The walk over to the Orpheus House gives me much-needed time to settle my churning emotions. The breeze on my face helps clear my mind. I smile despite the state in which I left Lionel, enjoying the capricious wind as it plays with my curls, blowing them into my eyes and obstructing my vision.

That reminds me. I need a haircut.

Thankfully, I don’t need my eyesight to walk through the press of bodies in the crowds. I can rely on my Domain to guide me unerringly in the direction I want to go. Like all my Skills, it’s far more responsive and instinctive than ever before. I never realized just how much of a cheat it is to become a [Mage]. Instead of fighting hard to use magic, now the entire world leaps to obey my every whim. In a way, it feels like the only limit to my power is my own imagination.

A merry whistle escapes my lips before I even realize what I’m doing. There’s something about the sunny day, the lively calls of laborers and merchants back and forth, and the low-level thrum of a city filled to bursting with activity that makes it impossible for me to dwell on all of the potential trouble we face. Life’s too short to spend every waking moment wracked by doubt and fears, although I pray that Mender Uttara, Melina, and Rakesh can brainstorm a way to heal my friend.

As always, walking through the unique districts of Gilead makes me feel like a kid just discovering art. Everywhere I look, a riot of distinctive colors make each block or region of the city stand out. I still haven’t figured out the building code. The districts follow a specific logic to their color assignment, but I’m not sure what it is. Is there a restriction on the colors a specific type of industry can use for its area? I’ll have to ask Rakesh. He’ll know for sure.

Thinking of Rakesh fills me with hope. Even though he’s not a [Healer], and his beloved runic dictionary isn’t complete, he’s the most meticulous person I know; he’ll find a clever way to come up with a solution. Not even the distinguished [Scholar] Ezio is as good at finding parallels and overlooked details. If there’s a way to heal Lionel, then Rakesh will find it. If he can’t help, then it simply wasn’t meant to be. That’s how much faith I have in my friend the [Researcher].

The corner of my lips curls up in a wry smile. He probably would lecture me that my faith is misplaced, and that all he does is read, think, and connect the details until a picture emerges. I don’t think he realizes how important it is to ask the right questions and to properly explore the consequences of ideas.

By the time I arrive at the Orpheus, I’m confident that there’s nothing to fear. My friends will pull through. All I have to do is earn money, and that’s easy for a Master glassworker.

Although it’s not my forte, I manage to make small talk with the assistant at the door who ushers me inside, ensuring that I’m as polite and personable as possible. I tip the young man for guiding me to the glass studio, giving him more coins than strictly necessary, and he beams in response. While I came here to seek out the help of my friends in high places, it’s never wasted time to cultivate friends in low places, too.

Even if he never repays me, I’d like to think that kindness is always worth the effort. Why should I act surly and stressed toward him just because I’m worried about Lionel? The assistant isn’t to blame.

Alone after the young man departs, I sink into a chair in the corner of the hot shop with a grateful sigh, enjoying the warmth radiating off the main crucible. In a way, this feels like coming home, even though I haven’t put in much work with glass lately.

Caught up in my thoughts, I barely notice when Ozana joins me in the studio. Only the blazing bonfire of her mana signature in my Domain tips me off. She’s working hard to mask her presence, and I highly doubt I’d see her with my old [Manasight] when she’s invisible like this. Nothing hides from my [Arcane Domain], however.

Especially now that it’s empowered, I muse. The [Mage] Class is totally unfair—not that I’m complaining!

I nod toward where she’s standing, even though I can’t see her at all. “Good day to you, Ozana.”

She drops her cloaking Skill, emerging into the light with a faint smirk. Her [Stealth] Skill is impressive, surpassing Mbukhe’s by a fair amount. Not for the first time, I wonder just how and why she developed such Skills in her line of work.

“You’ve grown. I’m not sure you would have noticed me a few days ago. I take it your appointment went well?”

“I don’t believe I told you about that,” I say with a spike of suspicion. My mana swirls at the ready, just in case she’s somehow tied to [Lady] Saphora’s desperate delusions of breaking faith with Densmore and ruling over the masses of Gilead.

She regards me with a disappointed gaze. “It’s my business to know what happens in this city, Nuri. Particularly when it has to do with one of my favorite business partners.”

“You mean valuable investment.”

“That too!” Ozana replies with a musical laugh. “I’m glad you’re doing well. Now, what brings you to the Orpheus unannounced? I’m glad you came—you’re always welcome here at any time—but I must apologize that I did not meet you at the door.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Why else would I visit a business partner? I find myself in need of funds.”

“How boring. You could have just sent a missive,” Ozana says, waving her hand like it’s the easiest thing in the world to supply me with money. Perhaps it is for her.

I stand up and face her, hoping to impress upon her the gravity of the situation. “I need more than our agreed-upon advance. Requesting that via a letter seemed inappropriate.”

Ozana holds out her hands toward the furnaces, enjoying the heat they emit even with their doors closed. “I’d be happy to increase the rate of your sales. The imbued items are still going for more than our predictions account for, so the market hasn’t hit saturation yet.”

