As the barge approached the island, Trynne observed how the guardswomen gathered together near the lead end of the craft. They were talking furtively amongst themselves. The woman who had jumped overboard was still missing, and their voices were edged with worry. As Trynne and the other passengers approached the dock, they found servants, all female, waiting for them. At least one was dressed as a Shaliah, which Trynne recognized as being like Morwenna’s disguise. The barge slowly glided to a halt at the platform. Water lapped against the stone hull. None of the passengers were allowed to disembark until the leader of the guardswomen explained the situation to the warriors on the platform. After a few moments of discussion, the women were permitted to leave.

Once Trynne was on the stone quay, she followed the others toward the outer wall of the island, which she had seen from a distance. She invoked the word of power xenoglossia, so that she’d be able to understand and communicate. The spell worked instantly, and she suddenly understood the conversations of the girls around her. They were discussing the disruption on the ride, weighing the possibility that the girl who had jumped overboard had been sent to try to kill someone in the zenana. Most of the girls were uncommonly pretty, Trynne noticed, and through their hushed conversations, she could tell some had come to try to win Gahalatine’s heart.

“Have you seen Gahalatine at the Forbidden Court?” one of them asked. “He is the most handsome man. He still has not chosen a wife.”

Another voice said excitedly, “He must choose one soon. The Mandaryn demand it. If he does not choose for himself, then one will be chosen for him from the zenana.”

“I hope he chooses me,” whispered a shy girl, eliciting peals of excited laughter.

Each step along the wharf toward the wall filled Trynne with excitement and dread. She did not know where she was going. She did not know how she was going to find Lady Evie. But she felt a growing confidence that the Fountain would guide her. Even though one wrong step could kill her.

The path toward the tower at the summit of the hill was sheltered by enormous trees bedecked with green spear-shaped leaves. Colorful birds with curved beaks perched in the branches, squawking incessantly, and the buzz of insects filled the air. She saw clouds of mosquitoes just off the side of the road, but there were none on the trail itself. The path was bracketed with stone obelisks carved into faces, and she sensed Fountain magic flowing from them.