Chapter 20 ∞ Barter

As I was wondering what bade the man to look at me with such intensity, Mistress Veronika and I arrived at the seaside bazaar. The air was tangy. It was a mix of the salty breeze of the sea and smells unique from a distant land—not the most compelling place to be in, but intriguing enough to encourage one to stay. There was an explosion of colors in every direction, languages floating with every turn of the head, a clutter of all sorts happening. The sails of the ships had the most intriguing symbols, all were intricate and weaved with painstaking details. Tents sprung like trees in the forest, their fruits the many merchandize they offer.

I descended from the carriage, stepping on the stool to make my alighting easier. Jovann, our driver, had helped me descend. I looked around in wonder from under the shadows of my cape and, for once, felt it would be comfortable for me to throw it back. I didn't have to do anything as a gust of wind blew back my hood, causing my honeyed red curls to spring under the fiery sun. I tried to catch it to no avail.

I caught Mr. Jovann stare for a moment until my Mistress Veronika peeked out from the carriage. Brought back to reality, he turned to the mistress and held out a hand to help her down. I stepped to the side to wait, relishing the warmth of the sun on my skin and fingering my skirt hesitantly as I cast my gaze about. There was too much going on. This chaos was the total opposite of the House.

"What do you think, Evy?" my mistress inquired.

"It's...wow..." I muttered speechlessly. I got a little nauseous though, seeing how many people there were. If I could, I would just remain in the carriage and wait for Mistress Veronika to go about her business—but that would be defeating the purpose of coming here.

"I'm sorry, Evy. I know how much you hate large crowds. Stick by me," she told me. "The people here have come to trade. Using money will cost you a lot, but if you can offer products they've never seen before, then you can strike a good bargain."

"Really?" I fought back the urge to run back to the carriage and made sure my feet remained planted. These people were not going to hurt me. I had my mistress by my side. She would protect me.

"That's how this place works."

"What are you going to give them?" I inquired.

"Jovann, our luggage, if you may," my mistress said with a smile. "Be careful with them, please."

Jovann pulled our luggage from the top of the carriage and carefully set each one on the ground. Seeming to read my mistress' intentions, he carefully pulled on the clasps of each and opened them to reveal bottles upon bottles of perfume.

My brows shot high and I panicked. "Are these..."

"You've been working on so many things these past six years. You've given your mistresses and I too many for ourselves. We agreed to gather the excess ones and barter for other things. You also have many on your shelves collecting dust and the stockroom was starting to get crowded. Of course, we only took the acceptable and the extra ones."

I scratched my head, pouting. "Mistress, are these even fit to be traded off? These aren't exactly the top of the tier..."

"Trust your craft, Evy. You are good at what you do," Mistress Veronika said. "Some of these scents are beyond the qualities of what you can find anywhere. Selling these solely through that shop back in Venerya cripples your potential."

Was she talking about the shop Scents and Papers? But I've known that place since I was six. I trusted that guy there too. If I was to be honest, these scents weren't mine—though I would have a hard time finding a reason for that one if I were to ever confess. They were my mother's from my past life. I was only trying to replicate all the best things she'd ever made to remind me of all the things that was once there. Smelling them and mixing them gave me some peace of mind.

It didn't settle well with me selling them, knowing they weren't really mine to begin with—it felt like stealing.

"If you don't approve of it, we always have money," she said, sensing my hesitance. "If you don't want it, then it's alright."

"No, it's okay," I told her. "I don't know what to do with all of these anyway. It's a good return for all the money I've spent over the years." I looked around and straightened my back. "Why here, though?" I asked. "There should be a lot of other places. Did you tell mother we were coming here, even? I think she'll be having a heart attack..."

"I didn't tell your mother, but she has an idea where we are. Usually, she would be stopping me. Today, she didn't say anything."

The luggage was shut close. "Will you be fine with these, misseire?" he asked. "Do you need a luggage boy?"

