While I teach Daravoi magic, he keeps his part of our agreement, and he gives me a crash course on petty crime.

So, three days after our first trip to the lake, it’s time for a test. Daravoi walks out from an electronics store, looking gloomy as ever. Our eyes meet, but he ignores me until I follow him into a side alley.

“The cashier kept looking at me like I was some kind of thief,” he says, deadpan. I really can’t tell if he’s joking.

“Some people are just so suspicious,” I offer. “They also look at me like I’m insane!”

He cracks a smile.

“In your case, they’re right,” he says. “In my case, they’re right too, but it’s an accident, they’re suspicious because they’re racist.”

“So, you’re saying racism works,” I point out. “Now, can I steal their shit thanks to my pasty complexion and friendly smile?”

“Please don’t smile that much,” Dara says, “it’s creepy and draws attention. Anyway, yeah, they don’t scan IDs. They have cameras and an anti-shoplifting scanner, but it’s the cheap kind, the one that just bleeps.”

“Great!” I say, already feeling the rush of excitement. “Showtime!”

Before I can go, though, Daravoi grabs my sleeve. “Wait,” he says. I jerk my arm away out of reflex - I hate when people touch me - but I squash my annoyance. Daravoi is way too touchy-feely, but this time he was only trying to get my attention.

“What?” I ask. “I’ve already changed my face, don’t you see?”

By adapting the permanent-light spell, I finally managed to bind a Lie that makes me look a little different - just a little, because if I try big changes, I lose track of them and my face looks like it’s melting. So I made my skin ruddier, my eyes green and my nose flatter. Most people wouldn’t recognize me, I think.

“Yeah, you’re getting good with that,” Dara says, “but you’re still you. So, say the rules.”

I groan. “Bo-ring. But ok, ok, when we’re doing the criminal stuff, you’re boss. So, rule one: don’t touch anything unless I’m going to steal it. Rule two: change targets and tactics - that one I had figured out on my own. Rule three: don’t be greedy. Rule four: be boring as fuck.”

Daravoi rolls his eyes. “Rule four is don’t draw attention, and you suck at that,” he says. “But you got them mostly right, finally. Please keep them in mind, for reals, ok? We must keep a low profile. Ideally, our mark doesn’t even realize they’ve been robbed. Let alone with magic.”

“I’ll behave,” I promise. “I won’t even suggest making a Lie where an octopus with a jetpack barges in and steals phones. Even if that would definitely get everyone’s attention off me!”

“I think even you realize this is stupid,” Daravoi grumbles. Then he cocks his head. “Could you make that Lie, though? It sounds hard. No, wait, don’t try. We’ll test it at the lake.”

I make an exaggerated sigh. “But it’s not fun without a public!” There’s so much cool stuff I could do with my magic, if I didn’t have to worry about ThauCon.

“Just go and steal some phones,” Daravoi says. “And be careful.”

I make a military salute, turn my back to Daravoi and walk to the shop. It’s not the flashy kind of store you can find in the city center, but those have real security and ID scanners. This one’s a small, cramped room which makes most of its money with repairs and selling second-hand electronics. I don’t think I ever bought any tech in a physical store, we had everything delivered, and I was really surprised to find out you can repair your phone when it breaks, instead of buying a new one. Poor people are smart!

My heart hammers in my chest as I walk into the shop. There’s a sense of freedom in being someone else which I never felt before discovering my powers. And the risk of getting caught makes everything so intense, it turns the world brighter, more real - almost like the Else.

The middle-aged woman behind the counter gives me a quick, disinterested glance as I walk in, then she gets back to disassembling a spider-like drone. She has intricate tattoos, black against white skin, Vorokan style. They state female, in a group marriage, writer, and something flowery that might be poet. Woah, I’m robbing such an interesting person!

I scan the messy shelves of used electronics, trying to decide what I should steal. I thought phones would be the obvious choice - they’re cheap, there are a lot of them, and they don’t take much space. But Dara taught me that fences give you better money for devices that can work entirely offline - some phones are very difficult to recondition. He knows which brands to steal, but I never remember them.

