Lasital was a huge city on the world of Nuru and it wasn't half as cold as Loosh had made out. We'd been there a couple of weeks acclimatizing and to me it wasn't too much different to Yorkshire in spring. Cloudy, gloomy and rain soaked, but most days it climbed to a healthy 15c. I felt right at home.

Loosh was wrapped up like the sausage in a corn dog and insisted I did the same, to which I laughed. The Leather coat was perfect for the climate and while I could have done with a hood, it wasn't as if my hair could get wet, apart from the beard. As that dripped past the collar of the coat like a rain bib, I remained nice and dry inside.

A kid ran past and knocked into me. I felt its skinny little hand grope for my pocket which I slapped away, before kicking him up the arse to send him on the way. He crashed into the pavement a wet slap, and we continued on our way.

"I don't mind the weather, but the friggin urchins round here are a damned nuisance."

"We could have taken a carriage," she sulked. "There's no urchins inside warm carriages."

I wagged a finger. "No chance. You said it was important to be present in Opotan." I mimicked her voice. "'On our mission it's important to be seen so the community gets used to us. It will be good for you to soak in the sights and sounds.' Can't go changing your mind now. Unless you can't handle it?" I grinned at her huddled grub like shape with all the extra padding.

"I hate you right now, Joren. The cold is fine, but the rain… I hate the rain more than I hate you."

I patted her on the back like a dog. "There, there. It's just up ahead. Not long now."

She looked up, a fierce expression on her face. "Keep pushing. I'll find a way to make you pay."

"Oh yeah. How are you going to do that then? Last I checked you aren't beating me to death with those arms."

"Simple. I've already planned it. I'm going to seek out Reverse Harmony stones and fill you full of Harmony. Then I'll use magic to torture you for a thousand years."

I felt a chill of fear at her words. Reverse Harmony stones would be my Kryptonite Even if I got super tough. "There's such a thing?"

She frowned. "Not that I know of. But I'll look anyway. Maybe commission an enchanter to invent something like that."

I chuckled. "Evil woman."

"We all do what we must," she said as we rounded a corner bringing the Transport tower in full view.

"I'd be so screwed if something like that existed."

"I'm serious. I'm commissioning an enchanter to work it out."

We reached the stairs of the tower, and she sped up, desperate to get inside.

"I'd kill you now if I thought you were serious," I said, though she'd stretched out a lead and couldn't hear me.

5Inside the war dry tower, she removed her coat to reveal a tight-fitting outfit of leather and green suede like she was auditioning for a fan service part in Robin hood.

She shivered, and pulled a rod from the pouch on her hip which she flicked to release the enormous linen storage sack. It never ceased to amaze me, as she stuffed her coat inside. Shook the attached rod again causing the bag to shrink and then disappear into her rod.

"When do I get one of those?"

"You don't need one. I can't get you out of that coat! I actually liked it when I picked it out for you. Now, I'm surprised it doesn't follow us about when you take it off."

I stroked the leather on my arm. "Best coat I've ever owned, this."

She huffed and strode off. I followed after, grinning. I loved our bickering as much as I loved the no strings sex.

Our portal was a main, which meant it was open all the time as passage between the two worlds was so frequent it was less efficient to keep opening and closing it.

Loosh was moving with purpose and didn't even stopping to wait for me before passing through. Clearly eager to be away from Latish. I kept my steady pace, but prepared for somewhere as hot as balls if she was eager to get there.

When I stepped through I was hit with vertigo rather than heat. We'd arrived on the branch of a giant fucking tree. Like, crazy giant. The branch was flat, and had guardrails either side of it, but that did not mean we weren't out in the open thousands of feet in the air. I gripped that guard rail like a life raft as my stomach tried to do cartwheels. Unthinking, I peered over the side to see just how bad it was.

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If there was a ground I couldn't see it. Below us was all misty and murky. I suspected clouds and grumbled to myself.

Loosh appeared at my side shaking her head in disappointment. "Are you afraid of heights, Joren?"

"No. I'm afraid of fucking surprises. That's how people get beaten to death."

"Ooh," she said with a sly grin. "I'll have to remember that."

"You think that's a good thing?"

Her grin widened. "It is if I want someone killed. I can trick them into surprising you and get a hit and a laugh all at once."

I found myself grinning along at the evil plan and finally let go of the rail.

We walked from tree to tree, as the wide branches were blended into each other. Around the giant trunks of the trees were immense platforms with buildings and houses. There were even beast of burden up here, clopping about like it was the most normal thing in the world to be doing.

