本文首发于2024年1月11日，译文发布于2024年1月11日

By Seanan McGuire

午后的空气既鲜活又凉爽，侦探与逃犯沿着一条被阴影淹没的街道前进，耸现于两侧的建筑竟设法呈现出建筑学所无法解释的恶念。艾庄塔的行动迅速简练，她的脚在裂开的鹅卵石上没发出半点声响。波费的步伐就沉重许多。

尽管他们并排而行，他们之间仍隔着一段距离，彷佛这位底密尔吸血鬼还不放心她的伙伴。她持续斜眼瞥视波费，嘴角下垂，一边反复思索着她尚未准备好提出的问题。

「你说这就是当你在派对里苏醒之前最后记得的地方，」波费说道，他的语调温和，几近公正客观。艾庄塔认识他不久，但她能分辨出那种语调是在耍什么把戏。人们会急着辩解，帮助他理解为何他不该如此轻易地驳回他们的说法。这只不过是一个很深、很深的工具箱内较为明显的工具之一。

即使知道它的本质，她的胸口还是升起一股想解释的冲动。「还没到，」她说。「我们就快到了。」

「我必须承认，我应该要熟悉底密尔掌控的城区，但我却没有，」波费说道。「俄佐立在这里不受欢迎，而现在我在魔调局工作，我们接获在底密尔领地进行调查的请求竟意外地少。我们并不执法。我们只是帮人们回答他们无法独力解答的问题。难道那些受底密尔保护的人都不问问题吗？」

「如果他们知道什么对他们有利，他们就不问，」艾庄塔说道，停在一堵明显空白的墙边。她意味深长地看着波费。「这里就是一位绅士该把视线移开的地方。」

「我是个彻底的绅士，」波费说道，一边夸张地转过身去。

这是个含有如此大量善意的动作，几乎让艾庄塔目瞪口呆。释放她已是个惊喜；坚持陪伴她追溯她记忆中在派对之前的行踪则更符合她的期待。当然他不会就这样放她走。尤其在出现一个死去的公会长以及一个需要解决的神秘事件时更不可能。

她抬起双手并让它们在看似平凡无奇的砖墙上飞舞着，敲一下这边的砂浆，压一下那边的石头。这是一种复杂的模式，而经年累月的练习使她能在数秒内完成。伴随着一道疲惫的碾磨声，墙上有个比一般门稍小的区域开始移动并往内滑，创造出一个足以让她把手塞进去的裂缝。

她在把手指滑入缺口时并没有停止敲击墙面，持续完成该模式以防止门夹伤她的手。传来第二道呻吟，这扇门完全打开，露出一个铺有木片地板的狭窄木制长廊，光线透过一个布满蛛网的天窗照了进来。

「你现在可以看了，」她说。

波费转身，显然没有因秘密入口的出现而感到惊讶。「感谢你配合我的调查，」他说。

「我当然会配合。」她走进长廊几步后停下，并示意要他跟随，即便她走得还不够远而没留下充足的空间。

波费扬起眉毛走了进去。艾庄塔往后退了一步，于是门便带着一种响亮的嘎吱声猛然关上。波费跳了起来，转身看着他后方。

「伊捷的作品？」他问道。

「原本是，不过建造者早就死了；只有我知道这个入口。如果有人设法跟踪我到这里并且在关门前溜进来，只要我一把脚从地板上的压力板移开，他们就会知道为何那是个糟糕的决定，」她以温和的语调说道。

「合理。」随着她开始再次前进，波费也跟在后头，朝长廊末端一扇看起来较不具攻击性的门走去。「你说『你当然会配合』是什么意思？很多人不会，无论他们是否无辜。」

「我不记得自己参加那场派对，更别说为它做准备了，」艾庄塔说道。「我是如何取得当他们逮捕我时穿的那件衣服？可能有个死去的瑟雷尼亚盟会成员被塞在附近的某个箱子里，等着被发现，若真是如此，我也不记得杀了他们。」

「你记得你杀害的每一个人吗？」

「记得，」她厉声说道。「我是一个专业人士。我不免费行刺，而且我不会忘记死者。我不会为自己的行为冠上某种高尚的理由－我擅长这件事，我很享受它，我喜欢获取酬劳－但我是个杀手，不是个凶手。我们公会不欣赏未经许可的击杀，这表示我不只招惹了俄佐立，连会堂也看我不顺眼。我还不理解的是你为什么要帮我。」

「啊，」波费说。「那是个简单的问题。此刻，你代表了从那场侵略起我遇过最有趣的谜题。魔调局经手的大部分谜题都有简易的答案。它们很快就出现。我们翻开几颗石头，然后解答就在那里，等候揭晓。至于你，一位训练有素的底密尔杀手杀了一位公会长－」

「据称，」艾庄塔说。

「－据称杀了一位公会长，以一种不符合其专业与知名击杀的方式，然后用一种明显笨拙的方法逃离现场，而且还不有效地遮掩她的行踪？那本身就已经够不合理了。再加上你缺乏任何对事件或派对本身的记忆？它真的非常引人入胜。」波费看着她解开门锁。「我有一种名声：我会持续挖掘，远远超出了礼貌或得体的程度。那之前曾让我惹上麻烦。」

「这次那也会让你惹上麻烦，如果俄佐立发现你做了什么，」艾庄塔说道，同时推开门展露了一个令人意想不到的宽敞房间。她开始走进房间，并在波费以掌心朝外抬起一只手时停了下来。

「怎么了？」她问道。

「还有更多小惊喜要给那些没经过你的同意就来到这里的人吗？」

「没了。从没有人来到这么远过，而且我不想在准备就寝时还保持警戒。」

「那么，如果你允许的话，我想看看当下未受干扰的场景。」

艾庄塔扬起一道眉毛。「请便。」

「谢谢你。」波费微笑着从她身旁经过。「开心点，艾庄塔。我们要解开一个神秘事件！」

艾庄塔对这个想法看起来一点也不像他那样高兴。

这个房间本身看似是一个工作室与寝室的综合体，一半的空间专门用来摆放她的执业工具—武器、毒药瓶、满架的伪装用品—而另一半空间则含有她的床、日常衣橱，以及一张可能作为餐桌的小桌子。一切都洁净无瑕。除了床边的桌面。

