That very night, Gray went to the Pit Market. He thought Rynn wouldn’t want to go but she surprised him.

  On the way over, her arm brushed his. “As long as we stay in Pit City, Mr. No, I’m fine. I can’t break Captain Sevanya’s trust by going through her wards, but I can help a friend.”

  Gray tapped his stick on the ground. “It’s a shame you won’t meet Yellow. He’s a fine dog.”

  “It is a shame,” she said.

  What she didn’t say hung in the air. How would the captain react when she found out he broke through her wards? Would she want one of her most powerful squad members risking his life in Old Town? Gray was betting Settie would be furious, but he also thought she would eventually realize that Third Barracks was no pce for her squad, not when they had the mansion in Old Town.

  In the alley, Gray turned to her. “How does this work do you think?”

  “I think all you need to do is walk into the warding. Most likely, the silk scarf will absorb the mana, and that will give the Widow Stone the information she needs to enchant something for you. If the stories are true, Captain Sevanya is at least an archmagus. Maybe she’s even a Sovereign Master.”

  “No,” Gray said. “She’s an archmagus. I counted her mana marks.”

  Rynn gasped. “She showed you her tattoos? Where were they? Any pce…uh…provocative?”

  He ughed. “Is her left arm provocative?”

  She pushed him pyfully. “You know what I mean.”

  “I do. I was hoping she was a Grandmaster Magus,

  “That would really surprise me. There have only been a handful of Grandmaster Magi since the Third God War when the gates to heaven and hell were closed.”

  Gray had a hazy sense of the history, and it was something he wanted to learn more about, but first, he wanted to sleep where he wasn’t bothered by neither heat nor scorpions.

  Gray started down the alley. He felt the pressure almost immediately, and soon his ears were ringing so hard they hurt. The force of mana was unbearable, but he forced himself to move his legs, getting closer and closer to the hidden door at the end of the alley. As the runes on the door lit up, his nose started to bleed. And Mama Cinders had done such a good job healing it.

  He gnced down, thinking all of his blood had dripped on the scarf. But no, he wasn’t bleeding that hard, and the once perfectly white scarf was now a bright red.

  Turning, he ran back toward Rynn. Every step felt better than the st until he emerged at the end of the alleyway, free from that terrible, terrible pressure. His ears were still ringing.

  He winced and held up his prize. “It looks like it worked. Let’s go see what the widow has to say.”

  When they passed the cup game wall, Rynn frowned.

  Gray saw it. “You really don’t approve of the game.”

  She shook her head.

  Gray motioned to her. “I might have an ocean of mana in my core, but you have a sea of words. Let the storm winds blow. What are you thinking?”

  She shook her head. Lips pinched.

  “Come on.”

  “Very well! You know, you don’t need to py the game anymore. I sent a letter to my parents when I first arrived, and I got lucky that a merchant was making the long trip up to the Crown. It’s weeks of travel, but soon, my father will be able to send a message through the mana winds to a local bank. We’ll have all the money we need. I can buy you all the chicken parpar you could ever want. I owe you so much. You’ve made this time in my life bearable.”

  He turned to her. “Mana winds? How do you send messages through the wind?”

  “The mana winds connect the two poles together, and there are magi who can use the mana winds to collect messages. It’s very expensive, and takes a lot of power, but it’s possible.”

  “Is it expensive?” Gray felt ashamed that that he was talking about money with a rich girl.

  “Only a hundred shekels.” Then the girl blushed. “Is that expensive? I don’t know.”

  Gray hooked his arm into hers. “It’s very expensive, about ten times the cost of a letter, and probably ten times more reliable. Speaking of which, I should send out a letter. There’s someone I need to check on, but he’s in Cradleport, and I doubt the mana winds blow through there.”

  “They don’t,” the elf girl agreed. “Sorry. And they’re not really winds. More like invisible threads high up in the clouds, and sometimes they are called the courier winds, or the courier clouds, but anyway…”

  They walked on in silence to the door of Softie’s shop.

  Gray found himself lost in thought. Thanks to Old Agatha, he knew how to read and write. He’d fought her, at first, since none of the other orphans cared about that, but she had pushed him. Thank goodness she’d had. Gray had known so many of the arena servants who’d been swindled because they couldn’t read. Gray had thought about reaching out to someone in Cradleport, but he was worried that Princess Lilian would catch wind of it. It was unlikely. However, he wasn’t sure who to contact to see what had happened to Blind John.

  Cousin Earl, Flip, Fp, and Flop were by the door. “Softie! He’s back! And he brought the girl with him this time.”

