(Trials of Petrovia) Taharial

Chapter one

As we approached the beginning of the marketplace Christopher handed me a satchel bag.

"Try not to draw so much attention to yourself," he says, not looking at me. I take the bag off him, slinging it over my shoulder.

"I know. Get in, get out fast, slip my hands into a few rich folk's bags and that should do it. Give me 30 minutes," I answered looking around. 'Two guards so far' I count in my head.

"You have 20 minutes; I will be around to look out if you need me." He says fixing his coat.

"I won't." I say heading into the crowd.

I weaved through the crowds of people, my hands slipping in and out of pockets, 'Idiots' I think to myself as I stuff a pouch of coins into my pocket smirking. I walk around the marketplace, I brush past a man dressed in royal attire, my hand goes into his bag feeling the familiar coldness of jewelry.

'Jackpot' I think to myself as I quickly put it in my satchel and continue on through the crowd. I walk around for several minutes, most of the upper class hang around stalls that are mainly made up of alcohol and meat, as they are the most expensive imported items. Most coming from the northern regions, where wheat and cattle can survive. Brick buildings of stores wrap around the courtyard of the market, I look up towards the roofs trying to make out where Christopher was. He always says he's watching but I can never pinpoint where he is. It's almost terrifying not knowing where he is but that's his specialty, the art of hiding in plain sight. We could argue about who's better at that. I focus back, continuing to walk through the crowd, I notice an older woman heading towards me. I look at her quickly. Bag in left hand, she was wearing a hat.

'Perfect' I say to myself, I walk towards her grabbing a newspaper out of a man's back pocket opening it as if i was reading. As if on cue I bump into her, her hat falling onto the ground in front of me.

"Oh my! I am dreadfully sorry ma'am you must forgive me. I was so caught up in the queries of today I wasn't watching where I was going." I say dramatically as I bend down picking up her hat.

"No goodness no of course you must! Knowledge is what one should strive to archive" She reaches out her hand to take it, she's wearing gloves, but I eye up the bracelet, which is wrapped around it, blue crystals glistening- sapphires there are rare which means they will catch a nice price on the underground market. I hand her hat back, my hand going under her hat and unclipping the bracelet with ease.

"I will make sure to watch where I'm going next time" I smile wide walking past her.

I was busy stuffing the woman's bracelet into my satchel when I bump into a soldier walking by, he stumbles a little, nodding his head at me. "Sorry my lady I didn't see you there-" Part of the bracelet was poking out of my bag, he looked at the satchel than me, he looked slightly stunned. I reach over to the stand next to me grabbing an apple and take a bite of it, pushing past him, I hear him yell as he starts running after me. I tighten the matted straps of my satchel on my shoulder, throwing the apple on the ground, I jump onto a crate of bottles and onto a nearby stand climbing up onto the roof and running across.

'They stand no chance,' I huff making my way across the roofs of stalls.

"Come back here!" The soldier yells, getting the attention of others nearby, they're all running after me now. I turn back mid sprint,

"You're going to have to catch me first!" I slide down one of the stall roofs landings on the ground. My hair falls in front of my face as I push it back, I see a guard making his way through the crowd.

"I've told you before the armor just ways you down!!" I run waving back at the soldier, a woman walking past screams as I come running towards her.

"Sorry ma'am!" I say shoving past her. Not before my hand slips her coin purse off her wrist.