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“H e was here ?” asked Tandri. “In the middle of the night ?”

They opened late. Tandri insisted. Viv said nothing at first, but the other woman quickly sensed that something was amiss—her innate talents at work—and demanded to know what was wrong.

“He came for the Stone, then. Did he get it?”

“He didn’t.”

The succubus waited for her to elaborate, and when she didn’t, Tandri slapped a palm on the counter, hard. “What happened? All of it, this time, please.”

So Viv told her in as much detail as she could remember.

“We should find a way to hire the cat, too,” muttered Tandri, when she had finished.

“Leg of lamb in the cold-box, for when she shows up,” said Viv with a faint smile. “She was gone this morning. No idea how she got out.”

“So, this ward that Hemington set. It’s spent now. You’ll need to have him reset it.”

“There’s no point,” said Viv. “Fennus won’t try the same thing twice. It’ll be something else. I don’t know what, but I’ll just have to be wary. I’m pretty good at that… at least, I used to be.”

“How far will he go to get it?” asked Tandri, eyes narrowed.

“Honestly? I don’t know. Further than this, though.”

Tandri paced the room, tail whipping from side to side, drumming her fingers against her chin. “The Stone. If it was gone, what would happen?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same thing. I think we’re at the point of assuming it works. Things have gone so well , and the Madrigal seemed pretty sure of it, too. It’s not like I have any basis for comparison, but still.”

“What’s the most you could lose?”

Viv stared at Tandri and didn’t voice her first thought.

Instead, she hedged. “I don’t know. Maybe everything? Maybe nothing. Maybe I should stow it somewhere else, just to find out. Maybe I should throw it in the river and forget about it.” She gave an exasperated sigh. “Or, maybe I should sleep next to my sword again.”

“Stop it,” Tandri said sharply. “Self-pity doesn’t look good on you.”

Viv grimaced. “Sorry.”

Tandri stopped pacing and looked suddenly uncomfortable. “And I think it may be a particularly bad idea to get rid of it, anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

The succubus hummed like she didn’t want to answer, but then she relented.

“Well… there’s a concept in Thaumistry. It’s…

it’s called Arcane Reciprocity . It’s why Thaumistry is so controlled and why we don’t use it in warfare, at least not to kill.

” She sighed. “Are you familiar with the idea that when we treat pain with medicine, we’re really just delaying it?

That when the treatment is done, you suddenly feel all that deferred suffering, like it was stored up for later? ”

“I’ve heard that, but not sure I believe it. I’ve felt a lot of pain,” said Viv with a wry smile.

“So,” continued Tandri, “in Thaumistry, it’s sort of like that, only measurable.

An effect caused by arcane power has a reciprocal effect that is…

expressed when the power is removed. Everything has to balance out.

Once the power stops, something pushes back.

Advanced Thaumistry is all about redirecting the blowback. ”

“Then, you think if the Stone is taken away, maybe there’s some sort of… backlash. Like bad luck?”

“I don’t know for sure,” said Tandri. “Is the Stone even Thaumistry? Do the same principles apply?” She winced. “It’s just maybe a possibility. But if it’s true, the real question you… we have to ask isn’t how much there is to lose. It’s how much more there is to take after that.”

Viv stared at Tandri and clenched her jaw.

“More than I want to give up.”

* * *

Viv tried to think of some other place inside the building to store the Stone—one more secure—but eventually resigned herself to the fact that it really didn’t matter.

If Fennus had found it in the first place, a new hiding spot wouldn’t be a secret for long.

Since she’d surprised him once, he’d assume his intrusion would be detected, so she couldn’t imagine him creeping in at night a second time.

She needed to figure out how he’d come at her next.

Or through whom.

Waiting for a blow to fall was not something that Viv was used to. She’d spent a lifetime ending threats before they manifested, not bracing herself for a knife in the back. Constant wariness wore at her, and she became increasingly snappish and impatient.

The first week was the worst, and she apologized more than once to Tandri and Thimble for being short with them. A few times, Tandri gently moved her aside and took over at the counter when Viv didn’t realize she was glowering menacingly at a customer. Viv was both embarrassed and grateful.

But inevitably, time dulled the edge of her anxiety, reducing it to the occasional startle at an imagined sound in the night and furtive glances toward the Stone’s resting place throughout the day.

At the same time, Pendry’s scheduled performances became something of a pleasant hassle. A regular audience began to build for his appearances. Quite a few of the attendees didn’t actually buy anything, but Viv was fairly certain that some of his fans were converting to actual customers.

To manage, they sorted out a way to add overflow seating. Viv bought more tables that they stored in the alley, and on performance days, they set them in the street and threw the big doors wide.

The kid, for his part, was slumping less, smiling more, and his bulk finally seemed to fit the space he occupied.

Once or twice, Laney made her way across the street to make a few tart complaints about the noise, but since they were usually delivered around a mouthful of Thimble’s baking, the sting was somewhat lessened.

Amity even appeared during performances, weaving between startled customers and settling beneath the big trestle table. Regulars learned to be protective of their treats, since she casually swallowed any unattended pastries in her path. Her lashing tail was a menace to mugs.

Viv never once considered shooing her away.

* * *

Three weeks had come and gone since Fennus’s nighttime intrusion, and while Viv couldn’t pretend the threat had passed, she did relax back into her routine. Her mood improved, and she hadn’t apologized for a waspish remark in a fortnight.

Cal took to dropping in more regularly, and Viv caught him in huddled conference with Tandri once or twice. He made a few loud and pointed observations about the quality of the locks, and Viv assured him she’d look into replacements.