波费停在那里，眉头深锁。「你平常会在床上化妆吗？」

「什么？不会。会有人那样做吗？」

「嗯。你有服用任何黄灰色的粉状药物吗？或许某种能帮助你睡眠的药物？」

「没有。在我的行业里，被下药的睡眠就是你人生的最后一场。」

「那么请过来这里，小心，别弄乱任何东西—除非你有一个准备拿来装毒药的小罐子，而且可以改用它来搜集证据。恐怕我无法在策划你逃亡的同时请求一组适当的调查员工具包。」

艾庄塔从门口走向工作台，拿了一个罐子便来到床边的波费身旁。一到定位，她就停下，并跟随他的视线看往床边的桌子。在那里，散落于木头与邻近的枕头套上的，正是那精致的黄灰色粉末。

「我之前从未见过那个东西，」她说。

「我也同样怀疑。你有刀子吗？」

艾庄塔试着不翻白眼，同时将罐子和一把刀递给他；他很确定当他放她离开拘留所时并没有携带这把刀。啊，好吧。如果一个杀手无法在不被看见的情况下取得一把刀，他们大概也当不了杀手多久了。小心翼翼地避免直接接触到粉末，他尽量刮起一些放入打开的罐子中，然后将它牢牢封住。

他紧握刀柄的一侧并将刀子递给艾庄塔。「我建议在将它用于任何目的－甚至是谋杀－之前先彻底清理这把刀，并且也彻底清理这张桌子与所有寝具。我不知道这个物质是什么，但我知道我从未见过这个东西。鉴于目前的情况，我的理论就是它和你失落的诗间以及在那段期间内的行为有关。」

「但它是怎么来到这里的？」艾庄塔问道。她从刀柄的另一侧接过这把刀，然后将它抛射过房间插在墙上。

「那是个极好的问题，」他说，一边拿起罐子并透过玻璃研究其内容物。「我们继续寻找解答好吗？」

在那场入侵过后，拉尼卡市民已学会认真看待污染的威胁。艾庄塔没带任何私人物品离开，还说她能在另一个藏身处换装－那里不会有神秘粉末被塞入接缝中的风险。

她带头沿着长廊折返，而波费则跟在后方，小心翼翼地把脚踏上她踩过的地方。他们就快抵达门口，此时艾庄塔听见一道重击与隐蔽的嘎吱声从她后方传来。她只需要这些迹象就知道一场攻击正在进行。

有那么一刻，她考虑继续前进。很少人知道这个特殊的藏身处：他们之中的任何一人都可能对波费心怀怨恨，要是这个侦探神秘地死亡，就没有人知道她是如何逃出俄佐立的拘留了。她可以走出那扇门并消失得无影无踪。

消失在一个把她视为凶手的城市里，他们将会不择手段地逮捕她，全都因为她让唯一一个相信她无辜的人丧命。泄气地叹了一口气，艾庄塔转身，从她的衬衫里抽出两把刀，然后跳向她后方的打斗中。

比起「打斗」那更像是突袭：波费倒在地上，一个身穿红色与黑色衣物的人影蹲在他上方，双手各握着一把刀。他举起手臂保护他的脸和喉咙，而他也早已因许多浅伤口而开始流血，此时艾庄塔冲向这个人影把他撞开，使他滚落这条幽暗的长廊几英尺远。

攻击者迅速恢复，重新专注于艾庄塔身上。艾庄塔以各种招式应对，一边留意让自己待在那个人与倒下的波费之间。

终于，那个人以一种困惑的语调说，「艾庄塔？」

艾庄塔停下动作，同时站挺身体。她认得那个声音。「杀戮女郎？」

「没人告诉我你会在这里。」

「这是我的地方。不然我还能去哪？」

「我不知道。俄佐立拘留所吗？」

「我出来了，」艾庄塔直接了当地说，没提及波费在那件事中扮演的角色。如果她的杀手伙伴们相信她能从一座俄佐立监牢里逃脱，那么，她也不打算纠正他们。

这两人开始在长廊的封闭空间内兜圈子，此刻波费正位于两人之间，什么也没说，但却睁大了眼睛凝视着阴影。

「我相信你了解那为什么出乎意料。」

「差不多就跟你出现在这里－我的藏身处，还攻击我的宾客－一样出乎意料。总之，你是怎么进来的？」

杀戮女郎虽善于此道但却措手不及：她忍不住往上瞥了一眼。

艾装塔忍住了呻吟。「天窗吗？我上一季才刚加强了上面的陷阱！」

「猛烈的暴风雨。你应该检查你的绊索是否出现腐朽的迹象。」

「噢，天 …」

「那是个低级错误。」杀戮女郎停止绕圈，漆在苍白脸孔上的红色笑容于昏暗中依然清楚可见。「就像我说的，我不认为你会在这里。如果我知道你已经脱身，我就不会接下这份工作。」

「什么工作？」

「他们并没有付钱要我保密，所以啰。我应该要杀了那个逮捕你的人。用他的尸体来警告魔调局不要插手公会事务。但若他是你的 …」

「没错。他是我的，」艾庄塔坚定地说。「我正在帮他找出杀了洁加娜的真凶。」

杀戮女郎看似相当惊讶。「你的意思是－不是你干的？」

「你认识的我有那么草率吗？」

「只有在固定天窗的时候，」杀戮女郎说道，并且被她自己的笑话逗得咯咯笑。她手中的刀子已消失在她的服装里。「抱歉让你搞混了。他们没支付我亲友价。」

「他们永远不会，」艾庄塔说，一边收起她自己的刀。「我们和好了吗？」

「和好了。门锁打开了吗？」

「对，你自己出去吧。」

「等你洗刷污名后再会，」杀戮女郎说道，接着把注意力转向波费。「抱歉。」

「为了试图杀我吗？」他问道，自尊受创且一脸困惑。

「不，为了我的失败。那对我们两人来说都颜面无光。」她突然咧嘴一笑，在涂成红色的笑容里闪过一道洁白的牙齿。「总会有下一次。」然后她转身，沿着长廊行进并穿过门消失在街上。

