For the next couple of days, Silver tried dropping by the roll stall in the mornings but never saw Mina. When asked, the stall keeper always said she was working in another area at the time. Silver handed over a little of the extra money she’d gathered going to the markets every day to the woman and tried to ignore the small kernel of worry growing in her heart. She told herself that nothing too bad could have happened since the woman still came every day. Still, she couldn’t fully banish the various scenarios that clamored for her attention in her mind.

She made a mistake.

Going into the markets every day made her work routine. From time to time, Silver even targeted lower tier targets to check the situation of the tracker coins, but she continued to avoid them. Even as a professional, she began to let her guard down, allowing her worry for Mina more ground to take up residence. Today, she was so distracted that she hadn’t noticed that the rotation had brought her back to the same spot she had been in during collection day.

“Ah, if it isn’t the young Sylvia. It’s early for your family to be back in the capital, is it not?”

Jolted from her thoughts, Silver looked around and saw the ram halfling looking at her over a stack of boxes he was apparently moving to the stall. Instantly, she changed her posture so that her shoulders sagged a bit more than they had been, adopting a somewhat sorrowful expression.

“Pap got sick, so we couldn’t leave,” she explained mournfully.

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.” The kindly beastman frowned with worry for the girl he’d come to dote on. “The herbs weren’t enough?”

Silver shook her head. “The healers aren’t sure what it is, but they say it doesn’t look too dangerous.”

“The healers can’t figure it out either, hm?”

“They think it’s a cold. So it should go away soon.”

“If it was a normal cold, then the herbs you bought should have helped some…”

“They did help some, but what I had weren’t enough to do all the work,” Silver responded, kicking herself internally. What was she doing, letting a spun story get this complicated? Everyone knew simple was best, and if one could work in a grain of truth, even better.

“It must be a particularly stubborn cold, then. It happens sometimes, especially with travelers. When my wife and I go to gather, we have to be careful.” Despite the story being poorly-woven in the girl’s mind, the sheep-man seemed to find it believable. “Did you come to buy more herbs, then?”

She nodded. “Yes, please.”

“Alright, give me a moment to finish restocking.”

Silver watched him go about his work. When he’d finished organizing, he immediately began to mix and grind herbs, not even to pause to look at which ones he was taking. Finally, he tipped it all into a small tea bag.

“Boil it in water for five minutes and have your father drink it.”

“Thank you very much,” she smiled, reaching for her personal coin.

She froze, face paling. Her personal pouch wasn’t in the place she usually kept it. Right now, in its place was the pouch of her last mark. It was proper manners to take your pouch out before making a purchase as a show of trust to the seller, a tradition pickpockets thrived on. Silver always kept the most recent stolen pouch in place of her personal pouch until she was a reasonable distance from her mark to avoid drawing attention to the opening of the pouch she wore on her waist. She had yet to exchange it out for her own having taken it not too long ago. If she took out the stolen pouch here, the man would know it wasn’t hers. It was embroidered with a merchant’s symbol and of a much higher quality than her own.

Should she try to switch it out in front of him here and now? All of his attention was currently focused on her. Not even she was good enough to get away with that. Distraction? What would be natural enough? If she was a little bit further from his stall, she could pretend to trip, but she was right in front of him.

There was nothing. A worried, young girl on an errand to the markets she frequently visited wouldn’t have a reason to suddenly point at something, and she had nothing on hand to easily cause a disturbance, or at least not one that wouldn’t be immediately traced back to her. Silver had been backed into a corner because of her own stupidity. She wanted to kick herself several times over. What kind of novice mistake after novice mistake was this? Had she grown too cocky? Why didn’t she just say that they had come back a little early because they’d forgotten to purchase something? Of course, seeing the herb seller made her immediately think of something medical-related. Her house of matchsticks was about to burn to the ground, and there was nothing she could do about it.

“Is something the matter?” The stall keeper looked on with deepening worry, having seen the color flee her face.

Maybe there was one thing she could do.

Silver patted a place close to, but not on, the stolen pouch. She willed tears to well up in her eyes as she looked at the halfling. “It-It’s gone. My money.”

“Your money pouch is missing?” The man looked shocked. Even if he had warned her to be careful before, he hadn’t truly thought anyone would steal from a young girl.

“It’s gone. What should I do…? Mam and Pap’re going to be so angry.” Silver worked herself up as several tears fell. “I’m sorry, mister. You even made the medicine for me.”

