My head lay on the counter. Two long ring each chimed at some point. I may have stumbled close to sleep once or twice, but never near enough to really rest.


    cryst.


    Gleamed. It looked more than an actual gem than the stinking stones we’d dug up. Cut into many faces, each side was a little triangle. The vibration of the cryst rumbled even deeper, more intense than any of the crysts from yesterday.


    music???—??almost sounded good.


    Adwyn had eyes that pierced, these eyes seemed only to prod. Only needed to prod.


    magic.”


    Anti-magical then, is that —” I cut myself off. The words had just left my mouth when I cringed.


    Hinte, deeper, wasn’t I?


    without reaching for my ariose Specter voice. “But it doesn’t matter. There aren’t a lot of practitioners around here, and the ones there are hide it for–for a reason. Saying this is magical makes it less likely to sell, not more.”


    least. In the east market, that is.” I could read a smile in the folds of their mask.


    Sterk,” I mouthed. I looked back at the mage, giving them a closer look. The question perched on the tip of my tongue. But I flicked and said, “Only if you have some schizon to wrap it in. One hum is enough. Two will drag on my nerves, drag on everyone’s nerves.”


    perfect, in fact.”


    was that?” I murmured, staring at Sterk.


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    Just then, a bell jingled, jostling me from my rest; and in stepped a brown wiver with her left frill ringed with piercings, a wide laughing mouth and dark-blue eyes that lit up as they lighted on me. She smelt oddly electric.


    at all.”


    love”???—??her clouded brilles caught a glint of light???—??“the lake as much as everyone else. But a day of freedom? That’s a whole notch on its own.”


    Hide your fangs.


    at me. “I like the way you’re handling this.”


    I to blame for you being nice?”


    could be calm and professional. “You think so?” But that wasn’t what drew Mawla here, was it?


    was the mask.


    obvious.”


    have anyone. So even though I have some freedom today, I have nobody to while it with.”


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    A bell jingles, jostling me awake again. A cloying, poisonous smell told me who was there before I lifted my head.


    then she saw me.


    The Confusion of Underbush, like you asked.”


    * * *