艾庄塔向波费伸出她的手，将他抬离地板。「你没事吧？」

「她没有割得很深，」他说。「我遇过更糟的情况。」

「你真走运，派她来的人雇用的是一个拉铎司成员，」她说。「葛加理和底密尔杀手会使用更多毒药。」当波费看似惊慌失措时，她开始大笑。「别担心。如果她在刀子上下毒，那就是让动脉血喷洒得更漂亮的抗凝血剂，而且你的血早就流干了。」

「她是你的其中一个朋友吗？」他问道，开始再次回复自身尊严。

「一个同事。她的技术很棒。所以振作起来吧。我们的组织已经增加了你的价值。」

「我确信当我死了以后那将会非常令人满意，」他叹口气说道。「现在来吧。我们不该窝在可能有杀手埋伏的地方。」

「那么，我们要去哪里？」

「去见一位我的老朋友－与魔调局无关，因此不太可能会举报我们—他或许能阐明我们找到的线索。」波费放松他的肩膀，回复到他那轻松自信的正常状态。「我们要离开了吗？」

「别再被攻击了。我不能再替你讨太多人情了，」艾庄塔说。

当卡娅上次见到维图加基时，这座活生生的宏伟公会厅一直处于休眠状态－在受到永生煞神的强烈损害后，就连这座强大的树都也支撑不了自己。当时她就知道维图加基并未死去；要是这座公会厅真的毁于战斗中，瑟雷尼亚的哀悼将足以撕裂这个时空。不过，她当时没待在那里看着树都取得它的新型态，而随着她和凯澜出发并遵照着朱迪思的临别指示，她想知道他们会发现什么。

他们发现的是一条通往城里其中一座罕见公园系统的道路，以及在道路尽头停下来的马车驾驶。此刻他们正位于辽阔的岩石荒原边缘，看似一路延伸至天际。「抱歉，先生女士，」驾驶扭转身体透过他后方的小窗口对他们说，「但我们只能到这么远了。」

「当我们告诉你要去哪里时，你原本可以这么说的，」卡娅说道，一边动身离开马车。

「我原本可以的，没错，」他表示赞同，同时在凯澜离开并把他们的车资交给他时露出紧绷的笑容。看着卡娅，这位驾驶轻拍了他出租车执照上的欧佐夫缄印。「而你原本可以在非瑞克西亚人入侵时待在这里。看来我们都可以做得更好一点，不是吗？」

他挥动缰绳号令他的卓马掉头离去，丢下卡娅和凯澜站在路旁。卡娅怒瞪着他的背影。她的舌尖上聚集了十几句刻薄的响应，接着她把所有话都吞了下去。他很无礼，但他却没说错，而且她的赎罪尚未结束。把笑容固定在脸上，她转向凯澜。

「看来我们得从这里开始步行了，」她说。「我不熟悉这座公园。从没来过这里。你知道要怎么去维图加基吗？」

「我知道，」他说。「听着，卡娅－我对卡洛夫公会长的事感到很遗憾。我知道你们是好友。」

「我们不是好友，」卡娅说。她和泰莎的关系看似复杂到无法做出像那样的总结。

「好吧。你们很亲近。我只是想说我很遗憾。」

「你是独自一人来到这里的吗？」她问道。「我是说，来到拉尼卡。」

他惊讶地睁大了眼睛。「你怎么知道？」

「得了吧，孩子。赞扬一下我吧，」她说。「所以。你是独自一人来到这里的吗？」

「不是，」凯澜停顿了一会儿后说道。「我有个朋友跟我一起来。」

「她现在在哪里？」

卡娅准备好听见另一则哀伤的故事－最近多重宇宙看似充斥着这类故事。令她感到意外的是，凯澜竟咧嘴一笑。「噢，我想她在瓦砾区吧。某个跟远古遗迹有关的东西？她不太会闲坐着等待我的历险发生。」

卡娅眨了眨眼。到了这时候，她知道这颗行走的小太阳早该惹火她了，但不知何故，她却不介意。「呃。好吧，伊泽霖会期望我们尽早报到，所以我们需要继续移动。来吧。」

她架势十足地示意他带路，而就在对她皱了一下眉之后，他便开始行走，笔直地穿越荒原。卡娅紧跟在后，一边绕过岩石而不是以虚相穿越。在这一刻，她想要存在于拉尼卡，行走在拉尼卡的地面上，实实在在地活着，正如泰莎无法再做到的。

呃。她不能那样想。她把思绪拉回现在，看着凯澜走路，紧紧跟在后头。这位年轻探员没有抱怨他今天被要求做的任何怪事。拜访拉铎司，现在是前往维图加基：没有一样对他来说是稀松平常的。

「维图加基在这么偏远的地方做什么？」她问道。

凯澜回看了她一眼。「这座公园是盟会资产的一部分。在那场入侵之后，公会厅相当虚弱并且需要半休眠一段时间以恢复其力量，」他说。「太瑟雷尼亚告诉卓塔妮若维图加基想要回复以往的力量，它就需要空间来放置新生的树根结构，于是她便把公会厅移至这里。这会花上很长一段时间，但这里也被视为让维图加基与这个时空重新连结并适当地复原的最佳地点。」

