My eyes widen with bewilderment as the last line of the Heart Vow page rings through my head like a hellish bell’s knell. The implications and explications are frightening, to say the least.

  The Etheri are watching me?! The Maxetheri… are interested… in my vows?!

  My other questions from the rest of what I read have fully faded from my thoughts, thoroughly replaced by that one, ominous, message.

  Fuck… no pressure, right? Fuckin’ a, that’s scary…

  “Delilah… I just received a message from the Etheri… they’re… um… they’re watching us…”

  My confusion pervades my mental processing capabilities as I relay the message to the only other person I can talk to about this… problem?

  Is it really a problem, though? This could be good or bad, depending on how things turn out…

  “Of course they are!”

  “What do you mean of course they are?!”

  I didn’t know that my inner voice could crack, but you learn something new every day, and the squeak in my telepathic question was definitely something new.

  “Human… who do you think sent me to you? Think about it very carefully… have you ever met anybody else who randomly had a telepathic cat approach them out of the blue? Especially one that’s as great as I am? On top of that, where do you think I go every morning? Would you really believe that I go eat small rodents? Me? No, Human, I go report to Mother and Father, the Maxetheria of Balance and Seasons.”

  “Well… no. I just thought that maybe my luck had decided to turn around… or, really, I just didn’t think about it much, or at all… and you what?! How do you even get there? None of this is making any sense! I feel like my head is about to explode!”

  “I guess you could call it ‘luck.’ A more apt description would be ‘fate.’ The Maxetheri convened on your behalf. They decided to bless you with my presence. I would not have come down to grace Gaio with my greatness had I not been assigned to do so.

  “As to my reporting, not that you need to know, I’m summoned of course. How else would I traverse the Expanse, the gap between this and the Etherian plane? All that aside, your company is… tolerable, Human. Feel thankful for me, as I am a higher form of being that is much better than anyone else! Bow down before my beautiful form, Human! ”

  “Tch. As if.”

  Fate, huh? The Maxetheri… convened? For me? Why? This is almost too much to take in… the Etherian plane? Delilah? It’s hard to believe…

  My thoughts want to go deeper, but after being properly distracted by her pompous statements, I remember that I’m supposed to be on my way to my final task of the day. I quickly glance up to check the time.

  “Looks like it’s only been about two hours, so we’ve got a bit over six left to complete the one that B— Hadrix… assigned to me.”

  I won’t call him Boss when I’m by myself. He doesn’t deserve that level of respect from me. He’ll never get that respect after what they did to Brick…

  “Human… you’re speaking aloud again. Remember what happened the last time you forgot to talk telepathically?”

  She sends a light titter across our bond as she pokes fun at my expense. The groan that escapes me comes out with enough force that a couple of the passersby veer to the opposite side of the street.

  “Of course I remember! How could I forget the woman that thought I was talking to her? She slapped me so hard I was seeing stars for hours! I still blame you for that! If you hadn’t smacked straight into a wall trying to catch that bird, I never would have laughed and called you a dumbass!”

  I may not look at that memory very fondly quite yet, but even I know that that will change with time.

  “Proving that you were in fact the one who was a… dumbass, as you call it. You should never question my perfection, Human.”

  The smugness that she exudes is just ridiculous enough that I chuckle a bit, causing yet another pedestrian to look at me askance.

  I’d better stop doing that, or the whole city will start thinking I’m the local madman. I think Smitty should hold that title out of everyone I’ve met so far.

  Delilah lets a feeling of amusement slip out of her grasp before she can stop herself.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Let’s go then, ‘Miss Perfect’ we’ve got somewhere to be. And stop reading my mind, you little rascal!”

  Not really too concerned, as I can understand that sometimes mind-reading is hard for her to control, I start walking east, but I soon notice that Delilah hasn’t gotten up yet.

  “What now?”

  “You’re forgetting something, Human.”

  “You really want me to pet you first? We’re going to run out of time before you’re satisfied.”

  I roll my eyes as I walk back and bend down to administer my affection to the animal. She bats my hand away, however, returning my eye roll right back to me.

  “That’s not what I was going to say. You really are a fool for an intelligent Human. You. Need. A. Dagger. So, we should head back to the blacksmith we passed on our way here. Feel free to thank me with pets later.”

  My palm smacks against my face. Maybe with a bit too much force. I rub the afflicted area gingerly, regretting my mistake immediately.

  “Hold on a bit, let me get more rings out of Inventory A. You’re so right that I’ll need to properly thank you tonight.”

  I’ve already begun summoning the box before the words travel to my companion. To my surprise, as I pull open the flaps, there are a lot less of the small rings than what I had expected from the amount that I’ve earned from my completed quests.

  There should be almost 200 copper rings in here, but it looks like there are less than twenty!

  As I examine the neat line of rings, I notice that the ones toward the end are two different colors aside from copper.

  Did it immediately convert all of the copper ones into… let’s see… one tin and eight bronze, with five remaining? That’s handy. It’ll save on conversion costs in the future. Not to mention there might be a way to convert down. If not now, maybe something in the “Utility” branch will allow it.

