The morning came pale and cold over the valley. Kaya got up early and sneaked out through the Snuggery yard, back to her oven. It looked very different now. All black and gray. No glowing embers, no red and gold. No fire, no passion. Only ashes. Cold, gray dust. The ruins of a home, without a roof, the scorched walls reaching desperately into a gaping sky.

Kaya came closer carefully and took one step into the protective circle that surrounded her house. Last night, the first people to discover the blaze had dug a trench there, to keep the fire from spreading.

She scoured the black marks on the walls, the desert of ash on the ground. And noticed footprints. Fresh ones, leading in through the burnt doorway, but not out again.

Kaya tensed. She drew back. Like a wildcat, she crouched down beside the ruins, half hiding, half ready to pounce and fight, as she listened for sounds from the other side of the wall. They came. Someone was there, moving up to the entrance. Kaya could see the shadow come through the doorway first, then the person who cast it. She straightened up.

The man turned and jerked back with a cry, raising his arm. Then, breathing heavily, he leaned back against the wall, laying a hand on his heart.

"Goodness," Enim sighed, shaking his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I assume."

* * *

Kaya and Enim had presented their proof.

Opinions among the people in Shebbetin were divided, as usual. Even among those who had volunteered to go and examine the traces around the oven as neutral outsiders.

There were those who were entirely convinced it was arson, and that the traces they had seen were clear and irrefutable evidence of that.

Others said that, surely, it couldn't have been arson. So the fire must have spread out from the oven, which had been left all to itself with an unusual amount of firewood stacked all around the house. So no wonder. And if there were some marks on the outside wall that were darker than others: well, really. What sort of argument was that? To conclude that oil must have been poured onto that spot beforehand was really far-fetched. Just as a barely visible black line running outward from such a spot could mean anything besides a fuse.

So by and large, people held on to what they had already believed beforehand, and found plenty of evidence for their conviction in the observable facts of reality. Including the people who believed that one could never be sure, and that the observable facts in this case were not conclusive.

Kaya, of course, also held on to her conviction as to what, or who, had caused that fire.

"So," Cahuan said, when they had all gathered in the Snuggery again. "What do we do?" She stretched her feet out toward the warmlings under their shared blanket. Warmlings that had come from another oven. And would always have to come from another oven now.

"We'll be on our guard," Kaya said through clenched teeth.

Lhut looked down on his hands. "How? Will we stand watch at night? And sleep during the day? Or not sleep at all? For how long? And would that even be enough?" Lhut shook his head. "I am afraid this is too much. We cannot cope with this kind of violence."

Cahuan swallowed hard. She pulled up the blanket, as if that easy source of comfort could bring forth an actual solution. Her voice was tentative, uncertain. "Perhaps we should negotiate?"

Kaya snorted like a dragon blowing out steam. "We have tried that before. Remember? When we went to Naydeer for safety in her mine. It seemed sensible, back then. We had rather modest suggestions, all things she could actually have done. But she did not. She only kicked us in the guts."

Kaya looked at Cahuan. "I know that is not the end of the argument. Many things that are very good do not fly the first time around. One has to keep on trying, again and again, until they finally work out." Kaya rubbed her scar. "I just don't think negotiating with Naydeer is one of those things."

"No. Probably not." Lhut heaved a heavy sigh. "Kaya. We need to make sure you survive this. And you too, for that matter," he turned to Enim. "If we can do nothing else at the moment, then let's at least keep you safe." Lhut clutched his hands so hard the knuckles showed. "You should leave Shebbetin."

"What?" Kaya spat out. "Leave? Now? When I have just told everyone to make a stand?" She shook herself. "No. No."

Lhut's voice was low, but determined. "You'll be of no use to anyone if you're dead. Your assassination would only serve to intimidate everyone else, just as Naydeer wants it to." He cleared his throat. "You will be much more useful if you are alive. Talking to people in Varoonya."

Enim clenched his fists. His face was pale. "Let's stand guard, every night, just until solstice. If we have not won by then, we'll flee."

* * *

Joonster held his eyes averted. But he could feel Naydeer's gaze upon him, sensed it penetrate his very soul.

"Are you telling me," Naydeer asked, her eyes narrowed, "that you did not even know?"

Joonster stood paralyzed, exposed. Beside him, Elo hardly breathed. His status as Naydeer's favorite guard seemed to have evaporated. His broad shoulders offered no more protection.

Naydeer's unfeeling voice carried on. "It seems that even she knew more than you did. She was out, at just that particular moment. How come, I wonder?"

Joonster's head was bowed. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears.

Naydeer came up to Elo and stood directly in front of him. Very close. Elo's face grew pale. Small drops of sweat were forming on his brow.

"Well?" Naydeer asked softly. "Any explanations?"

Elo swallowed. Naydeer moved one little step closer, just the breath of a move. And Elo cracked. "Joonster has been talking to the butterfly," he blurted out. "Being friendly, like. He's been going round near her that day too."

The air in the room grew very still. An icy chill descended on Joonster and froze his body. He made no move.

Naydeer turned toward him. "Well, Joonster?" she whispered.

Joonster was trying hard to unfreeze. He struggled against the chill that held him in its grip, that paralyzed his whole being. It half-worked. With his stomach still in ice, he had his mind working feverishly. "I was in the plaza that day," he rasped. "She did see me there."