I frown, stroking my beard while I think it over. I shake my head. “That will take too long. I hate to sound so demanding, but I need money now. A lot of money.”

“Sounds exciting!” Ozana says lightly. “I don’t suppose it has to do with our security alarms going off at the Menders campus, does it?”

“Truly, your information network is formidable,” I reply sarcastically, crossing my arms and returning her unconcerned stare with an icy glare.

“Oh, no, that’s not a good example of spying,” Ozana replies. “We sold them the alarms. Of course we help them monitor the system. Not keeping tabs on the biggest spender in town would be foolish!”

“So you freely admit that you’re tracking me and watching them. Not exactly a bedrock of trust upon which to build a working relationship,” I point out.

“Master Nuri! When have we ever given you reason to doubt our good intentions? You wound me,” Ozana says.

On a whim, I invite a tiny portion of the mana around us to imbue with unbreakable. There’s no glassware target, so I infuse it into the swirling energy of my Domain as I continue speaking. It dissipates quickly, but not before I finish delivering my ultimatum.

“I don’t have time for these games. I won’t negotiate, Ozana. I’ll make a masterwork of glass. Today. Right here in the studio. In exchange, you’ll give me whatever I ask for. You might not earn as much as you want for it, but I’m not in the mood to quibble over profit margins.”

“Ah. Found a backbone?” Ozana says. Her tone loses some of its playful quality, but she doesn’t seem terribly offended or angry. If anything, the mask of the socialite has been set aside, and now she’s ready to discuss in earnest as a businesswoman.

“I need enough to cover the costs of a miracle potion. Perhaps two. And as many of the highest-grade mana draughts you have. I’ll buy directly from you if they’re available, but I’ll bet that the Menders have exclusivity clauses in their contracts. Some things are too important to make available to the general public.”

“Correct. We have the mana draughts on hand, however. I can send you away with a case of nine packed in a square box, if it’s that urgent.”

“It is,” I say, and my voice finally cracks under the strain of the emotion I’m carrying. I know it’s a bad idea to display weakness when negotiating, but it can’t be helped. Lionel needs me, and this is the only way I have left to fight for him.

“In that case, I’ll make arrangements with our [Treasurer]. The funds will be waiting for you when you’re finished with the masterwork. I will draft up a contract while you work. If it makes you feel better, you can send for any [Lawyer] or [Broker] of your choosing to review it first.”

“You know that I don’t have time for that,” I say, my face twisting into a grimace. “I’m at your mercy.”

Ozana frowns at me, looking genuinely shaken for the very first time since I’ve met her. “Master Nuri, never tell anyone that again. Others will take advantage of you. I know, because I’m tempted to take advantage of you.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time. It hasn’t ended well for any of them,” I reply darkly. My anger seeps out into my [Arcane Domain], mingling with my [Greater Heat Manipulation], and Ozana takes a step back, a sheen of sweat breaking out across her face.

“Please don’t burn down my workshop,” Ozana asks. She clasps her hands together. “I can tell something is bothering you. If it’s related to the Menders, and you need to purchase a miracle potion—well, I won’t pry. You’ll have the money, and you have my word that I’ll be fair to you with the repayment plan. I’ll not risk losing your work because of greed.”

Somehow, I believe her. After Azariah, Totten, and the [Mayor] in Loch LaMara, I’m wary of people taking advantage of me. Ozana operates in more distinguished circles, however, and she’s well aware of how much money I can earn her in the long run. Taking advantage of me now would be incredibly short-sighted.

I move over to the wall and examine the blowpipes, testing their weight until I find one that suits me. They have an excellent selection, so it doesn’t take me very long to pick one up and head over to the crucible. An image of what I’ll make is forming in my head, and I can’t deny that I’m looking forward to working with my favored medium again.

“Very well. I accept your terms. Now get out and leave me to my work.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing the finished result. Your pieces have been excellent so far, but I’m curious to see how a masterwork compares. You best not let me down, Master Nuri.”

I grin at Ozana, too caught up in my excitement to care about our verbal sparring. “I’ll craft a table that’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen.”

She grins back at me, and just like that, our icy standoff thaws. “Show me what you can do. I look forward to a long and profitable partnership.”

I open the heavy, enchanted door to the crucible and stir the batch of glass within with the end of the metal pipe. The semi-liquid glass swirls like thick, glowing honey. I’ve missed the feel of the slight resistance as I stir and the shimmer of superheated air in front of my eyes.

I tuck one end of the pipe under my arm to brace against the weight, and lift up a gather of glass. With a satisfied smile on my face, I carry the glass to the nearest workbench and begin to spin the metal blow pipe.

“Trust me, once you see this table, you won’t want to sell it. In fact, I’ll wager that you buy it and have it carried up to your office directly.”

Ozana claps in approval. “That’s my kind of confidence! I’ll take that bet. Impress me, and I’ll waive your debt for the miracle potion.”

My smile broadens. With a prize like that hanging in the balance, I get to work in earnest.