December 16, 1912 AC 

The question he faced now was how to track down the Phantom Thief. She stole basic essentials, that much he knew. However, there were dozens, if not, hundreds of stores across Krakor. To find the one she would raid was a task in and of itself. He had no means of simultaneously observing every single store. There were not enough chimeras, and even if there were, he was doubtful his father would grant him permission to use them. 

He could perhaps scout the city and find her by chance. He quickly dismissed the idea. The city was huge. The chance of him finding her in such a manner was slim to none. There was also the question of how he was to cage her. She was very observant and had escaped the grasp of dozens of chimeras. No, he couldn't scout the city. Could he recruit help from others? He dismissed that idea too. The thought of begging another person for help left a putrid taste in his mouth. He would surely lose his father's respect. If he couldn't capture one measly gadzina, his father would never accept him back. 

Andre paced around the airship's cockpit, occasionally examining the tools on the table. His eye rested upon the compasses. They sensed Radrial's magnetic field to determine north from south. Could he create a machine that could detect the presence of vernbinding? Nobles rarely used vernbinding within the city so he had great odds of finding the thief. But then, he sighed in defeat. He had not the slightest idea of how to construct such a machine. 

Defeated, he slumped against the wall only to jolt upright when Radek knocked on his door. Andre opened the door to see his friend holding out a skewer. The skewer held freshly grilled meat lightly seasoned with spices and lemon sauce. Andre graciously accepted it. "When did you make this?" 

"Around thirty minutes ago. How's it taste?" 

Andre tried one sliver of meat, then said "fantastic! Thank you Radek!" 

"No, I should thank you." 

"For what?" 

"For being my friend and for taking me in. When I was alone in the orphanage, I was always the one left behind. Everyone else had found homes, even those who'd been there years less than me. It was crushing to always be the one left behind, to have no friends. I'm glad you gave me a chance." 

"And I'm glad you consider this failure a friend." 

"You're not a failure Andre, no matter what your family thinks." 

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden? You've never spoken to me about these matters before." 

"I don't know. I guess the feeling just came to me. Do you hate the gadzina Andre?" 

"Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?" 

"I was just wondering considering, well, your 'incident' involved one." 

"No. Not really. A gadzina saved my life before and I'll never forget that man as long as I live." 

"Do you feel regret hunting this so called 'Phantom Thief'?" 

Andre froze. He had no words to reply. He was relieved when Radek said "nevermind. Thanks for listening to me." 

As Radek exited the cockpit, Andre was struck with inspiration. The Phantom Thief had taken a gadzina child with her when she escaped the ceremony. Most likely, she wished to rescue that child. If she wanted the power of souls, she could have extracted it from nearby trees or from the gadzina in the alleyways. If she and the child remained together, then she would have to care for her companion. Quickly, Andre thought back to the day of the ceremony and recalled everything he could about the child. He remembered that she was an emaciated husk much like the other gadzina. However, he also remembered that she had a slight cough. It was subtle but it could present a weakness for the sly Phantom Thief. 

He ran out of the hangar, then climbed above his father's manor. He entered a dwelling at the top of the tree. The dwelling was enormous, spanning half the tree's canopy. Its walls were made of branches interlaced together with some gaps that served as windows. An arched doorway four times the size of a man led inside the building. The cavernous room housed no furniture, only chimeras of all shapes and sizes. There were some that were a mix between an owl and a hound. Others were a mixture of bats and wolves. Others still were mixtures of birds and wild cats such as tigers. 

Andre choose five chimeras to go with him. They followed him as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Since the gadzina girl had a cough, there was a chance that she would require medicine. Krakor only had two pharmacies with a third still under construction. It would be easy to watch both pharmacies should the Phantom Thief ever come. 

December 19, 1912 AC

Lena coughed onto her sleeve and Lis dropped to her side. They stood amidst a forest of clanking gears, performing repairs on the clock. The free gadzina responsible for maintaining the clock tower had been murdered four years ago. Since then, it had been maintained by Pavel before his death by chimera. Lis had sought to teach Lena about how to maintain the clock tower. That hope had been shattered by Lena's violent coughing fits. 

Lis waited for Lena to straighten herself once more. Lena looked at her and mumbled "sorry Lis." 

"It's fine Lena. Are you alright?" 

