Chapter 1
Jazz
Agentle breeze ran through the beautiful and peaceful night. The moon shone down, complemented by the stars that surrounded it. The silence of the cold night was only broken by the sound of crickets chirping and the occasional hoot of the owl.
Jazz didn’t have time to notice the beauty of the night. She ran through the streets, waltzing over the dumpster and turning the corner. She could hear the footsteps behind her, and she knew that her enemies were not that far off.
She spotted a fence up ahead and jumped up, grabbing onto the wire fence and started to climb up. Her strong legs allowed her to jump quickly and she landed perfectly on her feet. She could hear that her enemies were just around the corner and she crouched down.
She concentrated all her power into her legs and then dashed through the streets, using her superhuman strength to outrun her enemies. Jazz had always possessed a superhuman ability to run. She was so fast that even among her kind she was thought to be extremely talented. Of course, her running skills were what made her such an apt thief.
Jazz had read many debates and arguments on what makes a good thief and while many theories have been postulated, there was one thing everyone agreed on. That a good thief is the one that doesn’t get caught.
Jazz veered off as she realized that the path ahead of her was blocked and took the turn through another corner into a dark alley. The sounds of her enemies were slowly starting to fade, and Jazz was confident that she would not be caught tonight.
She grabbed the fire escape of a nearby building and started climbing, she knew her best bet at the moment was the roofs. She had years of experience running through these dark alleys and jumping from the roof of one building to another. This had been her territory for years, and she knew that her enemies would never be able to find her.
She reached the roof and felt a rush of gratefulness that it was night. It was 3 am and nearly the entire city was asleep. It meant that there were no humans around to get in her way, and she didn’t have to worry about hiding. What humans were present were usually rather drunk and homeless.
Jazz felt a grin spread on her face as she realized that she was almost free. She used her powerful legs to jump over to the roof of the next building and then started running again. She just had to make it to the bell tower in the city center, where the man would be waiting.
She could envision the money that she would receive. She would finally be able to get out of this city and move somewhere else. She wouldn’t have to steal or work for at least a year; she could finally go traveling like she always wanted.
Jazz could almost taste her freedom. All her life she had to steal, living in the lesser parts of the city. She never had any money to move away and job opportunities were scarce in this town. But after tonight, she will finally be free of it all.
She realized that the footsteps behind her were completely gone and almost jumped in happiness. She had outrun her enemies, and she could taste her success. She clutched the bag tightly, pulling it towards her chest. She was almost at the bell tower.
Jazz spotted the tower and jumped off the roof, landing perfectly on her feet. She smiled to herself as she shot through the streets, getting closer and closer to her destination.
She reached the bell tower and climbed over the metal gate. She entered the garden surrounding it and made her way along the path. The tower was sealed with a huge gate that was locked. Jazz wrapped the belt of the bag around her waist and grabbed the gate with both her hands. She growled as she felt the bones in her hands contort and become long claws. She dug her claws into the gate and tried to wrench it open.
The gate resisted, and Jazz forced more power through her legs and arms. She felt her muscles start to change and contort, her bones morphing as her arms became stronger. She felt the gate give away a little, and she resumed her efforts.
Jazz forced the power through her arms once again, hoping that she could manage this without shifting. The gate gave away but before Jazz could rejoice, she felt darkness start to surround her.
It had been creeping on her for a while, but Jazz had been so lost in thoughts of her success she had failed to notice it. She tried to use her mental powers to force the darkness away, but she knew she wasn’t strong enough.
The darkness covered her eyes, so she couldn’t see. Jazz felt a wave of panic as she realized what it meant. She was being hunted by one of the strongest shifters on the clan and there was little she could do to stand up to him. All she knew was that she had to get away from him and fast. The bell tower will have to wait. Right now, she needed to save her life.
She dashed through the darkness, using her acute sense of smell and hearing to navigate her way. Even though her eyes were usually able to see in the dark, this enchanted mist blinded even the most powerful shifters.
She could see a burst of light far away, and she knew that if she managed to get there, she would be free. She ran as fast as could, yet the darkness was unrelenting. Despite her running speed, the light moved further and further away.
Then Jazz felt a searing pain run through her body as chains suddenly wrapped around her body. She fell, unable to even struggle against the magically enhanced chains.
For the first time in her life, she had been caught.
Chapter 2
Jake
“She wasn’t easy to catch,” Lawrance said. “I have to say that she is one of the fastest runners I have ever seen. I eventually had to use my mental powers to subdue her so we could bind her with the Elemental chains.”
“What about the fire ruby?” Jake asked.
“The fire ruby is safe,” Lawrance replied. “I placed it back in the ante-chamber and have placed increased security around it.”
“Good job,” Jake said, sighing. “I want a detailed report on how a simple thief managed to break into our facility and steal one of our most protected items.”
