Genre: M/M fantasy romance [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] The legendary master thief named Temple has mysterious access to dark magic, which he himself barely understands, and suffers visions that speak of a dark god he’s afraid to even consider. Temple has made a name for himself as the Magpie King, a thief so proficient and elusive that the city of Sonderport’s corps of city guards, the Watchers, have never physically spotted the thief, let alone caught him. That puts him right within the jurisdiction of Watcher captain Gilbert Armstrong, the man tasked with apprehending him. While working to stop the serial murders occurring throughout the city of Sonderport, if Gilbert ever finds the Magpie King, his duty is clear: bring the master thief in, dead or alive. But then Coincidence conspires against them to bring them in each other's path. At odds and yet drawn inexorably together, the Watcher and the Magpie King begin to unravel the mysteries of the ritual killings and each other. As the connection between them grows ever stronger, so does the influence of a dark and greedy outside force, seemingly too powerful for either of them to fight.