Kelpie appeared within minutes of Penelope departing for the research center. She was in a hurry, and they ate breakfast in the inn’s dining room for a change. It was fortunate the sorcerer didn’t need Lukas or Elvis’s services until later in the day. The landlady immediately made herself scarce, and the usually doting service staff kept their distance from the corner where he sat.

“You made quite an impression last night,” Kelpie commented, taking the seat Penelope had occupied minutes ago. “Eddie can't tell if you have giant balls of Uru or plain ol’ stupid.”

“Why can't it be both?” Lukas asked. Penelope's teacup sat on the table untouched and overturned on the saucer. He placed it in front of the intimidating woman and topped it up with hot tea. If not for decades of working with Lady SIlverspine, he’d be terrified and sweating bullets. “You have ‘little rats’ everywhere, don’t you?”

Kelpie glared at Lukas. It was clear he wasn’t going to get an answer. “I’m not here for pleasantries. How about we just get on with it? Alright?”

“Oh,” Lukas said, speaking in a drab monotone. “You mean I don’t get to spend more time with you? Pity.”

The deadpan stare seemed to amuse Kelpie. She snorted, flashing a small smile and unraveling a leather wrapping on the table. It was the same dagger from the evening before. Kelpie pushed it toward Lukas.

King Killer

The Uru dagger has killed kings, emperors, and demigods. Many refuse to believe that the weapon exists. The feats it and its wielders have achieved are often impossible to believe.

The dagger is well-made, durable, and strong. It doesn’t carry any magical properties. However, the vestiges of its dozens of past owners continue to live on within the weapon. A skilled diviner or medium might be able to call them forth.

Lukas relayed the information to Kelpie, struggling to hide his confusion. He expected more and didn’t quite understand the bit related to the vestiges. It didn’t seem like the right time or place to ask. “Is that good enough, or were you expecting more?”

“Honestly? I was expecting less.” Kelpie wrapped the dagger in leather, tied it tightly, and tucked it away in her coat’s pocket. “You got the name and materials, somewhat proved its authenticity, and identified the existence of the vestiges. We haven’t encountered many appraisers or diviners who can do all of that.”

“I take it that this is enough to prove my competency?” Lukas asked, sipping his tea. Kelpie hadn’t touched hers or spared it a second glance.

“I don’t know about competency. However, your shard ability is suitable for the job. It can take you far if you get over this delving nonsense.” Kelpie paused, staring at Lukas for a moment. “Are you sure you want to take this job? We’re at the point of no return. If we go any further, you’re officially entangled. Edward Grey doesn’t care about your other employers. Cross him. Try to run away with payment and the job incomplete. Talk to the wrong person about it. We’ll hunt you down. Escaping Iskander by land or sea won’t save you. The Grey Rats will hunt you to the ends of Fracture.”

“Did you get the essences?” Lukas asked, letting the threat and warning impotently hank in the air.

Kelpie placed a fist-sized glass sphere on the table. It contained a chrome core.

Essence of Steel

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Nabbing an Essence of Lightning will be harder work, and Eddie requests you give him a couple of weeks. If we don’t find one in the city, a ship is bound to bring one in soon. If we fail to procure one before the auction, Eddie is willing to find you a substitute or two of greater value or compensate you twice the average price of lightning essence.”

“I suppose that’s understandable. Essence of Lightning might be too rare and valuable for even the Grey Rats to procure.” The statement failed to get a reaction out of Kelpie. “May I?” Lukas asked, reaching for the Essence of Steel. He only picked it up once she nodded. “Heavy, isn’t it?”

The weight of the essence sphere was much of a steel ball of the same size. It sounded metallic when he tapped it. Lukas didn’t know what he wanted to do with the essence, but he knew he wanted it. The pieces available on the market were all lesser versions. He had seen Essence of Rust, Essence of Molten Iron, and Essence of Bone Metal. None came with the same solidity and density as the Essence of Steel.

“This will do to start,” Lukas said. “I’ll expect an update on the Essence of Lightning’s every week.”

“It’s not balls.” Kelpie glared. “You’re just stupid. When the Grey Rats make an agreement, they keep to it. People don’t check up on us.”

“Is there a contract?”

The woman rose from her seat, shaking her head. “We’re not like your sorcerer friend. Contracts are too impersonal. When someone screws us over, we like to look them in the eye while extracting our pound of flesh. That’s after they watch us do the same to their loved ones, of course.”

“You really want to scare me, don’t you?” Lukas chuckled. “Is this your idea of foreplay?”

“You’re lucky Eddie needs you.” Lukas was sure he saw the hint of a smile when Kelpie turned away from him. “Also. I’m sure your brother knows everything about your dealings, but it's in his and your best interests if he doesn’t spy on your meetings. It's creepy and might get him killed.”

She marched out of the inn’s dining room and exited the building. His shoulders relaxed, and the tension from the meeting melted away. Lukas’s heart raced—not the Lukas sitting in the dining room but the one peeking down from the hallway above it. He was careful to stay out of Kelpie’s line of sight. The clones had checked for him and reported that he was perfectly hidden. It meant the woman had superior senses or she was bluffing.

Hours of experimentation had proven that the clones could carry and move the journal. They couldn’t summon it, but using its functions was well within their capabilities. Unfortunately, the soul-binding limited how far the object could move from Lukas. The fact that each clone contained a fragment of his soul didn’t seem to make a difference. He was thankful for the security the distance gave him. However, the dozen and a half feet or so was barely enough. He needed more when dealing with such murder-happy individuals.

Revealing Inspector’s Compendium was a mistake. If I’m lucky, a journal upgrade will allow the clones to use it.

Lukas had told Penelope the same lie. The identification power demanded magic, and he had limited daily uses. It meant she needed to give him advanced warnings before requesting identification work at the research centers or in the undercity. He also wanted the option of sending clones in his stead. If Penelope believed he’d already spent hours in arcane training or scouring the markets, she couldn’t expect him to identify samples or entities in the depths below.

“Long-term deceptions demand preparation and foundation,” a con man on the Realm of Greater Beings had taught him the lesson. The court of Minarv had executed him long after, but the lesson persisted.

After taking a few minutes to finish his tea, El-Two returned upstairs. Lukas dispelled him as soon as the door closed behind him. He didn’t want to rely on a retelling. All the details from the meeting flowed into his mind, every inflection, glance, and movement still fresh. Kelpie seemed to have bought the deception, but Lukas couldn’t be sure. If he had more clones, he would’ve assigned one to tail Kelpie or watch Mister Grey.

Now, because of his jobs and commitments, he felt trapped. Lukas couldn’t just run with the Essence of Steel in hand. He could always use a couple of clones to stage his death, but then Kat and her father, and possibly Esther, would feel the Grey Rats’ wrath. He worried that the clones, and by extension, he was now emotionally entangled and would struggle with the emotional distress afterward. Lukas didn’t yet have a sympathetic figure like Minarv of the Queen of Owls to purge his memories.