“What can Valthan do? Did your binding of magery include the children?”

“Yes, it did, but I am not sure how long those bindings will last in my absence. I’m not sure what else might work. Numbweed, perhaps. Its effects might dull the magery. I’ll ask—”

In the kitchen, Farin the cook, back at work with additional help from the freed prisoners, led Dorrin to the pantry. “In that locked box.”

Dorrin tried the keys she’d found in the basket of things taken from the Verrakai women. One opened the box. Inside were packets neatly tied shut, tiny jars and bottles, and a smaller locked box. The cook pointed. “That there’s numbweed to put in wine for the pain of wounds, and that’s gnurtz, for calming someone in a fever rage. It dissolves in sib, but not in wine. That box is powdered deathwish, grows on rotting logs in the forest. Only the duke is allowed to use it.”

“For suicide?” Dorrin asked. She was sure it was not that, but wondered what the cooks had been told.

“Oh, no,” Farin said. “But if someone’s dying anyway, in pain, ’tis said a few grains on the tongue will ease it more than numbweed and give an easy death. Not for the likes of us, of course.” She sniffed. “Just for the lords and ladies.” She went on. “Now, that there is boneset, you put it in sib if someone’s broken a bone and it’s said to heal faster. And that’s lungwort, steep it in hot water and breathe it for lung fever. Some says mix it with comfortweed is best, but my lady—she that was, I mean—” Another worried glance at Dorrin, who managed a smile. “She didn’t like to do that. Now this one is shaved hadjan bark, whatever a hadjan is, something from the south I think, good for proud flesh, they said.”

“And you mixed these things with food and drink here?”

“Aye, my lord, all but the deathwish, that we weren’t ever to touch.” She leaned closer and her voice dropped to a whisper. “My lady that was … one of the chambermaids said she had a box like this in her own room, hidden in a hole beside the fireplace, with this and more. They could have mixed things themselves but they wouldn’t stir sib where servants could see.”

“I see,” Dorrin said. She saw too many dire possibilities. “Do you know if this … gnurtz? … controls the magery of the person with fever rage?”

“Yes, it does,” Farin said, nodding vigorously. “They said—my lady that was and the Duke that was—for ordinary folk like us numbweed was the most we’d need to fall asleep, but gnurtz did the same for them, mind and magery alike. That’s why I put a little in the children’s food last night, to quiet ’em like you said.” Her brow furrowed. “That was what you wanted, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Dorrin said. “That was perfect. Thank you. And to prevent their distress while they’re still so confused, I think you’d better continue with it for another day or so.”