Chapter 1

The dank alleys of Varane reeked of stale piss and week-old garbage, the perfect stench to mask a street prowler like Aris. He ghosted along the shadows, one with the night, eyes forever scanning for that telltale bulge of coin purses awaiting nimble fingers.

Tonight's mark was a pompous merchant making his way through the inadequately lit avenue, no doubt returning from one of the rowdier taverns with pockets undoubtedly jingling. The scrawny sixteen-year-old licked his chapped lips in anticipation as the unsuspecting target drew nearer.With timed precision honed by years of street life, Aris melded from the gloom and flowed behind the stumbling trader like an oily shadow. His deft hand made practiced work of the coin pouch's humble knot - child's play, really - before retreating with his prize back into the ephemeral darkness.Or so he thought.The merchant, still muddled by drink but evidently not entirely oblivious, let out a startled oath. "Thief! Urchin!" His thick fingers clamped around Aris's spindly wrist with surprising speed.Panic jolted through the lad as his eyes met those of his victim. Any savvy street rat knew the fatal risks of being recognized. Heart pounding like a wardrum, Aris stamped down on his captor's instep with every ounce of desperate strength.The boom of pain was unmistakable, even through the merchant's sloshed haze. His beefy hand recoiled just long enough for the wiry thief to tear free, bolting into the night with stolen coins leaving a telltale trail through the filthy backstreets.He didn't make it far.A brutish figure stepped from a crooked doorway to block Aris's flight, flanked by two more identically grizzled louts. The largest sneered with yellowed teeth. "Going somewhere, rat?"Aris backpedaled, but two more closed the trap behind him. His greedy eyes darted about for any hope of escape as the gang started closing in with ominous inevitability.Fists up, the scrawny rogue prepared to meet their attack, his wiry form coiled like a trapped cat. "Had to nick a few coins from your boss, eh buggerspawn?" he spat with bravado belying his inwardly churning gut. "What're you gonna do, kick an urchin's teeth in for sport?"The thug's sneer widened to a toothy leer, sending a shiver down Aris's spine. Trapped like a rat, by the look of things. Unless...Just as they descended on him, clawed hands outstretched, the nimble thief pivoted and kicked off an adjacent wall, using his low center of gravity to spring up and over the startled lackeys. He landed in a crouch, nimble feet already carrying him back toward the still-bellowing merchant in a desperate, if fool-hardy gambit.Distantly, he heard the gruff barks of pursuit echoing behind as his eyes settled on the hefty cart the merchant was guarding. The man still seemed bewildered, fussing over an ornate chest emblazoned with peculiar etchings. Just visible through the cracked lid glinted something metallic...and oddly enchanting.Stupid, So stupid!Aris inwardly chided as he lurched towards the potential prize. But something about that obscured gleam sent avarice blazing hotly through his veins. Few could resist the lure of a bauble in this accursed city.The lone merchant stood little chance as the wispy street rat barrelled towards him, all elbows and knees and sharpened desperation. Aris crashed into the portly trader's bulk, sending them both crashing towards the mysterious chest. In the ensuing tumble, his calloused hands found purchase on the metallic glint-An amulet, brilliant gold amulet with indentations. Aris barely glimpsed its cryptic carvings before agony split his palm, a searing azure light bursting from his newly opened wound like sorcerous shrapnel.The backlash slammed Aris away, sizzling pain lancing up his arm. He crashed against the cobblestones in a crumpled heap, chest heaving, the mystical amulet now clutched in his profusely bleeding hand. White spots danced before his eyes from the blinding pain.Through the haze, the blustering form of the merchant loomed over, gnarled hands grasping at Aris's boney shoulders to hoist him up towards his furious, spit-flecked sneer. "Wretched street filth!" the merchant's meaty hands shook Aris like a rag doll, spittle flying. "You've no idea what you've stolen, what forces you've meddled with!"Aris barely registered the words, his addled mind swimming through a turbulent sea of azure light and searing agony. The brilliant amulet felt scalding hot in his clenched fist, as if it would burn straight through flesh and bone.What sorcery is this? The thought fought to coalesce through a haze of shock and panic.A resounding crash snapped the dazed thief back to his dire surroundings. The burly gang who'd cornered him earlier came barreling around the corner, barking curses and bloodlust. Their flinty eyes settled on Aris with undisguised malice."There he is! Bleedin' street scum stole from the boss!"The merchant seemed to visibly collect himself, straightening his rumpled robes with an indignant harrumph. "This cur's crimes extend far beyond mere thievery. He's jeopardized everything with his arrant fool's grab!"One sledgehammer blow from the brute's meaty fist sent Aris crashing back to the filthy cobblestones in a crumpled, winded heap. White spots threatened to consume his vision as the gang closed in like sharks catching the scent of blood.Escape. He had to escape!Staggering upright, profusely bleeding hand still clutching the amulet in a death grip, Aris turned in desperation and ran. He ran blind and thoughtless, all primal instinct fueled by the fires of self-preservation. The pounding of frenzied pursuit echoed close behind.A shadow detached from the gloom to block his path - one of the merchant's hulking louts, brandishing a cruel-looking knife. Aris pivoted and changed direction without breaking stride, the blur of cramped buildings and refuse-strewn alleys whipping by in his peripherals.There - a slim breach in the patchwork tenements just ahead! He angled towards the cleft, praying it wasn't a dead end. Legs burned, chest heaving, but the white-hot lick of adrenaline propelled him onward.Just as his hopes started lifting, a sinewy shape plunged out of the darkness to tackle Aris at the waist. They tumbled end over end, grappling wildly in the squalor, each seeking to gain the upper hand. A brawny arm snaked around Aris's slender neck from behind, cutting off his airway.Drastic times...Thrashing with the last dregs of his waning strength, Aris wrenched his arm up, still clenched around the mystical amulet. A crimson stream now joined the shining azure glow, his savaged palm showering the choking figure with macabre droplets.An unholy energy answered Aris's primal rage, coursing outwards from the amulet in shimmering tendrils of azure sorcery. His assailant's beefy arms went rigid, then started convulsing, smoke wisping from the merciless path of arcane light.Aris gaped in shock and revulsion as the thug's haggard features contorted, tendons straining against leathery skin like they would burst forth. His entire body started violently thrashing, wisps of unnatural azure flame licking along smoldering clothes and singed flesh. The man's guttural screams echoed through the dank alley, inhuman and agonizing.Finally, with one last full-bodied convulsion, the unlucky soul crumpled to the filthy ground in a smoldering, contorted heap, unmistakably lifeless. The last embers of azure fire winked out, leaving only the revolting stench of burned meat and hair in their wake.Aris scrambled away in horror, instinctively dropping the amulet which now seemed to blaze with contained energy. He clutched his savaged, bleeding palm against his sweat-drenched chest, whole body quaking.By the Eightfold Night...what sort of profane artifact is this?The thud of rushed footsteps jolted Aris back to frightening reality. The silhouettes of the remaining gang members filled the alley's mouth, their calls of intimidating bloodlust echoing through the fetid canyons.No time. He had to keep moving. With shaking fingers, the ashen-faced rogue scooped up the amulet once more before lurching back to his feet, cradling its unnatural power close. His battered legs found a sudden second wind as he pelted deeper into the night-strangled backstreets.