals I wore on my left wrist. 

The necklace was practical, the bracelet reminded me of my mother. There was no reason to keep the ring, but I wanted to. After a moment of thought I tugged out an unravelled bit of string from one of my old tunics, and wrapped it tightly around the ring's band. The ring fit more snugly when I was done, and the tan string didn't immediately stand out against the gold. It looked good.

My stomach grumbled, interrupting my thoughts. I needed to find some food. I shoved my money chest back under the clothing and replaced the key around my neck. Pulling my cloak back over my head, I stood up and made for the crack in the roof.

The streets were more deserted than before, but the vendors' booths were still out. As I walked past a fruit stand, I casually reached out and grabbed an orange. Nobody noticed. It wasn't the prettiest fruit—those were reserved for the high-class merchants to sell in the marketplace—but it was food and it tasted good. I continued down the street, holding my orange with my left hand while admiring the ring on my right.

"Finn?"

I sighed and turned around. "Arow," I replied. Somehow, I had walked past him without noticing. He was the only threat posed to me in the lower city, because he claimed to have authority over every thief or criminal younger than him. He demanded cuts of our profit. Most of the thieves obliged, just to keep him away from them. I never had. Authority and respect needed to be earned, and like the Telts with their inherited wealth and power, Arow had never earned my respect. I was more talented than he was, and I could usually avoid confrontation with him if I was paying attention.

"Nice ring," Arow commented. He was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed as he looked down at me. He didn't scare me, even though he was easily twice my size. He could kill me with one hand if he wanted to, but he would have to catch me first. 

What Arow hadn't quite figured out was that no one ever caught me.

"I agree," I said.

"So where's my cut?" Arow asked.

"What cut?" I started peeling my orange, refusing to give him my full attention.

"My cut of the steal," Arow said.

"I don't pay you," I pointed out. "I never have."

"So you're in debt," he explained with a shrug. "That ring would pay it off." 

"I'm not in debt."

His face flushed angrily. "Finn..."

I finished peeling my orange and pulled it in half. I stuck half of it in my mouth, chewed it slowly, and swallowed. "Yes?"

"Pay me, or you'll have to pay with your life."

I just grinned at him and ate the other half of my orange. "You'll have to catch me." I ducked under his arm as he lashed out to hit me. I jumped up the wall beside him and grasped the edge of a windowsill. Using the window like a step, I moved up the rest of the wall. Arow couldn't follow me; he was too big and bulky.

I travelled the rooftops for a while to ensure that Arow couldn't find me. Once I knew I was safely away from him, I sat down. From the rooftops, I could see the whole city, which was part of the reason I enjoyed being on them so much. A few streets away, yet another wall separated us from the port. I could see the tips of the ships' masts and the tops of some of the bigger warehouses.

The city was built on a hill right along the towering Cliffs of Loth. The castle was the highest point, and it pressed right against the wall of rock. A wall surrounded the castle and grounds, separating it from the marketplace and buildings of the upper city. The dividing wall then separated the upper and lower cities. In turn, the lower city was surrounded by another wall, protecting us from any attack from the river or bay. 

The port, flanked by large towers, provided the only way into the city. The main pass ran down the cliffside, from the castle to the port. It was protected by walls and guards, and only used by high class citizens, important visitors, or rich merchants. The Southern side of the city had a large defensive wall, and beyond that was the desert. Not all of the kingdom's land was wasteland; it soon turned to grasslands and lush terrain, where the lords and ladies of the kingdom owned large villas and farmlands.

The barren land around Zianna wasn't the weakness it might have appeared to be. Zianna was mostly a trading city. It had access to both the sea and river, making it easy to sail to other kingdoms and islands. The city's location, nestled between the Cliffs of Loth and the Adymuss River, meant that the only way to attack the city by land was to cross the desert. An attack from the sea was unlikely, since the large island of New Teltar guarded the entrance to the bay.

I'd heard that it was hard to watch proper sunsets from Zianna, since the cliffs blocked the best view. However, the skies around the cliffs still turned brilliant colours as the sun set. I often lay back on the rooftops to watch the change. Satisfied with my day's work, I leaned back onto the tiles, rested my hands beneath my head, and watched the sky.