“No, no, it’s no problem, my dear. Take a few deep breaths. You can pay me later, so just take it for now.”

The girl felt a rare twinge of guilt shoot through her. This man was a genuinely good person. She knew that. It was one of the reasons she came to him for herbs when her ‘family was in town.’ He and his wife never skimped on the quality and sold everything for a fair price. Of course, that was also part of why they were still operating out of a stall, but Silver didn’t hate that kind of honesty. And their herbs had helped numerous people in the slums. Taking advantage of this couple was not something she had ever wanted to do.

“Are you really sure…?” Part of her wanted him to say no, to see that she was lying to him. Not a very large part of her, but a part nonetheless.

“Of course, Sylvia. Pay when you can,” he replied with a smile.

Silver closed her eyes, but the tears spilling right now were real. “I’m so sorry.”

“No need to apologize. However, I know someone who might be able to help you. I’ve heard the guards have been giving out coins that help pin down the thieves. Apparently it’s been working. Would you like me to take you to their headquarters?”

That piece of information was enough to bring the girl back to herself. Careful not to lose her act, she wiped away the tears. “Giving them away?”

“So it seems.”

Silver pondered that for a few seconds before offering a small smile. “Thank you, but I want to get this medicine back to my pap. I’ll bring you the money and go to the guards later.”

“Thatta girl. Everything will be ok. And there’s no rush on the money, alright?”

“Ok. I’ll be back, mister!” With a wave, she was off.

Silver ran further than she probably needed to, but after her recent string of slip ups, she didn’t want to leave anything to risk. She still felt embarrassed to the point she wanted to crawl under a rock for a few days. Thankfully, she’d gotten some relevant information out of the situation, so she couldn’t call it a total loss. Tomorrow she would take money back to the stall. Maybe she could dig a little deeper into what the beastman had told her.

For today, though, she headed home. It was still early, but she clearly wasn’t in the right mindset to do her job properly. She stopped briefly on the way to ask one of the other high-tier pickpockets to spread the word to deliver their reports to her later. With that settled, she was free to spend the rest of the day performing mindless tasks around the house.

Silver and Rath cleaned the house when they could, so it never got overly filthy. But since she had time today, she took advantage to wash their bedding and laundry, hanging it out to dry in the desert’s summer heat. The upstairs training area didn’t have much in the way to take care of. Rath had cleaned up the worst of his little game the other night, but some of the blood stain remained. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t the first, nor would it be the last. The main work up here was maintaining the equipment. She sharpened the edges of her spare blades and rubbed oil into the striking dummies. Though enchanted, proper upkeep would still prolong their life. Lastly, she fixed up the various throwing targets before running out of things to do.

Thankfully, she’d spent enough time that it wasn’t long before knocks began to sound at the door. Silver took each report as it came, confirming that the situation had still not changed. The frustration among the pickpockets was mounting. She was thinking of what other steps could counter this new plan when she opened the door yet again, expecting another pickpocket, but instead finding Mina. The young girl was grinning from ear to ear, holding a covered basket.

“I brough’ these fer ye!” she said without preamble, holding the basket out.

Silver couldn’t help but laugh. Mina’s excitement, along with her being here safe and sound, dispelled the dark cloud that had come to reside above the older girl. She took the gift quite happily, pushing back the cloth on top to reveal several misshapen rolls inside.

Mina looked on with a touch of concern. “I know they don’ look perfect ‘r’ nothin’, but my mistress said they were ok!”

“Thank ya, Mina. They look delicious. Come inside, I don’ wanna stand here ‘n’ eat alone.”

They sat together at the table, Silver being careful not to put too much weight on it lest it decide it had stood its last. She offered one of the rolls to the younger girl who shook her head with a somewhat nauseated look on her face.

“I can eat ‘em anytime I wan’,” she said weakly.

Swallowing another laugh, Silver bit into the roll, surprised by the sudden burst of floral flavor in her mouth. “Didja put a type of jam in here?”

“Yep! I suggested it to tha mistress. It costs a bit, so we can’ use it all tha time, but she said it’s ok ta add it ta a few! We haven’ even sold ‘em yet,” the younger girl added conspiratorially.

“Well then, I am honored ta be able ta try tha early product,” Silver replied, enjoying the flavors. Perhaps there was a bit too much salt, but she didn’t mind. This was the product of Mina’s efforts over the past few days. She continued eating until the basket was empty, considerably more than she ate in a normal week.

