The huge manor is empty as I creep down the hallways, heading up the stairs and into Gallus’s bedroom.
There, I gently open the door to the huge, walk-in wardrobe. My prize awaits me – unprotected, as if Gallus had laid the three wristwatches out on top of the drawer specifically for me to take them.
I sneak the three watches into the huge pocket of my robe dress. The flowing material conceals the shape and weight of them perfectly.
Then, I look around for other sources of wealth.
There’s a dresser by his bed, which I open the drawer of soundlessly. Instantly, I’m rewarded. There’s a stack of credit-bills inside – high denomination, and just lying there. I palm them incredulously. This is years and years of toil for even a Sector 2 businessman, and yet Gallus just left it there, as if he’d thrown that fortune into the drawer and was so rich, he’d forgotten about it.
I mean, if you’re that obscenely rich, surely there’s no harm in what I’m doing. It’s only money, and what is money to men as wealthy as this? I’ve spent my entire life starving, fighting for any scraps I could. Don’t I deserve to take this? Isn’t it justice?
No.
The voice is my own, but I still freeze when I hear its accusatory tone inside my head.
Don’t pretend this is justice, Mia. You heard what the Aurelians said last night. They might be poised to make a fortune from the business deal they secured but you heard what they’re going to do with that arable land. They aren’t just going to grow crops for money. They’ve designated areas to grow inexpensive foodstuffs to sell at the poor markets.
Guilt suddenly gnaws at me…
…but it’s useless guilt, and I push it back as I leave the bedroom. I sneak out as if I was never even there; closing the door behind me. I sneak back to my room, the weight of those watches and that stolen money barely as heavy as the guilt I’m suddenly carrying.
My heart is beating hard, but only I can hear it. I’m grateful – because if anybody else heard it, I’m sure they’re detect the guilt, pounding away like a drumbeat in my ears.
I get to the safety of my room and pour myself a glass of water. My mouth is dry as I gulp it eagerly down. Then, I sit down on the side of the bed. It feels like the watches are burning a hole in my dress, but I ignore the flight instinct that my animal brain is trying to overpower me with.
I wait.
And I wait.
I wait in that luxurious bedroom, with its comfortable feather bed – so unlike the pallet I plan on sleeping on tonight, back in my musky room in The Stag. The Aurelians will be gone for hours, surveying their new property. When they’re back, I’ll be long gone – and they’ll never find me.
The last time I’ll ever have seen them will have been last night.
The last memory I’ll have of them will be falling asleep in Varian’s comforting arms.
If I do see them again? It means something went horrifically wrong with my plan. It’ll almost certainly be across a courtroom, as they stand condemning me before a judge. I’ll see the betrayal in their eyes where once I saw adoration. I will find no hint of caring in their gaze, where once I saw nothing else.
Every rumor of the Aurelians has so far been revealed to be true. Their dominance. Their huge size. Their passion, which they try to conceal, but is scaled to match their gigantic frames. All those rumors have been true, and so I don’t want to test the one that warns that Aurelians are cold, vindictive, and hold the sanctity of law above all else.
The sun is creeping up now, bathing my room in a warm glow. It’s nearly time.
A light knock at the door startles me out of my thoughts.
“It’s me, Sarah.” A familiar voice through the wooden door.
“Come in,” I say, as sweetly as I can – the appearance of tension leaving my body.
It’s done. I’ve made the choice.
There’s no going back.
My one chance to set things straight would have been to sneak those stolen goods back into Gallus's bedroom. The house is waking up now, though, and that would now be too huge a risk – even if I’d wanted to take it.
I resist the urge to reach my hands in my pockets and feel the heavy, metal watches, cool under the pressure of my palm. Their weight should be enough to reassure me that they’re still safely in place.
Sarah opens the door, entering my cozy room. She’s in a light, modest dress – with the same big pocket in the front, as designed for trips to the market.
Perfect. That makes my choice of outfit even less suspicious.
“Ah! Mia, you’re already dressed.” Sarah beams. “That’s great! We can head out before the sun gets unbearable.”
Even thieves prefer to stay out of the apex of the sun on Deemak. I’m well used to planning my days around the ire of our sun. I stand from the bed, smoothing out the front of my robe dress; careful not to frame the outline of the watches nestled in the front pocket.
Then I turn, and I burn Sarah’s face into my memory.
I’ll never see her again.
That stings – just as much as knowing I’ll never see the Aurelians again. Even though Sarah should hate me, just like the other women of the harem, she’s shown me nothing but gentleness and positivity. I just wish I had a friend like her back when I’d been growing up. Darr doesn’t like me to associate with other thieves, and unless I want to
