The sun shone its brightest rays on the busy, crowded market square of the eastern district of Khâr-Shadur, the largest city in the world. Merchants hailed the passerby, boasting the quality or cheapness of their wares, the taste of their fruits and the health of their beasts. But I wasn't here to buy or sell anything. I was here to steal: my eyes weren't set on the goods lined on the stalls but on the pockets of the customers. That's where fate had led me, as a poor girl in this city filled with riches. My name was Amata, and I was a petty thief. It was my only way to survive as a street urchin, a penniless orphan girl without anyone to support me.
I looked around, looking for an opportunity. A careless merchant, a high-born's distracted servant: anything would do. I also kept an eye out for the guards: a few of them patrolled the market square, ready to crack down on crime. I knew how risky what I was doing was, but I tried to keep calm. Panic could paralyze me or lead me to be careless if I didn't do my best to keep it in check. I did my best to go unnoticed: a destitute young girl such as me, with my ragged boyish clothes and short hair, was an unremarkable sight.
Suddenly, the sound of music filled the air, covering the plights of the beggars and the calls of the merchants. A group of musicians wearing brightly colored dresses had started playing in a corner of the square. Next to them, a scantily-clad sacred prostitute started dancing in front of an offering bowl. It was the perfect distraction: the musicians and the dancer were skilled and drew the attention of many men. As their lustful gazes focused on the sensual movements of the dancer's bare belly, they wouldn't notice my tiny hand slipping inside their robes, looking for a trinket or a coin purse. I approached the thick crowd that formed around the performers and felt my heart race fast inside my chest. The dusty pavement felt hot beneath my bare feet. The time for hesitation had passed: this was a perfect opportunity that I couldn't let pass.
I noticed a perfect target for a pickpocket such as myself: a