This is the cause of it all,she thought. This is what Fennec stole. He even told me he’d stolen something from The Gengris. This is what he told New Crobuzon he had-didn’t try to pass it on to them, of course. They’d never have come looking for him if he’d given it to them. This is what he dangled in front of them, from across the world, said "Save me and this is yours," and made them come.

This is what New Crobuzon crossed the world and waged war for. It set everything in motion. For this (unknowingly) I led Armada to the mosquito island. To send some lying message to New Crobuzon, I gave Armada the avanc instead of throwing Aum’s fucking book into the sea.

This is what everyone’s been chasing.

This magus fin.

Bellis did not know what had changed. Doul seemed to have forgiven her. His vicious demeanor had altered. He had come here to show her what they had found, to talk to her as he had done be-fore. She was nervous: she felt all uncertain of him.

"What will you do with it?" she said.

Uther Doul was rewrapping the figurine in a wet cloth. He shook his head.

"We’ve no time to examine this properly, not yet. Not now. There are too many other things to be done; too much is unfolding. We’ve been… distracted. This comes at a bad time." He spoke without inflection, but she sensed that there was more than that, as he hesitated.

"And anyway, it’s done things to Fennec. It’s changed him.

"Even he doesn’t understand what, or if he does he’s saying nothing. No one knows what forces the grindylow can tap. We can’t reverse what’s happened to Fennec, and we don’t know what the full effects are. No one’s willing to become this statue’s new lover.

"So we’ll store it, somewhere safe, till we finish our project, till we reach our objective and have time and scholars to study this thing. We’ll keep all that’s happened quiet, but in case anyone did discover what Fennec brought on board, I think we’ll keep it somewhere no one would think, or dare, to look for it. Somewhere everyone knows there’s already a charmed treasure or two, and where they know the risks of trespass are just… too severe."

As he said that, Doul stroked the grip of the Possible Sword for an unthinking instant. Bellis noticed it and knew where the magus fin would be hidden.

"And where," she said slowly, "is Fennec?"

Doul stared at her. "Taken care of," he said, and nodded briefly toward the corridor outside. "Held."

There was a silence that stretched out.