「嗯，」卡娅说。她从未仔细想过一棵如维图加基般庞大与强壮的树要多努力才能在像拉尼卡这样都市化的时空中生存，这里的每一寸土壤都为了城市的需求而被转让与剥削。在城市出现之前，瑟雷尼亚藏起原本存在于此的某些绿洲，并为了这种情况而将它们做为活生生的电池使用是相当合理的事。

好像以前曾有过这种情况似的。要不是因为永生煞神造成的伤害，就算非瑞克西亚人也可能无法对维图加基造成足够的伤害而迫使这棵树进入休眠期。这全都是未知的领地。

荒原相当美丽，有其狂野又不可思议的田园风情。岩石四处突出于地表，形成他们路途上参差不齐的障碍物，还有绿黄相间的灌木丛覆盖了地面，有些顶端开了小花，其他则长满荆棘。卡娅试着专注在脚踩的位置而非沉溺于她无法改变的事情上。

一声嚎吼撕裂了空气。凯澜停下脚步。卡娅也这么做，一边移动至两人背对背站着。「那是什么？」她问道。

「我不知道，」凯澜说。

「非常振奋人心，」她说。「喜欢那份能量。」

凯澜的响应被第二声嚎吼打断，这一次的距离相当近。卡娅转向这道吼声，终于能够定位它的方向，并感觉到她整个人正试着同时紧绷与放松。一只巨大的白狼正朝他们跑来，它的腿以不可能的速度逼近，同时张嘴露出一整排参差不齐、看似凶狠的牙齿。

「狼，」凯澜用哽咽的语调说。

「没错，」卡娅说。

「你听起来对此太冷静了。」

「我认得那只狼，」卡娅说。

「那会阻止它把我们吃掉吗？」

卡娅停顿了一下。「很难说，」在考虑了一会儿后，她如此认同。她从臀部上抽出匕首。「不要主动攻击，但尽量保护自己。」

凯澜看起来还是很怀疑，即便他从腰带上抽出两个看似小篮子的东西。他的手恰好可置于其中，而那些「篮子」交织的格状结构则发出元素光芒，接着便出现两只弧形短剑。

卡娅扬起眉毛，看似大开眼界。「不错嘛，」她说。「现在记得。只进行防御。」

那只狼持续奔跑直到它与他们相隔五或六英尺的距离，然后滑行至停下并绕着他们打转，同时咆哮着。看来它比较想让他们待在原处而非发动攻击。

「你怎么可以如此冷静？」凯澜厉声说道。

「我说过了，我认得这只狼，」卡娅说。「它的名字叫沃亚。它不会伤害我们，除非它认定我们是威胁。」

「所以它为什么会在这里？」

「我猜我们很快就会知道了。」

一声锋利的哨音穿过这片荒原。沃亚停止绕圈并扬起头，竖起耳朵转向声音的来源。它没有从他们身边离开，它反而迅速地把注意力移回走投无路的调查员身上。

卡娅和凯澜待在原处，依然背对背站着，此时一位身穿绿色与银色铠甲的妖精跑过荒原来到他们面前。大家都在猜他是如何来到这么近却没被发现：很可能是魔法，尽管不是卡娅知道的那种。

他停在那只狼身旁，同时把一只手放在沃亚的肩上。

卡娅恭敬地行礼。「托西密，」她说。

「我们没料到今天会有访客，」他说。

「凯澜巡检员和我正在调查洁加娜的死亡案件，」卡娅说。「有人建议我们拜访维图加基并查阅十会盟原稿的一个段落。我们无意冒犯；我不知道需要先行通知才能造访公会厅。」

「在洁加娜出事后，我们已采取了预防措施，」托西密说。「听说她可能不是唯一一位被伤害的公会长－你或许要查查你自己的公会内部，鹏洛客卡娅。」

泰莎死亡的消息有散播得那么快吗？卡娅勉强克制自己的惊讶，并只有点了点头。「已经不再是我的公会了，」她说。「我们可以继续这趟旅程吗？」

「我会护送你们到门口，」托西密说。手依然放在沃亚的肩上，他开始行走。卡娅和凯澜收起他们的武器并跟在他身后。

很快地，维图加基便出现在他们面前，它之前一直被大地的曲度所遮蔽。卡娅凝视着。

随着它栖息在空旷的荒原上，这座高耸的公会厅也改造了它自己。之前是一棵托着宏伟城市的高大树木，现在却成了一片垂挂于看似偏远乡村庄园上的纠结树根－跟以往相较之下已变得朴素，尽管其堂皇程度仍足以和卡洛夫庄园匹敌。卡娅知道这栋建筑的出现还不到一年，但它却设法让人产生它之前就已存在于此的印象：因岁月而饱经风霜的树木，角落稍微下垂的窗户彷佛它们已无法完全敞开。

有一棵孤立的树干依然屹立不摇，呈现出一种粗糙多节的橡树样貌，站得比房屋本身还高，用树枝遮蔽了屋顶，树根打破了地基周围的土壤，使土地变得如活生生的海洋般高低起伏。

托西密看着她并露出得意的笑容，一边判断她的反应。「就像拉尼卡本身，维图加基或许已改变，但这座树都依然耸立。往这里走。卓塔妮会接待你们。」

门在这群人接近时打开，显然对他们的存在做出回应，于是他们持续进入内部，穿过拱形门廊并经过一个公会检查站进入一间较小、较舒适的接待室。排列在墙上的书架堆满了一册册拉尼卡历史典籍，而在房间中央生长着另一棵橡树。不－不是另一棵。是同一棵橡树。毕竟，就只有一棵树，而且它就是外部的树和内部的树以及这座庄园本身。

曾见过凯德海姆真正的世界树以及新非瑞克西亚扭曲的移行树，卡娅不自主地屏息，敬畏地看着三根最粗大的橡树枝开始扭曲移动。它们毫无缝隙地化为三名女子，从腰部以上看似人类，腰部以下则是蜿蜒曲折的树枝。三位树灵，每一位都是单独的个体，整体而言也是替拉尼卡的世界之魂发声的单一个体。

