CHAPTER 1

Now I’m not going to claim that I’ve had the most carefree life. In fact, I would argue that my life is like walking on a tightrope across the dark abyss where even the slightest of breezes would send you falling. Sure I don’t have the most stable job, but it keeps me alive, which considering my unique set of circumstances is a feat in itself.

Yet nothing could have possibly prepared me for the decision that awaits.

Frankly, I don’t even know how I got myself into this situation in the first place. The day started off like any other. Everything followed the standard routine in which I’ve been following for the past few years. Now I’m faced with a decision that could change everything. I have to choose between two. Both of which I love dearly and equally. If possible I would choose both, however, reality is never that kind. The world would never allow such selfish desires to manifest despite my reluctance.

I could hear the soft voice of my sister giving me advice ‘Don’t make decisions you may regret’.

Ultimately, I worked up the courage to finally give an answer. My finger pointing at the item on the menu. The woman looked into my eyes asking for a wordless confirmation. I gave an indifferent nod to the worker, as my mind is now made up.

Oven-Grilled Lizard with Thyme Chestnuts. A delicacy I am rarely able to enjoy. Sure, I could have chosen the Smoked Carrots with Ginger Spider but let’s be honest, everybody enjoys a good health portion of medium rare lizard.

“The order will be with you shortly” the waitress announced whilst moving on to the next table to serve.

I let out a breath of relief as soon as I was left sitting alone on my table. Some people get anxious when they meet a high-ranking member of society, others get nervous when they’re about to undertake a serious task.

Me? Well, I’m nervous because I shouldn’t be here. You see, I’ve been told that there are a time and place for everything.

This is not the time for this.

The smell of deliciousness wafts passed my nose allowing me to divert my thoughts before it became dark. A small smile crept its way to the surface as a plate of exquisiteness got placed in front of me.

I stepped out of the inn and stared into the distance where a myriad of lies and deceit exist. I closed my eyes as I steady myself for my full-time job.

‘No regrets, no regrets’, I endlessly chanted in my head as I now begin to dread what is to come.

I pulled up my hood and blended into the shadows as I make my way down the brown rocky spire to head into the outer district of the city.

The Underworld. For as long as I’ve known, my race has been living deep underground for many millennia. At first, we would stumble in the dark like a blind rat. We would make so much noise that even a deaf creature could hear us. We were unsuited to live within the treacherous dark and small caverns.

As the circle of nature dictates, the strong survive and the strong adapted. Mutations began to occur within the individuals to increase the chances of survival. Cities were built into the earth and reached the cavern's ceiling. It is the way of our people to always survive and adapt. Adapt we did.

My eyes pierced the darkness as I view the world in hues of black and white due to the absence of significant lighting as I walked through the Labyrinth of Alleys. The tunnels would erratically bend causing one route to loop and connect to another to form a sophisticated network.

I stopped in my tracks at a familiar scene. A shop owner was beating a little kid with a wooden stick with the child curling up in a ball to avoid the more serious injuries.

I approached him from behind and my hand tapped him on the shoulder. I raise my hand as a gesture for the shop owner to stop. His face flashes in fear, as he recognises who I am, or rather who I represent.

I stood there expressionlessly while we both glared at each other. He broke off first with traces of fear still etched on his face, yet he regained some courage seeing that I made no sudden moves.

“Bah, fine then! Don’t bring that kid anywhere near me next time!” He said as he broke away.

Turning around I find the small child was still curling up in pain whilst peeking out behind his arms, his eyes tracing every movement of the shopkeeper as he walks away.

I chuck a small sack of coins which landed with a clatter in front of the kid.

*Next time, don’t get caught* I signed with my hands and then promptly walked away. The money was taken from the shopkeeper when I approached from behind. While he was too preoccupied with me tapping his shoulder, he didn’t notice my deft hand reaching for his purse. The best way to steal is to do it while the target is distracted.

I made twists and turns to make sure I lose any followers if I even had any. You can never be too careful after all. After a few moments, I reached a door which blended in with the rocky cavern itself.

I raised my hand where I knocked in an irregular pattern - once, twice, thrice and stepped back. The door slid open with the sliding of stone on the ground causing a low grinding to echo throughout the cavern. Where a man with dirty pale purple skin wearing colourful clothing with rips along various places appeared.

“You’re late” the drow whispered. His copper red eyes glared at me then switched to scanning the surroundings. “You weren’t followed were you?”

I raised my hand and began to create shapes with my fingers one after the other, I replied in a practiced manner. *Obviously I wasn’t followed*. I almost rolled my eyes at such a stupid question.

*I had to run some errands, that’s all* more like had a fancy meal all to myself, but nobody else needs to know.

Within the Underworld, the slightest sounds could be heard from a far distance as the acoustics within the rocky caverns enhances all noise. In addition to learning the how to speak Drow, every child is also taught how to use sign language in order to keep silent and avoid predators. As such, it is common for conversations to transition from voice to hand gestures or vice versa.

“Okay, just… Hurry it up” he replied as his eyes continued to dart from one corner to the other.

I stepped through before he ends up having a heart attack due to fright.

The door slid to a close as the echoes of the grinding rock came to a halt. The man leaned back against the wall and let out a breath of relief. This time I didn’t even bother to suppress my eyes from rolling.

