‘We seek to understand,’ Tayan said quickly.

‘There was an … incident,’ Apok said diplomatically. ‘High Elders Vaqix and Zasso, as well as Eja Elder Tika, were murdered, the day before Tika, Kime, and Xessa were to attempt to capture a Drowned. The Xenti woman Ilandeh vanished the same night and, over time, suspicion fell on her as the killer. Tensions between Yaloh and Xentib have been building ever since. What you saw was the latest in a series of riots that—’

‘Vaqix is dead?’ Lutek demanded.

‘Riots? More like murder!’ Tiamoko shouted.

‘Ilandeh?’ Tayan said, dumb. ‘Impossible.’ High Elder Apok spread his hands and the council began to argue yet again. From the look on his face, it was an increasingly common occurrence. ‘She wouldn’t,’ Tayan said. ‘She was a refugee; she was a merchant, not a killer.’

‘Dakto,’ Lutek said and Tayan frowned at her tone. ‘Dakto found you and said he was going to check your backtrail. He sent you on ahead, knowing you’d distract Lilla and the rest of us with your news. Buying him time to find Empire warriors and set up the ambush. And he knows everything, all of our plans, where the other war parties are …’

Tiamoko was cursing, a long litany of expletives as his fingers tightened and loosened on his knees.

‘That was our thinking, too,’ Apok said over the babble. ‘We’d sent people to warn you of our concerns, but clearly we were too late. I will need to know the details of your defeat,’ he added and Lutek flushed, but he went on before she could retort. ‘The biggest problem here, though, is convincing the Yaloh that the rest of the refugees are not similarly spies and assassins.’

‘Prove it!’ shouted the same elder as before. ‘Prove they’re not.’

Spies and assassins. Tayan would have laughed – Ilandeh would have laughed – if their faces weren’t all so serious. Hysterical laughter, granted, but laughter nonetheless. The shaman was very, very tired. He stood.

‘High Elder, if the council has no other questions, I would like to go home. I have been away for too long and my husband is dead or missing.’

Apok’s face softened. ‘Of course, Peace-weaver, of course.’

He touched his belly and then his throat. ‘Under—’ he began, and then stopped. His smile was mirthless, but he ignored Lutek’s questioning gaze and hurried out of the council house. He needed to get away.

Tayan stamped on the wooden rocker that would alert Xessa to his presence and waited for her clap. Inside it was the pretty much the same as it had always been, tidy floor space and messy shelves, only now there was an extra dog and an extra eja. Toxte. Tayan halted inside the doorway and drank in the sight of her. But then she was on her feet and in his arms, the familiar scent of her, the hard strength of her arms around his neck, her huffing laugh.