Orfeus ruffled a hand through her hair. Maybe she could get something out of this trip. “I help you, you help me. Tell me what you know about the Wild.”

Xe had to be at least fairly knowledgeable, to be standing in on meetings of the council. But O’Hallow shook xyr head. Xe said, “We know as much as you do. The Wild refuse to share details about their contracts with anyone outside their little group of roughs.” Xyr voice was condescending in the most delicate way imaginable, like someone picking up an insect to remove it outside.

Orfeus sighed. She paced while Significance watched her serenely. She certainly couldn’t trust xem, or any Elder. But then, off the top of her head she wasn’t sure she actually trusted anyone. What was life but different and carefully gauged levels of distrust?

She leaned against the wall. “How the hell am I supposed to protect myself against something I can’t predict?” she said quietly. “The Order seem impossible to fight. They can’t be, but it’s hard to fight something people take so much for granted. The Order come for energy criminals and monstrous folk and they strike in the night!” Orfeus gestured wildly. “Everyone knows but no one’s seen them. Maman used to tell me stories about them. I never thought I’d see them in Tinctora, it’s such a good town, I never thought …”

The Elder clasped xyr hands together so the sleeves met. “You seem shaken.”

Orfeus pushed off from the wall and drew her cloak tighter around her shoulders. Her back itched. “I’m sick of having to scan every shadow for a beast come to kill me, that’s all.”

Significance nodded, looking thoughtful. “I’m not the best at people,” xe said, “but I hope you don’t die when you might be able to get me useful information.”

Orfeus sighed. A person after her own heart, really. “That’s nice, Significance.”

O’Hallow put a grape carefully in her hands. “Thank you for the conversation,” xe said, which was certainly one way to dismiss someone. Xe took xyr own grape, popped it into xyr mouth and chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed. “If you like, I will look more into this. Quietly. I can’t find the contractor, but perhaps I’ll learn more about your Wolf.”

Orfeus shuddered, without meaning to, without knowing why she did it. “They’re not my Wolf,” she said. She stretched her arm out carefully, relaxing. She’d mashed the grape in her hand to a sad pulp. “But perhaps.”

Significance looked at the grape-blob with slight distaste, then shook xyr head and stepped back, stretching xyr arms as xe yawned. “Would you like some token of mine? It may aid you sometime for others to know you work with me. Of course,” xe said, thoughtfully, “it may not.”