‘I understand from Zarak that Misfits are still being specifically targeted by the robber gangs,’ I said.

‘Aye, an’ so we will go on being targets so long as there are renegade Hedra an’ soldierguards to fan th’ flames of hatred an’ prejudice towards us. Speaking of that, Dardelan believes ordinary peaceable-seeming folk must be working secretly with the gangs, feeding them information about the movement of Misfits for their attacks on our kind to be so unerring. He is going to use a spy to see if he can learn who is at the back of it.’

‘A spy,’ I echoed flatly.

‘It would not be like Domick,’ Ceirwan said.

I said nothing to that. It was impossible to think of Domick without grief and guilt. We had sent him to spy on the Council soon after Rushton had claimed Obernewtyn, and the doing of it had damaged the coercer, estranging him from us and from Kella, whom he loved. Eventually it enabled Ariel to use him against Rushton, and I sometimes wondered if a part of Rushton had not been glad of the pain Domick caused him, because it would expiate some of the guilt he must feel at the part he had played in the destruction of a man who had been one of his first allies and closest friends at Obernewtyn.

‘No good can come of spying,’ I said. ‘It is not only what happened to Domick that makes me say so. Look at poor Noviny. According to Zarak he never truly recovered from spying on Malik’s men. Rushton should have spoken against any sort of spying when Dardelan proposed it.’

Ceirwan rested a hand on my arm. ‘He did, Guildmistress. But it was one of Dardelan’s staunchest armsmen who proposed the idea an’ volunteered for th’ task. Dardelan merely accepted his proposal.’

A tray of small pies was offered and I took one and bit into it. It was delicious and had a spicy flavour that made me wish I had taken two, but the tray had been carried off and Rushton was urging everyone to return to their seats. Javo’s people filed out as Rushton called the merge to order and then he asked me to present the research my guild had undertaken into the Red Land. I did so, asking Sarn to answer questions and elaborate when it seemed necessary, and to describe the map. There was some talk afterwards about most of the things we had already discussed that morning, except that Garth rose to say that some of the books brought back from Herder Isle contained maps, and might be of some use if they could be orientated. Sarn asked him to have them sent to the Farseekers hall and she would have Tomash see if there was anything in them, for maps were his passion.