Joonster licked his lips. "I can try to find out," he promised breathlessly. "I will check if she thinks that was a sign. If she does, I will affirm it and say that I have warned her on purpose. To her, that must be proof that I have saved her friend's life. So she would trust me now. It will be good. She will believe whatever I tell her. She'll give me information. On what they plan. On who is involved."

Naydeer gave him a cold, calculating look.

* * *

Joonster came through the door of the Snuggery like a gust of wind. Swift, unstoppable, bringing in a wave of icy cold. Cahuan froze. So did most of the children, impacted by her reaction.

Joonster did not stop. He came straight for Cahuan and pulled her into a corner. "I need to leave. Quickly. And for good," he breathed. "Give me as much coin as you can, and any names that might help me."

Cahuan shook his hand off her arm. She took a deep breath. She felt his panic. Or her own panic, rising inside her. She looked around, meeting Lhut's eyes.

"Sit down," she tugged at Joonster's sleeve to make him crouch and stay put. "I'll be right back."

Cahuan walked over to Lhut and murmured in his ear. Lhut wrapped his arm around Cahuan, looking over at Joonster. He murmured back. Then they both gazed at Joonster, whispering to each other.

Joonster snapped.

He got up and came over to them in quick, jerky moves. "I need to go. Now," he hissed.

"Yes," Cahuan said. "We will help. If you are going on foot, we will send someone after you, on horseback. Enim. He will bring coin. We do not have enough at the ready, here in the Snuggery. Will you be heading out on the road to Hebenir?"

Joonster looked at her with feverish eyes. "No." He hesitated.

"Yes," he amended. "If you give me that horse."

*

Enim rode out into the snowy grassland, Som in the saddle before him. He was wearing his warm hooded cloak, as instructed, and had the saddlebags filled with food and water. A thick blanket, a pouch full of coin and some paper. A pencil, a lantern. That was all Enim could grab in their hasty packing that he thought someone on the run might need.

They followed a well-worn path that led up to one of the mines. But at this time of day, it was completely deserted. Enim rounded a lonesome barn and reigned in.

Pulan came running up to them with a low signature whistle. In the shadows, Cahuan pulled the blanket off the handcart and revealed Joonster, who squinted up at the horse silhouetted against the sky.

"You'll need to give him your cloak," Cahuan told Enim as he dismounted, "We'll pack you into the cart now and bring you home under the cover of blankets. While Joonster rides off on your horse, wearing your cloak, with the hood up."

"Brilliant, isn't it?" Pulan beamed, her dark eyes shining. But the adults were all too tense to appreciate the adventure. Joonster rose, cold and stiff. He took the cloak from Enim without meeting his eyes.

"I need names," Joonster said. "People to turn to. People you know. People who might help, or at least pass me on."

"We have no names to give you," Cahuan said a little apologetically. "But if you come to Varoonya, check at the inn called The Golden Kettle if there are any letters for you. You can also leave messages for us there. To Cahuan. Someone will come and collect them."

Joonster looked at Cahuan. "I need to hide. I need shelter. And later, work. Surely you know someone in Varoonya? Or elsewhere? Just give me their names. Just the names."

Cahuan held his gaze. "Yes, we do know people," she said. "But this has come too quickly. We have not had time to consider. And we do not know you well. We do not wish to pass on their names without having asked them beforehand. Without having explained to them, even. So this is what we can give. A horse, a bag, a disguise. Some coin. And a contact point."

Joonster's face was very white. He nodded. Then he turned to take the horse's reigns from Enim. But Enim did not let go. His face was almost as white as Joonster's.

"Please," Enim breathed. "I cannot believe. I need to hear it. I need to." He swallowed hard. "Did Naydeer tell you to kill Kaya?" He looked at Joonster imploringly. Joonster stared back.

"Please. Did she?"

Joonster turned around and mounted the horse. He looked down at Enim.

"She did."

Enim let go.

Joonster rode off without looking back.

* * *

"You gave him coin," Kaya said, her brows raised. "He's been Naydeer's minion for years. He burned down my home. And you go and help him. You give him coin. For having had the good grace to not kill me." Kaya was shaking her head. "Honestly. You people are the craziest lot I have ever come to spend a life with."

Kaya clicked her tongue. "Actually," she added, "there are a number of people who have also not killed me. A very, very large number of people. Shouldn't they all be getting some coin, perhaps, and a horse?"

Cahuan pushed in a cushion behind her back with jerky moves. "Yes," she said, her voice gruff, "they should. They should all have enough. They should get coin, for their work and for their needs. And they should all get healing when they are sick, and good care when they are young."

She pushed in yet another cushion. "It is not as if we weren't taking note of everybody else. We do what we can. And what seems right, at each moment. Joonster was there, at that moment. We had no time. He was at risk, for having helped us. Probably. So we supported him best that we could."

She looked up at Kaya, meeting her eyes directly. "This is what we did," she said. "I don't know if it was right. But it was our best try, at that instant. And I hope it was good."

Kaya looked at her. A deep, warm light rose in her eyes. She shook her head once more. Then she leaned in and smothered Cahuan in a long, passionate embrace.