“You’ll never guess what your Patrolman did a quarter plus a half ago. Mr. Zane created a costume while you were gone,” Apple said as she brushed my freshly bathed hair.

Theresa came into Apple’s room carrying a tray of sizzling baked white pears with sugar and my stomach growled.

“A costume? Zane?” I reached for a pear, trying to imagine Zane fashioning his own getup. I couldn’t. But when I glanced up, I realized Apple’s face had fallen; she bit her lip.

I dropped the pear to my lap. “What happened?”

“Oh, friend. I’m not sure I should have said a thing,” she admitted.

Theresa sighed and slid the tray onto the dresser to leave it with us. “Share your heart, love. It may bring a good tiding or three,” she said to Apple. The dwarf patted my hand and left without another word.

When the door clicked shut, Apple slid the brush into her pocket.

“Well, we get the Pebble Paper delivered here every morning. Sometimes it skips a day or three, but…” She released a loud huff. “That rancid sea-cow—Sullen Sprit-Spellborrow—has been making dreadful claims about the believers. And with the way he so eloquently crafts his words, it’s no secret who’s to blame for the Red Kingdom’s loathing of us.” Apple pulled the brush out in a fidget and started re-brushing my wet locks. “Anyway, the sea-cow wrote an article about the Crimson Court’s prophetess and her plans to marry a rich Red Lord in these next quarters. But that isn’t the point. The prophetess was married to Mr. Zane’s father, which puts her in a bind by Winter’s rules. If she’s preparing to enter into a Winter oath, the only explanation is that Mr. Zane’s father must be…” The brush stilled, and I stared at Apple’s reflection in the mirror.

“Dead?” I finished for her, my heart dipping cold.

“I’m afraid so.” The brush began moving again; Apple’s eyes were trained on my hair.

My gaze found my somber reflection. “He didn’t tell me,” I rasped.

“Well, that’s the thing; he didn’t tell anyone. Wanda spotted him slipping out on a cold eve after the publication, wearing a red costume. It was so riddlesome that she followed him. Your Patrolman wandered the Red Kingdom streets in disguise, right to the Hall of Knowledge. Wanda found Mr. Zane flipping through the Records of Confessions. When Wanda revealed herself, Zane admitted he was looking for a name, but had just discovered that the man he was searching for was dead. Murdered a good measure of seasons ago—by his mother.”

“You’re kidding me.” A set of pure white eyes and a grotesque ashworm tattoo flickered through my mind.

“That’s not all. It was a good thing Wanda followed him, because Jolly Cheat strolled into the Hall of Knowledge a pinch later. And as you can imagine, your Patrolman was not at his best. The two quarrelled right there in the lobby, and Mr. Zane nearly killed the court magician. Wanda had to drag Zane away before he would have been surrounded by Legionnaires. It’s a miracle the Ruby Legion’s elites aren’t currently hunting him down for his crimes.”