"We'll be alright, misoneir," she told him. She bent her knees to reach for the luggage and lifted it with no effort at all. Jovann's eyes popped. After the surprise had passed, he bowed deeply and boarded the carriage. I looked up at my mistress as she offered me her arm. I hooked mine with hers and smiled.

"Was it that heavy?"

"Mm," Veronika hummed. "Perhaps a bit."

I shook my head with a smile.

"Your thirteenth birthday is coming in a month," she told me. "I'll buy you a present here in advance, so tell me if you find anything you like."

I nodded. "I think coming here is a present enough and I have a lot of perfumes to trade with off," I said, beaming at her. "Thank you for taking me here, mistress. I didn't think I would be able to leave Venerya anytime soon."

"It is time you leave that place. It gets a little boring after all. I haven't come here in a while too," she stated, lifting her gaze to admire the scenery. "It has changed...it isn't the same as back then. This used to be even livelier than this. However, I suppose the troubles of Vertvalden have affected the trade. It is saddening."

Livelier? How could this get any livelier? There was already so much going on. The pathways were quite narrow with so many tents crowding the place. People were pouring through so thickly that it felt like there was no longer any space to breathe. If this wasn't as lively as before, what was 'before' like?

Just imagining it made me clench my hands tighter around my mistress's. This was already crowded enough. I doubted I could even breath if it got worse.

"We're going to the docks," my mistress told me, pointing to the tall masts swaying from the rocky waters. With the tents lining the horizon, it was truly the only thing invisible. "It's better there because you get first bid on the things that come off the ship."

"Will we be allowed there, even?" I asked.

"Of course!"

My mistress unabashedly dragged me towards the sea. The salty scent got thicker as we went and the sounds more intense. Veronika maintained a firm grip of my arm, pulling me towards her whenever someone would suspiciously get too close—these people might be pickpockets or just plain crooks. I didn't even notice them at first. With so many faces in the crowd, it was hard to focus.

In the end, this place was as shady as anywhere else. Being dressed like respectable people, of course we would be targeted. However, it seemed my mistress was well-equipped to handle it. She wouldn't have come here with no escorts if she couldn't protect herself and me. Besides, she was a Conduit. She could just call down some lightning and zap the bad guys to death if she wanted. I did see a guard or two roaming about in their bright, yellow uniform. They stood out well and bright no matter how cramped it got. I suppose they acted as a bit of deterrent, though not quite well.

Nice to see the government cared about this stuff.

Then again, why wouldn't they? Their economy probably relied heavily on this market.

It took a bit of a walk but it didn't take that long to reach the docks. It was in a considerable distance from the market—the respectful sort of distance. Few people dared come forward and block the many cargos being unloaded off the ship. I did not know whether it was because the large crates and bulky packages were intimidating or that they just weren't allowed to. However, the crowd only continued to thin as we went. It wasn't really a huge issue for me. It gave me a wider berth to admire the delicate line between sea and sky. The air was fresher where there were less people breathing it.

I saw small groups of folks circling towers of whatchamacallits and thingamajigs. Too distant to discern, too exotic to know about. There was a bit of commotion, people yelling prices in a crazy bout. I squinted my eyes and strained my ears, trying to see what they were fighting over.

A man in black who walked about with a weapon strapped around his waist blocked us before we got near.

"Civilians aren't allowed near the docks," he said in Lovardi.

My mistress wordlessly pulled out a badge like the badass she was. It glinted a bright, metallic blue and had some stuff scribbled on the surface. I wasn't able to discern it well. "I'm with the Merchant's Union," she told him in the same language. "I'm here to trade."

I looked at my mistress questioningly. Merchant's Union. How the heck did she become a part of that?

The man shot a glance at it then nodded and let us pass.

Ha! Take that!

I smiled smugly and he caught that. He quirked a smile back. His Don Quixote beard jumped a little in a manner just as mocking. Mistress Veronika gave a smile as well. We calmly passed by him and he went on his merry way as we went on ours.