Patting her overfull stomach, she said, “Thank ye Mina, that was a treat. Yer gonna make a fine baker.”

“Really?” Mina’s eyes shined brightly. “I’ll bring more when I can!”

“I’ll look forward to it. D’ye know if yer mistress is still at her stall?”

“She’s not. Didja need her fer somethin’?”

“Nothin’ urgent. I’ll catch her tomorrow.”

“Ok. I should probably get back, we get up early ta make tha rolls in tha mornin’. I’ll come see ye again, soon.”

“Don’ work too hard ‘n’ burn out,” Silver chuckled. She had never seen Mina so invested in something before and hoped it wasn’t temporary.

“I won’! G’night, Silva.” Mina bid farewell and rushed off, taking the empty basket with her.

Silver realized she was smiling loosely, the result of the release of stress she hadn’t realized had built so high. It was something she would need to keep a closer eye on in the future to avoid situations like today. She stayed up a while longer to see if any late reports would come in and then turned in for the night.

-------------

    Before leaving today, Silver made sure that there was nothing to incriminate her, even opting to leave behind her weapons. She left the house feeling naked. It was later in the morning, but not yet afternoon, so she imagined that it was a good time to drop by the roll stall. As usual, the woman was there, but there was no sign of Mina.

    “Mornin’,” Silver said as she approached.

    “Good mornin’, Silver,” the woman replied.

    “Tha rolls last night were delicious. Thank ye.”

    The comment drew out a smile. “That Mina’s a hard worker. It won’ be long afore we’re able ta sell her rolls at the stall, which’ll be a big help.”

    “I’m glad ta hear that. Ah, I dropped by today ‘cause Mina fergot this last night.” Silver held up a small pouch, one of the ones that had carried herbs previously. Inside were thirty silvers.

    The stall keeper took the bag cautiously. “I’ll make sure ta pass it on ta her,” she said, looking for confirmation in Silver’s eyes. The girl nodded.

    “Thank ye again, fer everythin’.

    “It’s my pleasure.” The sincerity in her voice made Silver smile.

    “Then, I’ll be off.”

    They exchanged nods and Silver headed off toward the market.

    Silver showed a much happier face today when she met up with the herb salesman. “Hello, mister. Thank you for yesterday.”

    “Ah, you’re back today? How is your father?” He inquired with a favorable smile, seeing her mood.

    “Pap’s doing better. Mam said the healers said he’d be back on his feet soon.”

    “I’m glad to hear that.”

    “Oh! They sent me with the money. Here,” she said, passing over three silver. She had changed her money pouch out to one similar to her usual one, though somewhat newer. The last one was ‘stolen,’ after all, though she doubted whether he would have noticed that detail.

    “My dear Sylvia, this is far too much!” he couldn’t help but exclaim. “The medicine from yesterday is only worth one silver and fifteen copper pieces. This is double that! Surely you must know that. Not to mention, you were just pickpocketed.”

    “Mam always says to repay favors, and she said to give you this. She said she’s grateful for the kindness you always show me!” Silver affected embarrassment as though she were truly an eight year-old who had been seen through by her parents.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    “Is that so.” The man thought for a moment. “Well, even if you say that, I can’t accept all of this with a clear conscience. Perhaps we can use part of it for lunch? My wife isn’t back yet, so I have some time. Unless you plan to eat with your parents?”

    Silver shook her head at the question. “Mam was up helping Pap with the tea last night, so she said she was gonna sleep some. She gave me money for lunch! I don’t mind eating together.” It was the least she could do, to let his mind be at ease some.

    “Then let us go. It is a little early perhaps, but I’m hungry.”

    They went in search of a shop the man had in mind after he secured his wares and chatted about little things. Silver was careful to keep details about her ‘past’ as close to reality as possible. Unfortunately, she knew little of the north where she claimed to be from, so she steered the conversation away from those types of inquiries where she could.

    “Were you thinking of going to the guards, then?” the beastman asked once they had finished.

    “Mhm,” Silver nodded. “It might be too late, but Mam said it couldn’t hurt.”

    She was curious about why the guards were suddenly giving out such expensive enchantments like they cost nothing. Had someone pickpocketed a noble who was angry enough to sponsor such an effort? Or perhaps many of them? It was something she hoped to find out by going directly to the source.

    “Shall I take you there?”