  Gray nodded at the brothers, and they smiled back. He felt welcome, and it was a good feeling.

  At the counter, Softie grunted. “You certainly made an impression on my sister. She wants to help you, and she thinks payment will come. I say payment is good up front and help comes ter. Never saw her go on and on about a recruit. But never had a bald elf in my store either.”

  Rynn smoothed a hand over her scalp. Her hair was growing back, but it was taking its own sweet time.

  Softie ughed. “No offense. Thought you had pretty hair is all. Not surprised you had trouble over in First Field. A lot of folks will always hate those with angel blood. Never did understand why all them buggers called the nephilim all them names. We aren’t nephilim, but we got teased. We didn’t grow with other dwarves—grew up with orcs. But anyway, let me go check on my sister.”

  He went into the back room, leaving Gray and Rynn at the counter.

  Gray gave Rynn a curious look. “Nephilim?”

  She nodded. “You have the cambion orcs, and you have nephilim elves. My parents don’t know about that side of my heritage, and some elves are naturally blonde, but my hair color wasn’t normal. But it’s fine.”

  “Why would anyone hate angels? Aren’t they the opposite of demons?”

  Rynn winced. “It didn’t work that way. You really don’t the history of….” She stopped talking abruptly as if she’d said something terrible.

  He knew she didn’t want to offend him. “I really don’t know the history of Midmer. You’re right. But I’m going to learn it. If you’ll help me.

  “I will.” She smiled at first, but it soon faded. “But will you be around for the lessons?”

  Gray wanted to say he wasn’t going back to Old Town, but he didn’t want to lie.

  By that time, Softie was back. He led them to the Widow Stone’s workroom, and it was much the same as it had been before.

  The Widow Stone had gsses perched on her nose. She squinted. “Well, Grayson Fade, you’ve brought a friend. Is this another member of your squad?”

  “No, she’s more than that. She’s my friend.”

  “Might be more than just friends. You’ve shared mana.”

  Rynn gasped, opened her mouth, and closed it.

  Gray took over. “We had a bit of trouble today.”

  The dwarven woman set down a little knife. “Your face says it was more than a little. Bruised recruits are not surprising, given the amount of combat and consternation. Especially in the summer, when there may or may not be squad captains around to keep the peace.”

  Gray lifted the silk scarf, now stained a bright red.

  Mrs. Stone got off her stool, came over, and took the scarf from him. “A red color. That is worrying. And can you smell that spice? Whoever cast those wards knew what they were doing. I’m surprised you’re not dead.”

  “Made my nose bleed,” Gray admitted.

  The Widow then went to a little cushion and sat down. She turned and lit a candle. “Come and sit. Let me see what we can be done.”

  Gray and Rynn sat down on cushions on the floor.

  Softie came in carrying a try with a tea pot and cups on it. He set it down on a little table but then left without saying a word.

  Mrs. Stone thanked him all the same. “Thank you, Softie. We’ll get to the tea in a bit. Now, let’s see about this mana.” She wrapped the silk scarf in her hands and closed her eyes.

  Gray felt like he should meditate as well. He found the yellow mana mist surrounding the scarf oddly comforting.

  A second ter, she opened her eyes. “I can’t help you. Whoever created this was a Master Sovereign, and it is beyond my gifts. But who did this? Who are you trying to get past?”

  Gray paused, considering how much he should say. Then he thought about Yellow, all alone in that house. He knew it would be hard getting back to Ruin Manor, but he didn’t think it would be impossible.

  He took too long to answer, and so Mrs. Stone nodded and folded the cloth “It is none of my business. But if it was someone you’d had contact with, I might have been able to create something, but then, I would have to know the nature of the connection.”

  A new hope made Gray’s heart beat faster. Settie had kissed him. Their cores had connected. However, Gray couldn’t say anything, not in front of Rynn. He didn’t want to complicate things with the elf girl. As far as the dragon woman went, well, it had been six weeks, and she hadn’t come back. He was certain Settie would be furious with him if he told anyone about the kiss. He would already have to deal with her rage when she found him living in Ruin Manor.

  Gray kept quiet.

  The Widow stood up and walked over to him. “I would like to know the nature of resonance, but that would require a private conversation. Perhaps if your friend wouldn’t mind waiting in the other room.”

  Rynn shot to her feet. “Yes, well, I understand. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

  The elf girl bowed, then curtsied, and then slowly withdrew in the most awkward manner imaginable.

  Gray was left alone with the Widow Stone.