"From Valley Ford," Alex said, picking at his nails. "The Great Tide Family gave it to me."

"What?" Bridget exclaimed, nearly falling out of her chair. She leaned forward, letting the front legs of the seat hit the stone ground with a heavy thunk. "They gave you a Riftwarped monster?"

"No, of course not." Alex stared at Bridget like she was an idiot. "They gave me the Harvester."

The merchant's eye twitched. Her gaze flicked down to the ball on the table in front of her before snapping back to Alex. "I wasn't talking about the Harvester. I'm talking about what's inside it. Why would I care about who gave you the Harvester?"

"Ah. Easy mistake," Alex said. "And don't ask me. I'm not the merchant here. That's Finley's shtick. I'm sure you can figure out a good price for it without needing to involve an amateur like myself. I don't think I'd be a very good negotiator."

"Hold on," Bridget said, raising her hands. "Wait. Wait one second. You got this from Valley Ford?"

"No. We just established that the Riftwarped core came from elsewhere," Alex said.

"I — oh, damn it. You know I didn't mean that," Bridget snapped. "The Harvester. I'm talking about the Harvester."

"Maybe you should decide which one of the two it is you're interested in," Alex suggested. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something perfectly balanced between amusement and approval pass through Claire's eyes. She was evidently enjoying the show.

"Right now, I'm talking about the Harvester," Bridget said. "You're saying you got it from Valley Ford?"

"Yup."

"When?" Bridget asked. "Because Valley Ford disconnected from the Astral Map some time ago. We haven't heard anything from it in days. What happened? How did you come to Blackreach?"

"Not through Valley Ford," Alex said. He scratched the back of his head. "That would have been a little difficult."

"What's difficult is talking to you," Bridget snapped. "Why has Valley Ford closed off their Astral Map and ceased communication with everyone? They have deals to fulfill. People are relying on them. And how are you here? You're not with the Great Tide family. You don't have their mark… and you don't look much like a fish."

"I wouldn't say Valley Ford turned anything off," Alex hedged. "Really, blaming them for anything seems a bit rude. The whole town is a bit flat at the moment. Not that it's going to un-flatten, so it'll probably be that way for a while. I wouldn't hold out too much hope for anyone reaching out." ReadaheadandgetupdatesatM*V*L*E*M*P*Y*R.

"What are you on about?" Bridget asked, but the slow realization creeping through her features made it abundantly clear that she already knew the answer to her own question.

"Valley Ford is gone," Alex said, letting all traces of sarcasm fall away from his words. "The entire city is wiped from the world. There's nothing left but rubble and compacted bodies."

"So you got this before they were destroyed," Bridget said. "When? And how do you know that? Were you close enough to see it happen?"

"You could say that, yeah."

Bridget was silent for a second. Her gaze bore into Alex, but he didn't say a word. He might not have been the most socially apt person to have ever drawn breath, but he was more than aware of how silence affected people. The best way to get somebody to talk was to say nothing at all — but after working his way through the Mirrorlands, not to mention fighting a Region Boss, a pissy merchant was hardly at the top of the list of things that could make him squirm.

It wasn't that he blamed her for being doubtful of their story. He couldn't deny their arrival was painfully suspicious. Popping up just in time to save Alyssa from Absolution, then using that connection to get to a merchant… it felt like the setup to a shitty highway robbery.

But that's hardly our fault. I don't know why Absolution showed up when he did. Something is fishy there. I don't think I believe in coincidences nearly enough for me to accept that as pure luck… but until we have more information, there's no way to know for sure.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"You can't just stop there," Bridget finally exclaimed, losing the silent fight and throwing her hands up. "A hub city vanished. How are you approaching this so casually? You have to know just how rare it is for one of the Great Families to lose a city, especially this early. This could be a huge problem for everyone. Why won't you—"

"I'd like to stop you there," Finley said, splaying his hands out on the table and rising to his feet. "I believe we've given you enough information."

Bridget stared at him. "What are you talking about? This is a matter that concerns everyone in Subsector 735."

"It is the purchasing of information," Finley corrected. The corner of his lip twitched but didn't quite pull into a smile. "And I'm certain that you know just as well as I that information is not free. You want anything else? Then start putting up collateral."