"I'm fine. It's just a little cough." 

Lis examined Lena's face, which had become frighteningly pale. Lena's eyes seemed to stare at something beyond the gears and floor. Lis placed a hand on her companion's forehead and quickly withdrew. Lena's head radiated tremendous amounts of heat. Lis said "you're not alright. Wait here while I go fetch a cure." 

And then, Lis descended the clock tower and exited Malbrink Station. The skies above were dark, lit only by Umbreus and the stars. Long shadows shrouded the road, providing her with ample cover. She darted into the beckoning alleyway and ran towards the nearest pharmacy. There was one pharmacy located 500 metres south of the station. It was poorly guarded with only two chimeras that patrolled it. Lis slowed as she neared the building and then peaked around the corner. She could see both chimeras circling in the skies overhead. The lead chimera was half hound and half bat; the other was a tiger-owl mix. The two chimeras flew close together as they circled above. Avoiding them would be much easier than she would have thought. 

She waited until they were out of sight and then dashed to the pharmacy. She observed the keyhole and moulded her pin into the correct shape. Then, she entered the pharmacy and closed the door behind her. She was alone in a lightless room. The walls were blue and the floor covered with dark wooden boards. Before her were twelve enormous shelves. Each shelf contained rows upon rows of glass vials capped with corks. Each vial was filled with either a dozen pills or with some liquid. She pocketed two vials with light blue pills. They would serve to soothe Lena's fever. 

Then, she crouched beside the windows and listened for any signs of the chimeras. She heard nothing. Carefully, she peaked around the edge of the window. There were no signs of danger. Quickly, she leapt out of the window and closed it behind her. She ducked into the nearest alleyway, her senses tense and her heart thumping against her ribs. Upon reaching the mouth of the alley, she paused and examined the street before her. Across from where she stood was a bakery. The light blue building looked tantalizing to her eyes. Its arched windows presented her a clear view of the goods inside. 

She thought a bit, then resigned herself. She and Lena had need to procure some food. Swiftly, she darted across the street and into the shadows by the building. She paused beside the scarlet door and once more removed her pin. She unlocked the door and closed it behind her. Before her were fourteen shelves each the height of her waist. Upon each shelf was an array of baked goods. At the back of the store lay a white wood counter. There were also bags of flour laid beside an oven. The oven was positioned in the corner opposite to the counter.  Lis examined the drawers of the counter until she came across a paper bag. She filled it with nine slices of bread. 

But then, she froze. Why were the chimeras flying at such close proximity to each other? Normally, they would fly a little apart to observe more of the city. If they required help from another chimera, they could easily howl and dozens of chimeras from all across the city would join them. Now thoroughly nervous, Lis crept to the window left of the counter. She could see chimeras circling overhead. She counted five in all, each one a different mixture of beasts. Then, she snuck to the window on the opposite end of the store. She could just make out the shadow of a person standing near the edge of the roof. She could only make out his head. Lis examined the store. She sought any means of escape. The store did not connect to any other stores. There were also no doors on the floor. However, there were dozens of bags of flour... 

Once more, she examined the counter drawers and discovered spools of thread. Knitting needles lay beside it, most likely from the owner's wife. She removed the spools of thread and emptied six bags of flour. She stuffed the largest bag with bread until it was roughly as big as her torso. Then, she stuffed two other bags so that they were vaguely the shape of her legs. She did the same to two more bags, only this time in the shape of her arms. Then, she stuffed a small bag with tarts to form a roughly head-shaped object. Lastly, she sewed the bags together to form a makeshift mannequin. Her fingers were a blur and cold sweat ran down her forehead. Each second seemed to tick by so slowly they became minutes. 

Relief filled her the moment she had finished sewing the mannequin. Quickly, she dropped a scented twig into the mannequin through a gap between the threads. Then, she waited for the chimeras to fly to the window right of the counter. Once there, the chimeras and the noble would be to the same side of the store. It was then that she hurled the mannequin out of the window. The glass shattered and shards flew outwards, shredding the dummy in the process. She immediately dashed to the other side of the store and leapt out of the window. 