卡娅点头致意。「卓塔妮，」她说。「我们前来查阅十会盟原稿，如果你允许的话。」

「当然，」组成卓塔妮这个生物的其中一位树灵说道。这一位被称作塞斯，是代表秩序且位于最右侧的树灵。「我们的根告诉我们你们想进行调查，还有你们会找到针对我们伙伴的那个人。」

「能够协助是我们的荣幸。」卡娅花了一点时间才发现这次是希姆，代表和谐的树灵；她位于她们生长的粗厚枝干的左侧。这是头一回。「听说你们的前任公会长也离开我们了。」

「我们会为泰莎的死复仇，」卡娅生硬地说。

「就像在你离开时发生的所有死亡吗？」欧芭问道，她是代表生命的树灵。她的姐妹们突然指责她，这三位通常团结的树灵彼此交缠着回复到她们平常的调和状态。卡娅注意到此刻的欧芭正位于中央。难道那反应了她对于这三体生物的影响力吗？生命，在战后余波里占了上风？她无法肯定。

当她们将共有的注意力移回卡娅身上时，欧芭依然皱着眉头。

「托西密会带你们去查阅十会盟，」希姆说道。「保存拉尼卡的历史一直都是瑟雷尼亚的目的。在这里，在这个新配置中，我们能够以一种更便利的方式来运作。你们应该能在这里找到任何你们需要知道的东西。」

那看似就是要他们离开了：托西密不发一语地转身离开房间，而卡娅与凯澜没什么选择也只能跟随。

「你认为卓塔妮最近看起来有什么不同吗？」等他们走出房间来到长廊半途时，卡娅便问道。

「她还在适应维图加基的新型态，」托西密说。「风产生变化，离地面太近。有很多要习惯的事。你们只需要十会盟原稿吗？」

「我们只被告知要找那个，」卡娅说。「如果它提供了我们新的方向，我们可能会要求看更多。」

「非常好。这边走。」他带领他们进入一个较小的房间，中央有一座橡树讲台。有一颗魔法力泡泡包围着一本打开的书。他一挥手泡泡便消失，解除这本书的保护以让他们阅读。「如果你们需要我的话，我就在卓塔妮身边。」

卡娅和凯澜互看了一眼，接着她便走向讲台，站到它后方用手指快速滑过书页。它正敞开在目录页面。

「朱迪思原本可以更明确地点出我们该查询什么，」她没好气地说。

「拉铎司公会似乎不喜欢协助任何看似官方调查的事，即使这能够帮助他们，」凯澜说。「无论我们该寻找什么都跟朱迪思无关，但或许跟她的公会有关？」

「那相当合理。」卡娅再次检视这页，然后翻过更多书页，前往创立拉铎司宗派的章节。

她大声地念着，「『宗派的目的有两个：服务拉尼卡的人民，以及透过血与火来安抚恶魔拉铎司。』可怕，却非新鲜事。『他们会视情况满足他们的饥渴，而这么做也会满足拉铎司。我们希望，透过将公会跟他绑在一起，他就会找到一个比毁灭更伟大的目标。』然后有一些属于该公会的具体职责，成员们应当自愿接下的职位，在参议院介入之前他们可以造成多少混乱－没有一样是新的。为什么朱迪思要我们看这个？」

「这本书看起来巨大到不只有十会盟，」凯澜说道。「里面还有其他部分吗？」

「每个章节后面都记载了一些历史，解释了在立约期间所做的决定，好让未来的十会盟保管者能够更了解它们，」卡娅再次往后翻，几页过后便停了下来。「『立约者们希望藉由将恶魔拉铎司和他自己的子民束缚在一起，我们就能防止他持续在拉尼卡市民心中灌输凶残怒意。这种破坏性的消遣已造成随机的屠杀与狂暴事件，甚至连最温顺的人也会无预警或无故攻击其亲族－』」

卡娅缓缓地抬起头。「艾庄塔不是说她不记得杀了洁加娜吗？」她问道。

凯澜点了点头。「难道朱迪思真的在暗示她自己的元祖公会长吗？」他以颤抖的声音问道。

「为了自保吗？她或许会。」卡娅离开这本书，脸上露出严肃的表情。「我们得尽快向伊泽霖报告这件事。」

想了解更多？点击下方图片，或后台输入“搜索”，在博识都“狂搜乱寻”吧！

MURDERS AT KARLOV MANOR | EPISODE 5: CHAINS OF EXPECTATION

The afternoon air was bright and crisp as the detective and the escaped fugitive made their way along a shadow-swamped street, flanked on either side by looming buildings that somehow managed to look more sinister than architecture could explain. Etrata moved with quick economy, her feet making no sound on the cracked cobblestones. Proft's tread was heavier.

For all that they walked side by side, there was a distance between them, like the Dimir vampire was unsure about the company she kept. She kept slanting glances at Proft, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth as she chewed on the questions she wasn't ready to ask quite yet.

"You say this is the last place you remember being before you woke up at the party," said Proft, his tone mild, almost disinterested. Etrata hadn't known him long, but she could tell that tone for the trick it was. People would be eager to explain, to help him understand why he was wrong to dismiss them so easily. It was simply one of the more visible tools in a deep, deep toolbox.

And even knowing it for what it was, she found the urge to explain rising in her chest. "Not quite," she said. "We're almost there."

"I must admit, I'm not as familiar with the Dimir-controlled parts of the city as I ought to be," said Proft. "The Azorius are rarely welcome here, and now that I'm with the Agency, we get surprisingly few calls to investigate in Dimir territory. We don't enforce the law. We just help people answer the questions they can't answer on their own. Do those who fall under Dimir's protection not ask questions?"

"Not if they know what's good for them," said Etrata, stopping next to an apparently blank stretch of wall. She looked meaningfully at Proft. "This is where a gentleman averts his eyes."

