“She just told you,” Ha-Lah answered, appearing to be sitting on a bed, but looking to the side at something. “It’s her craft.”

“Aramus, I’m here too,” Cassius told him. “However that ‘here’ might be.”

“I as well,” Mars declared.

“Bloody hell,” Aramus muttered.

“Would you men be quiet?” Elena demanded. “Farah has something to say.” She looked between the women with an exasperated, “This is why I did not include the men in my spell. It’s bad enough they are linked to us so we can hear them. I fear it would be worse if we could actually see them.”

Silence giggled again, and I smiled.

“Is True well?” Aramus asked. “For I do not hear him.”

“He is of good health, but he is not well, and I think he wishes to deal with this amongst his men, though Mars will be receiving a bird very shortly,” I reported.

“Talk,” Cassius ordered.

“Carrington is raising an army,” I told them.

“Damn,” Cassius murmured.

“And the king has proclaimed a new tax for True and my wedding,” I shared.

“Fuck,” Mars muttered.

I suspected the message intended by this tax was not lost on anybody, so I did not get into that.

“And True and I are leaving imminently to make haste to Notting Thicket in an attempt to repair the damage. But I think we’re going to need all of your help,” I told them.

“What you need to be done will be done, little sister,” Mars declared.

“It will be asking much of you, and as I have asked so much already—” I began.

“You’ve asked nothing,” Mars stated. “What is it you need?”

“The bird will share, and I will further request that you make a donation in Silence’s name to some public service she enjoys in the Arbor.”

“What a lovely idea,” Silence murmured.

“It is,” I agreed. “But it also needs to be done in a way it is known Silence is True’s beloved cousin and the alliance between Wodell and Firenze will mean good things for the Dellish people.”

“This will be done today,” Mars replied.

Oh, but I loved my king.

“And you’ll be asked to go to Notting Thicket—” I began.

“We leave on the morrow,” Silence shared. “Queen Mercy has already requested we come.”

Mercy, as I suspected, was no fool.

But I was glad, as well as astonished, she was thinking on the same lines as me.

“Excellent,” I said. “But you’ll need to be seen amongst the people.”

“This will not be difficult. My bride wishes to show me her capital,” Mars returned.

That gave me relief.

All right.

Onward.

“Alfie thinks Carrington is in cahoots with the Go’Doan,” I informed them.

This was met with total silence.

Until Cassius asked bewilderingly, “What word is there from Chu?”

“Chu?” Elena inquired.