“Why do the witch roads repel the Pall? Perhaps I’ll have a better sense when I finally touch a road. Also, the wardens speak of a swift form of communication that is tied to all the imperial roads, both to the witch roads and the other imperial roads, the ones that apparently don’t protect against the Pall. What is this swift form of communication?”

“I don’t know. Only wardens know. Maybe Kem will find out and tell me. For that matter, you might ask Ipis to explain the history of the roads and their magic to Kem. Then you could listen in.”

“Ah! That I shall! There’s another thing I’m curious about. Did you know all the wardens have a rather weak spirit of metal bound to them? All but Kem, I mean.”

“A spirit?”

“Yes. Can’t you feel its presence when they grip a shrive-steel sword?”

“No. But I also can’t tell Luviara has spirits of air bound to her, not as you can.”

“Ah. Well. My senses are peculiarly exquisite at sniffing out spirits. They’re very tasty, after all,” he finished with a sly, sidelong glance at her.

She grimaced. “That’s a little disturbing.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Interesting you would say so, since you do not object to eating flesh any more than I do.”

“I meant no offense,” she said hastily.

“I take no offense. I do not apologize for what I am. But I can see this topic bothers you.”

“Well, then, Your Highness, I am peculiarly exquisite at changing the subject when needs be. Have you figured out what the prince’s mission is?”

“Do you mean to ask if I had a headache one evening?”

She smiled. “Did you?”

“In fact, I did. It was so debilitating I asked Simo to entertain me quietly by mellifluously reading aloud, in a soft tone, all the correspondence and dispatches in our possession. By fortunate chance, it seems this request made no one suspicious. It’s not clear whether this means the prince is a meticulous thinker and planner, or a rank fool who can’t hold a thought in his handsome head.” He paused, striking a noble pose to accentuate his attractive profile.

“Yes, very handsome. But what did you find out?”

He flashed her an accusatory look. “It is really the outside of enough to not receive the appreciation this body deserves.”

“I fear the praise would go to your head.”

He laughed. Fortunately, the others were too far away to hear. “Stung by my own arrow! Very well. I learned the prince received one of these express communications from the Vigil warden who serves at a Vigil tower called South Flat Vigil.”

“No hint from Simo of how these express communications work?”

“Alas not, and I haven’t figured out how to ask without creating suspicion. If I may go on with fewer interruptions—”

“I beg your pardon.”