Relief briefly filled her. She could sense no chimeras around. The mannequin had served its purpose. But then, fear flood her body. Through the corner of her eye, Lis could see the noble from before. He pointed a gun at her. She rolled on the ground and leapt away. The bullet missed her by mere millimetres. She darted around the corner of the building and across the street. She hurtled through another alleyway. Her feet struck the ground with powerful thumps. As the alley ended, she leapt over the street. She soared 5 metres above the ground, sailing over the road and the lone horsecar in the street. Through its many windows, she caught sight of the passengers within looking up at her. 

And then, her feet struck the ground and she disappeared into the shadows of another alley. She ran back to Malbrink, pausing only to observe the streets. Seeing no signs of danger, she dashed across the road and into the station. She smashed through the doors and raced towards the hallway that led to the tower. Before her, nobles and free gadzina alike leapt out of her path. And then, she had entered the corridor. She ran to its end, ran past the generator, and ran up the stairs into the clock room. 

Lena awaited her. Frantically, Lis exclaimed "we must leave here!" 

"What happened?" 

Lis did not reply. Already she could hear the howling of hounds draw nearer to their position. She ran to the windows bordering the clock. She shoved one pane and it swung open. Freezing gales rushed through the window and battered her face, carrying with them the first traces of snow. She beckoned and Lena ran to her side. She urged Lena to climb out. Lena reluctantly obeyed. With unsteady legs and quivering hands, she hauled herself through the window. Her feet touched the stone ledge that lay just below the clock face. Carefully, she sidestepped to the edge of the ledge. 

Behind her, Lis had also crawled out of the window. She closed the window behind her with her foot. And then, she followed Lena as they stepped to the edge of the ledge. The ledge ended at the tower's corner. Beside the ledge was the top of the head of a stone statue carved in the shape of an owl. Lena stood on the owl's head as Lis reached the end of the ledge. Already Lis could hear the thumping of paws on stone. The howls were defeaning as the chimeras climbed inside the clock room. 

Lis placed her index finger right before her lips. Lena nodded slowly. Lis examined the statue. The owl was roughly two storeys in height and was carved out of solid marble. It stood atop a marble pillar that was anchored to the ground beside the station. The pillar and the statue were very smooth, leaving her no handholds to climb down. However, the wall to the other side of the statue had been worn away by wind and rain. There were cracks and ridges along with the occasional dip in the wall. 

"Climb onto my back!" whispered Lis. 

Lena gave her a blank stare. Lis repeated herself and Lena clung onto her back. Then, Lis stepped onto the owl statue and then beyond. She grabbed the first crack on the wall and placed her feet on the first ridge she encountered. Slowly, she began her descent. She slipped her feet into cracks. Her fingers clung desperately to ridges and dips. She was dimly aware of Lena's legs around her torso. 

Then, her feet touched the ground. Relieved, Lis ran into the closest alleyway and disappeared into the shadows. Lena mumbled "where will we go now?" 

Lis thought desperately for any havens within Krakor. She could not think of any. There would be chimeras and nobles and animated corpses everywhere within the city. Factories would be heavily patrolled as would any buildings that might contain places they could hide. Furthermore, the nobles would doubtlessly be relentless in their pursuit. She had already embarrassed them at the Ofiary Day. She had stolen right in front of one of their own. They would not allow her to escape. Lena's health was deteriorating and they could not afford a lifestyle of constantly running and hiding from pursuers. No, they had to leave the city. But where to? 

Lis sifted through the names of all major cities. And then, she said "we're going to Pyrdyke!" 

"Are you going to join the rebellion?" croaked Lena. 

"We're safer with them than anywhere else!" 

"Please Lis, let us go elsewhere!" 

"There's nowhere else to go to! We must leave this city and Pyrdyke's the best option!" 

Lena fell silent then and did not move a muscle as Lis continued her desperate dash through the alleyway. Andre meanwhile examined the clock room with his chimeras. He found a little alcove in the wall behind the gears. The alcove contained a bookshelf stocked with tomes on science and history. There was also a little wooden table and a bed. A lamp rested on the table. Its innards held a candle that was still in the midst of burning. Beside the lamp were a pile of twigs, each of which carried the Phantom Thief's scent. They had searched the entire room and the Phantom Thief was nowhere in sight. 

Andre turned to the nearest chimera and said "find me the place that has the second strongest scent!" 

