He bought the book and still had one gold left over, which was still one more gold than Owen told him he’d need to bring back.

It set him back financially compared to just keeping all 22 gold, but anything that gained him a skill like Anatomy without having to risk his life was worth it.

Owen was waiting on him, so he headed back toward Owen’s house with his gold secured in a sack beneath his clothes, pressed up against his bare skin.

He walked through the city with his head down. He avoided looking anyone in the eye for fear of starting a fight or otherwise risking that the gold could be stolen. He still felt like an alien here—he didn’t understand the culture, and despite the monsters and magic in this world, it often felt like he’d stepped into the past.

When he walked into Owen’s house, the sun was setting. Owen scowled at him.

“Relax,” Elrick said, pulling the pouch out from beneath his shirt. “I sold everything.”

“Did you now?” Owen asked, raising his eyebrows.

Elrick nodded. “I got 22 gold for all the swords. I did spend one already though.”

“22, huh? That’s more than I told you the swords were worth. You’re quite the little go-getter, aren’t you?”

Elrick was expecting him to be happy. Besides that, Elrick could easily have just lied and pocketed the extra gold. He was expecting an excited reaction from Owen, and a pat on the back for his honesty. Not skepticism.

Owen snatched the bag, counted the coins with pursed lips, and handed 10 coins back to Elrick.

Elrick put the coins back into his bag, keeping his eyes down. Owen was just staring at him, and he couldn’t figure out why.

“Let’s hear it,” Owen said.

“Hear...what?”

“You didn’t seem too keen on being a salesman, and I honestly would have been happy if you had sold the swords for the price I told you to, but you outdid yourself. I mean, sure, it’s just two gold more...but two gold is two gold! Shouldn’t you be bragging?”

Elrick looked up at him, the complete neutral expression was worse than anything. It was like playing poker online instead of in person. He had no idea what his opponent was thinking from looking at him.

Owen just waited for a response, all patience.

“I…” Elrick started. “I met someone who helped me…”

He was going to lie. Then he was going to exaggerate. Then he decided to just tell the truth.

“This woman, she sold the swords for me. For way more than you said they were worth, then she charged me 50%, but I made sure that our cut was still at least what you were expecting.”

“So you didn’t sell anything,” Owen said. “You offloaded the job onto someone else?”

Elrick couldn’t think of a good response, so he just shook the bag of coins, letting the clink of the coins speak for themselves.

“Good job, boy!” Owen said, slamming him on the back. “Taalia, was it?”

“You know her?” Elrick asked.

“I’ve tried to hire her before, but she hates me, almost as much as she hates my wife. Whatever you did to convince her, do it again next time! Get on her good side, boy! It’s late, get to sleep. We’ve got more work to do in the morning.”

Owen and his wife had generously offered Elrick a room in the shop. It was small, but it had a window, bed, and a small desk with some candles.

He’d planned to just read the Anatomy handbook for a few hours before going to sleep, but the combination of learning new things about Antium, plus seeing his skill gains go up, kept him at it.

He got tired in the middle of the night and chugged a refresh potion to snap himself back into focus. It was his last potion.

He hadn’t intended to stay up all night, but it was like being back on Earth again. He’d heard birds chirping and squinted his eyes—which were full of crusty eye goo—up at the rising sun through the window. It was as if he’d just played a game all night, lost track of time, and realized he had to go to school in an hour without having slept at all.

Except he couldn’t just doze off in class this time. Owen would expect good work from him. Elrick had promised he was better than Owen’s old apprentices, and he needed to prove himself responsible.

He yawned. His limbs felt like mush, and his brain was slow and foggy. Shit.

At least he’d gained 2.6 Anatomy by reading all night. His skill was up to 56.8.

When Elrick came downstairs, Marianna, Owen’s wife, glanced up at him and said, “Sleep well?”

From her tone, he could tell that he visibly did not sleep well. “Well enough,” he lied.

She just snorted and ladled some broth into a bowl. “Eat this.”

Elrick jolted his head up, trying to focus his eyes on Marianna. He’d fallen asleep while standing in the kitchen, and his neck going slack woke him back up.

He pulled up a chair and sat down at the table, looking blankly at the colorless broth.

“You need to stop,” she said.

“Stop?”

“Those potions,” she said. “It’s going to be a hard day, but don’t take another.”

It catches up with you. He heard Old Beardo’s voice in his head.

He was more tired than he’d ever been in his life. He could barely lift his spoon. It had caught up with him. He needed to sleep for two days. Maybe Owen would understand?

“Don’t tell my husband,” she hissed at him. Her voice jolted him awake again. He was barely half awake even when he fully focused. His short-term memory was barely functioning. “He will kick you out if he knows you were using refresh potions. He values a steady and consistent hand. The price for him to leave the guild was high. We need an apprentice we can count on, and someone dependent on potions is not…”

He drifted off as she spoke, considering his plight.

He could try to buy another vial before he started working. That would buy him another day...but then what would he do tomorrow? And the day after that? Maybe a full night’s sleep and quitting cold turkey after would—

“Boy!” Owen’s voice boomed.

Shit.

