Chapter One

  “Guild master Hemlock has returned!”

  Lady Maid and Neancer, Harmony White, let the skill synergy she’d been using to smooth and repair the reworked floor drop mid-usage. Weeks had turned into months and she’d hoped the rotter would never return. There had been safety in the unknowns of the deal with the dungeon Haz’el Ri. Protes from reprisals over her and the prince as people waited to discover the details. And now. “Crap.” The dy swore.

  Ambrosia tsked her for cursing the news she brought, which was a sight in her performance wear, a poofy hoop dress big enough to house all her birds. Blond curls turned into a green biolumi mass of spikes. Harmony had gone overboard oh her [Beauti] skill out of annoyand now the beast tamer’s fans were stantly looking for new areme looks.

  “You ’t say you’ve been happy stuck here polishing your skills while being uo level up properly. Joining Adri his hunting trips has only gotten you so far, Harm.”

  A wave of chilling energy rushed through her, that cold fury aggravating the desire to kiething rather than cooling her frustrations at her current state. Ambrosia bringing up part of her issues wasn’t helping. All the work these months to trol her fring skills, and it was only getting worse. The addition of authority had her fighting with all those outside sources pushing their energy and expectations onto her. It’s not like she asked to be a newly minted aristocrat.

  “I have a new expert ing today to try to help. And shouldn’t you be perf now anyway? It’s your day off.”

  “Like I wasn’t going to run back here to tell you the moment the news broke. The cert is in intermission now, as it is.”

  Intermissions weren’t that long, even if Ambrosia rushed straight home and back, she’d not make it in time. So the ask for Harmony was left unspoken. There was only one way to return in time, assuming she wasn’t already te. “Fine. I’ll go wake Hyath.”

  “You know, when you help, it calms your moods. And with Hemlock back I’m sure your name will again be on everyone’s lips.”

  Harmony was unsure if it was the ad fvor the the authority from perf with her friend, or the surge of energy that helped settle her skills. Keeping busy helped. The suggestion of training her skills hit a wall. The four previous tutors they’d hired had been of limited help. This new one was supposed to be more of an expert, or specialist. Otherwise using skills in new or difficult ways brought some relief. One of her two new skills, [Mend] synergized with [Manipute Dead] a touch of [Dust] and [Beauti] to help keep the wood grains straight meaning she’d nearly fihe floors of their new home while seeking that reprieve. pletion had been today’s pn.

  “Fine, but only for two songs. I’ll o get back for the skill tutor.” Harmony responded.

  Harmony led her friend to her room. It was weird having her own. Even when Mom's ag career had been on the rise, Mother hadn’t wasted money on something as frivolous as giving her private space. Hyath didn’t t, life would be inplete without her familiar by her side. She had her worries there.

  “Grrrrrrrrrr” Hyath’s rumbling snreeted them. The toad had grown these months, at three times her weight and his height nearly reag her . The shadow toad was no longer an unfortable p load. She’d joked with him that soon she’d be riding him. Other than the drastic rapid growth there was sleeping. Twelve hours or more he slept, nearly all day. With normal means, he was nearly impossible to wake.

  [Renew Spirit] swirled with [Cold Touch] to create a ghostly blue chilling light at the tip of the neancer's finger. As an unnatural means of waking his deep sleep, she booped the light onto the toad's nose.

  “Grrrack!” The familiar cried out, leaping straight up with a filing jump that crashed back down onto his pile of pillows with a thud. “Bad necro.” He cursed grumbly.

  Harmony was already stripping out of her work clothes. Naked, she summoned Night onto her. The sparse armor, patched together by skin-tight glowing starscape, made her feel more secure, even if it took away any oving around Hazeldown anonymously.

  “Ambrosia and I need a trip to her show.”

  “The Landing Theatre” Her friend crified.

  “Gupt.. not carriage.”

  “Stop being such a wart. The band misses you, and I’ll need a trip back after a few songs to see the tutor then you go back to sleep. Bowe and Adric are worried I let you sleep too much as it is. A little exercise and shadow hopping is good for you.”

  Harmony was worried he was sleeping so mubsp; Whether Adric meant his s or picked up on her worries through her pet bond with him, she wasn’t sure.

  The dy maid pced her hand on her familiar's bad Ambrosia joined her. Together they were pulled away.

  In transit, she caught a flicker of the shadow realm that made this kind of travel possible. She made a o use her skill [Recall] to pick up aails. The maid skill to help one remember orders, pns, and directives had more iing uses than just that.

  The trio lumbered out of the shadows of the backstage of The Landing.

