Two thousand star crystals.
The number hung in the air long after the words had been spoken, and it was that number — the sheer, almost absurd weight of it — that stopped Lukas from opening his mouth and walking out the door. This was an amount that most awakeners never saw in one place. People who risked their lives every single day, who bled and ground themselves down to bone and exhaustion just to survive, still struggled to accumulate a fraction of that. And here she was, offering it to him in exchange for a few lessons here and there.
The deal was too tempting to dismiss with a straight face.
Still, Lukas didn't immediately agree. He held the silence for a moment, letting the offer settle, turning it over with the unhurried patience of someone who had learned the hard way that quick decisions had long consequences.
If he was going to teach her, he couldn't afford to do a sloppy job. Even if the lessons were casual and scattered, he had his own standards.
