“‘Proprietary property of Minta Varana’!” Hava cried, speaking the words in Keepish. “‘Varane’! It says it right here! Oh,” she said, grabbing her own hair. “I’m so stupid. I should’ve guessed this. Look, the cover of this notebook has little dents in the edges!”

“Dents?” said Giddon in bewilderment.

“Tooth dents!” she said. “Her secret foxes steal this stuff for her!”

“Well, this is unexpected,” said a voice behind them. “Isn’t it, my darlings?”

—

In the doorway, Quona stood watching them with an aspect of absolute amazement.

She wore a long, white fur coat, cold radiated from her body, and blue foxes were perched all over her person. One balanced on her shoulder. Two peered curiously out of her hood. One watched Giddon and Hava from her pocket, and two more stood on the floor at her feet.

“Where’s the seventh?” said Hava, staring back at her coldly. An instant later, the seventh fox trotted into the room, shining golden eyes up at them.

“Aren’t you clever, Hava,” said Quona, sounding like she meant it.

“Why are you back?” demanded Hava.

“I changed my mind,” said Quona simply.

“Or you lied,” said Hava, “so you could catch us snooping.”

“Indeed,” said Quona, with a warmth to her voice that almost sounded like laughter, “I would never have known to try to catch you snooping. You’ve taken me entirely by surprise. How did you guess?”

“That you’re secretly bonded to seven foxes? That you’re the formula thief? We’re not stupid,” Hava shot back.

Giddon raised a hand. “I’m stupid, actually,” he said. “Hava figured it out.”

“You’ve had your foxes following us since day one,” said Hava. “Haven’t you? What else are you responsible for? How much do you know about our two drowned men?”

Quona was watching Hava now with a new expression, quiet and grave. “I’d like to sit down,” she said. “Will you come downstairs to talk about this?”

“I’d rather stay near this desk,” said Hava, crossing her arms. “This desk interests me.”

“Yes, all right,” said Quona, whose exhaustion was showing plainly in her face. Then one of the foxes at her feet began climbing directly up her coat, working its way to her empty pocket. Another followed, scrambling the distance to her available shoulder. When the last remaining fox made a move as if to climb, Quona said heavily, “That will have to be all, darlings,” and Giddon took pity. Pulling out the desk chair, he set it before her.

“Thank you,” she said, practically collapsing into the chair. The foxes on her shoulders almost toppled, but caught themselves, rebalancing. She took a breath or two, rubbing at her forehead, looking like a human fox-perch. “It’s hard to know where to start.”

“Why don’t you start by telling us why you stole formulas from your own sister?” said Hava.