The chimera bounded out of the alcove, scurried around the gears, and then began to paw at the window. Andre examined the window and noticed hinges on some of the panes. He pushed against the glass and a panel opened. Below it was a ledge and beside that was an owl statue. Andre clambered to the owl statue and examined the wall that lay beside it. It was marked with cracks, ridges, and dips. Climbing down it would be difficult but not impossible for a vernbinder. 

He climbed down the wall and examined the ground below. A thin layer of snow had carpeted the ground. Upon it, a ways away from the station, he could see a set of tracks. He whistled at the chimeras and they ran by his side. The tracks led them around dozens of different buildings. They crossed four streets, a twenty different stores, and little restaurants with tables and chairs just outside their doors. 

The tracks did not stop at any of the buildings. Instead, they ended at the black iron fence that bordered a factory. The factory was an enormous building with pale stone walls and three chimneys on its roof belching black smoke into the darkening air. Small windows lined the upper parts of the walls and a pair of towering double doors led inside. Andre examined the fields surrounding the factory but could see no signs of track. He examined the prints just outside the factory and did not find any signs of disturbed snow that might indicate a winged beast taking flight. The tracks ended on undisturbed snow and that was all he found. 

And then, Andre cursed himself. He had known that some animals would retrace their steps. They would walk backwards, placing their feet inside their own footprints, before leaping off to the side. It was a means for them to fool pursuers and he, in his haste, had fallen for it. He quickly retraced his steps until he found a set of footprints that dug deeper into the snow than all the others. Inside the alleyway by those prints, he could see a second trail. These footprints led him towards the south and they did not stop until they had reached the walls bordering the city. 

Andre leapt atop the wall, which stood 10 metres in height. The walls were made of pale brown limestone bricks and were meant to prevent gadzina from escaping the city. Andre marched along the black railings atop the wall until he found another set of footprints. These prints led him to a portion of the wall that was scarcely patrolled by chimeras. Then, he noticed a fourth set of footprints. These ones were on the ground outside the city. The Phantom Thief was heading southwards, but the question was to where? 

He sifted through his mind of all the cities and towns to the south. He at last decided upon Pyrdyke. The Silver City had seen the success of rebels and contained nobles that were more sympathetic to the plight of the gadzina. Though most had abandoned the city, it was still quite populous and contained many places to hide. Yes, Pyrdyke was the most likely place they would go. 

Andre ordered the chimeras back to his father's manor. And then, he returned to his hangar. He pulled a switch beside the door. Two enormous gates swung outwards. The metal plates moved on wheels that guided them apart. Once the wheels stopped turning, Andre climbed into the nearest airship and carefully maneuvered it outside. The airship's five wheels guided her out until she had cleared the hangar. It was then that Radek closed the hangar gates and returned to the cockpit. 

He said "are you sure about this Andre?" 

"Yes," Andre replied. "If the Phantom Thief goes to Pyrdyke, then Pyrdyke is where we must go!" 

Andre pulled a switch on the panel and the propellers churned with fury. He grabbed a nearby lever and carefully pulled it down. The propellers swivelled until they faced the skies and then carried the ship aloft. Slowly, she began to rise until she was above the tallest buildings. A minute passed and she was higher than the trees with nothing in her path. Andre pulled the lever again and the propellers angled forward. They pulled the airship forward as she thundered through the skies. 

The ground below her passed by fast as she reached 100 kilometres per hour. Andre smiled. She may be slower than a train, but she had freedom that locomotives lacked. Below them were the wide fields of crops that surrounded all of Krakor. The fields were barren now, but come spring and summer, they would be filled with abundant green and gold. Lines of leafless trees sliced the fields in pieces. Streams crisscrossed the fields as did the Kryzat River. The fields soon gave way to wide open grasslands marked by occasional forests. Railways also crossed the lands, forming a cobweb of hardened steel. 

Night came and passed. The sun rose again, its red eye gracing the skies of Vryland with light that turned clouds into flames. Andre set the airship down in a flat stretch of field. He examined the surrounding ground and was graced with the sight of footprints. There were two sets now, but one of them were of the same size and shape as those in Krakor. The Phantom Thief was not alone and she was indeed voyaging to Pyrdyke. Andre returned to the airship and guided her aloft. They would reach Pyrdyke first and lie in wait for their targets.