“I know, talí, but there’s nothing more we can do tonight. We’ll start again early tomorrow. And this time as something more harmless in appearance. We need to get our hands on some of those traded items.”

“We can’t just—just relax!” Alec exclaimed. “There must be something we can do tonight. A week at the most. That’s what that drysian woman down below said.”

Seregil sighed and sat up. “Hand me my boots.”

It was not late when they arrived at the Orëska, but they found Thero in his dressing gown.

The wizard frowned as he let them in. “How is it you always know when I’m about to finally get some sleep?”

“The sleeping death has struck in the Ring, and the Street of Lights,” Seregil told him, brushing past. “It’s Myrhichia.”

The wizard sank down on a stool by one of the workbenches. “I’m so sorry!”

“We think we may have found something about the sleeping death. There are strange beggar folk trading with people in the Ring and Lower City,” Alec told him. “People there call them the raven folk.”

“Given their taste in trades,” Seregil explained. “They barter for bits of hair, broken toys, and the like.

Thero raised an eyebrow. “Trades?”

Alec tried to rein in his impatience. “Yes. We’ve seen and heard of several children and some adults stricken with the disease, or magic, or whatever you want to call it. Many of them were known to have made a trade of some sort with the ravens.”

“I understand that. But—”

“We mostly see Reltheus and Malthus during the evening,” Alec rushed on. “And we haven’t heard from Elani in days. We may have fallen out of favor already.”

“I doubt that. But why are you here? Shouldn’t you be talking to Valerius?”

“He knows. He sent us into the Ring.”

“You’re working for him? Seregil—”

“We’ll keep up with our social life and any spying you need done by night, and look for the raven folk by day.”

“Prince Korathan wants this,” Alec added. “It’s a matter of—of—”

“Civic security,” Seregil finished for him. “If there’s a panic and this is a disease of some sort, then people will flee in droves, carrying it out to spread across the countryside. We have Kepi watching Reltheus for now.”

Thero rubbed a hand wearily across his eyes. “I don’t like this, especially now that they appear to be killing each other off.”

“There’s been another death?”

“Yes. Countess Alarhichia.”

“Her name hasn’t come up,” said Alec.

“No, but she’s a known friend of Duke Reltheus, and another member of the court. Considering the suddenness of her death, I think we should at least consider it another act of retribution. In the meantime, various nobles are retreating to their country estates.”

“Any of our conspirators?” asked Seregil.

“Marquise Lania and Earl Stenmir.”