“Come with me,” he said, not even looking at Elrick. When had Owen come in? Had he caught Elrick sleeping at the table?

Marianna shot him a warning look, but Elrick was barely awake enough to notice it, much less read into it.

He stood up, wavered, and walked on rubbery legs after Owen.

When he got into the workshop, Owen finally looked at him.

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“You sick?” he asked. “You look it.”

This was an easy out. He could just say he was sick, and that he’d be back to work once he felt better. He wouldn’t touch another vial of that stuff again, and he’d make sure he slept and woke with the sun.

He was in a similar situation last night. Owen had known what happened with Taalia, and Elrick chose to tell the truth. He was rewarded for his honesty. He wouldn’t take the easy way out. Taking the easy path enough times on Earth had led to his death. He had to be different here. He wouldn’t tell Owen that he’d been chugging refresh potions, but he wouldn’t pretend to be sick either.

“I’m fine,” he lied, forcing his shoulders to straighten.

The conversation with Owen turned into a total blur. Elrick focused all of his energy on appearing normal, standing straight, and not falling over. Only after Owen had left did he think to piece together what Owen had actually told him to do.

Something about Taalia. He was supposed to go to her? And do what? Owen was finally gone, and Elrick collapsed against the wall. He nodded off—he wasn’t sure for how long—and when he snapped back awake, he noticed the large bundle that Owen had left on the workbench.

As he was peeking into the bundle and examining the gleaming armor inside, the door creaked open.

Owen was coming back, and he wouldn’t be able to fake—

No, it was Marianna.

“He’ll be gone for the day. You’re supposed to go into town and convince that woman to sell this.”

Elrick nodded. “Yeah, I—”

Marianna snapped at him. “Don’t pretend like you’re with it! You’re not!” Go back to sleep. Two hours. Then go to the Agora. You should be able to get everything done in that time. I won’t tell Owen, but if I catch you like this again, I’ll tell him everything.”

“Understood,” Elrick said. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, boy, just don’t screw up. We’ll never be free of the Coppersmith’s Guild if we can’t get an apprentice!”

Elrick collapsed into the bed. Something slammed on his door, jolting him awake. He hadn’t even gotten to sleep, or--

No, the sun was up higher. It was nearly mid-day.

“Boy! Get to it!” Marianna shouted through the door.

Elrick still felt absolutely awful, but he could move. He could think. He rushed down to the workshop, grabbed the armor, and loaded it onto his back. He didn’t need the packhorse for one suit of armor. He could tell by the level of detail and engraving that this suit was worth much more than all of the basic swords he’d sold yesterday put together.

How much had Owen said to sell it for…?

He looked for Marianna, but she’d left. He didn’t have time to wait for her to come back and ask.

Shit.

Too late. He had to get to the Agora. It would take time to convince Taalia to sell for him, and then it would take time for her to sell. He might not even be able to find her, and she might not be willing to help him again.

Even with the armor weighing him down, Elrick reached the Agora in less than half an hour. The walk wore him down, and he felt the sleepy haze coming back over him as he leaned against a building and gasped for breath.

It took Elrick over an hour to find Taalia. He spotted her behind a large crowd, and he realized he must have passed her by a dozen times. If he had been clear-headed he might have found her on the first or second time passing by.

She had a full wagon today. It had wooden wheels, and the side was pulled down to create a type of makeshift storefront. She had most of the same inventory as yesterday, but today she was also selling colorful clothing with intricate stitching and inlays; potions in vials of all shapes and colors; and enchanted purses and pouches.

The customers were shouting for her attention, and Elrick had to dig into a lot of smelly backs with his elbows to part his way toward Taalia. She eyed him—briefly—and turned her attention back toward a paying customer.

“Taalia!” Elrick shouted.

“Busy,” she grunted back, not even looking at him.

“I’ve got something for you to sell.” He shouted even louder this time, as if the volume of his shout alone could persuade her.

“Don’t care,” she said, handing a bag of vials to a lanky man with pale white skin, and deftly pocketing several gold coins from his spindly hands.

Elrick shoved his way in front of the next customer, pulled the bag of armor off his shoulder, and tore it open. He tugged one of soft sheets away from it to show her the level of detail and craftsmanship.

She shrugged.

“Look at it!” he said. “Owen’s finest work.”

He thought Owen might have said something like that. He didn’t remember.

She flicked it with her fingernail, tilting her head. “Enchanted?”

Shit. He didn’t know. He had been only half-conscious when Owen had told him about it.

“Sure is,” he said, grinning.

It was hard to lie to Owen, but to Taalia? It felt right to lie to her.

“I’m taking a break in a bit. Wait for me over there.” She waved her hand in the general direction of the food stalls.

Elrick carefully repacked and picked up the armor, hauled it off, and waited.

He knew he was hungry, but he didn’t feel like eating. The exhaustion had seeped into his bones. His stomach felt like a bottomless void. It was empty and gnawing, but it wasn’t the kind of longing that hunger could extinguish. He needed sleep. Nothing more.

Something kicked his shin. He jolted awake and landed on the bag of armor. It was wrapped well enough that it didn’t clink or clatter, but Elrick lost his balance and rolled awkwardly off it. He jumped to his feet and looked up to see Taalia sighing at him.