Drones are great, but too large for my shoulder bag - apparently, large bags put shopkeepers on edge. Wearables? There’s a chameleon cloak, locked in a cupboard, and I always wanted one for myself, but my moms said it was a waste of money which would only give me new ways to be annoying. I could… no, rule three. Don’t be greedy. That’s the single most expensive item in the shop, they’d definitely notice if I stole it.

Sadly, the solution is obvious, and boring: there’s a shelf full of tablets, secured in place by magnetic locks. Most look new, a few have minor scuffs or dead pixels. There’s a Lixis brand with a two-hundred credits price tag - that will do.

“Can I have a look at the Lixis-45 tablet?” I ask.

“If you must,” the woman says, unenthusiastic, “but Lixis makes overpriced shit. You could get the same specifics for half the money, with any of the new taerish brands. And it would probably last you longer.”

I shrug. “I like Lixis.”

Finally, she looks up from her drone, and gives me a long, judgemental stare. “Of course you would.”

She presses her finger on the lock, and it snaps open, allowing me to take the tablet.

I could make a Lie where I put back whatever I stole, it usually works. But this tablet was in too visible a position, the shopkeeper would notice as soon as the Lie ends. Also, she could try to re-close the lock, and that would be awkward, since my Lies aren’t solid to the touch.

I open a few random apps and pretend to consider the tablet for a while, then I nod.

“It’s sweet, I’ll take it,” I say. “Two hundred, right?”

“You’re mostly paying for the Lixis logo,” she mumbles, then looks at me, intently - right, she probably expects me to pay via StemLink.

“No implants, sorry,” I say. What will mages do, if implants become so widespread everyone uses them, in the next decades? I’d better steal a ton of money before that happens.

“You should get some, you’re young,” the woman reproaches me. “Scan your phone, or your chip.”

I take my fake, dead phone - I have a working one now, but Daravoi said I should never take it to the crime scene - and I Reach into the Else. Just a little bit, since I need a very small Lie. A bit of blue creeps into my vision, and the world starts splitting in a kaleidoscope of possibilities - but I grasp a simple, specific one, where I brought my working phone with me. I Channel a trickle of power to keep the Lie up, while I pretend to open a payment app.

Now the difficult part. I put my phone next to her scanner. My Lies don’t fool machines - even if I feel I could crack that, given time. But for today, I don’t need to. I reach again into the Else, following the same line of possibility I’ve been channeling. I have a working phone, and of course I have the cash. So, her scanner connects, makes a satisfying bleep, and its screen flashes green, saying payment confirmed - 200 C.

The woman looks at it and nods.

Not for the first time, I wonder how my Lies work, exactly. At first I thought Lies were like tricks of the light I can conjure.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

But I didn’t know what exactly the screen was supposed to show, and yet it convinced the shopkeeper. Did her own mind provide the information? Or do I take it from the possible future itself? I wish my stupid council book gave some more…

“Thank you for… are you ok?” The shopkeeper asks, sounding concerned. “Your eyes are…”

She stops, frowning. Oh, fuck - the whole creepy-glowing-eyes thing. I bound a Lie to my own eyes, to cover the glow, but I got distracted and it slipped.

I stop channeling, and leave the Else in a hurry. I flash her a big smile.

“My eyes are what? Amazing?” I ask. Being randomly flirty works great to confuse people - except when they flirt back, that’s awkward and I don’t know what to do. But the woman just laughs.

“What else could I expect from a Lixis fan,” she says, “never mind, it must have been a reflection. Now shoo, kid. I’ve work to do.”

She gets back to disassembling her spider-like drone, apparently forgetting about me.

My heart beats frantically and my knees feel weak - I was this close to being caught. But my hands are steady enough when I take the tablet and put it in my bag. Rule four - be boring. Resist the urge to make some joke as I leave. Don’t run, just walk out.

