Write about one precious thing lost

Vincenti awoke with a start, still bound to the old woman's chair. The light creeping in from behind the shades and under the gap in the door implied late afternoon, but not quite evening. He saw the ceramic urn on a table next to him and surmised from the symbols on the side that it contained the dagger. His wallet was still in his great coat pocket.

"I am awake now. We can discuss payment. I have some money now but can give you more if you require."

He took a second to feel and savor the lack of pain in his chest. His relief as was palpable as the pain had been.

"Hello? Old woman?"

"I'm here I'm here." The old crone shuffled in from the other room. "You don't need to continue on. I should charge you more for letting you sleep here all day. Runners going this way and that. Maybe I should have let them find you hmmmmm?"

"I have no issue with the runners." Vincenti lied. "You could have let them in."

"Bah." She took the wad of currency Vincenti had brought it and tossed it onto his chest. Vincenti cringed ready for the pain but the would was already fully healed.

"Isn't that enough? I can get more."

"I don't need that money."

"If you release me I can get other money to you. I admit I was traveling a bit unprepared last night."

"Your accounts have been settled golem." She started loosening the restraints. Vincenti's arms ached and his shoulders creaked as he moved them.

"Are you sure you won't take money?" Vincenti asked. He began to dread what the crone took but a quick search of his pockets showed he still had all the lint and dust as when he had come in. "What, may I ask, did you take as payment?"

"You won't miss it, golem." It was an old joke, golems and souls.

"You can have my soul, if you can find it." he quipped.

"Bah, golem thinks he has a soul. Even if you had one it wouldn't be worth the flesh it occupied. I took your last breath golem."

That startled Vincenti. "Do I have many left?"

"Enough." She said. "You are finished here. I fixed your eyes, you will be able to make it home now and stop sullying my parlor or I really will call the runners on you."

Vincenti sat up, rubbing his wrists and waiting to regain feeling in his legs. "I thank you madame."

"Don't forget your jar. As I said you paid me to remove it not to store it." She walked to her front door and opened it, dark orange sunlight crept across the floor.

"Certainly". Vincenti expected to blink away tears with the light, but none came. He wrapped the jar in his overcoat that was still damp from the rain of the previous night and smelled vaguely of bayeed. "Again thank you."

He stepped out into the afternoon light and bathed in it. It had been quite a long time indeed since he'd seen daylight with his own eyes.

"Ming! The Wonsoon! He had to tell Ming that Arthur was on the Wonsoon." Putting the Trident on his left he headed out to tell Ming the news.