Mistress Veronika rang someone up through her communicator. I could tell with her pausing, hand withdrawing from our clasped arms to reach up to her ear and whisper a name. There needn't be any words exchanged, though. A woman came forward to greet us after seconds of waiting.

"Veron!" the woman called out amiably. "Never thought I'd see you again in these 'ere places," she said in Lovardi. As I strained to listen, I picked up on an accent that was not from the city—I don't think it belonged in any other language either. Maybe she came from another province? Her eyes gravitated towards me. She raised a brow and nodded at me. "Whossis? Yer daughter?"

"Unfortunately, no," Veronika replied.

She crossed her arms, mucky boots brushing against the pavement and smearing dirt between its pores. "Still 'aven't found yerself a chap, come on?" Her hips cocked, sun-bleached hair blown off a haphazard bun by the howling breeze.

"I have way too many to choose from," my mistress said with a wide grin. "This is Evyionne." Her arm pulled me to her side.

"Eh..." the woman began sizing me up.

"Evy, this is Musa."

Another name I'm gonna forget.

I smiled and lowered my head in greeting. "Lovely to meet you," I said in the standard Lovardi. I consciously put a rein on my tongue lest I accidentally slip into that accent wrongfully. I didn't like questions and this wasn't the time to be bombarded with them.

She quirked a brow. "She pretty. Not the kind I usually see. Come this way," she said, turning sharply on her heel and motioning for us to follow her with a few flaps of her hand. "Trade 'as been very slow as of late. So many vacant plugs."

Plugs? Did I hear her right?

My gaze followed where her finger was pointing and realized she was referring to the empty docks. Why the heck would you call those 'plugs'? As I wrestled with my confusion, she continued complaining. It seemed that Mistress Veronika was right with her observation. This place wasn't as lively as it used to be.

There were indeed so many vacant 'plugs.'

"Over'ere." She led us towards a ship so personalized it sort of looked like a graffiti. "Some of the best things we picked up. There isn't as much as before, but it also drives 'em prices up so...why not?"

My mistress lowered the luggage and pulled the snaps open to reveal the perfumes.

"Them 'oly dragons." Musa crossed her arms. "Are these fumers?"

My brow twitched. First plugs, now fumers. I suppose knowing languages didn't mean knowing the context behind them.

"Handcrafted. They may not be worth much, but let me see how much you can get for them."

"Eh, sure thing. Lemme get an appraiser..." She stuck two fingers into her mouth and whistled sharply in a specific rhythm as she held up her hand and waved.

A fat man wobbled over to our side and glanced at the luggage full of bottled perfumes. I squeezed at my skirts anxiously. He sucked up his stomach as he reached over the round obstacle, reaching for one of the perfumes and holding them up against the light.

"Authentic oils by the looks of it...this will fetch a hefty price," he muttered. He uncapped the bottle and stuck forward his bulby nose, inhaling the scents. He then leaned back after a bit, a grin popping on his face. "I am not a professional sniffer for this sort, but this is definitely a good perfume."

I smiled. It felt good to hear praises for it. My mother had worked so very hard in creating those.

"I can offer you five thousand bullions for this."

My jaw dropped. If I remember it correctly, I spent around two thousand for the bottles I've bought from the shop. If this one bottle could fetch that much—"That concoction is very rare. For you to offer me such a price is too much of a loss. Might I tell you...in Venerya, each bottle of this fetches us a drop as high as twenty."

"They what?" I looked up in shock.

Mistress Veronika gazed at me with a smile. "It is a befitting gift for the noblewomen of the high society."

I scratched my head, flustered. Were they selling these perfumes without my knowledge? Then again, they no longer put any caps on my spending budget whenever I went to pick up oils outside. I regularly gave them bottles to try out whenever I was successful with replicating a scent. Sometimes, my mistresses would also request some stuff from me—but never more than once in a very long while. Six years might be a long time, however, I don't know if I've crafted more than fifty. In this luggage, there were fifteen bottles. If I got even just ten thousand bullions for each of these, exactly how big would my bank account get?