  After coming to this conclusion, I untie the nicer cord from under my arm and throw it into the box, closing the flaps in the interlocked way they always appear when I summon it. I wait a few seconds before opening it back up. Needless to say, I’m pleasantly surprised to see only two tin, two bronze and five copper rings in the bottom aside from the fancy interwoven ring line.

  I quickly string them together on the length of cord, tucking it safely through the twine already beneath my arm before getting rid of my box and walking back the way we came from. I hadn’t been paying attention to the storefronts on our way through the first time, so I carefully scan the shop signs in order to figure out which one is the blacksmith. We pass a butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker before I finally hear the telltale sound of a hammer striking metal.

  I follow the noise, once again paying no heed to the other shops now that I have an inkling of where I’m heading. We come upon a building with a metal sign depicting a hammer crossing a sword, an anvil placed centrally below them.

  “Wait here, Delilah. I don’t think a blacksmith is the most pet-friendly place to be.”

  For answer, she just jumps up onto a barrel to the side of the door before walking in three little circles and curling up right in the middle.

  “I am not your pet, Human. You’d do well to remember that.”

  The chill in her tone nearly beats the brisk breeze that blows by.

  After that overt threat, I shudder as I step inside, whereupon a friendly loxin girl waves in greeting while helping another customer with their purchase. I can’t see what the hooded figure is purchasing, but they appear to not be satisfied with the price.

  I wait by the entrance for a bit, not wanting to interrupt the girl’s business. They must agree on a price, because I hear rings clink onto the counter, which the mystery man angrily grabs before turning to leave with a huff.

  As they brush by me, I catch a glimpse under her hood. She is a her, or at least I assume so, I don’t ask before she walks past in a rush. That, however, is not the most shocking aspect of the woman. Her long, gleaming amethyst hair and piercing violet eyes that dismiss me in a glance are what catch my attention.

  What is an ald doing in the city? We’re too far south for many refugees to show up.

  As I’m lost in thought, the loxin taps me on the shoulder, causing me to start a bit. It’s only then that I realize she’d been talking. About what, I’ve not the foggiest clue.

  I didn’t even notice her approach.

  “Um… I’m sorry. I, uh, didn’t quite catch that. What did you say?”

  “Oh! That’s okay! I just said my name is Lexi. How may I be of service today?”

  Her gleaming smile causes me to blush, and I stumble over my next words in the most embarrassing way possible.

  “Oh, nice to meet you Sexy— Lexi! My… um… My name is Luck. Looker! I mean! I’m looking for a… um… a dagger…”

  My cheeks must be bright red, though she’s polite enough not to mention that as she smiles, swiping a lock of her metallic silver hair behind her snow white ear. Her eyes, one silver, the other a metallic blue, seem to take me in with a quick glance, though I’m unsure what she gleans from her gaze.

  “Sure! What kind of dagger are you looking for? We’ve got a wide selection starting from five tin rings!”

  Her gleaming smile fades a bit as I feel my face blanche. There is no derision visible, just a sense of disappointment.

  “If that’s too expensive, we do have one option that we could part with for less… it’s just…”

  “Just… what?”

  I momentarily find myself lost in her beauty once more as she purses her full lips in a pensive, contemplative way.

  “It’s… cursed…”

  She fidgets with her hands, clearly reluctant to be telling me this.

  “We bought it from an entari man a while back. It’s very pretty! But… every time we sell it to someone, they bring it back the next day claiming that it doesn’t cut through anything and demanding a refund. We don’t give refunds, so we just buy it back at a lower cost which, as you just saw, most people aren’t happy about… I was going to throw it away this time, but if you can pay… let’s say three… yeah, three tin rings, you can have it!”

  I frown, pulling out my cord of rings.

  “All I have is two tin and two and a half bronze.”

  I sigh in defeat, ready to brave the wilderness without a weapon, but as I go to put the cord back, she stops me.

  “Let’s make a deal! I can take that amount if you promise you won’t bring it back, no matter what. Is that good for you?”

  Her face brightens with hope-filled eyes, as if this is her last chance to get rid of the dagger in question. The longer I stay around her, the harder it is for me to find the ability to say no.

  I do need a dagger… but I haven’t even seen it yet… She’s so pretty… GAH! That’s not important! I guess I don’t have much of a choice. It’s all I can afford. Well, here goes nothing! You can’t make it through life without risking it for the biscuit every so often. Let’s just hope the part about not cutting anything is greatly exaggerated.

  “Sure—”

  As soon as the first word leaves my mouth, she whisks away my strung rings, leaving for the blink of an eye before returning with a small, cloth-wrapped bundle. This is immediately shoved into my awaiting arms, followed by the girl turning me around and pushing me out the front door.

  “Thank-you-for-your-patronage-hope-you-enjoy-it-bye-now-have-a-nice-day!”

  Her words come out in such a rush that it sounds like gibberish to me before she slams the door behind me, leaving me dazed and confused.

  “Thank… you?”