“I talked to a fellow last night whose brother stole this arm ring from the lower cave, and these.” Seregil showed Micum the other pieces he’d gotten from Lemiel. Micum immediately picked out the piece of the rosette.

“This is the seal?”

“What’s left of it. My informant claimed his brother hacked it up for trade, but since he died soon after the theft, I suspect it was the surviving brother who did that. He claimed to know nothing about the black opal. But guess what the younger brother died of—a ‘flux of the gut,’ complete with bloody black vomit and shit.”

Micum sighed and pushed his plate away. “So would it be fair to say that you invited me down here for a little grave robbing?”

Seregil gave him that familiar crooked grin that seldom boded well. “If you found the greatest treasure you could imagine, a beautiful glowing precious stone, where on your person would you hide it in case you were searched?”

“I can only think of two sure places.”

“And I daresay he’d have shat it out, but it might have stayed in his belly.”

“When did he die?”

“Shortly after Toneus.”

Micum grimaced. “We’d better bring along some vinegar and handkerchiefs in that case.”

“First we’ll speak with Kordira.”

Kordira’s assistant directed them upstairs, where they found the doctor working at the tea table, sewing herbs into little muslin bundles.

“Hello, Micum. Back so soon, Seregil?” she said, setting her work aside. She seemed to have recovered from the shock of Zella’s death. “Do you need another draught?”

“No, just some conversation, if you have a moment.”

“Of course. Please, take a seat. I’ll call for tea.”

“That’s not necessary. We won’t keep you long,” said Seregil.

“Well then, what can I do for you?”

“When we first came to Kouros, Lady Zella mentioned that you’ve made a study of the island’s history.”

“Yes, back in Plenimar, in the archives at Benshâl, and what I could glean from legends here. What would you like to know?”

“Do you know anything about Nhandi the Wise?”

“Ah, the last of her line. Rather a tragic story, that, though there’s not much to it. It’s said she had an Aurënfaie wizard as her lover, who betrayed her and was executed.”

“A man named Khazireen?”

“I don’t know his name. It’s possible it was struck from the records due to his crime.”

“How did he betray her? Was it with another woman?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that’s all I know.”

“Could Nhandi have been a wizard?”

“I found no evidence of that, though there certainly were human wizards by then.”

“What about the event that struck the island, the cataclysm?”