Window panels near the injured man's bed hit the wall because of the wind outside. The wind had been like breeze before sundown, but it had taken another form ever since darkness had arrived. His only relief during the pain had been the clear view from the window. Night had taken the privilege off him.

"Pain." Rudolph groaned from his bed, "Do something about it."

Eryne paid no heed to him from her room and continued crushing herbs. Her bones did not have adequate strength to extract juices from those hard vines. Neither had she had perseverance to keep listening to him.

"Quick." He roared.

"I have seen women abide more pain than you, Rudolph." She yelled.

"Bring me pain relievers."

"You had one after dinner." She said, "Sleep and let the medicine work."

She heard some cusses. But he was quieter now. She shook her head and resumed in her half left activity.

"Doctor Eryne." She heard.

Son of a whore. She kept on hitting the vines.

When the call came again, then she left the uncrushed herbs on table and hasted for opening the main door.

"Ssshhh…" she whispered after coming out, "Don’t be loud."

Doctor Eryne covered her eyes, "Please wear something. A piece of cloth on crotch doesn’t hide your shame."

"I have only one set of clothes to wear for tomorrow. It would have got muddy if I had worn it while I was digging the tunnel."

"Tunnel?"

"Right. From compost pit inside the palace."

"Keep your voice low." She said, "The Maester whom you injured isn’t asleep yet."

She did not have trust in Saer so she came out and closed the door.

"Did you kill Uzmaen?" she asked.

"I had to for this." Saer showed her the vessel.

She looked at it from different angles, "Is this a vess…."

"Yes. A vessel."

"God!"

"Do you know how to create doppelgangers?" Saer asked.

"Just aware of the process."

"Make a doppelganger for me."

"Of whom?" she tied her floating hair.

"Daughter Calajhan."

She left her hair untied after hearing him.

"So you are telling me you have got her there?" she pointed at the vessel.

"Also Nortze Calajhan."

"Then knock on someone else's door." She frowned, "This is too much to ask from an old woman."

"Why don’t you understand? Great Invasion may come –"

"Right now, people in your vessel scare me more than Great Invasion."

Vessel rumbled again and Saer struggled to keep hold of it. He ran to the pack of clothes, took out the small pouch and dropped a pinch of sleep pollen inside. Then the vessel made peace.

"I can't keep Nortze in here for long." Saer said.

Eryne was already inside and half a second away from closing the door for good.

"Look." Saer shook the vessel.

A gold chalice fell on her doorstep. A dent punched itself in it, but still didn’t do any harm to the chalice's shape.

"I am not begging for your help." He gave it to the doctor.

"I don’t have resources."

A jar landed on Saer's other hand after another shake, "You are wrong."

"Haze." She chose to pick jar over chalice, "A beginner's tool."

"Create a doppelganger which has memories and thoughts of Rikilda. Duplicate her."

"Doppelgangers have faults. See, they can look and behave like humans but they can never be one of us."

"They have senses and thoughts like us."

"They are not enough to make them like humans. Nature has denied them of the gift we humans have."

"What?"

"Doppelgangers are not fertile." Eryne said, "If you came to me because you saw ovaries in my laboratory then you are carrying wrong expectations. I threw them after planting your eye."

"I only need to fool Wernh'An till tomorrow."

"Wernh'An here?"

"Ssshhhh…." He sushed her to silence, "He is coming to the wedding. This is why I want the wedding to happen. Wernh'An would slaughter everyone if he finds that Calajhans are here."

"I was wondering why this wind was so cold."

"What is wrong with it?"

"I reckon he is coming here from the wind." She whispered.

Saer licked his lips.

"How long shall it take you to make her doppelganger?" Saer said, "Looks like a storm is coming. Soldiers may arrive in the castle sooner than usual."

"An hour or so. But Maester Rudolph is not asleep. He can tell what I am making by the mere smell of this smoke."

"ERYNE. MEDICINES!" Rudolph growled.

"Worry no more." Saer showed her the pouch of sleep pollen.