After a minute passed during which no one came, Lovisa reached into her pocket and pooled the things in her lap. A ring with a large red stone was familiar, and looked like her father’s style. The rest were Benni’s identification book and his checkbook. She opened the identification book idly, wishing for a clue for what to do.

Katu Cavenda’s name stared back at her. It wasn’t Benni’s identification book; it was Katu’s.

With the feeling draining out of her body, she opened the checkbook and found that it was Katu’s too.

And now, of course, she remembered why she recognized the ring. She’d never once seen her uncle without it. She supposed she would never see her uncle again.

Lovisa’s mind was working now. She knew what she was going to do.

—

First she took care of her brothers.

Running back to the foyer, she glanced up the stairs and saw that the fox was gone.

“Viri,” she said to the little boy whose freckled face lit up at the sight of her. “Where are Erita and Vikti?”

“In the schoolroom, I think,” he said. “Mother punished them too.”

“Listen, I want you to do something naughty. I can’t promise that you won’t get in trouble, though. Will you do it anyway?”

Viri tilted his head at her, like a curious fox. “Is it for you?” he asked, his eyes glowing at her like dark stars.

“Yes.”

“You look kind of wild, Lovisa.”

“Yes,” she said forcefully. “I want you to leave your punishment square and run up to get your brothers. Then I want all three of you to grab your coats, sneak outside, and wait there, someplace where no one will notice you. Stay outside, all right? And keep staying outside. Don’t go back inside, any of you, for at least an hour. And put on some shoes!”

“What’s going to happen?” he asked.

“You’ll see,” she said, then thought of Viri’s games and books, of his small, grim life; inexplicably, of the special pieces she loved from Mari’s City board. “On your way out, fill your pockets with your favorite things, okay?”

“You mean like snacks?”

“No, like your favorite treasures,” she said, ashamed when her voice choked up. “And your favorite Keeper drawings. Tell Vikti to bring his new telescope. But hurry.”

Viri stared at her in astonishment. “Are we all running away together?”

“Something like that,” she said. “Go now, okay? Don’t let anyone see you!”

He stepped out of his square and scampered up the stairs with an expression of thrilled determination, his bare feet slapping against marble.

Please, thought Lovisa. Let me do this right.

Then she returned to the library, jammed a chair under the doorknob, and got started.