When the Apprentice Repairs the Master

Iseo was tightening a cracked core ring when the alarm rang through the workshop. She fixed the ring, then watched the owner of the core stand up on shaking legs and lie about feeling fine. That was the part that hurt most. For three years, she had patched broken awakeners while the guild treated her gift like supply work. She knew the smell of burnt metal, the look of fear before a collapse, and the way people smiled when they wanted help but hated needing it. Then a sealed retirement-fund certificate appeared in her storage chest, and a travel ticket with her own mark at the corner turned up inside her locker. One quiet repair became a week of bad choices, blocked doors, and people who wan...