“This is quite the find,” the young merchant mused while turning the etherea egg over in his hands. “I’ll buy it off you, and I can promise a substantial offer.”

  Something about the thought of selling my new pet made my stomach churn.

  “No, I’m going to keep it,” I said while fervently shaking my head.

  I reached down to snatch my etherea back from the short merchant in his early 20s, but he jerked to the side to keep it out of my reach. He retreated further underneath the red fabric tent he had set up at the end of the merchant square. I followed, not willing to let the etherea out of my sight.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t take her from you if you don’t want to sell. I just want to look at her for a while longer.”

  “Her?” I peered into his hands to get a better look at the etherea. “How can you tell it’s a she?”

  “The color of her antennae. If she were a boy, they’d be closer to purple. Hers are just slightly tan.”

  The merchant held up the egg to a glass lamp on the stand underneath his tent. The lamp was lit by a glowing orb that hovered inside the oblong-shaped glass.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to sell her?” he continued with a sideways glance in my direction. “I could give you 1200 credits–easy.”

  I raised my eyebrows, shocked. “1200?” I sputtered.

  I mindlessly hefted the simple cloth sack I’d purchased earlier to carry the things I’d bought today. It was full of new Tier 4 equipment–high-end stuff according to that bushy mustached merchant I’d bought it from–and the armor set plus the new matching spear had cost me 575 credits. Was this man telling me that my etherea was worth more than twice what a complete set of well-crafted Tier 4 armor and a Tier 4 weapon cost?

  I had to admit selling the etherea was tempting. My eyes met with the little thing’s silver-blue eyes with wide pupils staring at me as if pleading to be at my side always. I could almost feel her emotions leaking into my own, like we were one in a small yet significant way.

  “She’s not for sale,” I said decidedly.

  The little etherea did one of her signature flips. Could she understand what I was saying?

  “Too bad,” the merchant said with a shrug, slowly holding out the egg for me to snatch it back.

  He pushed out his lip in a slight pout, which looked silly on his scar-ridden face. “What was it you wanted to ask me? You came by with a question.”

  I nodded, holding the egg close to my chest. “I’ve been asking around about how to take care of an etherea, and most people pointed me in your direction.”

  The merchant nodded and retreated behind his stand to plop down on his chair with a stack of pillows piled onto the seat. “I am an expert, you might say. Rodney Hill’s the name.”

  Rodney offered me a hand to shake, finally introducing himself. I set down my large sack with newly bought items and palmed the etherea into my now free left hand.

  “Rayden Grim,” I responded, shaking his hand with my right.

  “My family had an etherea farm about 10 years ago before they became an endangered species. A never-before-seen sickness started to wipe them out, so we couldn’t make enough money from the farm anymore.”

  Rodney eyed my left hand, where I held the egg, and subtly licked his lips. “It’s too bad. I miss our ethereas.”

  I tucked my egg behind my back and away from Rodney’s greedy stare. “A sickness? What sort of sickness? Is it still around?”

  Rodney reclined back into his chair and shrugged. “No one knows much about the sickness–it doesn’t even have a name. But it’s highly contagious among the etherea. Once caught, the creatures become immobile, unable to eat or do anything, and eventually die. Your etherea could definitely catch the sickness, but if you keep her away from other ethereas, she shouldn’t come across the disease.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  I squeezed the egg in my hand tighter, suddenly feeling much more protective of my pet. “Thanks for the information. I… I know nothing about etherea. Is there something I need to do to help her hatch? And when she does hatch, how do I feed her? What will she even do once she’s grown?”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Rodney held up his hands and sighed. “One thing at a time, Rayden Grim. You’re asking a lot of questions. I have half a mind to charge you for my valuable knowledge.”

  I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything else and further annoying the merchant.

  “But I’m in a generous mood….” Rodney narrowed his eyes at me. “When did she evolve to the first stage you see her as now?”

  “Early this morning,” I said.

  Rodney nodded while tapping his chin. “She should fully hatch within the week; then, you’ll need to start feeding her.”