Wait, I know…

Ryul is not such a bad Drow. On the other hand, he is far from the smartest. He and I both joined the crew at the same time. He always worked hard to please the leader and happens to be good at what he does. It’s just that he has a habit of getting too nervous.

I walked up to him with slow deliberate steps as I gave him the sweetest smile I could muster.

I ran my finger along the edge of his clothes as my other hand signed. *Such a shame. The shirt was one of my favourite gifts I gave to you, now it’s all wasted on you.*

“Wasted,” Ryul repeated, the word thickening with disdain, “you make it sound like I’m a piece of meat that was dropped onto the ground that nobody wants to eat anymore”.

*What? You know that’s not what I meant, moron.*

“No, you’re a moron, your face is a moron. How would I know what you meant?”

*If you’re not a moron, what are you? An asshat?*

“If I’m an asshat then you are a half-witted… scruffy looking… short dwarf!”

I feigned an injury that stabbed me right in my chest and took a step back.

Seeing the playful expression on my face, Ryul began to softly laugh. There was a noticeable decrease in shaking and his eyes no longer darted to every corner scared that something will pop out of existence and eat him.

“Sorry, I’m just a bit jumpy. Especially since today’s a really big job. But if I’m nervous over my small role, I can’t imagine what you must be going through” he tried to give me a heart-warming smile while looking into my eyes as he gave me an expression of pity toward me.

Argh! How is it possible to have such a bright smile in such a dark world?! I avoided his look and now it’s my turn for my eyes to wander around. All of a sudden, the floor seemed real interesting.

*Let’s just get going* I signed. Without even looking to see if he saw my message, I turned around and walked down the corridor. The sound of boots echoing within the rocky cavern was all the confirmation I needed to know that he was following me.

Up ahead, the corridor opened up to a large room consisting out of a brown rock. The flickering coming from the candlelight brought slight colouring to the world shifting everything from shades of black and white to various shades of brown and dull green from the moss growing along the walls.

The room was a hub of activity. People all dressed in torn rags were carrying boxes to one side of the room while others were moving to and fro with the purpose of carrying out their tasks. The area was so filled with people and things that some individuals were stripping their rags to change into fancy clothing on the spot.

“Synthia, there you are!” a familiar voice rang out over the small crowd of people as all eyes descended on me. After noticing I wasn’t a threat, everybody continued on with their tasks. All except one.

A mature looking Drow sauntered her way through the middle of the room wearing a revealing red dress which contrasted with her long silver hair.

“I’ve been waiting so long for you” she gave me a smile as beautiful as a rose, yet every rose has it’s thorns.

Unprepared, my head jerked to the side as my boss slapped the side of my face. The sound of her hand making contact with my skin seemed to echo multiple times within the room as all the inhabitants became silent once again.

After the initial shock died down, panic began to set in. I raised my shaky hands so fast I didn’t even realise I did it *I’m sorry Calira, I didn’t mean to be late! I just lost track of time, that’s all*.

My eyes were darting everywhere, however, everywhere I looked people were staring at me, focusing on me, judging me. My heart rate once again picked up. I hate having conversations. Let alone a conversation in front of a crowd.

Eventually, my eyes remained glued to the floor as I awaited the leader of these band of thieves to punish me.

Yes, I was late because of my earlier meal but can you blame me? With the risk involved tonight, I may not have another chance to eat something so nice again!

Once again a small voice resounds in my head, ‘don’t make decisions you may regret’ yes, yes Sister I know, I know. In fact, I don’t regret anything at all!

Finally, after a small moment of eternity Calira spoke up “You’re lucky I need your face all nice and neat today”. Even with my eyes on the ground, I can almost picture the venom she spat as she speaks to me.

“If you screw this job up for me…” She left the threat hanging in the air. I’m sure everyone in the room could feel the pressure Calira was emitting in the air.

“Oh and for the Goddess Aiur’s sake, go clean yourself up. We need to leave a good impression. Go!” her scream prompted everyone else to resume their tasks. I quickly ran to my room to find a brand new dress placed neatly on my worn out bed. I hurriedly used my hand to search underneath my bed to find an old wooden box. Opening it revealed a small copper and a sapphire studded earring in the shape of a four-leafed clover, a few silver coins and my hidden knife in the shape of a hairpin.

I grabbed everything but the money and went to the bathroom to give myself a quick wash. I rubbed the dirt and grime which has accumulated from my short walk in the city and hurriedly got dressed. I moved to the hand-sized copper mirror placed along the bathroom wall to give myself a once over. My silver hair was done up in a simple style with my hairpin knife holding it in place.

All in all, I can see myself looking like a typical noblewoman with the exception of my exotic light blue eyes. I don’t know if it came from my mother’s side or my father’s, but I’ve never seen another Drow with blue eyes before. In fact, every Drow I’ve met has the common coppery red coloured eyes. I placed the finishing touch with my sapphire earring on my left ear. The sapphire blue matched my eyes giving off an even more pronounced impression that I am a noble.

I moved back to my room to grab my cloak and dagger then hurriedly met up with Calira.

The room now looked entirely different. All the boxes and items disappeared, the crew members all now dressed in fancy clothing as everyone. From initial appearances, everyone looked like they were servants of a high noble household. Add Calira into the picture who is acting as our dear Matriarch and even the Queen herself would be none the wiser.

It’s time to pull off this scam.