Free Wizard (The Key to Magic) by H. Jonas Rhynedahll Page B

couch, Nali caught Fynd's eye, tilted her head at Mar, and said quietly, "Sorcerer."
    Fynd gave Mar a neutral once-over, pausing ever so briefly at his bare feet, then turned with a professional smile to bustle after Kemael, who had laid himself out flat on the couch but was continuing to fidget as he watched her approach. As soon as she came alongside, Fynd produced a bare wooden dowel about the length of her forearm -- apparently from out of nothing -- pointed it at the tension wrinkled spot between Kemael's brows, and twitched the end in a looping gesture. Instantly, Kemael's lids drooped and his entire body relaxed.
    Making the dowel disappear with a roll of her hand, she immediately swept back to Mar and Nali.
    He had to ask, "You sell sleep?"
    "Oh, no! I sell rest. Trouble free, whole body, no aches, no pains, no worries, no dreams, and absolutely no nightmares. Three hours on one of my couches will recharge anyone as if they had spent a month on a vacation beach. Many of my customers say that it makes them feel alive again. Want to try a free sample?"
    He kept his face blank. "No, thanks."
    She waved at Kemael's unused chair as she sank back into her own. "Let's talk."
    "I'll stand, if it's all the same."
    "You're a suspicious one, aren't you? Well, suit yourself. That will save Nali from having to drag up another chair."
    The younger woman threw Mar a quick grin and dashed to the chair as if to prevent him from having a chance to change his mind. With a sigh, she tucked her legs up under her and leaned back into the thick padding.
    "How about you, Nali? You look like you could use a couple of hours."
    "I might get half an hour when we're done."
    "Half-price."
    Nali flashed a quick smile. "A full hour then."
    With the young courtesan watching but otherwise seeming disengaged, Fynd took a small, shiny box from a pocket and placed it on the arm of her chair.
    "This will give us a bit of privacy," she explained at Mar's hard look.
    Three jewels decorated the top of the box. Two were clear, but one glowed orange. After a couple of seconds, a flux bubble of some sort radiated out from the box and enclosed the three of them.
    Sounds from outside of the bubble became muted and he presumed that this effect also worked in reverse, but he relaxed only slightly. There was no question but that the Bazaar was a black-market. From his experience in Khalar, he knew that only a fool trusted black-marketeers.
    To save time, he decided to try to dispense with any potential polite small talk. "Nali told me that you were looking for a sorcerer."
    The negative association that the term had in his mind with the Brotherhood of Phaelle made him disinclined to apply it to himself, but he had to claim the obviously important title to sell his services to the merchant.
    Fynd and Nali, as apparently everyone in this time did, used magic as a simple matter of course and clearly neither considered themselves sorcerers, while Nali, after seeing Mar penetrate the tunnel without harm, had immediately taken him to be one. The implication was that a sorcerer possessed a specific elevated level of magical skill and perhaps a standard toolkit of powerful spells. Of course, he had neither, but he might find a way to accomplish Fynd's task. Even should he fail, he would lose nothing but time.
    Following his lead, Fynd cut right to the point. "I have an item that has a magical seal of a very high order. I wish that seal removed."
    "Five thousand." Overweening confidence was rule number one in haggling. He was not confident at all that he could unlock Fynd's seal, but he had to act as if there were no doubt.
    The woman laughed. "I might scrape up a few hundred to pay you after the job is done." She looked him up and down once more. "Frankly, save for Nali's introduction, I'd have trouble believing that you are a sorcerer."
    Mar shrugged and turned about to leave.
    Fynd laughed again. "Wait! I'll go three thousand but no more."
    Mar turned back around. "Show me