"You have my guarantee." Mistress Veronika brought out her badge.

"Ah..." His hesitance eased a little. "How many do you have, then?"

"Fifteen," she said.

"Then give me all of them. I'll take them for ten thousand apiece."

"'Ey, you. I called ya 'ere to appraise not to steal 'em." Musa gave him the sharpest glare before turning to us with a frown. "I'll give you ten apiece and you can take stuff off directly from the stock," she told us, nodding towards the cargo they were lowering from the ship. "I'll give ya priority 'fore anyone else."

"Then I'll take you up on your offer. I happen to need a bow first," Mistress Veronika said. "What do you have for me?"

Musa smiled victoriously. "Weapons, eh? Never changes. Come."

The fat appraiser scratched his head and left sullenly. Mistress Veronika closed the luggage and kept it to her side as went towards the goods they had spread on the ground.

"Isn't this a little excessive, mistress?" I asked, switching back to Veneryali. "It's just a bow. We could have picked up one on a store somewhere back home."

"It's an opportunity to do some sight-seeing," she replied. "Besides, Evy, don't you have a lot of question about the West? Books aren't the only way to learn. It's better if you experience some things directly for yourself."

I didn't protest. I have been curious ever since.

"Papi," Musa began, calling the attention of a man dressed in ragged cotton clothes.

He looked up. Dark hair, dark eyes turned our way. He rolled up his sleeves when he saw us coming and extended his earthy hands Mistress Veronika's way. He seemed to be a friendly man. There was a gentle smile on his face.

"Veronika...dear love, how have you been?" he asked in Lovardi, hands clamping on both shoulders. "When Musa told me you were coming, I nearly didn't believe her. Look at you! Hahahaha!" His boisterous laughter disturbed the bidding wars near us. People looked over curiously before turning away with a shake of their head. "And who is this? Who is this beautiful young lady?" He lowered himself shakily to his knees so that his eyes leveled with mine. I wasn't that short anymore, having reached my mistress's shoulder line. However, he was quite tall.

"My name is Evyionne. Nice to meet you mister," I greeted.

"Ah..." He grasped my face and gave me a long—a very long and intense stare. "Lavender eyes...no, amaranth...A parent of yours must be from the Lovaskan Ranges. The top of the mountains have a tribe whose descendants with the best of blood inherit this beautiful blend of fire and sky. It is rare to see it out here...not to mention with this combination! Their blood tends to thin when mixed with an outsider. How rare, how indeed rare!"

"That's enough, Papi," Mistress Veronika said, stepping forward to pull at his arm.

He snapped out of it. "Ah...I apologize. That was very impolite of me."

Lovaskan Ranges? I think I've heard of that place before. I never knew my eyes were such a distinct trait of a certain group of people. Also, this guy basically just spilled the beans. Although I not was unaware of my true origins, my adoptive mother and mistresses never told me about it. I assumed they thought I didn't know as well.

Mistress Veronika had a slightly panicked look on her face when I looked at her.

"Lovaskan Ranges?" I asked.

Veronika smoothed back my hair and shook her head lightly. "Papi has a tendency to ramble."

"Papi, where's the Lovaskan Ranges at? I know it should be in Lovaska, but which part of it?" Geography, after all, was not my strongest point.

His eyes brightened at my question. "The Lovaskan Ranges are a series of mountains that divide the countries of Lovaska and Sarenilia. It is said that the tribe who lives there have adapted the unique traits of a flower with strong medicinal properties and potent essence of the sky and fire—two domains! The earth there is unique as well, with rich deposits of a rare mineral that takes on an electric violet color. In fact, I have it here..."

He bent over to the long spread of goods on the floor and searched for the mineral he just spoke of. After a few breaths, he floundered over to a chunk of rock that was particularly dull looking. However, at certain strikes of light, it did take on that electric violet glow.

I sensed my mistress's distress at my curiosity, but she said nothing—probably because she didn't know what to say.

