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Ziku follows him through the western arch. “I’ll wait outside. In case you need a word.”

“Keep your words to yourself,” the guard calls back.

Reivaka passes me the butter. “That one didn’t need improving.”

I eat a piece of bread. The crust is dark and the middle tastes of honey. My appetite returns so abruptly that I take another piece before I’ve swallowed.

Reivaka doesn’t ask me to explain how I ended up here. I like her for that.

“Is everyone going to stare?” I ask after a while.

“For a day or two. Daurek rarely has guests.”

“How rarely?”

“Fewer after he threatened to put an ambassador outside during a blizzard.”

“What did the ambassador do?”

“Asked a third time whether his niece might change Daurek’s mind about marriage.”

I set down my bread.

Reivaka notices. “He won’t put you outside.”

“He tried.”

“I know.”

I hadn’t expected her to agree. I stare into my cup until I can trust myself to speak again.

After a moment, she pours more tea into my cup.

Ziku returns while I’m finishing it.

“The guard apologized. The children asked whether they could call him stupid now. His sister said she would consider it.”

“Everyone survived?” Reivaka asks.

“He’s carrying the baskets.”

I smile into my tea.

Ziku pulls a small bark board from his pocket. Two names are scratched into it, with several marks beside each.

“Before I forget. Will you be eating with us tonight?”

“Why?”

“Reivaka thinks you’ll keep to your room. I think you’ll get hungry.”

“Are you betting on me?”

“On whether there’ll be someone at dinner who enjoys a conversation.”

“I enjoy them,” Reivaka says.

“You end them with instructions.”