Rynn seemed both mystified and a bit angry. “Why don’t you want to kiss me?”

  Gray couldn’t help but think they looked strange—two First Field recruits sitting with their backs against the wall of some alley just off the Pit Market’s main street. A vendor across from them was grilling lizards on sticks. They smelled really good, which Gray took as a good sign. He might not have a gluttony resonance, but he still had an appetite.

  The elf girl went off on a ramble, not looking at him. “Why should he want to kiss you, Rynnanatha Sereph? He’s your comrade-in-arms. It’s probably not the hair. I don’t think he cared about the angel hair, though I have to admit, it was one of my better features. He probably thinks I’m a bit awkward, but I am, but I’m also honest. I think he’s honest as well, though I have the idea he doesn’t think he’s honest. His past was difficult, and he probably had to make morally questionable decisions out of necessity. His name is Grayson Fade after all. He lives in the gray, so he doesn’t fade away. It was a dumb thing to ask. But it wasn’t sexual. I think he knows that. It was only to transfer the mana. I suppose we could try hugging, though I don’t know. I don’t have the a tenth of the power in my core that he has. A kiss would be the best way. But just drop it, Rynn. It’s not happening.”

  Gray found himself ughing. “Oh, Rynnanatha Sereph. You are too adorable. If we kissed, even to transfer mana, it would change things. We’re friends, comrades, fellow recruits on a kill squad. A romantic retionship would make things more complicated than they need to be, and I didn’t grow up with mana. When I wanted to be with someone like that, I pursued them. If they agreed, we would have sex, and it was wonderful, but again, it complicated things. I don’t want anything to stand in our way. I need you.”

  She turned to him. “You need me to kiss you to give you mana.”

  “I’ll slowly get more mana over time, won’t I?”

  She nodded. “But you’ll feel awful for a few days. Can you do another day of training while feeling so poorly?”

  “I can. Who needs a full mana core if one has a full heart? It’s my heart that does most of the work.”

  “For now,” she said. “But during the Testing, especially during the Soulshred, you’ll need to restore your mana reserves. The whole squad may end up kissing you. Lucky for you, Captain Sevanya won’t have any other boys on our recruit squad. She prefers girls for some reason. Some say she has, uh, certain proclivities.”

  Gray ughed. “Proclivities?”

  “She has a preference for other women.” Rynn squeezed her eyes closed. “Why are we talking about this? We’re not going to kiss. I understand everything you said. It’s a slippery slope. My Aunt Florence would say a kiss is a like business deal. Once you seal the deal, there’s no going back. One should never mix business and friendship. And one should never confuse friendship and sex. Many people find themselves trapped in a bond because of that.”

  “It’s so very strange,” Gray said. “Sex is fun.”

  “Sex is dangerous,” the elf girl said. “Forever is a long time to be bonded with someone.”

  “Just a question, but sex leads to babies in the Crown and in the Belly, right?”

  That made Rynn snort. She sighed at herself. “Yes, Gray. It all works the same. Babies don’t come from the murderous desires of gods anymore.”

  “What? When did babies come from the murderous desires of gods?”

  “We have gotten off track. Some manamancers say that they can control their mana to prevent the bond forming. They also cim they can prevent unwanted pregnancies by their force of will alone. I wouldn’t trust anyone, ever, if they used that line on me.” She turned to me. “So, you, uh, did the deed before? Did you get the girl pregnant?”

  He shook his head. “We took precautions to prevent pregnancies.”

  “Precautions.” She looked straight ahead. “Did you put your…uh…thing…in some kind of…uh, wrapper. No, we are not talking about this. You will slowly get mana. We will not try and break Captain Sevanya’s wards. We will live in the barracks, we’ll train, and when the captain returns, we can go visit Yellow in Old Town. If her wards are powerful, the sweet little puppy will be fine in the manor. I’m sure rats will find a way in. Dogs like to eat rats.”

  “I think Yellow mostly eats demons.”

  She turned, blinking. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’ve seen him kill a gluttony lizard. He shook it, broke its neck, and yes, he probably ate it.”

  “That can’t be good for him.”