    “Mm… Yes, please. If you have time? I’ve never talked to a guard before.”

    “I don’t see how my wife could fault me for making sure you were ok through this.”

    “Thank you,” the girl smiled.

    Of course, Silver was well aware where the main building for the guards was, in addition to each of their outposts. Still, she let the ram halfling take the lead.

A ruby red lizard the size of a large dog sunned itself outside their destination. The only thing marring it's color was the light grey collar clasped around its neck. Though its eyes were closed, Silver knew that the magical beast would be ready in a second if it received a command from its master. Inferno lizards, as they were called, were not uncommon in the south, even as tamed magical beasts. It was, however, unusual to see them in the areas outside of the mage academy and noble district. The lizard drew many curious glances and the beastman gave the creature a wide berth as he pushed through the heavy curtains.

    Silver looked around curiously--until now, she’d never been inside. The air inside the building was cool, the walls inscribed with cooling enchantments. Immediately to the left upon entering, the wall was covered with posters depicting described likenesses of wanted criminals. She gave those a once over and saw a few familiar faces. Most of them had already taken up less visible positions in the criminal world. Under the posters were several desks where workers took care of various paperwork and requests. To the right was another area blocked off by a curtain, but there were no windows allowing visitors to see inside. She guessed it was a private break room for the guards. Directly in front of them were several chairs where visitors could sit while waiting.

    The beastman beckoned her forward toward the desks.

    “Hello,” he began, addressing one of the workers there, “my friend here had her money pouch stolen yesterday. Is there anything that can be done to help?”

    The male receptionist barely glanced over the two of them before handing over a form and a cheap, common stone pen. “Fill this out,” he said in a bored voice.

    Silver looked at the form but couldn’t read a word. Thankfully, it wasn’t unheard of for a girl of her apparent age to be illiterate, especially as the daughter of a small-time merchant family.

    “Mister, I still can’t read it all or write. Could you help me?” she asked the stall keeper.

    “Of course, my dear,” he smiled. “Let’s sit over there.” They took a seat on the chairs and he began. “Name? Sylvia. No surname? I’d assumed not. Let’s see...age…?”

    “Eight,” she supplied.

    The beastman nodded and continued after writing it down. “Amount stolen?”

    “Four silver and twenty-three copper.”

    He looked surprised. “You remember well.”

    At that, Silver smiled proudly. “Mam always says to keep track of every copper you spend.”

    “A wise woman indeed. Time stolen?”

    “Mm… I’m not sure. Around lunchtime yesterday.”

    “Any identifying marks on the pouch?”

    “Nope, it was just brown.”

    “Did you have any tracking enchantments on it or the coins? And if so, do you have the tracker’s eye?”

    An enchantment on the pouch? She’d never heard of something like that before. Was it even possible to do that? It must be if it was a question on the form. The tracker’s eye, on the other hand, she had heard of. It allowed anyone to track the object it had been linked to if the connection wasn’t broken by something like the dechanters. It was a large part of why the enchantments were so expensive.

    Silver shook her head.

    “And lastly...an address. Would you like to use where you’re staying now? Or perhaps you could use my store? We’ll be here longer than your family, I imagine. That way, if they find anything, I can hold it for you until your family comes to the capital again.”

    “Is that really ok?” she asked, brows furrowed.

    “Of course it is! I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it.”

    “If it’s not a bother…”

    “Ok...and...done! Let’s turn this in.”

    The beastman handed over the finished paper to the same receptionist who didn’t even look at it before placing it onto a nearby stack. Again, hardly sparing them a look, the receptionist handed over two coins while dispassionately saying, “As part of our current campaign to reduce theft in the city, we are giving out free tracker coins. Take care not to spend them if you wish for them to be of use. Come back immediately if you are robbed.”

    “Just the coins? Not the eye?” Silver couldn’t help but blurt out as she accepted one. She had left her ring behind today, so she had no way of checking the enchantment. Already she was planning to slip it into someone’s pouch on her way back. Or, she supposed, she could spend it.

    The receptionist looked at her with undisguised annoyance. “The captain put the enchantments on himself and can therefore trace them without an eye. If that is all, I must get back to work.”

    It didn’t seem like he was doing anything of pressing importance and Silver still had a thousand burning questions, but it was probably for the best. If she asked too much here and now, it would be suspicious. Still, it was too much to believe that any one person could keep track of the tens, if not hundreds, of tracker coins that were currently in circulation. What kind of monster was this captain…?

