In the deep halls, they negotiated. Nettle and the smith dwarf-human.

  “I think I could manage for three-fourths that.”

  The smith did the math in his head easily and offered the new number.

  “I suppose that works for me,” agreed Nettle reluctantly. “Expensive joke I suppose.”

  “Before shaking to seal the deal, you’ll have to agree to get it out front yourself.” The smith crossed his arms.

  Nettle glanced up at the high boxes. He would be basically legally stealing it. “We can transport it to the front. I’ll get all the group back here.”

  “As long as you go get someone to do the exterior loading, then I’ll take payment and be done with this transaction.”

  Both of them shook on it. Nettle dropped the bitcoin into his hands. Smith untensed his shoulders.

  Nettle sighed. “Ah still me, worrying about those others and their purchasing. You wouldn’t believe how hard it can be to deal with that lot out there.”

  The smith gave him a sympathetic look. “An orc, vampire, elven, Djinn crew? I can imagine it’s not ideal Fae company.”

  He bristled at this but then reminded himself he was about to practically steal a set of armor off them. He kept his lips sealed. Not that it wasn’t still quite rude to say in the end. But this smith clearly had little to no filter.

  “I’ll stay here with the box,” offered the smith with a bored expression. “Help you carry it out.”

  “Perfect.”

  He kept a slow pace until he knew he could safely run without being overheard and his slight hissing breath and light steps could hide his speed. He went fast to Bodi. Not bothering to check others in the shop. He found Bodi outside playing Mancala against another smith apprentice and apparently winning money out of it. The group around him seemed happy enough, but he noticed they were all watchful for a command. Bodi had a new spear to work with and a pleased enough expression.

  “Oh, Nettle, look at what they’re playing you know I used to-“

  “Bodi, I need to borrow you.”

  The apprentices as one began shaking their heads or waggling a no. One said, “Bodi got his merchandise. He has to stay outside now.”

  Nettle considered the piles of apprentices. “A master,” he emphasized the words to them, “requires your help loading onto the cart a box of ceremonial armor I just bought. It’s stacked at the bottom.”

  They left out signs about the matter, but about five got up. He guided them back. “It’s quick work to get this lot loaded up faster than usual. No wasting about.”

  Like his first Smith, they all commented, “You’re going to go into the deeps here? Yes, of course. They’ve allowed me to. Unless you want to bumble around back there and not taking it out on the double as they said.”

  He took them back to his original seller who may or may not have been startled from a heavy sleep by the apprentices appearing.

  The fare took him aside and quickly muttered. “They were all grousing about the front and since my man Bodi was told to stay outside the I was instructed to keep those young lost boys busy instead of, off gambling money to one of my sharpeners. I’d really appreciate it if you kept this quiet though. My man will be upset if he learns I kept impressionable targets way from his collecting ways.”

  The smith grunted in agreement, having apparently already forgotten they just shook on him loading the amors without the assistance of the shop. But the apprentices moved much faster than their master, having tended to such laborious jobs. They began shifting the boxes into a new stack higher and even moving other items out. blocking aisles all so they could pull out the bottom box. They worked more effectively than Nettle expected. Even though he’d found the weakness he respected that this shop must usually be quite effective in their handling. Further if for some reason the smiths became frustrated, they could easily overpower the smaller party with sheer numbers and manpower.

  This place probably had already harmed enough thieves by brute force nobody would bother to break in and still risking breaking of their own bones for the prizes within. Nettle wondered if they had other security measures but didn’t want to push on the matter. He had what he wanted well enough.

  They went to the front of the house and with three of the apprentices hefting the box like prize fighters lifting a victorious arm, he hustled them out the door and up to the Ripple. The door opened without Day and the box went into it. The damned thing had a mind of its own. Nettle gave the apprentices a smile, already handing out his tipping cash. The money transferred without a pause. Nettle left out a deep breath of relief as he closed Ripple’s door.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Bodi watched them lugging around the heavy box with a narrowed gaze. He returned to beans of mancala. The only thing stopping Nettle’s final escape, which he desperately wanted to make, was the lack of everyone except him and Bodi.

  He walked over as the master began sending off half of the apprentices back to the forge or back to the spot in the shop to refix the boxes lined up. It was clear he was trying to keep them all from the hustler Bodi who honestly hadn’t made that much in his pile. It was obvious by the money amount that at least since last time he’d lost a few rounds of counting out the beans carefully. Only a guard or two or remained so he sat down taking over the next game.

  “Bet?” asked Bodi.

  “I’d rather play for bragging rights.”