Papi got back to me with the rock and handed it over. "Here you go, little one," he said, picking up the rock with his fingers and setting it on my palms. "It is a very brittle material so be careful with it. However, areas rich with this are very dangerous during storms. A strike of lightning can turn the field into a light show! Think of fire catching onto a fuel. Lightning thrives on these things!"

My eyes went wide with curiosity. "How much are you selling them for?"

"Ah, for you? Think of it as a present from me! I have not seen Veronika in a long time, after all!" Papi's eyes thinned as his smile widened. "Anyway, how can I help you two?"

Mistress Veronika sighed, but did not dwell on the issue. "Papi, do you have good bows?" she asked.

Meanwhile, I pocketed the rocks.

"What exactly are you looking for?"

"Show us what you have."

"Ah...I only have one. I traded other things for this one...simply because it is too interesting. I should stop making decisions based on what interests me, really...but my instincts have never been wrong before." He once again floundered to a box they were just setting down. Papi rummaged through the contents, hays flying all over as he searched.

Meanwhile, Musa began attending to the customers that Papi left behind in order to entertain Mistress Veronika and me. They'd gotten quite impatient.

He gave a victorious cry upon the third box, stepped back, and motioned for us to come near after a few beats. "Come over here. Ah, wait...Boys, I want this back inside!" He looked about for the guys in charge of unloading the cargo hold.

"Allow me, Papi," Mistress Veronika said, lifting the luggage of perfumes and settling it on top of the crate. After that, she lowered herself on the knees slightly and picked up the slatted wooden box. "Where to?"

Papi grinned widely and led us back to the ship. I excitedly climbed up the steps and onto the deck. People were still busy moving things about so we had to inch on the sides to avoid being ran over. Papi then led us into the captain's cabin and locked the doors. "Here, set it here..." he motioned to a stack of boxes on the corner.

Mistress Veronika complied.

"This bow has been refined. Compared to our crafts, it is much more superior. I have heard from the locals that they have incorporated new materials with this to make it more effective in bringing down those demons..." he said.

"Demons?" Mistress Veronika intoned. "Are they really so?"

I shook my head, knowing these things weren't exactly what these people thought of them as. Still, I said nothing. My knowledge of the Veils would be dubbed suspicious if I spoke now. Perhaps I must start making arrangements to see what was truly going on in the West. For now, however, I have to take my lesson of weaponry sincerely.

The box was stacked high above two others so I could not see what was inside. I was dying of curiosity.

"Do you mind lowering it, Papi?" I requested.

"Ah, pardon me, young one. I forgot. Wait a moment..." He scratched his head and looked around. There really was no space to put things with how messy and chaotic this place was. "Let me clear this..." He kicked aside a few things and finally managed to free a spot. "What are you called again?"

"You can call me Evy!" I said.

"Ah...yes, a while ago. Evyionne, was it? Your name is interesting! Do you know what it means?" He prepared to lift the box. Mistress Veronika retrieved the luggage of perfumes from the top to lessen the burden on the poor man.

"Maiden of the river," I replied.

"Good! Now, do you know the significance of that title?" he prompted as he lowered the box at my behest.

I shook my head.

The crate hit the bottom with a thump. Papi, consequently, gave a grunt of relief. "The maiden of the river is not a maiden who lives by the river—she is the border that divides and brings together two different lands. Your name suits you very much. Whoever chose it did so with much thought!"

"Papi, can we stop with the trivias?" Mistress Veronika impatiently stated.

"Pardon. This is what happens when you go to too many places in your life. You can't help but know so much! Anyway, this is a rare artifact. I'm not sure if it will be suitable, but my gut instinct is telling me to bring it out for you somehow..."

Nestled between the hays was a long box. It was black wood that resonated with tranquility and brimmed with the energy of life—much like the willow tree back in the courtyard of the House of Oblivion. On surface was a symbol of a tree. I sensed something profound with the carving—it wasn't just a simple image. Rather, it was imbued with something else. I laid my fingers on top instinctively and felt a comfortable warmth.

