I approached the shop once more, now with stones in my pannier. I knew enough to know that these were valuable, but not exactly how valuable. That was Anabeth’s departnt.
The shopkeeper’s eyes glazed over the items with the practiced precision of soone who had slled every ounce of aether in three counties. He prodded the Heart of Aether with his brass-tipped rod and murmured, “Hmm. Rare, but unstable.” Next ca Snailstride. “Unique resonance . . . interesting. I’ve seen so like it.” Finally, the slimy dagger. He gingerly prodded it with the tip of his rod, careful not to let his fingers touch the slick surface. “Hmm . . . slippery, but remarkably intact. The runes are sophisticated . . . unusual. I’d say this one is the most valuable of the lot; close to a thousand Kohns on its own, if handled properly.”
He leaned back, lips pursed. “All told . . . roughly fourteen hundred seventy Kohns. But I am feeling generous today. One thousand five hundred Kohns, take it or leave it.”
1500 Kohns? That sounded like 1700 Kohns to my ears. That would have been reasonable. Even 1750, if I pushed my luck.
I opened my mouth, then thought better of it. Any attempt at haggling now would be . . . unwise. The thought of threatening to wrest the dagger from the shopkeeper’s hands flashed briefly in my mind, and I decided imdiately against it.
I glanced at Anabeth. Surely she wouldn’t intervene, would she? She sounded like she ca from the sort of family that didn’t haggle over trifles, the sort who paid full price for everything without a second thought. And that made sense; why waste ti when they could earn twice the money in that sa amount of ti?
I braced myself to simply take the 1500 Kohns and move on. But then Anabeth leaned forward, just slightly, her hands folding gracefully in front of her, and spoke.
“Ah, sir,” she said, smooth as polished marble. “You are a discerning dealer, of course. But might I suggest a reconsideration? These are not re curiosities. Heart of Aether alone sustains minor thaumaturgic devices for weeks. Snailstride’s resonance is persistent and, as you have stated, rather uncommon. And this—this dagger,” she lifted the slick blade just enough to let its runes catch the light, “is not only intact, but possesses a sophistication I rarely encounter. Its value, with proper handling, far exceeds initial estimations.”
My thoughts scrambled. She’s actually doing it. She’s negotiating. And she’s good at it.
The shopkeeper looked at the dagger, then back at Anabeth. He pursed his lips once more, clearly counting silently. I watched him, holding my breath. He could refuse, he could hold firm, but the way Anabeth had frad the argunt, emphasizing rarity, utility, and irreplaceability . . . it was subtle, almost regal persuasion.
The shopkeeper finally said, “Perhaps . . . but 1500 Kohns is already generous. I’d be stretching.”
Anabeth tilted her head, eyes steady. “I understand your prudence, sir. But consider the alternative: selling such items elsewhere could take weeks, even months, and there is always risk of damage or loss. A small increase today secures the transaction and avoids future uncertainty.”
“Hmm . . . well, perhaps 1600? That’s pushing it.”
I perked up. See? He’s cracking already. I could barely believe it. My own heart raced a little.
“1600,” Anabeth repeated, “is closer, but not quite sufficient for the rarity presented. I propose 1900 Kohns. It reflects their true value and spares us all future inconvenience.”
The man rubbed his jaw. “1900? That’s far more than I usually pay for anything like this. You drive a hard bargain, lady.”
“I assure you, sir, I am only advocating for fair compensation,” she said. “Surely we both prefer an equitable transaction.” She lifted the Heart of Aether just enough for the shopkeeper to see, tracing her fingertip along one of its etched runes. “Note the microfracture near the central glyph. Most would see it as a flaw, but in reality, it has stabilized naturally in the aetheric structure. This grants the crystal a resonance stability uncommon even among rare Heart of Aether specins. Its energy storage is not only preserved, but enhanced. When you sell it to your prospective buyer, you can repeat the sa point I have made, and surely you can sell it for a small fortune to those who see its value.”
I stared at her, utterly floored. She actually did it. The calm precision, the way she highlighted the dagger and Heart of Aether—if I were selling sothing I had any real knowledge of, I would have said the exact sa thing.
He hesitated a mont longer, then finally, with a resigned grunt, pushed the pouch toward us. “Fine. Nineteen hundred Kohns. Final.”
Anabeth gave a satisfied nod. “Very well, sir. We are most grateful for your fairness.”
I watched as she deftly lifted the pouch, counting the coins with precise motions before tucking it securely into my pannier. The weight of the gold felt satisfying, but it was nothing compared to the quiet triumph of the negotiation itself.
“Shall we be on our way?” she said, turning gracefully.
I slung my pannier over my shoulder, still marveling at how effortlessly she had handled the whole affair. Nineteen hundred was a phenonal outco. With soone like Anabeth by my side, I could avoid a lot of the needless talking until I learned how to control this godforsaken power of mine.
When it ca ti to acquire the Aetheric Profile Mapping Matrix, Anabeth worked the sa magic. The initial price—over 2200 Kohns—was chipped down to 1600 Kohns, leaving us with a comfortable 300 Kohns still in the pouch.
Back at Anabeth’s place, the Matrix sat on her polished table, deceptively simple in its physical form. To my untrained eye, it was little more than a brass-and-glass contraption, sowhat like a heavy, ornate cube with knobs and dials that promised function but gave nothing away.
But then Anabeth began. She extended her fingers over the device, and the aether responded, curling and flowing like a river of light. Slowly, the Matrix began to pulse, and the faint lines etched into its brass panels lit up with internal radiance.
Through her touch, the Matrix transford: the runes shone as lines of energy inside it connected into an intricate network of the aetheric patterns. Each intersection and connection seed to be illustrating so sort of flow that I couldn’t quite grasp.
Anabeth’s eyes glead as she turned to , posture straight and unyielding. “Ser,” she said, “now you shall see why this device is worth every Kohn, and more. Even if you possess only a single ounce of aether, it will detect and map your profile to each of the elents displayed here.” She gestured to the Matrix. “Observe,” she said, pointing to one of the brighter intersections, “this corresponds to Water—easily comprehensible, yes? And here, Fire. Air. Earth.”
As she moved across the patterns, thirty-four distinct branches stretched across the network. So of the symbols floated clearly, familiar enough to grasp imdiately like fire and lightning. Others were indecipherable, foreign and exotic, twisting in ways that made my mind stumble.
Anabeth leaned slightly closer as she peered at with that genuine, almost childlike grin of hers. “Go on, Ser. Channel your aether. Even if you try to obfuscate your talent, the Matrix will detect it. There has never been a failure. You might as well go all out.” She humd. “I thought I only resonated with seven elents, but the Matrix pointed to Glass too. I hadn’t even realized!”
Eight? That sounded absurd. I had one AP. Which would probably an I had one magical elent; maybe two if I was lucky. And the first would almost certainly be sothing predictable, boring, basic, like Fire.
Anabeth extended her hand gracefully toward the Matrix, then pointed to one of the brass panels. “Place your hand here, Ser. Let your aether flow into it. Gently at first, just enough for the device to sense you.”
I rested my palm on the tal. The Matrix pulsed at my touch.
“Now, your aether would follow the trace to the elents it corresponds to.” She continued, “I have seen an Archmagus resonate with eighteen elents simultaneously. Perhaps . . . soone of your potential could surpass—” She stopped speaking.
I stopped listening. We both stared at the Matrix.
The glow was spreading to every single branch. All thirty-four of them.
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