The terrain shuddered with an outgoing train, the spine-chilling howl of the whistle signaling its departure from the eastern banks of Budapest. The eastern side, Pest, could not have been more suitably named as that was exactly how the Buda/Fae side felt about us humans.
Pests.
Vermin.
Nuisances.
The squeal of the tracks shrieked through the dark, coating my skin with goosebumps. The night was unseasonably cold for late spring, causing a lacy fog to climb up the rails of the bridge, like the dead crawling up from their graves, slinking across the ground in hunt for life. The thick atmosphere pillowed the air raging through my lungs. My heart thumped in a tandem of fear and excitement, covering my tongue with the bitterness of adrenaline. Headlights glowed through the mist with an eerie luminosity in the deep witching hours. The conductor’s tall, willowy frame was outlined in the window, giving the impression the Grim Reaper was driving, his course set firmly ahead. It was his mission to cross the bridge without casualty.
The Margaret Bridge was split in half by an invisible border. The humans controlled the Pest side of Margaret Island; the fae owned the Buda side. But the bridge was not guarded, making it prime for raids. The train operators knew to be on alert thanks to people like me.
Thieves.
I was the worst kind. I didn’t do it to save my family from poverty or because I needed the money. I did it because I could. For the thrill. To confirm how good I was at it. Some might say I was a Robin Hood of sorts, taking profit from the rich fae and humans, who used the poor and desperate as their labor horses. That was complete bullshit. I did it because I loved the high, the danger it brought my controlled world. I was exceptional at sneaking quickly through the night, which filled me with something I never got a lot at home. Pride.
The night trains were partially used for travelers journeying to other towns and countries. The other part held cargo picked up in the neutral zone before heading to Prague, where the goods would be traded or sold, the money going straight into the pockets of the already exceedingly wealthy.
“In ten,” I whispered to Caden, his tall form hunched next to me behind a dilapidated souvenir shop. It had been years since tourists came here, back when Budapest flourished with foreign money and travelers. That all ended the day I was born. My birth not only killed my mother but had also marked the deaths of millions of humans, the world as they knew it, and was the beginning of the end for this country.
I carried that weight every day.
“In eight.” Similar to a lion creeping up on its prey, I slunk closer, my dark clothes hiding me in the shadows, my long black hair tucked back into my beanie. I pulled down my balaclava, covering my face, only eyes and mouth visible. A knife was strapped to my side. I had yet to use it or even pull it out on any runs. My talent was not robbing head-on but slipping in and out like a ghost. The conductors didn’t even realize they had been robbed until I was long gone and back in my bed.
I was the top fighter in my class because of my talent for sneaking up on people, even if they knew I was there. Caden was always in awe of this ability. I was average height, but years of training had my figure fit and slight, able to slink in and out of tiny places like a reedy cat.
“Five,” I whispered, leaning on my toes, ready to pounce.
“Brex,” he murmured my nickname in my ear, casting shivers down the back of my neck. Instead of the train, my focus turned to the proximity of his mouth, my gaze sliding down to his lips and jaw as he pulled down his face mask.
Clearing my throat, I turned forward.
“Can’t back out now, Markos.” I used his last name, forcing back the butterflies in my stomach determined to upset the fragile balance between my best friend and me. We had been inseparable since we were children, when the differences between boys and girls were far less, and when I didn’t want to find out how his lips felt on mine or feel his hands on my body. “Not like you haven’t done this before.”
“I know, but if we ever got caught… My father...” He shook