Some measurements only your hands can make.
At twenty-nine, Nella Thurwick has built a life stitch by stitch. Seven years ago, she was a grieving girl—until a locksmith looked at her like her instincts mattered. Now a merchant brings her fabric that doesn’t measure right.
The cuts are professional—but short. When Nella investigates, she discovers something worse than simple theft: the guild’s enchanted measuring tools have been rigged for decades, systematically cheating weavers who trusted the system.
The investigation leads her to Calla, an enchantment technician whose mother died apologizing for shortfalls that never existed. Nella has her measuring tape and her hands. The harder question is whether Nella can trust what she knows—when everyone with a title says she’s wrong.