"The wood itself will cost you. This artifact needs to be housed in a contrasting domain because it harbors the energies of death far too well."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Step back a little..." he said as he prepared to pull on the lid.

My mistress and I did.

"I must warn you," he began. "This weapon had passed hands so many times because it is cursed."

"Then why in the world did you even buy it?" Mistress Veronika's brows shot up to her hairline.

"The previous owner was desperate to get rid of it. It has excellent craftsmanship and was forged with rare materials, but he took a loss by selling it to me," Papi told us with self-depreciating grin. "I still don't recommend you buy it. I don't think there is anyone ever suitable of handling this weapon."

With all the suspense, I was hungering to see what was inside. Papi turned the wooden carving a hundred and eighty degrees. I didn't know it could be moved at all. Upon turning it, there was a daunting click. The clasps instantly loosened and flipped themselves free. The lid loosened upon the pop and a familiar, cold energy filled the room.

Papi reached forward to reveal what sat inside.

There was a bow, alright. Compared to the preferences of those in the East for simple and polished items, this one had all sorts of designs and images. Each section was carved with care and seemed to tell a story. The bow was clear and icy—it reminded me of the frost that appeared out of my hands just a few nights before.

Fascinated, I leaned forward.

"I don't recommend you touch it, young lady," Papi told me.

"It's okay," Mistress Veronika said. "Let her. If something happens, we'll be here to pull her back."

"So the weapon...?"

"It's not for me," she told him. "It's for Evyionne."

"She is good with the bow?"

"Not yet, really. But she isn't good with melee weapons—that, for sure, is true," Veronika said. "This is her last chance to learn anything seriously."

"Then won't this be too excessive?"

"She'll be using her money anyway," she told him. "It should give her the incentive to learn. Otherwise..." Veronika gave a nonchalant shrug. "I suppose she'll just stay inside the House forever."

I sighed in displeasure at that, rolling my shoulders at the low-key insult and threat my mistress just threw my way.

"I'll trust your judgment," Papi stated, shooting a glance at Veronika.

While Papi looked confused at my mistress's insistence, he did not question it and stood back while gulping. He didn't seem comfortable with letting a mere twelve-year-old touch it at all—which was understandable considering its background.

"I don't know." I stared at it for a long time.

"If you don't feel comfortable, Evy, leave it be. We can always find another one for you."

I continued looking at the bow. The cold and wild energy seemed to be resisting my presence like a big cat growling at an opponent—a warning to keep out of its territory. I examined it closely, realizing that, while it was the same kind of energy as the one that had appeared from my hands—it was more...rebellious somehow, similar to the ones I have felt from the Veils. The coldness from them was freezing and more seizing of life. This was exactly the same.

That made me all the more curious about it so I squatted and began a stare game with the inanimate object. It didn't seem that inanimate, anyhow. Papi just mentioned that it incorporated 'new materials' that could bring down 'demons.' That made me question its origins. Those new materials would most likely also include Veils themselves. I would just like to know how? How were they able to do that? Veils weren't of this world and other people couldn't see them.

Anyhow, these questions would be answered another time. If my assumptions were correct, like all those cool stuff I've seen and according to what Amber had told me, this was a weapon that only I might be able to handle.

Hands of death, he said. This was the time to know if I really had them.

Cocky of me to assume, really. I wanted to take a chance, though.

I reached for the bow and, after taking a breath, wrapped my hand around one end. The moment my skin made contact with the object, cold energy rushed up my arm. I recognized it immediately—it really was the same biting cold that I felt back then. Frost began appearing on my skin, making small, crackling sounds.

"This doesn't look good..." I trailed off.

Papi began to panic. "Heavens and dragons, mercy, mercy..."

"Evyionne..." Veronika worriedly intoned, breath entering her lungs sharply.

"I'm alright, mistress," I said. The frost only continued climbing. I wondered and wracked my brain for an idea on how I was supposed to control this.

Think, Evyionne...Think!