    Silver peered at the copper coin in her hand. There was nothing to tell it apart from an ordinary coin to the naked eye. She looked up at the ram halfling beside her. “Have you ever used one before?”

    He shook his head. “We have a couple on hand, but we’ve luckily never been robbed, so they sit there gathering dust.”

    That news pleased the girl. She might even go as far as to hunt down the one who stole from them if it happened in the city. Well, probably not, but it was the thought that mattered.

    “So I just...put it in the bag?”

    “That’s the gist of it.”

    “Ok,” she said, putting it into the bag at her side. If she put it in her actual money pouch and couldn’t tell which one it was, she’d be in trouble later. “The captain must be really nice!”

    “I’m happy to hear you say that, but truly it is out of my own desire to see these streets safer that I do this,” an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind her.

    If she hadn’t felt the presence of someone coming up from the off-limits room, it would have startled her. As such, she faked a startled jump and turned to face the man. “Oh!”

    “My apologies, miss. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

    This was the selfsame man she and Rath had spied on just recently. He had a pleasant smile on his face. Being this close, she realized that his features actually reminded her somewhat of Rath, which is what had struck her previously. But the impression they gave off couldn’t be more different, and this man was at least twenty years Rath’s junior. Perhaps he was Rath’s child, born a bastard into a noble family. The thought almost made her laugh, but she covered the impulse with a bright smile in return.

    “Thank you for making the city safe!” she curtsied.

    The captain laughed, waving a hand. “It is the other guards you should be thanking. I, alone, could not accomplish much.”

    “So you’re the captain passing out all these coins? Doesn’t it get hard with all of them?” Silver kept her eyes wide and awe-struck.

    “Perhaps it would ordinarily, but I have a trick.” He smiled but didn’t say anything else.

    After waiting a moment, she decided to risk prodding him. “Ohh, a trick with magic! That’s so cool! You’re like...a magic detective!”

    This elicited another laugh. “Something like that. It isn’t magic, but rather logic with a bit of luck.”

    Logic and luck, huh? “I think magic sounds cooler, but I guess those other things are ok, too.” She turned and looked at the beastman who was eyeing the captain somewhat warily. “Don’t you think it’s cool?”

    He jumped and smiled. “It’s cool. Pardon me, captain. I am Hidal of the Ranzem clan. It is an honor to meet you,” he finished with a bow.

    “The honor is mine, Hidal. Forgive me my lateness as well. I am Rinear, captain of the guard. You are this child’s guardian?” Rinear returned the bow.

    “No, she is just a friend. She often buys herbs from my stall and happened to have her money stolen recently, so I came with her to help file a report. Her father has recently taken ill, and her mother is with him,” Hidal explained.

    “Ah, I see. And what’s your name, little one?”

    “Sylvia!”

    “Well, Sylvia,” the captain said, bending on one knee and patting her head like she so often did to Mina, “I hope that your money won’t go missing again, but if it does, do come back and ask for me. Hopefully, it won’t be too late to track down.”

    “Ok!” she agreed.

    Standing up, Rinear paused for a moment before asking, “By the way, and do forgive me the personal nature of this question, but do either of you perchance have any disenchanting items on your persons?”

    Both Hidal and Silver gave him bemused expressions, the latter of whom didn’t even need to act this time. What ordinary person would carry something like a dechanter? Silver had left all of hers back in her room, so she wasn’t worried about him happening to find some on her, either.

    “No, sir,” “Nope!” they responded respectively.

    “Hmm...strange…” Rinear scratched the back of his head looking baffled. He opened his mouth to speak again, but at that time, another guard pushed in from outside, interrupting.

    “Excuse me, sir, one of the pouches holding one of your tracker coins was taken approximately three minutes ago.”

    “Ah, it seems I must behave rudely once again. It was a pleasure to meet the two of you. I hope we might meet again.” He bowed to the duo before returning his attention to the other guard, giving an order as he walked toward the exit. “I haven’t felt one disappear or move yet. Gather a group. If it disappears, we will hurry to that place and see if we manage to catch anything.”

    “Yes, sir.” Both guards left the building, leaving the beastman and the girl behind.

    “Well, he seems a decent sort,” Hidal commented.

    Silver barely caught a snarky reply from betraying her. “Mhm! I wanna grow up to be like him.”