He forced himself to his feet and smiled. He’d gotten another good nap in. His strength was somewhat coming back.

“Are you going to come to me every day with your trinkets?” She asked him, ignoring his smile.

“Trinkets? This is Owen’s finest work!”

She waved a hand at him. “Yes, it’s good work. But it’s just one item. I have a wagon full of inventory that sells itself. The profit margins are good, and my supplier keeps it flowing. If I sell this,” she pointed down to the bag of armor, “Then I’ll need an armor stand, and a place to put the stand where people can’t get their grimy fingers on it, and I’ll need to attract different kinds of customers than I usually do, and then I sell it, and…”

“And I bring you more,” Elrick says.

She nodded skeptically. “Look, I have agreements like this with alchemists, artificers, tailors...I’m not going to keep selling one-off items for you and your master.”

“Then let’s make an agreement,” Elrick said. “Let’s make it more than one-off.”

She eyed him. “Aren’t you just an apprentice? You have the authority to make a deal with me on Owen’s behalf?”

Elrick nodded without thinking. Of course he had no such authority, but wouldn’t Owen be happy about this? He’d be relieved that he didn’t have to sell anything on his own again, and he’d specifically asked Elrick to go back to Taalia. This was taking initiative, which was something he’d rarely done on Earth. Anything he’d messed up on Earth, he was resolved to fix in this second chance at life.

“Well…” she said, drawing out the word, “Maybe we can make some kind of deal. If you can do a small favor for me, then I’ll make a tentative arrangement with Owen.”

“Tentative?”

“A trial run. To make sure it’s profitable for both of us. To make sure he can keep the supply going so it’s worth it for me. I don’t want to get locked into some deal that is no good for me. If we’re both making money, then our deal will become permanent. Does that sound good?”

Elrick nodded. “What do I have to do?”

“It will be really easy,” she said. “I just don’t have time to take care of it myself right now.”

She pointed toward her wagon. A crowd had built up, and two guards she must have hired were standing watch with menacing spears and stony glares.

“There’s this man,” she says. “I need you to take this…” She pulled out a pouch and handed it to Elrick. “Take this to the Alchemists’ Guild. Do you know the way?”

“Um,” Elrick said, “I think so, but just in case…”

She reached over, wrapped a hand around him, and grasped his shoulder. She pulled him against her so that they were both facing the same direction. With her arm around his back like this, he could feel the side of her breast pressing up against his left arm. Her perfume hit him too in that moment—feminine and alluring.

His cheeks burned as she pointed forward. “See that building?”

He nodded. She was just trying to show him the way. Her touching him like this meant nothing, surely.

She closed one eye, raised her finger, and leaned her head toward him, until her hair brushed against the skin of his neck. Now he could smell her hair. It was right in his face, golden and delicate like silk “And see that spindly black tower there? Just barely visible behind the guard towers?”

Elrick nodded, but the blood was rushing through his ears. Her breast pressed even tighter against him. It was so warm and soft.

“You want to go there. Tell the gatekeeper you’re delivering for Taalia.”

“Uh huh.”

She reached into his shirt. Her soft hands running all along his skin. Just when he thought he would explode, she pulled away.

“I put the pouch into your coin purse. Do not look into my pouch. Just deliver it to Eadmon.”

“No,” he said. “Of course not. I mean, of course I will do what you want, but I won’t look in your p-p-pouch.”

He hadn’t even felt her touch his satchel. What if she’d pickpocketed him instead of putting something there?

“Promise me,” she said. “That you won’t so much as peek. I’m testing that I can trust you. I only enter into agreements with people I trust, understand?”

He could still smell her. The warmth of her body was fading, but it was still there. “Yes. Trust. You can trust me.”

“Good,” she said. “Oh...before you go. I have one more thing for you.”

A kiss?

He wiped the dumb grin off his face. She wasn’t going to kiss him. She clearly had no interest in him. She was just…

She was manipulating him, he realized. But could he really back out now? How hard was it to spend a few hours delivering a pouch to some old alchemist?

He followed Taalia to her wagon. She grabbed a vial and handed it to him. The liquid was red, but it looked thicker and much more viscous than the refresh potions he’d been drinking.

“What’s this?” he asked.

He remembered Mariana’s warning, and his own promise to himself.

“If you ever get in trouble,” she said. “Drink it.”

“Trouble? Aren’t I just delivering—”

She put her finger against his lips, leaning into him. Her eyes locked onto his, just inches away from his face. She might be manipulating him, but damn if it wasn’t working.

“You have to trust me too,” she said. “This is a gift. A thank you.”

“Thank you,” Elrick said.

That didn’t sound very smooth. You don’t thank someone for thanking you.

“You’re welcome,” she said, “Now get going.”

“Um,” he said, “The armor...can I leave it with you so I can walk faster?”

She reached for the bag.

“Hold on,” he said.

He tore the bag open and grabbed his sword, which was wrapped in a cloth.

“Got everything?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “The armor will be safe here, right?”

“You can trust me,” she said. “I’ll get the best price for it.”