Wishbone Chapter 2

Wishbone slept until sunset. He visited Vessa, the laundress, because his clothes really were getting a bit rank. After he'd paid her and redeemed his other outfit, he went to see Davvy at the fence's booth in Three Pillars Market.

Davvy was locked in negotiations with a woman of a certain age over a pair of earrings. Wishbone had a seat on a stool and waited for the haggling to wrap up. Davvy adored haggling, almost as much as he adored the smooth, heavy coins brought by his trade. Wishbone had trusted him to dispose of similar bonuses in the past. When at last the woman accepted Davvy's price and took her coins away, Wishbone placed the comb on the wooden counter.

"How much for it?" he asked.

Davvy picked up the comb and squinted at it. Unlike Tonner, he didn't drop it. Neither did he look pleased.

"This is shih-aan work," he said.

"If you say so," answered Wishbone.

Davvy sighed. "They don't sell their jewels, at least not often. There is so little shih-aan work on the market that any buyer will recognize its unusual nature and ask questions. I'm sorry, Wishbone, but I can't handle this for you. Perhaps if you bring it to one of the places on Pin Street, you'll find a jeweler who will buy it for the metal and gems."

Wishbone felt a sudden twinge of anxiety at the thought of the comb pulled apart, the gold gone one way, the gemstones--the color...