I had barely entered the market when I spotted a little gaggle of girls holding baskets and slips of paper. They all wore the Empress Mother’s girl uniform. I immediately spotted the concubine promise rings on their fingers. I had a plain gold ring that would pass, but not under close inspection. Theirs would be engraved with Emperor Horace’s name. Mine had Trevor(?xxx), my ex-fiancé’s name.

  I followed the girls while they shopped and occasionally actually got close enough to listen to them complain about how boring their lives were. Apparently they rarely saw the five year old they were promised to.

  They laughed and teased about how they had to call him “our beloved emperor” inside the mansion.

  Once, when they were all completely distracted, I managed to purloin one of the lists.

  It was an average shopping list. Each of the girls had one. It was roughly one silver worth of kitchen staples.

  I memorized the list and went shopping to fill it. I would need to find the right style of basket, but I could probably snag one in the mansion. That would be my access point for impersonating one of the girls. Once I was inside I could navigate the downstairs almost invisibly. I was even likely to find alternate routes in and out. Nobody pays attention to young servants, especially if the correct number of beds are filled every night.

  When I was done ‘filling’ my street urchin messenger bag while actually storing most things in my ring, I went to look at the ships.

  I will admit that I sought out the docks mostly to see if I could identify any of the sailors as pirates.

  The first thing I noticed was how different the fast little ships that belonged to people strong enough to fly them from the usual mana crystal and wind powered ships. The runes and mana crystal only set altitude. These ships moved around by wind.

  The market stall closest to each ship was set aside for merchant traders to sell just beyond their vessel. About half of the stalls were in use but all of the docks had ships in them.

  The vessels that required the mana from their drivers to both float and move had their dock adjacent to the temple district and therefore close to the noble district.

  I went looking around the imports. I wasn’t looking for anything, really. Only a few of the vendors bothered to look askance at me. I looked them straight in the eye and stayed relaxed. I walked like I had a purpose. It was from years of attending flea markets every other week with my grandpa. We went all summer.

  That was a long time ago. He died when I was about as old as this body was now. He used to carry me and I would point a direction.

  Ancient history now. The stalls at this market had a bit more theme to them than the usual flea market table. Most of the stalls closer the city were built of stone or wood. Only the poorest sellers and the travelers had tent stalls. One of the ships sold only produce, what was in season on the ground.

  I didn’t slow to look at anything until I got to the ships. Then I realized that the ships were still floating. I eased into one of the docks that didn’t have a market and stared at the runes emblazoned on the side. They glowed with red and blue mana.

  I traced them with my fingers from yards away.

  “You like the shiny lights?”

  I looked up. The man who had approached was scruffy. One of the sailors not a townsman.

  “I’m trying to identify the runes.” I admitted. “I see a lot of runes that almost but not quite look like ones I know. The one for iron is frequently used, but it isn’t quite the same. In fact there are at least two variations.”

  “Well spotted, young man.” Another, much better dressed man said. I didn’t correct him. “That’s describing the mineral magnetite. It’s metaphorical for the gap between magnets of opposing poles.”

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  I nodded. “That explains why there is also a symbol for gravity in an algebraic equation that gives it a negative value.”

  “You may have quite a future as a shipwright.” The well dressed man in the captain’s coat and hat put his hand on my shoulder. He was young too, and quite good looking. He looked sternly at the other man and that chased him away.

  “You should be more careful along the docks, young one. Not everyone you meet is worth your time and conversation. There are many unsavory people in this world and ships of sea and air always attract more than their share.”

  “Like pirates?” I allowed excitement to color my voice.

  He laughed. “Oh, definitely.”

  “Which of the ships here look like a pirate?”

  “The ones selling what seems like random things from everywhere instead of a whole cargo of one thing or specific deliveries.” He gestured. “Shall we walk the pier and take guesses?”

  “Are you a sailor? You look like a captain.”

  “Im captain of the Dragon Princess, the largest of the quick ships. It’s too big for the upper dock. See it?”

  “Does that mean you’re a very high level mage or wizard?”

  “No. High level sword duelist, actually.”

  “What do you think of all the war stuff?”

  He frowned. “We’ve been at war almost as long as you should remember, haven’t we?”

  “I’m slightly older than I look.” I shrugged. “Are you a pirate? I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

  He chuckled. “No, young one. I am not.”

  “That’s what you would say if you were a pirate.”

  “I’m worse than a pirate, I’m a duke.”

  I eyed him, thinking through my information on the peerage. “Either Duke d’Trakmore or one of the others died recently and you’d be the heir.”

  He laughed quietly. “I’m d’Trakmore.” He agreed. “That didn’t take you long. How old are you?”

  “Seven.”

  “Then definitely not the missing prince. Pity. No. I’m on a diplomatic mission, parlaying with all three contender camps. I actually just finished my conversation with Horace and his lady mother.”

  I smirked. “And your impression of the pair?”

  He frowned down at me. “Quite frankly and entirely off the record, you would make a better choice than he does, and I don’t even know what your mother is like.”

  “I haven’t met the boy or his mother, so I really can’t say how she compares. Favorably, I would hope. Did he seem spoiled, pampered?”

  The Duke slowed to a halt in front of the next stall. “Now that you mentioned it, no. He seemed… terrorized, defeated, and very, very polite.”

  “Hmph.” Maybe my spy mission was actually a rescue mission.

  I looked at the stall we had stopped near. There was a whole lot of variety. One table had jewelry, no two pieces quite similar. One held some books, all clearly used.

  “This fits the description you gave earlier.” I said.

  “The Pearl of the Sky.” He said, reading the prow. He leaned towards my ear. “But look, the name is painted on a board and attached somehow. I think you’re right.”

  I nodded distantly. Something had caught my attention. A pile of twenty dark wooden boards. “What a coincidence.” I murmured. Of course, my coincidences tended to work as fortuitous encounters.

  “Hmm? What coincidence?”

  “I was talking to a cabinet maker just this morning. He was checking arrivals for a shipment he was expecting. I have a mind to buy that wood. How much do you think it should be worth?”

  “Oh. Uh… no more than two or three gold for the whole lot. Looks like Rye Island Ebony. Not rare, but you usually don’t see it this far from the coast.” He shrugged. “How will you get it home?”

  “Oh. I can rent a push cart.” Or just put it in my ring when I’m unobserved. I would have to ask around for furniture makers.

  “Do you want me to buy it for you?”

  “Oh, no. I’m good.” I suddenly stopped and looked straight at him. I don’t have the physical urge not to look at people anymore, but thirty years of habit bleeds over into pure habit. “Why in the world would I expect a stranger Duke to buy me something?”

  “You’re noble born, aren’t you? Fallen on hard times?”

  I snorted. “Lower levels of the palace born.” I scoffed. “And well away from the mess that is a war.” Honestly, it was true. My honorary Lady title from my father did not pass to my children, and mother didn’t actually even convey an honorary title. I probably would have gotten Viscountess at my majority by decree as Aunt Glory’s little favorite. And, of course I had been engaged to a Viscount, one who was his father the Earl’s actual heir. Personally and without connections I was a complete nobody.

  “I don’t believe you.” He said. “But I’m going to pretend I do.”

  “Magnanimous of you.”

  “See, and big words like that don’t help your lowborn claim.” He shook his head. “You remind me forcefully of my little brother.”

  I shrugged. “Are you headed on immediately?”

  “No. Earl d’Summit is holding a ball for the - for his guests. He announced it while I was there, and it’s difficult to say no for a variety of reasons.”

  I grunted an affirmative. Someone down the pier called out to him and he said a few pleasant words of goodbye but his attention had clearly moved on.