“Nor I, sir king,” Jostin said.

“It may be in the palace records,” Kieri said. “I’ll ask the steward.”

The steward, Garris told him, had gone out with the party that had cut up and removed the carpet for burning. Kieri went out into the courtyard. A column of smoke led him to the site.

“Sir king!” the steward said. “As you see, we have been careful, as the Kuakkgani told us.” He pointed to a stack of turves set well to one side.

“You have indeed,” Kieri said. “Tell me, do you know anything of the history of the stone floor in that room?”

“No, sir king. That carpet has never been lifted for cleaning in my lifetime; it has always seemed unnaturally clean. There was not even dust beneath it when we picked it up this time. I supposed the elves who made the carpet had bespelled it so.”

“I expect they did,” Kieri said. “To me, the pattern underneath—that one in the middle—looks elven as well. Yet as far as we know, the palace was built for humans, the first of the human kings. Is there any carpet that could cover it? I will find it distracting when I move back in there.”

The steward shook his head. “No, sir king. We have no elven carpets in storage, I suppose because they never needed to be taken up for cleaning. We have smaller rush-mat carpets I could put down, but nothing as large as this one—” He tipped his head toward the burning pile.

“That will do, as long as it covers that central design,” Kieri said. “In the hot weather to come, the stone floor will be cooler anyway.”

“You don’t think that pattern had meaning, do you?”

“I don’t know,” Kieri said. “I know elves use patterns for various things, but I don’t know what they are. Orlith was supposed to teach me that when I was advanced enough, he said.”

“Do you want me to come back with you and have a mat put over that one right away?”

“No,” Kieri said. “It’s not that urgent. When you’re through here, or even tomorrow, will be soon enough.”

He walked back to the palace, thinking. A pattern laid down by elves. And then covered by elves with a carpet. Why would they lay such a pattern in a palace meant for humans? And why cover it up? It must be connected in some way with the joint rulers, but how?

He found something to write with and went back to his office. Before another mat or rug covered it, he wanted a record of that pattern. Someone might know what it was.