“Arthur, pal . . .” Dannill gave Arthur a smile that managed to barely remain on this side of smug. Barely. “What you’re describing—a card that stops card disintegration? Never heard of it. I don’t think it’s possible.”

“Of course it’s possible,” Arthur said, frustrated. “Every spell, charm, or skill has its own card.”

“Well, if it was . . . you wouldn’t find it in a store. That’d be a Legendary-level card, and you don’t find such a thing in a store.”

Arthur wanted to snap back that he knew more about Legendaries than Dannill, but he held his tongue. He’d had a frustrating morning after he returned to the city with Cressida and Horatio, clandestinely going through the city’s card shops. The shelves were bare, and he hadn’t found anything stronger than a Common. But he’d held out hope because Dannill had back channels that Arthur didn’t.

Dannill slowly shook his head and, as if he had read Arthur’s mind, said, “This close to the heart opening, there’s not much left out there but scraps. Everyone who can get their hands on a card is buying, and that was before the latest influx of refugees.” He paused. “You have heard the news, right?”

“News?”

Dannill nodded. “The city government finally got off their useless behinds and reevaluated the heart. They figure about a week or so ‘till it’s ripe now, but everyone knows that date seems to be accelerating closer and closer. We could only get a couple hours’ notice, so make sure you’re ready and you got your team all set.”

Accelerating. And if they misjudged the timing, instead of the heart opening, they could have an eruption on their hands.

Arthur shook his head and wondered if he should take Cressida, Horatio, and the dragons and just dive into the damn thing before it burst.

Dannill didn’t let him respond and swung back to Arthur’s original question. “Now, if you want something reasonable, I hear tell of a Rare portal card that might be floating around . . . for the right price. It’s one of the very few Rares left in the city. Unless”—he eyed Arthur—“you have one to sell to me? People have noticed you’ve been gone the last couple days . . .”

Trailing off, he looked at Arthur hopefully.

Arthur ignored that, and the mention of the Rare portal card. More than one-card shop owner had mentioned it as well, and he’d gotten details. It was a short-distance portal spell that only carried the wielder. Great for relocating yourself during combat but useless for his needs.

Instead, he fixed Dannill with an unimpressed eye. “Why? Who’s been looking?”

“The usual. Sheriff Lopez, Oversheriff Walker. They realized we have a business connection, so when they couldn’t find you, they came asking like I’m your minder.”

Arthur wasn’t surprised by that. He also didn’t fail to notice that Dannill kept trying to change the subject away from the card he wanted. He considered for a moment, then, with a wince, activated his Subtle Influence card. He kept a light touch on it, however, just to add emphasis to his words.

“Dannill, finding that card is really important to me. If you have any type of . . .” He struggled for a moment. “ . . . meta card that fixes other cards, I want to know about it.”

There was no indication Dannill had been influenced other than he seemed to take Arthur’s words more seriously. “So do I, kid. I’ll put the word out. Just don’t expect anything. But what about our sheriff problem? Right now, they’re asking for your help kindly. But with the Dark Heart opening soon, that means more scourglings on the loose . . . and I thought you had a soft spot for refugees.”

“I do, and I can help,” Arthur said firmly. “But not for free.”

“I’d say that’s between you and the sheriffs—”

Arthur cut him off. “I’ll need at least three more whole bison this week, and at least that each week going forward.”

Dannill gave him a sharp look. “Three more? No offense, but your dragon ain’t bigger than a small horse. Does flying really cost that much energy?”

“It does,” Arthur replied. “But they’re not all for him.”

He turned and pointed back to the barn. One of the double doors was thrown open, and as if on cue, Sams’s head poked out. The big yellow dragon looked around, probably trying to see where the noise of conversation had been coming from, as Arthur had met Dannill outside to let the dragons rest.

Larger than Joy, he’d had a difficult time fitting through the barn doors last night. While inside, he had to be wary of his wings and tail to not knock over any of Brixaby’s furnaces.

“Well, I’ll be dipped in bison manure,” Dannill muttered. He stared for a moment, then took off his wide-brimmed hat and stared for another few seconds like that would help him see. His grin widened. “Now that is a dragon!”

Arthur ignored that. “And there’s a second one in there, so you can see why I need the—”

“A whole team of dragons! And their riders, too, I expect?” Dannill turned to him. “What’s the other’s color? Is he as striking as that yellow fellow?”

“She’s pink,” Arthur said.

Dannill practically rubbed his hands together. “That will work well for the girls. Perfect! I don’t suppose you can convince them to fly around the city a few times? Make themselves be seen?”

“Get me enough to feed them,” Arthur said, though privately he didn’t think he would be able to stop Joy and Sams once they had rested. “I assume you’ll cover the fines for disrupting the city?”

Dannill’s eyes glittered. “There’s a difference between official attention and unprofitable attention. Let me handle the sheriffs and officials.”

Good enough. He took Dannill by the elbow and started leading him in the direction of the barn. It wasn’t hard. Far from fearful, the man was enthusiastic, talking about quick-run paintings and possibly stuffed animals if they could manage it in time for the heart’s opening.

Arthur guessed he had already made a good deal of profit from Brixaby’s likeness.

He spoke up to get the man back on track. “One more thing. My dragon rider friends are going to need your services . . .”

* * *

Cressida was not happy about getting a tattoo.

“It has to be permanent?” She frowned. “I’ve always avoided those.”

Dannill, ever the salesman, had a good command of their language—he would not be a language merchant otherwise—and jumped right in.

