She squatted like a frog before him and met his gaze. She wore a voluminous white one-piece garment—incongruously and bizarrely clean, given her recent journey—that fitted close around her wrists and ankles, leaving her large, amphibious hands and feet free. She carried a recurved bow and sealed quiver over her shoulder, a bone knife in her belt. A large pouch of some thick reptile skin was strapped to her belly. Isaac could not tell what was within.

As Isaac and Derkhan watched, something bizarre happened below Pengefinchess’s clothes. There was a quick movement, as if something wrapped itself around her body at speed and then removed itself. As the weird tide passed, a large patch of the white cotton of her shift became sodden with water, clinging suddenly to her, then drying as if every atom of liquid was suddenly sucked out. Isaac stared, thunderstruck.

Pengefinchess looked down casually.

“That’s my undine. She and I have a deal. I provide her certain substances, she clings to me, keeps me wet and alive. Lets me travel in much drier places than I’d otherwise manage.”

Isaac nodded. He had never seen a water elemental before. It was unsettling.

“Has Lemuel warned you of the sort of trouble we’re facing?” Isaac said. The adventurers nodded, unconcerned. Even excited. Isaac tried to swallow his exasperation.

“These moth-things aren’t the only thing you can’t afford to look at, sirrah,” said Shadrach. “I can kill with my eyes closed, if I have to.” He spoke with soft, chilling confidence. “This belt?” He tapped it nonchalantly. “Catoblepas hide. Killed it in the outskirts of Tesh. Didn’t look at that, neither, or I’d be dead. We can handle these moths.”

“I damn well hope so,” said Isaac grimly. “Hopefully, no actual fighting’ll be necessary. I think Lemuel feels safer with some backup, just in case. We’re hoping the constructs’ll take care of things.”

Shadrach’s mouth curled minutely, in what was probably contempt.

“Tansell’s a metallo-thaumaturge,” said Lemuel. “Aren’t you?”

“Well . . . I know a few techniques for working metal,” Tansell replied.

“It’s not a complex job,” said Isaac. “Just need a bit of welding. Come this way.”

He led them through the rubbish to where they had hidden the mirrors and the other materials for the helmets.

“We’ve got easily enough stuff here,” said Isaac, squatting beside the pile. He picked up a colander, length of copper piping and, after a moment of sifting, two sizeable chunks of mirror. He waved them at Tansell vaguely. “We need this to be a helmet that’s going to fit snug—and we’re going to need one for a garuda who’s not here.” He ignored the glance that Tansell exchanged with his companions. “And then we need these mirrors attached to the front, at an angle so we can easily see directly behind us. Think you can manage that?”