In short it was a fully functioning city in the tree tops and I decided without doubt that it was somewhere I'd never want to live. Not without magic and that was never going to happen.

I paused for a minute as I had the thought. Loosh stopped a few footsteps later and looked back. Everything okay?"

I frowned at her. "Why would you call them reverse Harmony stones?"

"What?" she asked, as if I'd just asked her why the moon was made of cheese.

"Reverse Harmony Stones. If you wanted to put Harmony in me. Why would they be reverse Harmony Stones?"

"Joren, dear. We're going to an important meeting. Why would you be thinking about a joke?"

I shrugged. "Dunno. Just popped into my head. Seems a crazy thing to make up. A Reverse Harmony stone. Why not just say a Harmony stone if you're going to put Harmony into something."

That brought a laugh from her and she slipped into her explain to stupid voice I hated so much. "Well Earl. You can't call my theoretical stone a Harmony Stone because Harmony Stones exist and my idea was the opposite of those."

I listened to her sarcastic droning voice, considering throwing her over the balustrade until what she said sunk in.

"Opposite? So there's a stone that… what, takes Harmony?"

She chuckled. "I forget how foreign to the Union you are sometimes. Harmony Stones are famous. The Xeo brought them in the first war and used them to terrifying effect. Those we managed to acquire are now kept in the Union Headquarters under lock and key. I suppose they'll bring them out again if the Xeo do return."

"Sounds like a waste of a good bit of kit, locking them away like that."

She turned a sour look on me. "Hardly. Stealing someones soul is not exactly 'a good bit of kit.' It's a terrifying power."

I nodded, mind working. "Do they die when it happens?"

She side eyed me. "Of course they die. You've stolen their soul?"

"I'm not dead."

"Last I checked your soul wasn't stolen."

"No. I just don't have one, apparently."

"You must have one. You're just hiding it somewhere no one can find it."

"So how do the stones work? You just point them at the dickhead whose soul you want to steal?"

She shook her head. "They must be in contact. Skin, clothes armor, as long as there's a direct link then they'll work."

"How big are they?"

I saw her expression slowly darkened as we talked. "I don't think I much like where this conversation is going. Or your mind for that matter."

I held up my hands like I was at gun point. "Woah! I'm just curious about history."

She prodded me in the chest, voice low so only I could hear it. "No. Your thinking could you use the stones because you have no Harmony to steal. The answer is no. Absolutely not. Someone with that kind of power would quite literally become the most dangerous person in the cosmos."

"Sounds fun," I said idly.

"I'll help you with your revenge, but if those stones ever end up in our possession they get destroyed. Heinous things."

I nodded. "Fair enough. I was just curious."

She gave me one last scowl before setting off walking again. I followed after her a spring in my step, images of what I thought Harmony Stones might look like, floating in my head.

The enchantment shop was unlike any we'd visited so far. Inside was clean and free of clutter. I figured that was a bad sign. It probably meant the owner was anally retentive and those bastards were the worst to deal with.

"Ah, Mistress Malika!" a bald gnome like man with thin hair and a monocle announced as we entered the back room of the shop. He rushed over, all bowing and scraping. "My apologies, but I'm afraid your trip has been wasted. I tried to get word to you but my efforts proved fruitless. I have sold the enchantment this very morning as the buyer met my upper bid."

Loosh didn't hide her fury. Understandable, as this was the third time we'd been pipped to the prize. The gnome picked up on her anger and held his hands out placatingly as he took a step back. "The upper bid was very high, mi 'lady. They have overpaid by a considerable amount."

"Who was it?" she said, smoothly though her voice held the undercurrent of suppressed rage. We both already knew the answer that would come.

"I am afraid the merchants code prohibits me from sharing such information."

She looked for all the world like she wanted to strangle him, I would have done it for her, but that would blow our cover and our endgame which was… well it was half a dozen things, and one of them was getting me some awesome gloves. So I kept my fists in my pockets and followed her out of the shop.

"Again!" She snapped once we were a few branches away from the shop. "We need to get to the bottom of this. Once or twice it could be a coincidence, but three times in our last four visits, someones trying to screw us over and they're spending big money to do it."

"Sounds like fun. What's the plan then?"

She sighed "I didn't want to, but we'll have to ask Onlan to look into it. As for us," she sighed again. "I was hoping to have grown our reputation a little more by now, but there's nothing else for it. We need to go ingratiate ourselves with some of the others in the merchant network. Perhaps they can shed some light on the situation, though I'm afraid of what we might find."

I wasn't afraid. I was hoping it would be Peralt's men and I was itching for another meeting.

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