“Do you think Korathan will send Elani away?” asked Alec.

“Not yet. I’m sure he knows that would start a full-blown panic. You must hurry.”

“I know, Thero, but we can’t abandon Eirual and Myrhichia, either, and we won’t,” said Seregil. “We’ll manage. Neither side seems to be doing anything very dangerous at the moment, anyway. I wonder if Korathan sending General Sarien away has had a chilling effect?”

“Possibly.” Thero seemed to be about to say something as they rose to go, but instead just shook his head. “Get hold of one of those traded items and bring it to me. I’ll see if I can make out anything from it.”

“Thank you,” said Seregil. “We mean to do just that.”

“What now?” Alec asked as they made their way down through the atrium.

“We’d better go see Eirual. Then we’ve got to catch a raven and see if we can make it talk.”

It was eerie to see the pink lanterns over the door of Eirual’s brothel dark, and no warm light spilling from the windows. She’d given out word that they had summer fever in the house, and Valerius had convinced Korathan not to raise the alarm yet, on the condition that the house remained closed to trade.

“How is she, Manius?” Seregil asked as the man led them through the empty salon to the stairs.

“Myrhichia is just the same, and the other girls are frightened,” the servant replied, lighting a candle for them. “We’re all frightened for Lady Eirual, too. She hasn’t left Myrhichia’s side for a moment, sleeps in the same bed with her, and hardly eats a thing.”

“Send up a tray of cold food. I’ll see what I can do.”

It had only been a few days since they’d seen Eirual, but the change in her was startling. Dressed in a plain dark gown, she sat curled in a chair by the bedside with a book open but ignored on her lap. Her dark curls were loose around her shoulders and her violet eyes had a sunken, bruised look. It had been years since Seregil had seen her without her face made up, and it saddened him to see the little telltale signs of age around her eyes and mouth. The look of hope in her eyes as they entered broke his heart.

“Anything?” she asked.

“No cure yet, I’m sorry. We just came to see how you both are.”

She gave a listless shrug. “As you see. I’m going to lose her, aren’t I?”

“Don’t say that!” Alec urged, kneeling beside her chair. “We think we may know what’s causing this sickness.”

She stroked his cheek. “Then where is the healer?”