  “And yet, he was there when Captain Sevanya took me there. There is a way to get past the wards, right? Maybe there’s an item we could use to use to sneak through them. I hardly felt them when the captain and I went back and forth to Pit City.”

  Rynn shook her head. “I’m sorry, Gray. I can’t help you with that. I guess you better start calling me, Miss No.”

  “Miss Maybe would be a better name. I’ll keep my hopes up. Thanks for understanding about the kiss.”

  “No kisses and no moving,” she said firmly.

  “No kisses and maybe moving. I won’t pressure you to come with me, but I have to see if Yellow is okay, and Ruin Manor is special, however ruined it is. We could fix it up, and we could start hunting early.”

  “Poaching is prohibited. You have to be a part of Kill Squad to hunt demons for their mana. If you got caught up, you’d be punished, maybe exiled. Father would hate me, and Mother would disown me. I can’t help you, Gray. I wish I could, but I can’t.”

  He saw the hurt on her face, and he knew a way to make her feel better. “I know you don’t have a gluttony resonance, Miss Yes, but let’s go make ourselves feel better at Gorgonzo’s Counter. I’m fairly certain there’s nothing that noodles can’t fix.”

  She ughed. “Yes. I am going to try the purplepnt parpar, manafied, of course.”

  As they walked through the market, Gray kept thinking about the wards, and how he might get past them. It would require more money, which meant he had to improve his cup game. Getting another prize would be helpful. Yes, it was time consuming, but he wasn’t going to ask Rynn for money.

  At Gorgonzo’s counter, once again, they saw the slender woman with the dark hair and purple eyes. She was in a different outfit, something that accentuated her muscles and curves. Once again, she kept looking over at Gray and Rynn as they ate at the long counter.

  Gorgonzo was thrilled to see them. “Try something different. Try the Astrian sausage cake, which is savory not sweet, but it came out especially good today. I can make one manafied and one regur.”

  Gray and Rynn agreed.

  The dish was amazing, the noodles soft and gooey in the center but crispier where they had been baked. The sauce was rich, the cheese levels of creamy that Gray hadn’t anticipated and the sausage so very spicy.

  He had the bubble water as well as a red wine that complimented the meal. Rynn had wine as well, only hers was manafied.

  They ate, chatted, but after their busy day and restless night the day before, they decided to head back and get to sleep early. Maybe they could get to sleep before the orcs returned from whatever inn they spent the evening at. That was probably wishful thinking. Rynn wanted to get back a little earlier to check for scorpions.

  Gray paid their bill with his dwindling shekels, though he was pretty sure that Gorgonzo wasn’t charging him full price. By the end of their meal, the purple-eyed girl was gone. She couldn’t be human, could she? He’d never seen eyes that color. He also wondered that if someone could have angel blood in them, could they have demon blood? Rynn had said that Froggy might not be completely human.

  On the way back home, they found Merrymancer’s Fine Items. Really, they couldn’t miss it. The shop had a sign obviously infused with mana, lighting up the evening. The building three stories tall and very narrow was crammed between two stalls. There weren’t for dwarven cousins guarding the door, but two giant orcs. These orcs were different—they had dusky yellow horns curling up from their foreheads. They stood holding polearms, though the space was so cramped, there was no way they could wield them. On their belts were clubs. The cudgels weren’t as grand, but they would be far more effective in close quarters.

  A completely bald dwarf with an oiled white beard came down. His purple suitcoat must’ve cost him a fortune. The buttons were silver, and the intricate embroidery had to be done with golden thread. The head of his cane matched his silver buttons. For a second, Gray was reminded of Settie’s cane.

  “Yes, hello good customers. You look like First Field recruits, if I’m not mistaken. Come in. Come in. What treasure can I help you find this grand day?”

  Gray held up the ruby neckce. “I’m looking for a matching bracelet, but I can’t afford to pay much. I thought you might have something. Gundrik Grumblesoft said you might be able to help.”

  Merrymancer’s smile never dimmed but Gray saw the fsh of annoyance in the dwarf’s eyes. “Oh, good, I’m gd. Yes, Sofie wouldn’t have anything like you are seeking unless it was manabound, and anything manabound is bound to cost more.” He ughed at his own wordpy. “See what I did there?”

