Chapter 3 Lessons in Thievery

'What am I doing?'

Vix did not know what had possessed her to follow after this man, but she was determined, anyhow. She fell into step a few feet behind him, not too close, in case he should get suspicious. Still, she remained closer than she normally would, unable to help herself.

He was not difficult on the eyes, that was for certain. Vix snorted a little and shook her head. But she did not need the fancy clothes to know that this young man was a stranger to the slums.

Not once did he check back over his shoulder, or glance into the dark alleys which he passed to check for any signs of danger. He blundered straight ahead, his eyes fixed on the path in front of him, heedless of any danger creeping up behind.

'Am I one of those dangers?' Vix wondered. She could be, if she wanted to. Her stomach twisted painfully with hunger. This young socialite was sure to have money. Even if not, she could order him to strip to his undergarments. The clothes on his back were certainly worth even more than the treasure she had found in the barn earlier that day.

Of course, that was not the only benefit that she would receive from making him strip to his skivvies. Vix shook her head even more forcefully, her cheeks red. 'Focus!'

But just then, the young man turned and glanced at her over his shoulder. Instantly, Vix dropped her eyes to the ground. She kept them there for several seconds before she dared to look up again. The young man had turned back around, his suspicions unaroused.

Vix cursed herself. Just one look and her train of thought had shattered like a pane of thin glass. It was hard not to be taken in by someone like this man. She had never seen anything like him before.

Once more, she considered jumping him. It would be easy to bundle him into an alley before he realized what was going on. Vix let her hand drop into her pocket. The comforting weight of her knife pressed against her palm.

She hesitated. The young man was approaching an alley. It was now or never. She willed her body to move, to jump forward and grab him.

But the opportunity passed. The man walked briskly past the alley, never once glancing down it.

'Blast!' Vix increased her pace. Her mind was refusing to cooperate with her. Quickly, she decided to change plans.

She went even quicker, closing the gap between the two of them in three steps. Then she barreled hard into his back.

"Ow!"

"Oh!" Vix staggered heavily to the ground and fell, skinning her palm. She threw a quick, wide-eyed look up at him. "Please excuse me, sir! I..."

She forgot what she was going to say next. A wave of heat rose in her cheeks as his green eyes lingered on her in concern.

"You...?" he started again for her, a little smile tickling the corners of his mouth. His voice was strong and clear. Ah, but his eyes! Beautiful, but care-worn, lined with dark shadows beneath. There was something stirring just underneath those eyes, a wariness that she could not quite place.

They seemed somehow older than the rest of him. Much older.

Again, she was struck by an odd reminiscence, as though she had met this man before.

Vix struggled to get ahold of herself. 'Blood and powder, this is going to be tougher than I thought.'

"Aren't you going to help me up?" she asked, a flash of sudden annoyance getting the better of her, spoiling her wide-eyed routine before it could even get going.

His eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, yes, forgive me." He extended a hand and hauled her quite unceremoniously to her feet. His hands were very soft.

"Thanks," Vix said, a little breathlessly. "I'm...Vix." She closed her eyes slowly, raging at her stupidity, before opening them again. 'What did I tell him my name for?'

"Caine," the man responded. He stuck his hands into his pockets, looking awkward.

Vix, thrown off balance, asked, "What's your family name?" She had none herself, just like nearly everyone in the slums, but she was sure that this well-off man would appreciate being given the chance to flaunt his standing.

But he shook his head. "Just Caine."

"Oh," Vix said, surprised. She wanted to add something, but could not think of anything to say. Sweat began to gather on her arms and the base of her spine. She shifted and felt a weight dig into her stomach.

It was the cold outline of Caine's coin purse. She had grabbed it in one swift motion as she fell, just as she had practiced a thousand times before. It had been all too easy, taking it from this particularly unobservant man.

Vix had it hidden beneath the folds of her ragged shirt. But one false move might still give her away.

Yet still, she hesitated. 'Get away!' she screamed at herself. 'Get away now! What am I waiting for?'

"Well," Caine said, shrugging his round shoulders, "if that's all." Then he began to walk away once more.

Vix stood there, staring frozen after him in disbelief. 'What a rude little rat!' Never mind. She had gotten what she had wanted.

She began to turn away, then looked back around once again. Despite her success, she felt unsatisfied. Something was itching at the back of her mind.

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Vix stared another second at Caine's retreating back, openmouthed. Then she took off after him.

"Stop! Wait, please!"

He stumbled to a halt, looking back at Vix in bemusement.

'Am I insane?' she wondered. But there was no turning back now. She stopped in front of him, sizing him up, making sure.

"What?" he asked, looking bothered.

She was sure of it. "I've seen you before." Instantly, she knew she was right. His whole body tensed up at once. He looked like a cornered animal, caught at the moment before it decided to fight or flee.

"You must be mistaken," he said brusquely, recovering himself a little. "We've never met."

"It was last night," Vix remembered. She had passed him on the road, outside the city. She had barely caught more than a look at him, hidden as he was behind a hood and scarf. But now she was sure.

Caine relaxed a little. "Oh, yes, I imagine so. I came into the city only last night. We must have passed each other on the road."

Vix stared at him. "I was going toward the city. You were going the other way."

His eyes flicked away from hers for the briefest moment, then back again. "Yes. I... I had to return for something. I left my luggage behind by mistake. At the inn where I was staying."

That might have been true. But every one of Vix's instincts told her that he was lying. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Peaceful, wasn't it? Last night, I mean."

"I suppose," Caine said warily.

"You didn't see anything unusual? Anything at all?"

"No," Caine said, too quickly. At once, he reddened, realizing his mistake.

"A barn caught fire last night," Vix said quietly. "You could see the blaze for miles. How did you miss seeing something like that...Caine?"

"What is this?" Caine snapped, anger blooming across his face. "I don't have to explain myself to you!"

Vix barely heard him. "You were headed straight towards that barn," she said, so quiet she might have been speaking to herself. "It was only minutes after I passed you that..." Her mouth went dry. She looked up and met his eyes.

The wariness that lurked in their green depths had evolved. It was outright fear she saw now. They stared silently at one another. The frozen moment seemed to last forever.

Then, abruptly, Caine whirled on the spot. "Good day," he threw back over his shoulder. Without waiting for a response, he hurried away.