    “You’re already a good girl,” he smiled at her. “It is time that I get back to work as well. I’m sure I will see you again, and I will let you know at that time if I hear anything.”

    “Thank you, mister!” Leaving, she noticed the lizard was gone. Probably the noble captain’s pet, she guessed.

-------------

    Logic and luck. And the comment about the coin disappearing and moving… She hadn’t heard any reports of anyone getting caught, so it seemed that whatever had happened earlier hadn’t gone well for the guard captain. If she was the one keeping tabs on all those coins, how would she do it? It wasn’t a magic solution, if she were to believe his words. That worked in her favor since she didn’t have an intricate knowledge of how enchantments or, indeed, magic in general, functioned. She doubted, though, that he could tell which coin belonged to whom.

    Where had the low- and mid-tier pickpockets been when they’d gotten caught? Had she asked? No. She only knew that they’d been caught. Movement…

    There was a knock on the door.

    “Silver,” Zeik said when she opened it, “Another mid-tier got pulled in a bit ago.”

    “Where?” she asked immediately.

    “Not far past tha checkpoint, I think.”

    Silver’s eyes narrowed as a piece of the puzzle fell into place. However, even though she now had that piece, all it did was open a world of headaches for her. She sighed.

    “I might regret askin’, but are ye ok?”

    “I think I know how they’re goin’ about this, but findin’ a solution’s gonna be a pain in the ass.”

    Zeik’s eyes brightened at her words. “Ye’ve figured it out?”

    “I think so,” she emphasized.

    “How?” his inquiry came impatiently.

    “I found out that tha captain’s enchantin’ all tha coins himself. If he does that, it doesn’ cost ‘im much. My guess is that he goes after tha coins that come ta tha slums. There’re guards at tha checkpoints, so if ye go in and out that way, it wouldn’ take long ta getcha. And it’d be obvious if he caught tha wrong person, like a noble ‘r’ a merchant on business. If he gets lucky, he might catch someone if they take too long ta use a dechanter, too. Logic and luck.”

    “Ok,” Zeik said slowly, “but even if he saves money doin’ tha enchantin’ himself, he still uses tha coins.”

    “He’s some noble kid,” Silver replied distastefully. “If this’s a hobby fer him, it’s just an investment.”

    “Hmph. Still, if that’s tha case, isn’ it simple? Don’ bring tha tracker coins out of tha market ‘r’ noble areas.”

    The girl massaged her temples. “It’s not that simple. Think about it. Fer tha high-tiers, not all of their marks’re gonna only be holdin’ his tracker coins. What if they have their own tracker’s eye? Ye can’ hold on ta tha coin fer too long without deenchantin’ it. Think about why we use tha dechanters in tha first place. Even if ye spend it ‘r’ ditch it in someone else’s pouch, there’s tha chance that they’ll be able ta track yer essence as tha most recent and follow it back ta ya.”

    “I know that,” he said peevishly.

    “So ye could go after smaller marks an’ accept tha lower rewards by gettin’ rid of the tracker coins,” she continued as though he hadn’t interrupted. “By tha time Mr. Nobility managed ta find tha coins, they’d’ve been passed around a couple of times. But tha’s not much good, either. Not ta mention tha lower tiers. They don’ have a ring ta begin with, an’ they can’ just dump all their copper; tha’s most of their haul. ‘N if a bunch of kids start askin’ ta change their thirty copper fer a silver, someone’s gonna cotton on.”

    For a while, there was silence while Silver sank deeply into thought and Zeik tried to find a flaw in her logic. Silver remembered Rath’s description of the captain: annoying. She had to agree.

    “Ye know, I do regret askin’. I don’ want this headache. I know they say two heads’re better ‘n’ one an’ all, but I don’ think this head’s gonna do too good. Sorry, Silver.”

    Silver’s eyes lit up. “Heh, not bad, Zeik. I have an idea.”

    Confused, Zeik asked, “You do?”

    “Well, half of one, anyway. Keep everythin’ I told ya a secret fer now.” She glared at him. “Secret. Don’ tell anyone. An’ I mean anyone.”

    “I got it, I got it. Don’ go offin’ me now.”

    “Good,” she nodded. “Goodnight.”

    The door shut in Zeik’s face. He shook his head. Truly, he wished he hadn’t asked. Now if something got out, she’d blame it on him, and that kind of blame probably wouldn’t end well. With a heavy sigh, he turned and trudged home.