Even the thought of the Lovers appalled her: their crooning lovesounds; their sick, endless, sharp-edged betrothals. She was in their power. This was where they wanted to go. Bellis had tried to turn them, and failed.

"They got us here, then?" she said to Uther, cold and suddenly unafraid of him again. She jutted her chin. "And I know what happens now-on toward the Scar."

If he was surprised, he hid it well. He met her eyes, quite expressionless.

So Fennec was too slow with his pamphlets and rumors, she thought. That doesn’t mean it’s over; that doesn’t mean we have to accept this.

When Shekel opened his door to Bellis, he stared at her for a long and silent moment, wildly confused.

He recognized her, but was suddenly convinced that he was wrong. It seemed that this blanched lady with her dark hair all dry and tumbling over her like old grass, her expression suggesting years of pain, could not be Coldwine, must be some ruined vagrant with a similar face.

"Shekel," she said in a voice that he could not believe was hers, "you have to let me in. I need to speak to Tanner Sack."

Mute and appalled, he moved aside for her, and she wheezed and entered the shadow.

Tanner Sack turned in his bed, muttering in thick tongues, his eyes rheumy, then bolted up, shedding sheets. He pointed at Bellis.

"Get her the fuck away, Shekel," he shouted. "Get her the fuck out of here…"

"Listen to me!" Bellis said, her voice urgent and guttural. "Please…"

"I got fuck-all to hear from you, bitch!" Tanner was shaking with fury. Behind Bellis was the puttering of a motor as Angevine trundled toward them.

"You have to hear me," Bellis growled, trying to shout. "You have friends, man; you can spread the word…" She broke off and twisted with pain as Angevine put a hand on her back. "Do you know where we’re going?" she managed to say. "Do you know why we’re in this sea, where nothing moves like it should?"

She saw Tanner look to Shekel and then to Angevine, and watched them share a look of blank bewilderment.

"Listen," Bellis shouted as Angevine pushed her out of the door to a final chorus of Tanner’s cursing.

By the time she had walked slowly across the city’s bridges to the library, blood had come through Bellis’ bandages, and her shirt was spotted. She found the bombed quarter of the Pinchermarn, where the librarians were recovering what volumes they could from the wreckage.

"Bellis!" Carrianne was stunned by her.

Bellis was slightly delirious again. "Now you have to listen to me," she murmured.

And they were outside again, and Carrianne’s arm was around her, protective. Bellis’ back was dreadfully painful, and she was wincing as she said to Carrianne, "Johannes. Tearfly. Carrianne, you have to help me find Johannes Tearfly…"