Run: 2026-02-22-01KJ33BAT77YQQ38PVKFM2PC6E

The market square buzzed with the sound of a hundred voices. Elena pushed through the crowd, her satchel clutched against her chest. She knew the merchant would not wait — he never waited for anyone, least of all a girl from the outer ring. “You’re late,” Gregor muttered, not lifting his gaze from the ledger. His thick finger traced a column of numbers, pausing as his frown sharpened. Elena placed the package on the counter. “The bridge was out. I had to take the long way around.” “Not my problem.” He unwrapped the cloth, raising the crystal to the light. It caught the sun, scattering tiny rainbows across the stall’s canvas roof. Gregor’s brow furrowed deeper. “This isn’t what I ordered.” She had expected this. The old man always found something to complain about, whether the goods were perfect or not. Elena folded her arms and held her ground. “It’s exactly what you ordered,” she insisted. “Blue quartz, uncut, from the northern mines. I watched them pull it from the rock myself.” Gregor turned the crystal slowly, inspecting every angle. He brought it close to his eye, then extended his arm to study it at a distance. He looked like a jeweler appraising a diamond, though Gregor dealt in stranger things than jewelry. With a grunt, he set the crystal down. “Fine. But next time, wrap it properly. The edges are exposed.” He ducked beneath the counter and reappeared with a small leather pouch. Coins clinked as he slid it across the wood. Elena snatched the pouch, testing its weight in her palm. It felt light. She tugged the drawstring open and counted — eight silver crowns. They had agreed on ten. “We agreed on ten,” she stated, voice cool and level. “That was before the bridge fee went up.” Gregor offered a smile — thin, practiced, never touching his eyes. “Take it or leave it.” She took it. She always took it. The outer ring didn’t offer many choices, and Gregor knew that as well as she did. Elena stepped out of the market and into the narrow lanes beyond. The sun dipped low over the rooftops, stretching long shadows across the cobblestones. She slipped the pouch into her satchel and quickened her pace. If she hurried, she would reach the bridge before dark.