Everything about the next morning was typical. Everything except the breakfast conversation. Fitzhugh spent the muffin and jam portion explaining the great difficulties that Lirssa now faced that she had come into her gift. The eggs and bacon serving was peppered with his sympathetic remarks to her predicament and the ending portion of coffee and tea settled on the matter that, "Lirssa, I understand the lack of seeming progress can be frustrating to such an extreme, but I assure you, we are getting closer to our goals. Now then, Arabella tells me you had an encounter with Elliott."

Lirssa was not fooled by the segway into revealing anything on that account. "Not that I could say. She says so, but I only ever saw my usual friends."

"Yes, well," he had a patronizing smile beneath the brush of his whiskers, "lesson time, I believe."

Rising from her seat at the table, Lirssa muttered, "My biddlyrumpus it's lesson time." It was more like seek and find time. Arabella had yet to actually teach her anything more than how to tune herself to the use of another.

Arabella's hand rested upon Lirssa's shoulder. She walked just a step behind, but there was every inclination she wanted to be sure Lirssa made it to the lesson this time and did not just bolt. In the confines of the small parlor, its curtains closed and lamps burning low, the two of them sat across from each other. The seats were comfortable, armed chairs of velveteen upholstery. Red as blood were the seats and deep dark wood for the feet and scrollwork along the chair back. It had a crinkling sound when Lirssa sunk onto the rounded seat. There was no doubt of its support though. It felt very sturdy.

"Lirssa, today we are going to test your talents a bit further. In light of the encounter you had with Elliott — and I do not care if you deny it or not, I know — we are going to search for him."

If she had been walking the streets of Rhydin, Lirssa would have called the feeling "the itch." All sorts of internal alarms were sounding. Her palms began to sweat, her chair felt insignificant in its ability to support her, and her mind flashed through a multitude of scenarios to try and get away or change the request.

All she had to do was get through the hunt for the bric-a-brac and go find someone who could help her. Likely it would have been someone from one of those uppity guild halls. Now she was as trapped as she could have been. She could not refuse, not after yesterday. The promise she had made was as thick and heavy as a chain around her neck. Each day was a link in that chain tying her to them.

"Relax, Lirssa. We are just going to see where he is." Arabella crooned soft, her opal eyes caught and held Lirssa's. A gale of power pushed Lirssa into a corner of herself. All sensation ceased but the heat and flight of seeking. She saw lines in her mind like glistening spider webs colored by a setting sun. It spread and grew, humming as little flickers of light plucked at the strings.

A great surge of light tore through the web and it spun out and disappeared. Lirssa blinked open her eyes to find Arabella collapsed over the arm of the chair. She felt her own stomach pitch and heave. With a mighty gulp she forced the bile back to its proper place.

The door swung open and crashed against the wall sending delicate crystal drops to tinkling and picture frames askew. Jasper sucked in a deep breath between clenched teeth, then growled. "What's going on here?" He went to Arabella's side.

Pale as her eyes, the veins stood so prominent as blue lines through marble. Jasper scooped her into his arms and turned for the door. "Get out of here. Be back by dinner or there'll be hell to pay, and I'll take your dues out of the hides of some of those wretched foster children." As if to make his point, Jasper flicked a hand as if shoeing a fly from his shoulder. Lirssa felt the sting across her shoulder like a firebrand.

She ran from the house, not caring to change out of her skirt to the split skirt. Lirssa slipped between people only half aware of their presence. Her lungs burned and eyes stung. She ran with the awareness of life on the streets and not the heading of her eyes. When she stopped, arms across her aching stomach, deep aching breaths taken, she looked up at the buildings around her.

The deep heart of the West End rose up around her. She could smell it in the air. With more attention given where she was going, she walked swiftly along the byways towards the bridges leading to the norther part of town. Sweet and sour the people of the West End moved about her, all with their own places to be and things to do, but they noted her. They noted her like one notes an eagle on a clear sky. Curious for most, eager for some, hunger for a few.

"Lirssa?" A voice called from behind her. She almost dare not turn about. "Lirssa, hey, it's me, Jeb." The boy about her age raced up to her. "What are you doin' 'bout these parts" Are you cryin'?" It was that more than anything that made the street smart Jebidiah worry like he'd never worried before.

Seeing Jeb was a light in the dark. She flung her arms about his sweaty, musty smelling neck and held on as if he had saved her from drowning. "Jeb, I'm in killer trouble."

"Caw, Lir, if you're in the thick spot, we all best be duckin' down. What's the shake?"

Lirssa told him as they walked from West End and made it across the bridges. Not until they had almost reached Market Square did he speak again. "Twice terrible fix you got, Lir, no mistaken. Can't break your word, though, we both be knowin' that, least they break their word first."

It was the code, simple as that. A promise bound someone unless the one it was granted to broke the exchanged promise first. "They won't, ya know. They won't do it. They want me to find things and people."

"Yeah, well, I 'spect they've got a particular hankerin' for this Elliott fella. Seems he's done put a wrench in their works. So, maybe you should speak with him."

"I'd lead them right to him. That doesn't seem right at all." Lirssa shrugged, hugging herself. Speaking to Jeb was easy, but he was never easy to find. One thing she knew, he, unlike Val, wouldn't say a word. He trusted adults even less than she did. He'd refused to go to a foster house ever since she knew him years back now.

"Well, then the other thing would be to find someone to teach ya how to thwart that weird lady each time she tried to find folks. If they think you're broken, likely they'll just let ya be. People don't get things fixed much anymore. Just replace it." Jeb tossed a rock from one hand to another.

It wasn't a bad notion. She wouldn't have to break her promise, and she'd get the training she would need. "You got any folks in particular might help me?"

Jeb whistled low. "Me" Well, yeah, but don't you have folks, too' I mean, you're the one with connections and all." He mocked with a grin.

A punch to his arm, she grumbled, "Shut up." Truth was, all her connections had danger, but there was one she had to trust. One she would trust at the very dire end. She wasn't there yet. "Come on then, you help me, and I'll help you?"

Jeb looked very skeptical. "Help me?"

"Had something to eat' I got a bit of coin. I'll feed ya and you tell me your people."

Jeb scratched at a chin that had as much dirt as the peach fuzz of a youth's beard. "Right then. There's Mother Mathilda. She's a sorta nun at the Deep Waters convent sorta northeast of town. She'd likely make ya a whole new bargain that included penitence and sum such. You being the promise keepin' sort might find that hard to bear. Then there's Robin Lookless. He's a hedge wizard pokes about the garbage in West End, but he knows more than he's liable to let on. Then there's Locke D'Vestavio. Talk about fruity. Good sort, but he's got this whole dressing thing going" I'd say he was a bit you know," Jeb waggled his hand, "only he's hitched up with this pretty bird. Guess you just never know. Some pals of mine run info for him."

Lirssa growled. "Any of your pals ask about me of late?"

Taken aback by the question, Jeb spat. "World ain't about you, Lir. Sheesh. That place's got you all paranoid and upside down in the head. Now, hand over the coin. I've got a stomach to settle."

Handing over the coin she had, her fingers brushed against the key Mister Lucky had given her. Trouble, he had said. If she were in trouble she was to use it. Well, Lirssa was in trouble all right, but she did not feel quite at her wits end. Or, was she"

Lirssa let Jeb on his way as she sat near at the fountain and thought.

Should Lirssa visit: A) Mother Mathilda B) Robin Lookless C) Locke D'Vestavio D) Lucien Mallorek E) One of the magic guilds