  “Yes. Clever,” Gray agreed.

  Most of the merchants Gray had known over the years were just like Merrymancer. They wanted to get you to like them, so they could cheat you. It was funny that the orcs on their floor were so very much like the gdiators in the arena. It was all comradery and drunken revelry until it was time to fight. Then the friendship and drinking didn’t mean a thing. This merchant was the same.

  Merrymancer continued. “I deal in all sorts of lovely things, manabound and things bound to be loved. Follow me.” Merrymancer led them past toys, wooden daggers and fake bows with padded arrow. There some tiny padded spears as well along with little shields with metalwork on the front that spelled out Merrymancer.

  Merrymancer stepped behind a gss dispy counter with tunics and linens around him. In the counter were beads, bits of gss, and some shiny bracelets of linked false silver chains.

  Gray was impressed by the vastness of the inventory. Three levels of this? However, he couldn’t show any emotion. They were about to begin bargaining. Rynn was stone-faced. Growing up in a family of shopkeepers, she knew the game.

  Merrymancer chuckled, fingering a silver chain that hung from his waistcoat. “I appreciate Softie’s generosity. Generosity in the marketpce is truly a thing to cherish, for it can be a den of thieves, a temple of greed, but no need to fuss, because here nothing is sus-pect.” He paused on the first sylble to complete the rhyme.

  The dwarf ughed more, and oh so merrily. “Now, let me see your ruby pretty.” He screwed in an eyepiece and tapped a finger on the velvet tray.

  Gray held up the neckce. “It doesn’t need to match. It just needs to look simir. If you don’t mind, the neckce is manabound, and I’m not comfortable with anyone but me holding it.”

  “Of course, of course,” the bald dwarf said. “I think I have just the piece.”

  He then id out a small red bracelet. The red crystals were pretty, but they were nothing when compared to the luscious rubies of Lilian’s neckce. “I think this would do. It is just a little something I keep around. I could find a manamancers to give it a little mana, if you’d like. I’m an official dealership, fully licensed and bonded with the Avarica Family in Generosity City. Yes, yes, I know most people call it Greed City, but I prefer to focus on the virtues and not the sins. Would you like to see my license?”

  Gray nodded.

  From underneath the counter, Merrymancer drew a scroll, unraveled, and then smmed it down. At the bottom there was a wax seal with a symbol in it. “That is the official stamp of approval of the Avarica family. I could have the simple crystals glow when put on the wrist of your lovely there. Are you two bonded?”

  “No!” Rynn said in shock.

  “Someday,” Gray said, turning, and giving her a smile. “Someday, after we both survive the Testing, we’ll get good jobs in Kill Squads. We’d like to find our way into the good graces of the Avarica Family, wouldn’t we, dearest?”

  Rynn blushed. “Yes, dearest. I didn’t know you have such strong feelings for me.”

  Gray pyed up the lie. “This bracelet is for you. As is this neckce. Maybe the good shopkeeper can find some generosity in his heart and give me a better price. We are but poor recruits, putting our lives on the line, in service to the world to keep Old Town clear of the demons.”

  Rynn nodded. “I love the bracelet dearest. I love the neckce. Just as I love you. And yet, you wouldn’t kiss me.” She had a little smile on her lips. She knew exactly what he was doing. Such a clever girl.”

  “I can part with the bracelet for thirty shekels, but only because you are such a sweet couple,” Merrymancer said in a jolly voice.

  To Gray, that meant the bracelet was probably worth fifteen shekels. Maybe twenty. His ruse had worked. The shopkeeper had thrown out the first number.

  Gray turned. “Oh, good sir, I’m so sorry. I can’t afford that, not even for the woman I love. Is there any way you could lower the price?”

  Merrymancer’s smile only increased.

  Back and forth they went, until Gray offered eighteen, and Merrymancer took it. “Yes, I am losing on this deal, my friend, but I believe in generosity, especially to recruits who are new in town. All I ask is that you tell all of your friends at First Field about me and my shop.”

  “Agreed,” Gray said.

  He clipped the bracelet around Rynn’s wrist. “There you go, dearest.”