Anger creased Bridget's face. "You're an uppity one. Information costs when the other party needs it. What makes you think my interest goes anything beyond mere curiosity?"

In response, Finley pointed at the Harvester on the table before her. "That."

Bridget paused. Then she shook her head. "I'll admit I'm interested in purchasing the core. That much is obvious. But you said you wanted to establish trade. A single core is not nearly enough for me to take on that much risk."

"Risk? What risk is there in a trade deal?" Finley asked, aghast. "It's a lease on your items at best. We haven't even gotten to the terms. There's no risk whatsoever to be found."

Bridget looked from him to Alyssa. An eyebrow crept up her forehead. "You haven't told them, have you?"

"I haven't had a chance, and I don't typically go airing my business around everywhere. Especially not for free," Alyssa said simply.

"Told us what?" Claire asked.

"That is information," Bridget replied with a smug smile. "And information costs."

"A trade, then," Finley said. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You tell us what it is that you and Alyssa are talking about and why it's somehow interfering with setting up a trade route. And, in return, we'll tell you what we saw happen to Valley Ford."

He glanced back at Alex and Claire to confirm they were fine with the deal. Alex just shrugged in response. He really didn't have a reason to hide what happened to Valley Ford as long as he didn't say why it had happened.

Besides, it was going to be interesting to see how Finley held his own against someone like Bridget. If he couldn't handle this, then Alex had no idea how he'd manage to continue supplying Mirrorwane. Things were only going to get harder from here.

"That's hardly a fair trade," Bridget said. "Someone else will know what happened to Valley Ford. You're trading public knowledge for private."

"Then please ask the other person," Finley said. "I'm sure there's a line of them outside."

Bridget's lips thinned. "Forget that for a moment. Even if you were the only ones with the information, it's hardly so vital that it would be worth me trading this much for. You've got to sweeten the deal. Tell me how you got the core and what kind of supplies it is you're looking to secure trade for. Do that and I'll tell you why I've allied with the River King's organization."

"Three for one?" Finley's eyes narrowed. "That's not a very balanced deal. We're going to need more than that. We'll give you what you're asking for, but in turn, you have to drop the commissions you charge for leased items I sell down to 10% at the beginning of negotiations."

"That's cutting the standard rate in half," Bridget said with a scoff. "Why would I—"

"Because I never said you had to work with us," Finley said simply. "Just that you would. By the time we're done talking, you'll be thrilled to walk away with more than 5%."

Bridget's eyes widened. "That's arrogant. Even for an imbecile. You realize I could simply say no, right? This is not a binding deal."

Finley shrugged. "Take it or leave it."

"Take it," Bridget said immediately. "Your side gives the information first. Unlike you, my name is visible. I have a reputation to maintain, so you don't have to worry as much about me scamming you as I do about you doing the same."

Finley shrugged. He sent a look to Alex and Claire, a knowing look in his eye.

"We were there when Valley Ford was destroyed," Claire said. "A Void Goliath crushed it in one punch. As for the Riftwarped monster core…"

"I got it when we killed the monster it came from," Alex said with a shrug. "It was pretty simple, really."

"As for the supplies, we're looking for basic survival supplies as well as magical batteries for buildings," Finley said. "Food, water, medical kits, the like."

Bridget's eyes bored into them like drills. Her brow creased as thoughts visibly passed through her face.

"Those are supplies that a new town would need," Bridget muttered. "And… A Void Goliath? You killed a Riftwarped Monster? Where did you possibly find one? They're incredibly rare."

"That is what we said, yes," Finley said, drumming his fingers against the table. "I believe we have fulfilled our portion of the deal unless you need clarification about any of the answers."

Bridget didn't respond for another moment.

Then her eyes went wide.

She shot to her feet, knocking her chair back. It fell to the ground with a loud crash, but she didn't even seem to notice. Her gaze was locked right on Alex.

"You're no Outworlder," Bridget breathed. "You're the Nativeworlder that escaped the Broken Blade Family. That Town Token that went missing… it was you. You stole it out from the noses of the Great Families, which is why you're looking for supplies. You — you're Ash."