"I am nothing if not a gentleman," said Proft, turning his back ostentatiously.

It was a gesture of good faith so vast it nearly took Etrata's breath away. Freeing her had been a surprise; insisting on accompanying her to retrace what she remembered of her steps before the party had been more in line with her expectations. Of course he wasn't just going to let her go. Not with a dead guild leader and a mystery to be solved.

She raised her hands and let them dance across the seemingly ordinary brick wall, tapping the mortar here, pressing against the stone there. It was a complex pattern, years of practice allowing her to complete it in seconds. With a weary grinding sound, a section of the wall slightly smaller than an ordinary door shifted and slid inward, creating a crack large enough for her to wedge her hand inside.

She didn't stop tapping as she slid her fingers into the gap, completing the part of the pattern that would keep the door from slamming shut on her hand. With a second groan, the door swung fully open, revealing a narrow wooden hall with splintery floorboards, light shining through a single cobweb-encrusted skylight.

"You can look now," she said.

Proft turned, clearly unsurprised by the appearance of a secret entrance. "I appreciate your cooperation with my investigation," he said.

"Of course I'm cooperating." She took a few steps into the hall and stopped, beckoning for him to follow, even though she had barely gone far enough to leave sufficient room.

Proft raised his eyebrows and stepped through. Etrata took a step back, and the door slammed shut with a resonant crunching sound. Proft jumped, turning to look behind himself.

"Izzet work?" he asked.

"Originally, although the builders are long dead; no one knows about this entrance but me. If someone manages to follow me here and slip through the door before it closes, as soon as I step off the pressure plate in the floor, they'll learn why that was a bad decision," she said, tone mild.

"Fair enough." Proft moved to follow as she started walking again, heading for a less aggressive-looking door at the far end of the hall. "What do you mean, of course you're cooperating? Many wouldn't, innocent or not."

"I don't remember going to that party, much less getting ready for it," said Etrata. "Where did I get the clothes I was wearing when they arrested me? There may be a dead member of the Selesnya Conclave stuffed in a box somewhere, waiting to be found, and if that's so, I don't remember killing them either."

"Do you remember everyone you've killed?"

"Yes," she snapped. "I'm a professional. I don't kill for free, and I don't forget the dead. I won't pretend to have some high-minded reason for doing the work I do—I'm good at it, I enjoy it well enough, I like getting paid—but I'm an assassin, not a murderer. The guild doesn't look kindly on unsanctioned hits, which means I'm not just in trouble with the Azorius, I'm in the bad books of the House as well. What I still don't understand is why you're helping me."

"Ah," said Proft. "That's a simple matter. Right now, you represent the most interesting puzzle set before me since the invasion. Most of the questions put to the Agency have easy answers. They come quickly. We turn over a few rocks, and there the solution is, ready to be unveiled. You, however. A trained Dimir assassin kills a guild leader—"

"Allegedly," said Etrata.

"—allegedly kills a guild leader in a manner out of keeping with her profession and known kills, then flees the scene in a frankly clumsy way, without sufficiently covering her trail? That's enough to make no sense all on its own. Couple that with you lacking any memory of the event or the party itself? It becomes genuinely fascinating." Proft watched as she unlocked the door. "I have a bit of a reputation for continuing to dig long past the point where it would have been polite, or politic, to stop. It's gotten me into trouble before."

"It's going to get you in trouble this time, too, if the Azorius find out what you've done," said Etrata, pushing the door open to reveal a surprisingly spacious room. She began to step inside and stopped as Proft held up a hand, palm out.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Are there any more little surprises for people who come here without your consent?"

"No. No one's ever made it this far, and I prefer not to need to be on my guard when I'm heading for bed."

"Then, if you would allow me, I would prefer to see the scene in its current, undisturbed condition."

Etrata raised an eyebrow. "Be my guest."

"Thank you." Proft smiled as he moved past her. "Cheer up, Etrata. We have a mystery to solve!"

Etrata didn't look nearly as pleased by the idea as he did.

The room itself seemed to be a combination workshop and bedroom, with half the space dedicated to the tools of her trade—weapons, vials of toxins, racks of disguises—and half containing her bed, everyday wardrobe, and a small table where she presumably took her meals. Everything was impeccably clean. Everything except for the surface of the bedside table.

Proft stopped there, frowning. "Do you customarily apply cosmetics in bed?"

"What? No. Do people do that?"

"Hmm. Do you take any medicines in the form of a yellow-gray dust? Perhaps something to help you sleep?"

"No. In my profession, a drugged sleep is the last one you'll ever have."

"Then please come over here, carefully, and disturb nothing—unless you have a small jar prepared for poison that can be repurposed for collecting evidence. I'm afraid I was unable to request a proper investigator's kit while orchestrating your escape."

Etrata crossed from the door to the workbench, grabbing a jar before moving to join Proft by the bed. Once there, she paused, following his gaze to the bedside table. There, dusted across the wood and onto the nearby pillowcase, was a fine yellowish-gray powder.

"I've never seen that before," she said.

"I suspected as much. Do you have a knife?"

Etrata managed not to roll her eyes as she handed him both the jar and a knife he was sure she hadn't been carrying when he released her from custody. Ah, well. If an assassin couldn't acquire a knife without being seen, they presumably wouldn't be an assassin for very long. Carefully avoiding any direct contact with the powder, he scraped as much of it as he could into the open jar before sealing it firmly.

He held the knife out to Etrata, gripping one side of the hilt. "I would clean this thoroughly before using it for any purpose—even murder—and do the same for this table and all the bedding. I don't know what this substance is, but I know it isn't anything I've seen before. Given the situation as it currently exists, I would theorize it has something to do with your missing time, and the actions taken therein."

"But how did it get here?" asked Etrata. She took the knife by the other side of the hilt, whipping it across the room to embed in the wall.

