I checked the streets. The danger had passed; no one was looking our way. I pulled the letter from my jacket and handed it to her beneath cover of the stall front. Without even looking at it, she wedged it beneath a jar of yeast.

“I wouldn’t exactly call her a friend. More like an unwelcome shadow.”

She didn’t acknowledge what I’d said, just pulled another folded sheet of parchment from beneath the jar and handed it to me. “I’ve something for you too.” She hesitated and then took two steamed buns from her trays. “This too. Thank you.”

I’d brought this trouble on her; she shouldn’t have to thank me. But my stomach growled, and I’d handed my purse over to Philine. So I took the buns, handing one to Mephi. I might as well have fed a sinkhole, the bread disappeared that quickly.

I tucked the letter into my jacket, apprehensive. More instructions? What did they want now? But it wouldn’t do to read the letter on the street. “Sorry,” I said to Mephi as we wended our way back to the palace, passing the food stalls again. “We’ll get you something from the kitchens.” He shouldered my leg – his silent version of an accepted apology.

A light rain began just as we made it back inside the palace walls. Lin had remodeled the Hall of Everlasting Peace, which was meant to house her officials, including me. Ikanuy had moved in, but the place was still mostly empty. I slipped into the room she’d assigned me, closing the door. It was larger than anything I was used to, especially my boat still docked at the harbor. I’d taken it on a couple of outings since I’d arrived, but I still lamented that it was no longer my home. This room didn’t just feel too large; it felt too still.

The folded letter wasn’t sealed. I opened it, sat at my desk and began to decipher the code. On a surface level, it seemed to be talking about the onset of the wet season, about fishing yields, about family friends. Anyone else glancing at it might think it a letter from one of my relatives on Anau.

I pulled the relevant information from the letter, writing notes on another page. I blinked when I’d finished, examining the message hidden within.