Prologue

The shadows hid his presence from the guardsmen. He was wedged in the corner of the ceiling, his hands and feet splayed flat against the walls. Softly, he muttered a few choice words. At first, nothing happened, and the man grunted in frustration. Then suddenly, the shirt sleeve on one of the guards burst into flame, and the shadowed man's scowl turned into a satisfied smirk. Yelping, the other guard panicked before dragging his partner around the corner to douse the flames.

"Ridiculous," the man in the shadows muttered, amazed that the guardsmen hadn't heard him whisper to begin with. Then, with a jump and a flip, he landed gracefully on the floor, standing right were the two men had been standing below him not a moment before.

If the maps he had looked at were right, the Heart of the City was just down the corridor and to the right. And, if his money had bought the right information, that room was heavily guarded. With a deep breath and a sigh, he was off, his feet fast and quiet against the floor. A spell for speed and another to soften his steps—each very simple, but together took some concentration to hold.

He rounded the corner and pressed flat against the wall. The hall was empty and dead-ended into a door. It looked unassuming and normal as far as doors went, but he could feel energy that circulated through the air, and he could hear the dull hum of it.

The man grew wistful at the thought of the Heart in his possession. All the limitless energy that he could ever want! And to think—the money that he could make selling it…He immediately cast that thought aside. His stealing of the heart was merely a job that he had been hired for. It would have to be handed over silently to his client. Still, he couldn't help but think about the endless possibilities that the Heart could promise.

He unlocked the door with a practiced hand and slipped inside. Energy crackled and hung heavy in the air around him. His hair stood on end and he could taste it on his tongue. The pure intensity of it almost overwhelmed it, and he looked around the room excitedly to try and find the source.

But instead of the awe he had expected from seeing something so grand, he was taken aback instead. His eyes widened and a surprised breath hung on his lip. Then he furrowed his brow in confusion. The Heart of the City wasn't the crystal he had expected, or even something mechanical. It was a young girl.

Her chubby cheeks stood out against her thin body and her short hair stuck out in off angles, electrified. She glowed with a visible energy, and there were mechanical receptors hanging about that were designed and programmed to capture it.

Suddenly, he felt terrified. No wonder no one had seen the Heart of the City! Imagine the public would do if they found out that what powered their city was a girl not much younger than himself.

A sudden explosion burst him from his thoughts. Rubble rained down upon him, and he deftly rolled away. Dust rose high in the air, but he could still see a large hole that had been blasted into the far wall through the cloud. The girl let out a cry, her voice shrill, and he turned his attention back to her. She was crumpled over, nursing a scratch on her arm. His concentration broke as he took a wary step towards her and a rock skittered around his feet.

His spell broken, the girl's gaze snapped up and met his. Her brilliant green eyes pierced his, pulsating with the energy that she radiated. He swallowed nervously and found that he couldn't look away. Her gaze pulled at him.

A female voice shot out from the clouds behind her, rough and hoarse, but muffled.

"Girl," she yelled out. A tall woman appeared from the debris, a bandana wrapped around the lower half of her face. The Heart made no move to look at her, or even acknowledge her presence, keeping her gaze pinned on the man. "Girl," the woman hissed again, her eyebrows arching in irritation. "I swear to the Weaver above, if you don't—"

The Heart turned her gaze, suddenly aware of the woman's presence, and recognition lit up her face. With a snort, the woman ran to her and grabbed her arm, pulling the girl to her feet roughly. The girl cast her glance back at the man, and he froze. Her eyes seemed to pierce right through him. His breath caught and he seized up in what he thought was fear. Apprehension? No, something else. It made him extremely uncomfortable. She kept staring at him as the woman pulled her through the hole and then out of sight.

He snapped too the second that she was gone. Rubble was everywhere and dust coated everything. He cursed—he couldn't work with the terrain. Voices sounded in the corridor behind him, and he cursed again. There wasn't really anywhere to hide. He cast a panicked look at the hole in the wall. Without another thought he dashed for it. The door behind him burst open with shouting and he pushed himself to run harder. A blast hit a rock near him, and he suddenly wished that he could recast his speed spell. The guards fired more blasts at him, and with a roll to the side he ducked low against the ground. He managed to hug the floor and scramble though the hole and clung to the side of the building.

He spared a glance below him, and sighed in relief. The drop was only about two stories—something that he could work with. He whispered a spell and glanced at the few guards that were busy scrambling through the hole. They looked up at him, surprised to see him there, hugging the wall. He smiled and with a swift jump, fell to the to the Earth below, a smirk firmly plastered on his face.

A/N: A quick thanks to my friend Kat who spellchecked this for me, and for my betas. You know who you are. It's been a long while since I've written anything, and honestly, this is a nice restart. This started as boredom at work and some blank sheets of printer paper, and then turned into a story. I appreciate feedback, especially since my writing is so rusty. Until the next!