A prolonged shiver ran through Kate’s body. Pulling the hood of Jorad’s robe over her head she leaned against wall and tucked the blanket in close under her chin.

In the darkened room it was impossible to know how much time had elapsed since she had gone to the chamber, but she was feeling hungrier than when Jorad had left her. Why had he not returned with something to eat like he had promised? She listened carefully but there was only the scratching of a small creature somewhere in the corner of the ceiling. Holding the glow of the medallion overhead she was relieved to discover the creature was outside on the roof and not in the room with her.

With the hood over her head, she finally quit shivering. Leaving the bed, Kate gently lifted the bolt, and eased the door open a crack. The pale light from the blue globes overhead cast deep shadows into the gaps between the buildings but nothing moved. She looked to the darkened temple building that loomed over the first row sleeping rooms. It would be better to wait for Jorad by the reflecting pool in the garden than in the stuffy room and she could at least be out in the open.

She was about to step out of the room when a glint of silver blue light from the bedside table caught her eye. There was no way she wanted Jorad to get his hands on the second medallion she had found in the nest of bones. Plucking it from the table, she wound the shiny chain around the points, then cupped it tightly in her hand. If Jorad asked to see her medallion again, she wasn’t going to make the mistake of showing him the glowing one around her neck. As the gray-eyed man had suggested, it was best not to let anyone know she was in possession of the chamber master.

Closing the door quietly behind her, Kate crept back through the small buildings to the raised garden beds in the open courtyard in front of the larger building. As she sat on the edge of the walled pool, a translucent fish broke the surface, sending ripples across the dark water. When the water grew still, her reflection appeared between three large lily pad leaves, floating on the surface. In the watery mirror, the scar on her cheek appeared to be more jagged than before. She reached up to touch her own face, but no hand appeared in the reflection.

A woman’s voice spoke out. "The palace guard said you were looking for me." The mouth in the reflection moved and when Kate stiffened the face in the pool disappeared. "I'm sorry I was not able to meet you earlier, Jorad,” the woman said from behind Kate. “Things are moving much faster than I anticipated."

Kate held her breath and stayed perfectly still. This had to be Tyreth, and she was mistaking her for Jorad because she was wearing his robe.

A hand gently touched Kate's shoulder. "Please do not be angry with me, Jorad,” Tyreth said. “I had just returned from the karst and was not ready to speak with anyone."

Kate stood and slowly turned around but kept her head lowered. The woman was wearing a stained and tattered gray robe, but underneath Kate glimpsed polished black boots and a long flowing gown.

"Jorad, please say something,” the woman said as she reached out to push Kate's hood back.

For the longest time Tyreth only stared at her before Kate finally found her voice. "Hello, Tyreth," she said as cheerfully as she could before swallowing the lump in her throat.

Tyreth's brow creased. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"

Kate shrugged. "We've never met, but Jorad has told me about you."

"You are wearing his robe."

The question in the statement caught Kate off guard and she blurted out, "Jorad let me borrow it before he left my bedroom."

Tyreth’s eyes narrowed.

"Nothing like that,” Kate said quickly, her face flushing. “He was helping me. I was locked outside the stone door, but he opened it. Then I saved him from a creature he called a burak. After that he showed me the city, and that’s when I told him I wanted to meet you. We came to your gate, but you weren't available, so he said I should stay in one of those for the night." Kate pointed at the row of small buildings then turned back to Tyreth. “I was planning to come to the palace in the morning to see you."

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"Buraks are extremely large and dangerous,” Tyreth stated, obviously doubting what Kate was telling her. “Why did you ask to see me?"

Kate drew in a deep breath. "I thought you might have an idea where Corvan is. I need to find him. I think he’s in danger."

Tyreth clasped Kate's shoulder and looked past her, as if she expected Corvan to walk out from the shadows between the small buildings. "I thought I saw Corvan earlier but did not think it was possible," Tyreth said. "Something in my heart told me he was still alive. Do you have any idea where he might be going?"

Kate ducked away and eased herself free from Tyreth grasp. Jorad was right. Tyreth was waiting for Corvan's return so they could be together. That must have been Corvan's plan all along. That was why he was working so hard on his cellar tunnel.

"Kate? Where are you?" Jorad's voice came softly from the shadows around the small buildings.

Tyreth backed up toward the main building. "It's Jorad,” she whispered. “Don't tell him I was here and don’t say anything about Corvan. Jorad doesn’t like him." She vanished into a dark alcove beside the steps leading up to the temple entrance.

Footsteps approached and Kate nerves ran wild. She dropped onto the edge of the pool, facing away from Jorad to collect her thoughts.

"I thought I heard voices," Jorad said as he sat next to her. "Are you all right?"

Kate nodded. "I couldn't sleep. Your night must be different than mine."

"I apologize for taking so long. I brought you something to eat." He held out a round loaf of braided bread and a round fruit. "You'd best eat them together as the bread is a little dry by itself."

Kate took the fruit from his hand and tried a small bite. It was fuzzy and sweet, like a peach but not as soft. Taking the bread from him, she added a bite, and the combined flavors reminded her of the sandwiches Corvan's mother would send her for lunch.

Jorad moved closer. "How is your night different than ours?" he asked.

Kate pointed overhead. "Our stars are much brighter than those round things on your ceiling."

"The lumiens? They are our source of life. Are your stars a source of life?"

Kate shook her head. "Ours just twinkle and make the night a little brighter."

"Twinkle? Do you mean they fade with the cycles?” Jorad asked. “Ours grow gradually dimmer until the night of deepest dark, then brighten until the brightest night of the cycle."

Kate took another bite of the bread before replying. "Ours stay the same, but you can see them better when the moon isn't full,"

Jorad looked at her. "What is Moom?"

"The moon. It’s a large ball of light in the sky but it’s not always fully bright."

"Ah, yes, we have one of those." Jorad moved in closer and pointed to the main cluster of lights. "The largest of our lumiens is there in the middle but it’s also not very bright tonight. It is not in the right phase, but when it is, our night is brighter too." He brought his arm down to touch Kate's forearm. "I must say that when I first met you in the chamber, and you were in that white gown, you outshone our brightest lumien."

Kate stiffened and pulled her hand away to rest it on her leg. Jorad’s compliment made her uncomfortable and it was worse knowing Tyreth listening to every word from her hiding place.

"I wonder if the way you were dressed was what made it possible for you to go inside the chamber and open my door,” Jorad said.

“I think it must have been the medallion that brought me there,” Kate said.

“Did your medallion draw you back to the chamber after I left?"

Kate took another bite of the fruit, then slowly nodded.

“And that medallion let you open the door of the small room and go inside the chamber?” Jorad sounded confused.

“Yes,” Kate replied, “the same as when I met you there up by the stone door.”

Jorad’s hand went to his chest, as if he would pull out his own medallion but then he dropped his hand to his lap. "Did you see anyone?" he asked tentatively.

Kate didn't answer. The curly haired man had asked her not to tell Jorad about their meeting.

It was silent for a long moment, then she heard a muffled thump, as if Jorad had dropped something heavy to the ground. The man shifted to lean tight against her.

"Jorad, please sit up," Kate whispered, pushing on his shoulders. His body slid forward, and he flopped limply into her lap, knocking the medallion from her hand.

A shadow appeared over her shoulder. Kate tried to stand but a heavy hand pushed her down and a wet cloth was clamped across her face.

A powerful odor of burnt oil filled her head before everything went black.