  Bodi shrugged and set out the little beans, chunks of metal, and other rounded little nicknacks. Maybe even a few animal bones worked their way in there. Nettle vaguely knew the rules but suspected his math to be better and started to play, portioning out his seeds with a passing hand over.

  “Where is everyone else Bodi?”

  “Shopping,” he said shortly, playing with focus. He spoke even lower so only Nettle could just barely hear him with his sharp ears.

  “You seem keen to go.”

  “When I have what I need, I have what I need.”

  Bodi fixed him with a gaze but then grunted in understanding. Apparently, he could realize just the problem they had in the first place. Nettle got something he wanted and now they needed to go before anyone else noticed the transaction but the others did not know. Bodi couldn’t go back in and it would be more complicated to explain not the others they should be going in front of the master smiths who knew more about negation.

  He noticed the man he delt with had gone back up into the shop, back to the work he personally enjoyed once they got everything sorted out in the back. It’d been quick work. Very quick work.

  He felt his heart staring too rachet up in speed. They could try to reverse the transition if they realized they’d sold something of such value for an incredibly incorrect price. He’d known of shops to do such things when they had more firepower than their customers. For all, they knew the shopkeepers master might get angry and steal from them everything they had in the first place. He’d already guessed based on the wide variety, at least a few of the items in the shop got stolen off offending customers. Nobody could make that many things.

  He shifted uncomfortably while Bodi made a clicking sound.

  “What?” grumbled Nettle before staring down into the pile.

  “I’ve already won. New game?”

  Indeed, the pile of beans and bits on Bodis side was much larger than his and all the bits left in play with.

  “Another round?”

  Nettle grunted in surprise and they restarted. He needed to focus on the game that Bodi could play so well or he’d get crushed again. But he couldn’t think with the tension running across his shoulders. He didn’t even know what he had in the box himself, but it seemed to be whispering dangers to him. His greatest concern was that the master of the smithers would show up recognize the box still in the back of the cart and realize that one of his people had made a huge mistake. Not that he could legally take it back, but who cared about the legality of it when they had the force and weapons. He scattered out the items again in a pattern he recognized this time as advantageous to Bodi. Bodi took them with no qualms about crushing him on the second game.

  “You know,” Bodi said affably, “I don’t think I’ve seen you like this before.

  The younger apprentices had gone off to the front door, no longer watching the boring gameplay that was taking hours in front of their own eyes. Nothing less interesting than watching people a game they swore they could be good at. They’d also started a discussion about why one of them seemed to be struggling at passing the sculpting test. Overall, they were speaking much louder together and not listening to the two playing on the ground.

  Bodi noticed the same thing and spoke very low again. “You’re acting nervous. Take a few deep breathes and try to appear like you’re not robbing them, because you’re not. Your transactions here are done.”

  Nettle considered him with a frown before trying his best to do that. But all he could do what tap his toes and worry about it. He’d had things stolen from him before even when he’d not been a shoemaker although some people had stolen high priced shoes. Those times when he’d been younger felt closer to now. When someone with enough power blew in took what they could from the household and then went off. It’s why he’d started learning such physical magics in the first place. He’d never intended to use it on somebody like Bodi as a proxy, but when the moment happened it was more necessary. Now though he didn’t know if his own skills were on par with the threat. He could not trust the party to hold his back on this. They were hirelings. People who worked for pay, not loyalty, and not all of them for pay anyways.

  Bodi took another advantageous turn and spoke softly. “I protect you, remember? With me, you’re fully safe.”

  He scowled at the orc. “I doubt that even you could handle so many enemies.”

  The orc gave him a jaunty wink, puffing out his lower jaw a bit more.

  “You really should figure out who you hired someday. When I have a task, it’s hard to stop me.”

  But before he could get started on the discussion, the others all piled out. In the worst manner he could imagine. Deeply upset and agitated. Everyone including the reptile appeared to be already riled up about some matter involving Kriti.

  “She can’t just go about picking up and touching whatever she wants.” The djinn scowled back at them, her headscarf seeming to flutter just a bit more than normal.

  “I didn’t touch anything more than anyone else in the shop!”

  Day figuratively frothed at the mouth. “I cannot believe how unfairly you are treating us. First you throw out Bodi and now you lot are doing the same to us. Our money spends the same as anyone else.” She grunted in anger. They’d never seen her so upset.

  Laural was practically spitting fire over the last two. “That man was groping me! You’re acting like we’re thieves, but if I wasn’t already paying attention he’d have been nothing but a scoundrel. For doing such you should except the whole lot of us to come about this-“