  Merrymancer counted the shekels with practiced ease. “Very good, very good. Such a nice couple. I hope the gods bless you with a bond when the time comes. I do have a word of warning, sir.”

  Gray turned back to him. “Yes?”

  “You know, I would be careful about dealing with Gundrik Grumblsoft and his sister. The Widow Stone is a very good manamancer, and she does wonders with the manabound inventory they have, which, I grant you, is substantial and worthy. However, rumor has it, they are unbound, and that yes, most of their wonderful inventory is wful and magnificent, but others whisper that the Widow Stone enchants illegal items using poached mana. All six of the Watchfire Families frown on such activities. I would suggest, for all of your manabound needs, you come back to my store, for I deal in mirth, merriment, and the manabound! Weapons. Tinctures. Pills. Potions. Yes, I have it all. We’ve made this sale, but might we make another one? I could show you my mana purification section. It is substantial, and you have seen the Avarica seal. I am fully licensed and bonded. No poached mana for me and my inventory, both legal and graced with generosity.”

  He lingered on that final word. It was a long speech, and during it, the bald dwarf plunked the shekels, one by one, into a lockbox but not before feeling every edge of the coins.

  “Thank you,” Gray said. “We will keep you in mind. I am very impressed with your generosity. Very impressed. But we must go. We are training, every day, that we might survive the Testing. We can’t be your most loyal customers if we’re dead.”

  “No,” the dwarf chuckled. “No, you can’t. Good evening, sweet recruits, good evening. May the gods of order and happiness bless you and keep you. You know, however, I think I might have a pair of manabound sandals that might fit you. They are very unique, and—”

  Gray cut him off. “Sorry good, sir. We must be off.”

  He and Rynn exited before the talkative dwarf could say more.

  Once outside, both of them ughed, as they made their way through the market.

  As they passed Softie’s, the pce was closed, even though the market was still packed with people.

  They paused at the cup game wall to compare notes.

  “I know it’s shocking, Miss Yes, but there is no way he has a generosity resonance. What he did can’t be acceptable, can it?”

  Rynn sighed. “Maybe not, but people do hit at their own resonances all the time, and generally, when they do talk about the seven instincts, they say they prefer the virtues and all of that. Some people have a generosity resonance, certainly, but I doubt they would chatter on and on about it.” He smiled at her. “I love that you decred your love for me. It is rather ironic, given that you don’t want to kiss me.”

  Gray gave her a kind smile. “No, Miss Yes, I was merely being true to my name. You agreed that kissing was not a good. I’ll get my mana slowly. I’ll be fine. Already, I’m feeling better.”

  He then went to her, gently took her hand, and kissed her cheek. She smelled even better up close, and he could feel the warmth of her mana care. He was so drawn to her. He didn’t know how it worked, not yet, but he figured that if they ever did have sex, they would have a bond that nothing could ever break.

  He stepped back. “I have kissed you.”

  She touched her cheek. “It was a lovely kiss. I will cherish it far longer than I will cherish this very cheap bracelet. However, I rather like it. I’ll have father send money to buy it from you. How much would you sell it for?”

  “Two thousand shekels?”

  “It’s a bit steep, but it’s yours. I’ll write to father.”

  He hooked his arm through hers. “You have a lot to learn about greed, Miss Yes. Your mother would not be pleased. And Aunt Florence would be positively shocked.”

  “But my father would be happy.”

  “How so?”

  “He would be proud that I have found a friend who wants to train as hard as I do. You also slyly mentioned that we wanted to get in good graces with the Avarica Family. Well, Merrymancer while being unpleasant, might be a good contact.”

  “He is licensed and bonded.”

  That made the elf girl ugh and ugh.

  On the way back, they talked more, but neither mentioned neither Softie nor the accusations of poaching. Gray knew it would only start an argument. Rynn needed to py by the rules to get where she wanted.

  Gray, however, was thinking he would end up pying a far different game. It would be better for both of them, in the long run, if they weren’t bonded. It was a pity, but Gray didn’t pn on bonding with anyone.

  What would he do for sex?

  He wasn’t sure, but right then, he was too tired and too happy to worry about it. The barracks might be a nightmare of noise, heat, and scorpions, but at least he had a bed there.