"That is an excellent question," he said, holding the jar up to study its contents through the glass. "Shall we move on to answering it?"

After the invasion, the citizens of Ravnica had learned to take the threat of contamination seriously. Etrata left without any of her belongings, saying she could get a change of clothes in another bolt hole—one that didn't come with the risk of mysterious powder worked into the seams.

She took the lead as they walked back down the hall, and Proft followed, careful to put his feet where hers had been. They were almost to the door when Etrata heard a thump and a strangled squeak from behind her. That was all the indication she needed of an attack in progress.

For a moment, she considered continuing on her way. Few people knew about this particular hidey-hole: any one of them could have had their own grudge against Proft, and if the detective were to mysteriously perish, there would be no one left who knew how she had escaped Azorius custody. She could walk out that door and disappear without a trace.

Disappear into a city that thought she was a murderer, that would stop at nothing to see her apprehended, all because she'd allowed the only person who believed her innocence to die. With a frustrated sigh, Etrata turned, pulling two more knives from inside her shirt, and leapt for the fight behind her.

It wasn't a "fight" so much as an assault: Proft was on the ground, a figure dressed in red and black crouching over him, a knife in either hand. He had his arms up to protect his face and throat, and he was already bleeding from several shallow cuts by the time Etrata barreled into the figure and knocked them away, sending them several feet down the dimly lit hall.

The attacker recovered quickly, refocusing on Etrata. Etrata matched them move for move, careful to keep herself between the figure and the fallen Proft.

Finally, in a puzzled tone, the figure said, "Etrata?"

Etrata stopped, straightening. She knew that voice. "Massacre Girl?"

"No one told me you were going to be here."

"This is my place. Where else would I be?"

"I don't know. Azorius custody?"

"I'm out," said Etrata flatly, not mentioning Proft's role in making that happen. If her fellow assassins believed she could escape from an Azorius prison, well, she wasn't going to disabuse them.

The two began to circle in the close confines of the hall, Proft now between them, saying nothing, but staring into the shadows with wide eyes.

"I'm sure you understand why that was unexpected."

"About as unexpected as you here, in my hideaway, attacking my guests. How did you get in here, anyway?"

Massacre Girl was good but off her guard: she couldn't stop herself from glancing upward.

Etrata swallowed a groan. "The skylight? I just had the traps on that reinforced last season!"

"Heavy storms. You should have checked your tripwires for signs of decay."

"Oh, for …"

"That's a rookie mistake." Massacre Girl stopped circling, the painted red grin slashed across her pallid face still luridly visible in the gloom. "Like I said, I didn't think you'd be here. I wouldn't have taken the job if I'd known you were out."

"What's the job?"

"They didn't pay for secrecy, so. I was supposed to kill the man who caught you. Leave his body as a warning to the Agency to stay out of guild business. But if he's yours …"

"Yeah. He's mine," said Etrata firmly. "I'm helping him find out who really killed Zegana."

Massacre Girl looked surprised. "You mean it wasn't you?"

"Have you ever known me to be that sloppy?"

"Only when it comes to securing skylights," Massacre Girl said and cackled at her own joke. The knives in her hands vanished back into her clothing. "Sorry about the confusion. They didn't pay me the friends and family rate."

"They never do," said Etrata, putting her own knives away. "We good?"

"We're good. Door unlocked?"

"Yeah, let yourself out."

"See you when you clear your name," said Massacre Girl before turning her attention on Proft. "Sorry."

"About attempting to kill me?" he asked, all wounded pride and confusion.

"No, about failing. It looks bad for both of us." She grinned abruptly, a flash of white teeth through her painted red smile. "There's always next time." She turned then, walking down the hall and vanishing out the door to the street.

Etrata offered Proft her hand, levering him up off the floor. "You okay?"

"She didn't cut deeply," he said. "I've had worse."

"You're lucky whoever sent her hired a Rakdos," she said. "Golgari and Dimir assassins use a lot more poisons." When Proft looked alarmed, she laughed. "Don't worry about it. If she'd poisoned her knives, it would have been with a blood thinner to make the arterial spray prettier, and you'd already be bleeding out."

"Was that a friend of yours?" he asked, beginning to gather his dignity around himself once again.

"A colleague. She does good work. So buck up. Our association is already increasing your value."

"I'm sure that will be very gratifying when I'm dead," he said and sighed. "Now come along. We shouldn't lurk where there might be assassins waiting."

"Where are we going, anyway?"

"To see an old friend of mine—not associated with the Agency, and hence witheringly unlikely to turn us in—who might be able to shed some light on what we've found." Proft untensed his shoulders, returning to his normal position of easy self-confidence. "Shall we away?"

"Just don't get attacked again. I can't call in too many favors for you," said Etrata.

When last Kaya had seen Vitu-Ghazi, the great living guildhall had been dormant, so deeply damaged by the God-Eternals that even the mighty city-tree had been unable to sustain itself. She had known at the time that Vitu-Ghazi was not dead; if the guildhall had actually been destroyed in the battle, Selesnya's mourning would have been enough to tear the plane apart. Still, she hadn't been there to see the city-tree assume its new form, and as she and Kellan set off to follow Judith's parting instruction, she had to wonder what they would find.

What they found was a road leading into one of the city's rare park systems and a carriage driver who stopped when the road did, at the edge of a vast, rocky moor that seemed to stretch all the way to the horizon. "Sorry, sir and ma'am," said the driver, twisting around to address them through the small window behind him, "but this is as far as we can go."

"You could have said as much when we told you where we were going," said Kaya, moving to get out of the carriage.

"I could have, yeah," he agreed, smiling tightly as Kellan got out and dropped their fare into his hand. Looking at Kaya, the driver tapped the Orzhov seal on his taxi license. "And you could have been here when the Phyrexians came. Seems we all could have done a little better, don't you think?"

