“Begone, skyrat,” the forest-dweller said. “You are not welcome here.”


    her unholiness.


    name, and it’s a lot more dignified than ‘skyrat’.” My emphasis sounded definite, and not overcompensating.


    aagh, it’s them! Much more dignified.”


    The doctor???—??that’s what they called her when they weren’t joking. Her room smelt near-fatally of alcohol and acids???—??stuff that cleaned, yet stuff no one had bothered to scent palatably. Her black robes were crawling with needle holes and gold threads that lingered where Drachenzunge words had once been sown into the robes, but now were torn off. (I stared long enough to parse clan names, patients names, and philophagers. I stared long enough to know she was called Zelle and the parrot Knocha).


    Begone. I do not desire your presence in my quarters.”


    Why! I haven’t done anything at all. You have no reason not to want me here. I’m Mawla’s friend.” A frill???—??quickly???—??uncurled to point at that wiver.


    refuse to service you.”


    Aurisiuf???—??of whom I need say no more. She is the daughter of Feuer???—??whose incessant warmongering fuels the forests’ self-immolation???—??and of Haune???—??whose fetishization of religion had resuscitated long-dead, better dead, dogmas.”


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    The Dadafodd sat protectingly over its underground chambers like a mother her clutch. All the guest rooms lay down here, the doctor’s room deepest of them all. I wondered why, before my body gave a telling shiver. A chill lingered down here in the deepest. Would be useful???—??for something.


    up???—??maybe out, too???—??but the precise path eluded. Just walking through any vaguely inclined hall, as I did, might be working. Or might not be.


    could. It was more politics, more history. A future zenith had a mind for names and motives, of course she did. And a???—??once future zenith like me still had a mind for names and motives.


    not a comforting situation.


    scary.


    almost answered the implied question???—??but conversation didn’t flow with this drake. He made it... clipped.


    hard parts: finding Hinte at all, convincing Hinte at all. Whether it was already too late at all.)


    why, but perhaps there’s something to you.”


    Fleeing? Is Chwithach-sofran in danger?”


    finding her. I can help with that.”


    I remain able to help.”


    And I don’t want you to.


    * * *