“It won’t hurt a bit, young lady. We have a specialized numbing gel, and I’m nothing but scrupulous with sanitation. You’ll heal up quick.”

Her frown deepened. “I’m not afraid of pain, sir. It’s the look. It’s one thing to get a card-anchor tattoo, but there are ways around that.” She unconsciously touched the pocket where she kept a fancy purse she used for her own anchor.

She was a nobleman’s daughter and had particular ideas of what was proper and what wasn’t. Arthur personally couldn’t care less, but it wasn’t his body on the line.

Of course, Dannill had an answer for that, too.

“My tattoos are flexible enough to be almost anywhere on the body that’s not visible. The back of the shoulder, perhaps, where it will be covered up by a shirt, or a leg. And of course,” he added, “I do have female artists to do the task. Your comfort is paramount.”

Horatio watched this byplay with his arms crossed. He snorted at that last bit, sounding like his grumpy dragon. “Put it on my forehead for all I care. Not being able to talk to people gets old fast. You don’t want to go out shopping and get swindled, do you, Cress?”

Arthur jumped in. “Joy will be upset if she can’t talk to people. You know that.”

Her expression smoothed. Reluctantly, she nodded.

Arthur worked out the payment with Dannill, taking care of the cost with Common shards. In this case, Dannill preferred shards to cards because he had clients who wanted to put them together themselves.

“Superstitious,” he said with a shrug.

Joy woke up soon after and guzzled down two large barrels of water before she was ready to fly. Horatio offered Dannill a seat on Sams to transport the man back to his store. Dannill was delighted.

“You aren’t going with us?” Cressida asked Arthur, noting he was not moving to join them.

He glanced at Dannill, then decided he didn’t care if the man knew what he was up to. Chances were, he somehow already did. “I need to see that heart deck specialist.”You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Though he was powerfully curious about how Dannill planned to tattoo dragon scales for Joy and Sams, he felt a strong draw to see Ravi. It was as if his new Self-Insight skill was whispering that he was on the cusp of something important.

“All right,” Horatio said easily. He mimed a punch at Arthur’s shoulder. “Don’t wait up late for me. After I can talk to these people, I’m going to see those sheriffs.” He glanced at his dragon. “Sams and I want to target practice on some scourglings—we’ll be in tiptop shape for when that heart of theirs opens.”

Cressida tilted her head in thought. “Does this place have a scholars’ guild, or perhaps a conservatory for knowledge? I would like to know if they have anything about the abandoned cities we saw on the way here.”

Dannill smiled at her. “Oh, a historian, are you? Yes, I can point the way.”

Arthur wasn’t sure he liked the proprietary way he gestured her toward her own dragon, but he trusted Cressida enough to handle herself.

After seeing them off, he said goodbye to Brixaby who, of course, was still at the smithing forge, and then set off to Ravi’s small shop.

* * *

“Level twenty already?” Sitting cross-legged on the floor in his office, Healer Ravi gave Arthur a long look as if he was concerned Arthur was making it up. “It seems you do have some talent in this area, after all.”

It wasn’t talent. Arthur was certain it had everything to do with his Grindstone card. Well, that, and a lot of focused practice.

“I’ve always worked better under a deadline,” he said, shifting uncomfortably on his seat. Why didn’t this man have chairs? “But there’s more. Most of the time, when I hit twenty, I’m awarded by either an advancement to the skill or attribute points. This time, there was nothing.”

“Nothing?” Ravi asked, eyebrows rising. “Nothing at all?”

He shrugged. “I did get a skill in Self-Insight, but that’s separate . . . isn’t it?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. But you should not so easily discount the gift of insight, Arthur.”

“But the Dark Heart will be open soon, and I need those cards that were in my card anchor.”

Ravi hummed. “Is that truly what you need?”

He started to answer, stopped, then frowned. “What do you mean?”

“That is something only you can answer, not me.”

Arthur let out a breath in aggravation.

“But,” Ravi said, “perhaps there is a way I can speed things along.”

Arthur leaned forward.

The healer smiled. “For a price.”

That price, of course, was an Uncommon shard. Arthur paid the equivalent in Commons and Ravi took him to another room. This one was more colorful than the last, with complex geometric patterns on the walls, ceiling, and floor, as well as the thick scent of some spicy incense.

Again, there were no chairs. Instead, Ravi sat across from Arthur on small square pillows.

Ravi began. “I have taught you about meditation before, but this time I will lead you into guided meditation, which may be a deeper experience.” He paused. “While in this state, some people gain insights about themselves that may be uncomfortable. If this happens to you, I suggest you do not fight it, lest you break yourself out of the deeper meditation.”

Arthur hesitated. This was sounding close to what he’d seen some confidence men pull on marks in Wolf Moon Hive’s city. People would claim they had cards to see the future, to speak to the dead, or forecast if a relationship would succeed or fail.

Of course, if they did truly have cards like that, they’d be working for the high nobles, not in the poorer districts in the shadow of a dragon hive. But those who believed never saw it that way.

“You’re not going to serve me special tea, are you?” Arthur asked with suspicion.

Ravi smiled. “No, none of this is hallucinatory. But some people, especially when they are at war with themselves, may suddenly see more vividly. Are you ready for that?”

Arthur wasn’t sure, but he straightened his spine anyway. “I’ll do whatever it takes to prepare for the Dark Heart.”

“Very well, then. Take my hands.”

New Counterfeit spell obtained: Induce Deep Spiritual Self-Awareness

Remaining time: 59 Minutes 59 Seconds