Sera piled her plate with as much food as it could hold, and for many long minutes there was no sound but chewing and swallowing and the occasional gulp of water. When at last their bellies were full, Phebe pushed her plate back and let out a contented sigh.

“Well,” she said. “I’m told you are all trying to get to Braxos, but the details were a bit vague back in the market. Not that I blame you. It’s dangerous to speak of such things in public now. Especially with a princess so close by.” She gave Leo a wry look. “Rahel was quite taken with you.”

This rankled Sera, though she wasn’t quite sure why, but then Agnes launched into an explanation of everything—how they had found Sera in the plains of Kaolin, how her father had put her into his final play, the escape to the Seaport, and the journey to Pelago. She did not mention the power of Sera’s blood or the tether, only that they believed that the way to return Sera to her home was to get her to the ruins of Braxos.

“And we need to stop in Ithilia first,” Agnes said breathlessly. “I’ve got an interview at the university. My grandmother is expecting me there.”

“That will be difficult,” Phebe said. “I’ve heard it’s even worse in Ithilia than it is here—you will be hard-pressed to find docking there. I would be shocked if Ambrosine was in the city, with the way she’s been aggravating the Triumvirate.” She glanced at Leo again. “You’re lucky Rahel was taken with you.”

“We heard something in the market,” Leo said. “About closed passages?”

Phebe got up and walked over to the coffee table, returning with a newspaper.

AMBROSINE BYRNE CLOSES PASSAGES TO LOST ISLANDS, the headline screamed. And beneath it read,