  Jimmy looked frantic. His knuckles straining as they gripped the neck of his guitar marched up to Ambrosia, “Where have you been? Stiriling is fiddling her fingers bloody, distrag the crowd.” His eyes flicked to the Lady Maid. “Hi, Harmony,” Then he did a double take. “Harmony!”

  “Yes, Jimmy, I brought Harmony. We have a very special guest for a few songs. Hemlock’s return is sure terest in those old songs of ours. The tess’s sdals of the past few months will slip away. She’ll probably be forced to meet with irl here. No more, dy White, who? I’ve never met her, burning through the sheets.”

  Harmony didn’t want to meet Prince Adric’s favorite aunt. The woman had been tent to ignore her existeer showing up at the prince’s call and then camping in Hazeldown. As much as Adric visited the woman, there’d been no invitation.

  “Well, let’s rescue this show before our fiddler colpses.”

  Jimmy signaled and two assistants came running up.

  Yes, Strongstess and the Flows have assistants now. Pre-sele kids looking to influeheir css and profession options. Harmony assisted her mom as a child in a simir fashion.

  Despite bringing back those unfortable memories for Harmony, their help made everything easier. Milo, a young girl, took off to care for Hyath like she had a crush on the giant toad. The Neancer could tell through their [Familiar Bond] that the attentio good. Someone would at least have fun. Corre, they both should. Ambrosia was right that this should calm her. Gods know the tutor had the potential to set off a fre, so these songs should help keep her settled before that. With authority, she flexed [Poise and Bearing] a her smile feed upon the expectations of the city.

  The subtle ges gaining aristocracy to her maid css adjusted her skills away from the primary focus of being an unobtrusive servant. There had been pride in being unnoticed in the ridiculous outfits Lord Tyler had picked for her, but now part of her screamed to stand out. She grabbed it all and fidently strode onto the stage as the band’s special guest.

  The crowd roared.

  Oh, they knew who she was. Fans of the band were usually fans of Hazeldown’s Lady. That spark of the ued appearance sang with authority inside her. It became part of the music she dao. The authority pyed a part in the overactive influences of her skills, yet this act with its up-close infusion soothed it. Harmony had to fight disseg the reasoning behind that ingruity. A personal debate that it helped because she lived up to the expectations of the crowd by dang for the band, or if it was other aspects? Desire aement fed into these authoritarian es Most calming was to drop those thoughts and dance.

  It wasn’t a calm dance as she used the time to push her skills. [Style and Grace], [Beauti], and [High Kick] got the most workout but Harmony pushed the limits where she could. Then came the props, two glowing cold spheres formed in both palms, that same bination that woke Hyath. Streams of mist danced off of them as the moisture ier in the air densed as it brushed the cold.

  The tutors had been firm about pushing one's limits when using skills to help them level up. While they pushed for Thibodeux’s methods of repetition of activation, Harmoed that to go with her philosophy. And if that meant dang with all the physicality of her attack skills, and trolling two luminous balls formed by a tentative bination of skills, then that is what she’d do, pushing everything to its limit. She’d like to believe this route has granted her the greatest results.

  [Recall] kicked in, her skill reminding her she had a deadline and couldn’t dail Ambrosia was doh her, or her body gave out.

  Exploding her spheres, a chilly yer of fog expanded over the crowd as heat from the bodies and the cold air cshed. With a little focus on her armor, Night, and the lumi spots fshed, a trick she’d picked up, the final crowd-pleaser as she waved them all goodbye.

  The neancer found Hyath in bliss, lying on his back as Milo scrubbed his belly. “Time to go home, partner.”

  “Graukk…” The familiar pined.

  Milo slid off the toad's belly and curtsied. “Sorry, for distrag him, Lady White.”

  Harmony wasn’t sure she would ever get used to that. She could feel the awe radiating off the girl. It’s not that aristocracy didn’t e to Hazeldown, all the whelps leveled here. She was simply the first one raised locally in the public eye. If yoing to gain aristocracy it usually happens at evolution, and everyohis beginner city to aplish that.

  “It’s okay. He deserves his pleasures but I’m on a deadline. If he wishes to e ba his own time for belly scratches that’s up to him and you. Talk to Ambrosia, she arrange something.”

  “The songstress?” Milo gulped paling before scurrying off.

  Ridiculous how the two of them became more than maids in the eyes of everyone. Letting that go, Harmony prodded Hyath again, this time through their [Familiar Bond].

  The shadow toad rolled onto his stomach grumpily. Harmony pced her hand on his bad they moved into the shadows.

  KitFalbo