Book 13: To Catch a Thief

Soren

Light creeps over the wet cobblestone in the inner city. Moonrise is washed in pale gold as the sun sets, the glowing orbs outside each home, each business, light the narrow, ancient streets as the sun's warmth fades beyond the mountains.

My boots squelch in the puddles left behind from an epic rainstorm that nearly flooded Old Moonrise, but this city is raised above the lake, safe from the high water.

In fact, the pebbled beaches that line the long, turquoise waters are completely submerged now, and rain still patters overhead, pinging off awnings and pouring out of gutters, further soaking the street I’m following uptown.

The castle rises into view, its windows shedding light across the more affluent neighborhoods, parks, and shops that surround its massive gates. Impenetrable gates, they say. It’s said that it’s impossible to get into the city-sized palace, and on an average day, I’d believe it.

But it’s not an average day by a