  “Do I just feed her any food?”

  Rodney threw his head back and laughed, mocking my ignorance. “She’ll need etherea food, of course! Pricey stuff, but I do have a small stock in the back.”

  I raised an eyebrow. Based on the greedy grin on his face, I suspected this man planned to scalp the prices. “How much stock, and what are you going to charge me for it?”

  “About a month’s worth of food. 200 credits.”

  I felt the blood leave my face. After buying my new Tier 4 equipment, a pair of sandsoles to better travel in the sand during my next scouting trips, and a simple but well-made knife to harvest monster parts and cores on the same excursions, I only had 225 credits left. I still had to pay for my meals, let alone food for another creature.

  I should get paid soon for my first scout shift, I reminded myself. I should be fine, and once Gareth sends me my new Elite Group #1 schedule, I’m sure I’ll have a lot more shifts and earn money from those.

  I leaned over Rodney’s counter, which displayed a spread of small weapons and a hodgepodge of food. “I’m sure you can go down in price.”

  Rodney chuckled and shrugged. “Try me.”

  “150 credits,” I said without wavering.

  Rodney spit on the floor. “Ridiculous! I won’t go under 190.”

  “175.” I stuck out my hand for him to shake it and accept the deal. “Or I go elsewhere.”

  The merchant muttered some obscenities under his breath. “I can’t allow you to steal from me. 185.”

  I grabbed Rodney’s hand, which he had resting on his counter, and shook it before he could change his mind.

  “Deal,” I said.

  Grumbling, Rodney rose from his chair and retreated behind the back flap of the tent. His grumbling grew distant, and I heard rustling and clanging as the merchant searched for the etherea food.

  Rodney reemerged, a small white sack in his arms. Small, orb-like protrusions expanded every part of the sack. The merchant threw the bag onto an empty space on his counter, then dug a hand into the opening, pulling it back out but now with a small purple sphere that fit perfectly between his forefinger and thumb.

  “Once your etherea has hatched and starts projecting herself out of the egg, stand close to her and crush one of these between your fingers. A powder will release, and your etherea’s presence will draw the powder straight to her digestive system. You’ll need to feed her once a day during her first evolution after hatching, then twice daily for every evolution after that.”

  I nodded at Rodney’s instructions. They sounded simple enough.

  “You said she’ll project herself?” I said. “What does that look like?”

  Rodney sighed and gestured for me to take the food. I did, placing it in the large cloth sack I used for everything else I’d just bought.

  “It’ll be obvious, trust me,” he said.

  I placed two of my fingers on Rodney’s temple at his insistence, then transferred the agreed-upon 185 credits.

  After tucking the etherea back safely into the satchel at my side, I turned to leave. But Rodney cleared his throat, stopping me. I spun back around to face him.

  “And you should really figure out what to name her,” the merchant said. “Etherea like it when you give them a name.”

  ***

  I thought about possible names for my pet during the entire trek back to my dormitory. I’d never expected choosing a simple name for an animal to be so difficult.

  Maybe a name that starts with an “e” for “etherea….”

  At least I could admit to myself that I wasn’t the most creative person, but naming the etherea with an “e” name wasn’t a terrible idea. A little on the nose, but I liked the notion.

  “Ebony, emerald…” I said aloud to the empty lift I rode to my dormitory floor. Why could I only think of colors that started with “e?”

  I allowed myself another five seconds of thought, and then it came to me….

  “Eira!” I exclaimed triumphantly.

  In Edrona, the word “eira” meant otherworldly–ethereal. It felt fitting for my new companion.

  I dropped the large sack of my new and heavy purchases, then fished out the etherea egg from my satchel.

  “Hey, Eira,” I whispered to the blob-like creature with eyes too large for her body.

  The etherea wiggled about and peeled her mouth open in delight.

  I grinned. “You like it? Your new name?”

  Eira did one of her flips in reply.

  “Good enough for me,” I said with a pleased smile.