I step outside, and at that very moment, I remember Daravoi’s warning - there’s an old anti-shoplifting scanner. Fuck, I must make a Lie where it doesn’t bleep, or -

Wait. I see it now, it’s a plastic frame before the door. I’ve already stepped through it with my stolen tablet. Why didn’t it sound? According to Dara, for most electronics, the same app that processes payments de-activates anti-shoplift tracking. I didn’t actually pay, though, I just moved a bricked phone by the scanner, and made a Lie.

I linger a bit on the doorway, ready to run, or to reach for the Else, but nothing happens. So, I simply walk away with my stolen goods.

Well, I’m not going to complain. Maybe the shop doesn’t properly track the second-hand devices it re-sells. Or maybe, my Lies are more amazing than I thought. I really wish I could ask someone about my magic.

***

Half an hour later, Daravoi and I are sitting in a cramped, oily fast food restaurant at a shopping mall. It’s noisy and full of people, but it’s blessedly warm, and loud enough that we can discuss our criminal career in public without worrying.

Daravoi barely talks, so I must provide most of the conversation. But still, after a month spent mostly by myself, I’m enjoying his companionship to a frankly pathetic degree. Eating my fried cicadas and sipping tea, I feel like I could burst with joy. I’m not going to starve, I’m not going to freeze, I’m a mage, and I can do whatever I want.

No school, no moms, no worrying about my future.

“You say we must be careful to change targets and modus operandi,” I say. “What if we changed city? We could go somewhere warm! I’ve never been to the Riverlands!”

Dara looks at me, frowning.

“You haven’t even been to Landfall? Weren’t you super-rich?”

I shrug. “My family doesn’t like traveling. Well, except for big brother, but…”

I feel a stab of anxiety through my chest as I mention my brother. I didn’t even talk to him before running from home. Time to change topic.

“Anyway, should we move?” I ask. “I used magic a lot here in Rakavdon!”

Daravoi looks down at his own portion of fried cicadas. He seems gloomier than usual. “We will. At some point,” he says. “But it’s not easy, you know. We’ll need fake IDs to take a vac-train. Those cost a lot.”

I shrug. “We’re making tons of money. Also, I can make some rich guy think we’re their friends, or their children’s, and hitch a ride on their helicopter.

Daravoi shakes his head. “Jumping city via a private helicopter,” he says. “Unmaker’s tits, you’re the most spoiled street thief ever. Beside that… well, really, if we’re in a pinch, it could be a good plan. But… you know that’s disturbing as shit, right? Like, it’s… a really bad thing.”

He winces as he says it, as if fearing my reaction. Which really confuses me.

“Bad? I mean, I’m not even sure it’s a crime,” I shrug. “We wouldn’t take anything from them. Well, except some fuel. Hydrogen’s cheap, though.”

Daravoi’s jaw clenches. He does that when he’s frustrated. “No, not that,” he says. “The pretending-you’re-a-friend thing. I understand you did it before, when you had to make people pay for you. Now, maybe…don’t? Except in an emergency.”

“I…” I’m taken aback, and feel suddenly defensive, so I give him my brightest smile. “I’m amazed! While I filched a trivial tablet, you were clearly busy! Where did you steal that moral compass from? Because sure as Earth is fallen, you didn’t have it in the last week! You know, when you taught me shoplifting, in return for crimes against existence!”

Daravoi stammers and turns a little red. But he looks me in the eyes, and suddenly I’m the one feeling embarrassed.

“Look, I’m not going to tell you what to do,” Dara says, his tone serious now. “But you know fucking around with people’s minds is not like shoplifting. What would you feel if I… no, what would you do if you were having lunch with a friend, and had a great time, and suddenly they walked away, and you realized they were a stranger you never met before?”

My brain composes the snarky reply - oh, I know all about that, I thought I was having fun with a friend, and suddenly I realized he was here to judge me and complain about my poor morals!