"Evy..." Veronika knelt and prepared to pull me away.

"No, mistress. Don't touch me." I said this out of concern for her, not wanting the same thing to happened with Mistress Marian to happen again. Thankfully, she withdrew and let me be, even though she looked uncomfortable doing so. I closed my eyes and calmed myself, ignoring the pressure I was feeling to find a solution right a way. By the looks of it, I only have about a minute.

So, a few nights ago, Amber brought out a towel and literally used it to smack away all those Veils. Not long after that, I played the harp and summoned the frost.

Ah, now I know.

"Let me pull off a Barbie moment here," I muttered. "This isn't a musical but what the heck, right?"

"Evy? Are you—" My mistress seemed bewildered with the things I'm muttering to myself. However, I had to recall the melody. I hated how, of all moments to play coy, it chose now. Dammit! How could it escape my memory? If I could somehow sing that melody again, I would have a chance of getting this stuff under control. Or would it? Because last time I did, I summoned it instead!

"Evy!" Mistress Veronika yelled.

No time for doubts, I suppose. I just have to rock this.

I took a breath and began the melody, hitting note after note. The cold energy from the bow finally stopped resisting me, giving obeisance to the music that left my throat. The energy I gathered from Kaliya's domain surprisingly worked well to my intentions, forming an opposing wave that pushed back the sea of coldness that was washing off the bow. I opened my eyes shortly after that and saw the frost covering my arm receding. A surge of happiness and relief burst inside me. I continued singing until, finally, the frost completely disappeared.

I didn't stop immediately. I let the music penetrate into the bow. It shook and trembled between my fingers. The wild and cold energy writhed as the music wrestled with it. I tightened my grip and persisted with singing.

A shaky breath left with a note, leaving my voice unstable and hoarse. My limbs were starting to weaken.

Well, okay. This is taking a lot more than I thought it would.

After enduring close to half an hour, the bow finally stopped struggling—at least the energy it had. I was cursing with joy and frustration in my mind because I never thought it was ever going to end. I could no longer feel my legs. They've numbed from the lack of proper blood flow. Still, to be sure, I continued singing for ten minutes more or so before finally stopping. I didn't withdraw my hands immediately, testing if the cold energy in the bow would take advantage of my weakness and advance once again. It didn't.

Carefully, I lifted it from the box. It was quite heavy in my hands, but it was the comfortable kind of heaviness. At the moment, it was as long as the top of my head down to my knees—three-fourth of my current height.

"I don't think I'll be able to use this yet," I said, struggling to stand and pausing when I felt the cold pinch of needles. "My legs fell asleep."

"Dragon's mercy." My mistress pulled me to my feet and embraced me. "You worried me to death."

I chuckled at the irony.

Papi scratched his head. "I didn't expect this," he muttered.

"How much for the bow, Papi?" I inquired with a small smile. "I don't think I'll be able to find anything like this anytime soon."

"Please keep this a secret," Mistress Veronika told him.

He scratched his head. "Give me ten thousand for it. That's all," he said.

"That cheap?"

"It's not like I can sell it to anyone else." He grinned at me and I nodded.

"You never know, though," I told him. "I have the amount in perfumes. Miss Musa told me we can barter for anything," I said.

Papi nodded. "Okay, okay, young one..." He wobbled over to me and patted my head sincerely. "You be careful. I don't know what just happened, but this doesn't seem to be anything to be taken lightly. Is this all I can do for you today?"

"We're okay," said Mistress Veronika. "Thank you, Papi."

"Alright...if you have time, come visit me. I'll be waiting for your return."

I put the bow back into the box and locked it. Mistress Veronika arranged the perfumes to be exchanged for the amount they agreed on. She then gave me the whole sack of money, telling me to use it for the things I liked—or save it up for something else.

I know what to spend it on, though.

Food!

"Lovarda should have a nice place to eat," I said. "Mistress, can we go to the best place around and stuff ourselves before we go home?"

She smiled at me. "We can agree on that."