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But I was in the market – aha – for a special kind of acquisition I paced a sure my hood was pulled up over my head as I perused the bazaar’s s, specifically One was a way to disguise nature from anyone anted to hunt els, demons, or the Lorica itself I had friends at the Lorica, sure, but even they couldn’t knoas still hanging around in Valero It’d put them at risk

The second thing was quick cash There had to be so I could do for work in the Black Market I knew they had a notice board for odd jobs and errands soive me some leads I could probably count on Florian for soht of sleeping in a cardboard box out in Valero was enough h for rent, anything short ofan old lady Unless she was a witch Like a bad one, you know? The kind that eats children

But where to start? I had to hope that at least one of the enchanters working there would be happy to trade favors in exchange for the right kind of ical artifact I could use to functionally disappear from the world I just wanted to be left alone And yes, I definitely realize thatfavors sounds exactly like the kind of thing Belphegor would do, infernal contracts and all Please don’t remind me

I turned down a side street that was known for renting space to the underground’s very best enchanters, that is,ical powers Surely someone could help

“Help me, please, someone!”

Or be helped, apparently The voice had co her level best to chase so stilettos That so at top speed towardswhat looked like a leather satchel in one hand

Okay A textbookI expected to do at the Black Market was help so the i and help the wo ith being part angel It was irritating, but da to Do

I pressedics on that distant, amorphous place that was the source of all the stuff I could dimensionally borrow Heaven’s armory, as Raziel liked to put it, but whatever Where the weapons came from didn’t matter, just that the Vestments responded at all

A flash of golden light e I needed appeared inpeople’s faces in It was a nice, healthy alternative to swords, because so them

I gripped ht as the isterinfor his chest, the bludgeon in ht it around in a wide, glittering arc

The crunch , as was the loud, painful thud of his body crashing onto the black paveled to process which bit of impact had beenthat it was probably just a little harder and round I lifted theas it returned to the ethers Just in ti

Hey, they didn’t nickna

7

The gathered crowd of lookie-loos parted as the Black Market’s enforcers sternly and politely shouted for theet the hell out of the way The thief’s face was ashen when the guards clapped hiical irons and led hihed him up too badly Maybe a fracture in a rib so too peruy

One of the guards nodded at ruffly as he left, and I nodded in return Sure, the Black Market had its share of extreoods and services, but eren’t aniuards there, some people to keep the law, and maybe some able-bodied, leanly muscled dudes like me to help out in times of actual trouble