But as it happens with annoying frequency when I try to defend myself, I hear my sister’s voice, saying at least stop a second and think, before you open that stupid mouth of yours. Especially if you’re going to say something horrible.

I take a deep breath, and think how I’d feel if Daravoi - maybe not yet a friend, but the one person I feel close to, right now - walked away, and I suddenly realized I had never met him before today, and it was all a Lie, a ploy to steal my book on magic.

It’s… more disturbing than I expected.

“It doesn’t hurt anyone,” I mutter, feeling my ears going red. But maybe Daravoi has a point, if I feel the need to defend myself. “I don’t hurt people!”

He sighs, rubbing his eyes.

“Look,” he says. “As you say, I’m no priest, and it’s not like I can tell you what’s right or wrong. But if you keep doing that shit… look, Kore. I like spending time with you. You helped me a lot, and while you’re weird as fuck, you’re fun. But how can I know if I want to stick with you because I genuinely like you, or because you make me like you?”

I open my mouth in dismay, but the worst part is - the thought did cross my mind. That I could make people like me. Not just for the time needed to buy me dinner, but for as long as I want.

“I wouldn’t do that,” I say, and I mean it - at least, I mean it now. “Like, I’m not sure I could do it, honestly, my Lies fade with time - but it doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t force you to like me.”

“And why is that?” Daravoi asks, his tone calm. “As you said, it doesn’t hurt anyone.”

“Because it’s wrong! It would be forcing them, it would…” I stop, realizing that was Daravoi’s point all along.

I’m hit by the memory of a historical Sim I used to like as a child. It was set during the Thaumocracy, following a hero who fought his nemesis, Prince Therones. Prince Therones was charming and well-spoken, but as the hero exposed his cruelty, his courtiers started to see through him. So he forced them to like and trust him. I remember watching in horror the scenes with the Hollow Court, where the prince’s subjects would repeat we trust Therones, we love Therones, we’d give our life to Therones, with glazed eyes and empty smiles.

Ok. Maybe I hadn’t thought this through. I don’t keep a high bar for my own behavior, but I should be able to clear ‘don’t act like a literal supervillain’.

Still, a nasty part of me searches for a retort, it wants to make him feel as bad as I do. But piling bad behavior over bad behavior never helps - Big Sis told me that so many times.

So, what am I supposed to say?

My other sibling’s advice comes to mind. If you did fuck up, and can’t hide it, you might as well own it. Maybe cry a bit, too. People love that, you’ll have them in your bed in no time.

“I… I’m sorry,” I say, and I mean it. I won’t cry, though, I’m not interested in bedding Daravoi, and my brother is his own brand of horrible. “It was so strange, discovering these powers, and I didn’t know how to get by and… look, I didn’t think much about what my magic does to my targets. My… victims.”

It’s hard to force the word out. I mean, I’m supposed to be weird and harmless, no one was ever scared of me in my life!

But the power to bend minds, and maybe reality itself, changed that.

“I won’t use my powers on you,” I say. “I promise. Well, not the mind-bending part. I still mean to try making a magical disguise for you. And maybe try to make you look like a giant penguin, I still want to… well, that’s beside the point. Anyway, I won’t influence your mind. And while I’ll totally use my magic to steal shit, I’ll keep to Lies like I’ve already paid or I didn’t take anything. That’s… that’s better, right?”

I can tell Daravoi relaxes a fraction - he was really worried. Did he plan this talk in advance?

“Yeah, that’s fine,” he says. “I mean, we have to do some crimes. And… look, I believe you. I hope I’m not an idiot for it. But I trust you won’t mess with my mind.”

It’s strangely touching - for the first time in my life, I have some power over people, disturbing as that is. And Daravoi thinks he can trust me with it.

He’s probably wrong. But I vow to myself I’ll get this right, at least. I won’t use magic to influence him, even in minor ways. Rule five: don’t be a creepy, mind-bending supervillain.