Run: 2026-02-24-01KJ8WGJM00HQWQKB4KXZ6ZDED

The market square buzzed with the sound of a hundred voices. I pushed through the crowd, my satchel clutched against my chest. I knew the merchant would not wait — he never waited for anyone, least of all a girl from the outer ring. "You're late," Gregor said, without looking up from his ledger. He ran a thick finger down a column of numbers and frowned. I set the package on the counter. "The bridge was out. I had to take the long way around." "Not my problem." He unwrapped the cloth and held the crystal up to the light. It caught the sun and threw tiny rainbows across the stall's canvas roof. Gregor's frown deepened. "This isn't what I ordered." I had expected this. The old man always found something to complain about, whether the goods were perfect or not. I crossed my arms and stood my ground. "It's exactly what you ordered," I said. "Blue quartz, uncut, from the northern mines. I watched them pull it from the rock myself." Gregor turned the crystal slowly, examining every facet. He brought it close to his eye, then held it at arm's length. I thought he looked like a jeweler appraising a diamond, though Gregor dealt in stranger things than jewelry. He set the crystal down and sighed. "Fine. But next time, wrap it properly. The edges are exposed." He reached beneath the counter and produced a small leather pouch. The coins inside clinked as he slid it toward me. I scooped up the pouch and weighed it in my palm. It felt light. I loosened the drawstring and counted: eight silver crowns. They had agreed on ten. "We agreed on ten," I said flatly. "That was before the bridge fee went up." Gregor smiled — a thin, practiced smile that never reached his eyes. "Take it or leave it." I took it. I always took it. The outer ring didn't offer many choices, and Gregor knew that as well as I did. I walked out of the market and into the narrow lanes beyond. The sun hung low over the rooftops, and the shadows stretched long across the cobblestones. I slipped the pouch into my satchel and quickened my pace. If I hurried, I would reach the bridge before dark. The market square buzzed with the sound of a hundred voices. I pushed through the crowd, my satchel clutched against my chest. I knew the merchant would not wait — he never waited for anyone, least of all a girl from the outer ring. "You're late," Gregor said, without looking up from his ledger. He ran a thick finger down a column of numbers and frowned. I set the package on the counter. "The bridge was out. I had to take the long way around." "Not my problem." He unwrapped the cloth and held the crystal up to the light. It caught the sun and threw tiny rainbows across the stall's canvas roof. Gregor's frown deepened. "This isn't what I ordered." I had expected this. The old man always found something to complain about, whether the goods were perfect or not. I crossed my arms and stood my ground. "It's exactly what you ordered," I said. "Blue quartz, uncut, from the northern mines. I watched them pull it from the rock myself." Gregor turned the crystal slowly, examining every facet. He brought it close to his eye, then held it at arm's length. I thought he looked like a jeweler appraising a diamond, though Gregor dealt in stranger things than jewelry. He set the crystal down and sighed. "Fine. But next time, wrap it properly. The edges are exposed." He reached beneath the counter and produced a small leather pouch. The coins inside clinked as he slid it toward me. I scooped up the pouch and weighed it in my palm. It felt light. I loosened the drawstring and counted: eight silver crowns. They had agreed on ten. "We agreed on ten," I said flatly. "That was before the bridge fee went up." Gregor smiled — a thin, practiced smile that never reached his eyes. "Take it or leave it." I took it. I always took it. The outer ring didn't offer many choices, and Gregor knew that as well as I did. I walked out of the market and into the narrow lanes beyond. The sun hung low over the rooftops, and the shadows stretched long across the cobblestones. I slipped the pouch into my satchel and quickened my pace. If I hurried, I would reach the bridge before dark.