When the Madrigal strode into the shop, Viv stood open-mouthed for a moment.

“Good evening,” the woman said.

“Evening, um… ma’am,” she managed. “Can I help you?” Viv had the good sense not to speak her name, at least, but ma’am ? She cringed inwardly.

The Madrigal’s dress was understatedly elegant, and she carried a handbag over one arm. Viv spotted at least one of her men, subtly shadowing her from the street. And if there was one, at least two more lurked out of sight.

The woman’s eyes glittered with cold, curious regard.

Gods, what if I’d made an enemy of her, thought Viv. She could hardly believe she’d ever spoken so bluntly to her face.

“I’ve heard so much about this establishment,” the Madrigal said. “At my age, I don’t get out quite as much as I once did, but the opportunity presented itself, and I simply had to see.”

“Well, we try to make sure we’re good neighbors,” said Viv, asking as subtly as she could manage if there’d been some misstep on her part.

“Indeed, I’m sure you are. Not everyone is so neighborly, though, I fear. And that element can sometimes be quite tenacious.”

She pointedly held Viv’s gaze, then crisply opened her handbag and reached within. “Ah, yes, and I’d like one of those crescent pastries, please, my dear.

Numbly Viv took the coins and handed over the foldover, wrapped in waxed paper. She lowered her voice. “Tenacious?”

The Madrigal sighed, as though it was all so disappointing.

“It would be such a shame if anything untoward were to happen to such an excellent neighbor. A touch of vigilance over the next few days might be warranted. It’s my fervent hope that these worries of mine are misplaced because…

.” She took a delicate nibble of the crescent roll.

“These really are quite excellent. Good night, dear.”

She nodded regally, turned, and left in a rustle of gray silk. Her man vanished from sight, as well.

Tandri eyed the woman’s departure with suspicion, having caught the unspoken interplay. She shot a knowing glance at Viv, who subtly shook her head in answer. A sick feeling bubbled in her stomach.

* * *

After closing, Tandri finally asked, “Was that her? The Madrigal?”

“Yeah.”

“She gave you a message.”

“Yeah. More of a warning. I don’t know why she bothered to let me know, but Fennus is going to move soon.”

“And what are we going to do about it?”

“Well, I could always kill him,” said Viv.

Tandri just stared at her.

“Joking,” muttered Viv.

Was she, though?

“The problem is, I actually stopped to consider it,” Tandri confessed. “He is such an asshole.”

“After that big speech you gave a month ago?”

“Yeah, well. Nobody’s perfect.”

Viv sighed. “Now, we’re back to square one. Trying to guess what he’ll do next.”

“No, we’re not. Because we know he wants the Stone enough to come here himself.”

“We can’t be certain he’ll try the same thing again. In fact, I can almost guarantee he won’t.”

“Well,” said Tandri. “One thing is certain.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re not staying here alone.”

* * *

“I don’t know why you’re still arguing,” said Tandri as she double-checked the locks.

Up to her elbows in soapy water, Viv scrubbed rather aggressively at a mug. “It just doesn’t make any sense. What difference could it possibly make for you to be here?” she grumbled.

The light dimmed as Tandri began extinguishing lanterns. “You’re right. With Hemington’s ward gone, what difference could I possibly make? I’m only gifted with exceptional sensitivity to hidden emotions across an unbelievable range. How on earth could that be of any use?”

Viv set the mug down more forcefully than she’d intended. A crack spidered up the side, and she gritted her teeth. “I still don’t like it.”

“Since you can’t refute my point, I guess I don’t care.”

Viv turned around to look at her, crossing her arms sullenly.

“Don’t be such a baby. We’ll make a pact. If mortal danger threatens us, I promise to hide behind you. Deal?”

Viv stared back, feeling increasingly foolish, until she relented with a sigh. “Deal.”

* * *

Exhausted, they stood together at the top of the ladder.

“I thought I told you to buy a bed.” Tandri grimly surveyed the still-barren loft.

Viv had Amity’s seldom-used blankets and pillow under one arm. “Well, I was a little distracted. Nighttime intruders, and all.”

Tandri rolled her eyes. “Give me that.”

She seized the bedding, shaking the dire-cat hair out of the blanket and pillow before busying herself unfolding Viv’s bedroll and assembling a larger place to bed down.

Viv watched with a growing feeling of embarrassment and trepidation.

“Well,” said Tandri, her hands on her hips. “At least with the stove running, it shouldn’t be that cold. I can’t believe you live like this.”

“I’ll be fine alone, really. There’s no reason you shouldn’t sleep in your own bed.”

“Stop it. We already had that argument.” After a moment’s hesitation, she shucked down to her smallclothes, slid quickly under the blanket, and turned her back to Viv.

Viv extinguished the lantern and then did the same, tiptoeing as if Tandri were already asleep, then snorting at her own ridiculousness. She pulled the blanket—still smelling strongly of dire-cat—over one shoulder. Even with her back to Tandri, she could feel the woman’s warmth.

“Good night, Tandri,” she said, too loudly.

“Good night.”

Viv stared ahead into the darkness.

“Is that your tail?”

“I’m just getting comfortable.” Tandri’s reply was tart.

After some strategic adjustments, she fell still.

There was a long silence.

Viv cleared her throat. “I’m glad you stayed.”

Tandri’s breathing was slow and even, and Viv thought she might already be asleep. But then came a murmured reply. “I know.”

After that, for the first time in ages, Viv fell asleep almost instantly and did not wake until morning.