When the day of her meeting with Celia arrived, Naya found herself wishing for another week, or even another dozen weeks, before she’d have to face the older spy’s scrutinizing gaze. But ready or not, it was time to prove she could help with her father’s mission.

Naya waited in the morning dark on a corner one block west of Lucia’s shop. She wore a shawl over her hair and carried a big woven basket with sturdy handles. She kept her eyes down but extended her senses through the aether to ensure no one snuck up on her unannounced. After several minutes, footsteps tapped the pavement to her right. She felt the aether shift, like a cool breeze bringing the smell of snow on a winter’s morning. For an instant it filled her with a sense of stillness and quiet confidence. Naya spun and saw Celia eyeing her from a few feet away. She was dressed as Naya was, in the plain skirt, blouse, and shawl of a servant. “You’re early,” Celia said.

“I wanted to make sure I’d be ready when you came.” It was still at least a quarter of an hour before fifth morning bell. Even the most dedicated nighttime revelers had taken to their beds and the morning crowd hadn’t yet surfaced.

Celia peered at her in the dim light. “I still see the face of a dead merchant girl.”

“I haven’t learned how to change my features yet.” She’d sat alone every night with a mirror and tried to force her features into new shapes. Once or twice she’d thought she saw them shift. But every time the change reverted in the space of a blink.

Celia’s frown deepened. “I see. Then maybe I was wrong in telling Valn you could be useful.”

“That isn’t fair. I’ve learned the other things you asked. I can use the sight now, and I know how to spot rune bindings. I’ll learn how to change my face. I just need more time.”

“And do you think our enemies will sheath their blades just because something isn’t fair to you?”

“No, but you can’t expect…”

“I’ll expect what I please.” Celia twitched her shawl tighter. “However, for what I intend today your face may not be such a great issue. Follow me, and keep your shawl up at least.”

“Where are we going?” Naya asked.

Celia glared over her shoulder. “To the markets. Where else would two servants be going at this hour?”

“Okay,” Naya said as she caught up with Celia. “Why are we going to the markets?”

“To buy provisions for our masters. And perhaps on the way we will pass certain residences and you may or may not note where they’ve scribed their rune wards.”

They walked quietly for a few blocks. Naya gathered her courage. “There’s something you should know,” she said.

“Hmm?” Celia asked.

“The other night, Lucia went out. Late. I followed her and saw her meet with another woman at a café full of undead. Lucia asked the woman about the missing Talmirans. I wasn’t able to hear everything they said, but it seemed strange.”

“Ah. I see you didn’t trust me when I said our master had the means to control her.”

“It isn’t that. I just…She’s a necromancer.”

Celia snorted. “Yes, she is a necromancer. And you are someone who promised she could follow orders. I told you to keep your head down.” She met Naya’s eyes and her gaze softened. “It is useful to know Laroke is asking questions, but our master did not have you brought back so you could watch her. Do you understand?”

Naya nodded reluctantly.

“Good. Then come with me and we’ll see if you’ve learned enough to be useful.”

Celia led her to the end of the block, where they boarded a tram for the lower city. Naya’s anticipation rose like a tide, washing away her doubts as the tram rattled down the hill. She was ready to prove her worth. She had to be.

More people boarded the tram as they approached the docks. By the time they reached the waterside, the car was nearly full and the sky behind the hills was gray with dawn. Naya had expected Celia to take her to Market Street, the wide boulevard where the city’s most prominent shops were located. Instead they walked along the docks, past warehouses whose fronts were blocked by stalls selling salt, spices, pickled vegetables, and fish, all fresh off the ships. Naya peeked at the big trading vessels anchored in the harbor. The Gallant wasn’t there. She hadn’t expected to see it, but the certainty of its absence still brought a stab of disappointment.

They moved with the flow of the crowd, past other women dressed as they were and a few men who looked like butlers out placing orders for their masters’ kitchens. Children wove through the crowd, some of the older ones hawking newspapers, and hungry-eyed beggars stared from the outer edges of the market. The air was pungent with the smells of food and rot and the ever-present scent of the ocean. Naya could feel energy building around her as people stomped their feet and shook off sleep, preparing for the day’s work.

Celia stopped here and there, occasionally dropping a small parcel into her basket or into Naya’s, but more often scheduling orders to be delivered back at the embassy. She paid from a heavy pouch stuffed with the triangular tin coins that were the most common currency in Ceramor. At one time Ceramor had used gold and silver coins like those common in Talmir. But those metals had grown scarce as the Crown struggled to pay off the debts imposed by the Treaty of Lith Lor.

As they neared the end of a row of stalls, Celia dropped a few coins into a beggar’s cup. The grizzled old man smiled and grasped her hand in thanks. Naya just caught a glimpse of white paper passing from the man’s hand to Celia’s. Celia tucked the paper away without looking at it, then gestured for Naya to follow her down a side street.

“That building there. Tell me what you see,” Celia muttered.

Naya glanced at the house. It was of average height with no balconies. Simple grates covered the lower windows, and the walls were painted a muted robin’s-egg blue. It didn’t look like anywhere important, but when Naya concentrated she spotted a double set of runes glowing on the doorway and the front stoop. They looked a little like the alarm runes warding Lucia’s door. Naya described them as best she could, making sure to note the exact locations of the bindings.

“I see,” Celia muttered after Naya finished describing the runes.

They continued down the street, and Celia picked out three more houses for Naya to examine. By the time Naya finished, Celia’s lips were curled into something that looked like it might actually be a smile. “Well, it seems you can learn. The wardings on the Gallroth house are tricky to pick out, or so I am told.”

“You already knew where they were?”

“Of course. You think me a fool who would give a test I didn’t already have answers for? Follow me. These next houses we haven’t been able to scout for some time. I am very curious to see what you can learn of their defenses.”

The sun had risen above the hills by the time they finished their work. Naya squinted at the hazy blue sky. Not yet midday and already it was getting hot. “You did well,” Celia said as they approached the corner where Naya would board the tram that would take her back to Lucia’s shop.

Naya wrinkled her nose. She’d found runes at six of the seven houses Celia had taken her past. The last one had seemed grand, exactly the sort of place she’d expect would have magical defenses, but she’d found nothing. “I still think I must have missed something at—”

Celia cut her off with a wave of one hand. “It would have taken a week of careful investigation to learn what you’ve told me with a morning’s watching. You did well.”

A smile tugged at Naya’s mouth in response to the unexpected praise. “Why those houses?” she asked. She half thought Celia would dismiss the question. Instead the older woman glanced around, then leaned in closer.

“Let us say that the residents are some of the more enthusiastic supporters of necromancy—financiers and politicians who would gladly see the Treaty of Lith Lor abolished. Our master was curious to know if any of them had increased their defenses since last we checked,” Celia said softly.

“And have they?”

“They have indeed.”

“Why?”

Naya caught a glint in Celia’s eyes. “That is a very good question.”