He flicked the reins to turn his dromads and drove off, leaving Kaya and Kellan standing by the side of the road. Kaya glared after him. A dozen sharp replies gathered on her tongue, and she swallowed them all unspoken. He had been rude, but he hadn't been wrong, and her penance wasn't finished yet. Fixing a smile on her face, she turned to Kellan.

"Looks like we're walking from here," she said. "I don't know this park. Never been here before. Do you know the way to Vitu-Ghazi?"

"I do," he said. "Listen, Kaya—I'm sorry about Guildmaster Karlov. I know you two were friends."

"We weren't friends," Kaya said. Her relationship with Teysa seemed entirely too complicated to sum up like that.

"Well. You were close. I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Did you come here alone?" she asked. "To Ravnica, I mean."

His eyes popped open in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Come on, kid. Give me some credit," she said. "So. Did you come here alone?"

"No," Kellan said after a moment. "A friend of my own came with me."

"Where is she now?"

Kaya braced herself for another sad story—the Multiverse seemed so full of them these days. Instead, to her surprise, Kellan grinned. "Oh, she's in the Rubblebelt, I think. Something about an ancient ruin? She doesn't really sit around waiting for my adventures to happen."

Kaya blinked. She knew that this walking ball of sunshine should be annoying her by now, but somehow, she didn't mind it. "Huh. Well, Ezrim's going to expect us to check in sooner than later, so we need to keep moving. Come on."

She gestured grandly for him to lead the way, and after another moment of frowning at her, he started walking, striking out across the moor in a straight line. Kaya followed close behind, stepping around rocks rather than phasing through them. For the moment, she wanted to exist on Ravnica, walking on Ravnican ground, solid and alive as Teysa would never be again.

Ugh. She couldn't think that way. She wrenched her thoughts back to the present, watching Kellan walk, staying close behind. The young agent hadn't complained about any of the strange things he'd been asked to do today. Visiting the Rakdos, now heading for Vitu-Ghazi: none of this could be ordinary for him.

"What's Vitu-Ghazi doing all the way out here?" she asked.

Kellan glanced back at her. "This park is part of the Conclave's holdings. After the invasion, the guildhall was weak and needed to be semi-dormant for a little while to recover its strength," he said. "Mat'Selesnya told Trostani that Vitu-Ghazi needed space to put down new root structures if it wanted to return to its former strength, and she moved the guildhall here. It's going to take a long time, but this was deemed the best place for Vitu-Ghazi to reconnect with the plane and properly recover."

"Hmm," said Kaya. She had never put that much thought into the lengths a tree the size and power of Vitu-Ghazi would have to go to survive on a plane as urbanized as Ravnica, where every inch of dirt was deeded and exploited for the needs of the city. It made sense that the Selesnya would have tucked away a few oases of whatever had been here before the city came, using them as living batteries for situations like this one.

As if there had ever been a situation like this one before. If not for the damage done by the God-Eternals, even the Phyrexians might not have been able to harm Vitu-Ghazi enough to compel the tree to enter a period of dormancy. This was all uncharted territory.

The moor was beautiful, in its wild, improbably pastoral way. Rocks jutted out of the earth here and there, forming jagged obstacles in their path, and mixed brush in greens and yellows covered the ground, some topped with tiny flowers, others bristling with thorns. Kaya tried to concentrate on where she was putting her feet rather than dwelling on the things she couldn't change.

A howl split the air. Kellan stopped walking. Kaya did the same, moving so that the two of them were standing back to back. "What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Kellan.

"Very encouraging," she said. "Like the energy."

Kellan's reply was cut off by a second howl, this one from substantially closer. Kaya turned toward the sound, finally able to get a direction on it, and felt her entire body try to tense and relax at the same time. A massive white wolf was loping toward them, legs eating up the ground at an impossible pace as it closed, mouth open to reveal a full set of jagged, vicious-looking teeth.

"Wolf," said Kellan in a strangled tone.

"Yup," said Kaya.

"You sound way too calm about this."

"I know that wolf," said Kaya.

"Will that keep it from eating us?"

Kaya paused. "Hard to say," she allowed, after a moment's consideration. She drew her daggers from where they rested against her hips. "Don't attack first, but feel free to defend yourself."

Kellan still looked dubious, even as he pulled what looked like two small baskets from his own belt. His hands fit neatly inside, and the woven latticework of the "baskets" lit up with elemental light before producing two short, curving swords.

Kaya raised her eyebrows, looking impressed. "Nice," she said. "Now remember. Defense only."

The wolf continued running until it was five or six feet away, then skidded to a stop and began to circle them, snarling. It seemed more interested in keeping them where they were than in attacking.

"How are you so calm?" hissed Kellan.

"I told you, I know this wolf," said Kaya. "His name is Voja. He won't hurt us unless he decides we're a threat."

"So why is he here?"

"I'm guessing we'll know in a minute."

A piercing whistle rang out across the moor. Voja stopped circling and raised his head, ears perked up as he turned toward the sound. He didn't move away from them, however, and quickly returned his attention to the cornered investigators.

Kaya and Kellan remained where they were, still standing back to back when an elf in green and silver armor came loping across the moors to meet them. How he'd been able to get that close without being seen was anyone's guess: magic, most likely, although not a kind Kaya herself knew.

He stopped next to the wolf, setting a hand on Voja's shoulder.

Kaya bowed her head respectfully. "Tolsimir," she said.

"We weren't expecting visitors today," he said.

"Inspector Kellan and I are investigating the matter of Zegana's death," said Kaya. "It was suggested that we visit Vitu-Ghazi and refer to a passage in the original Guildpact. We intended no disrespect; I was unaware that notice was required to visit the guildhall."

"Precautions have been put in place after what happened to Zegana," said Tolsimir. "I have heard rumor that she may not be the only guild leader to have been harmed—you might look within your own guild, Planeswalker Kaya."

News of Teysa's death was spreading that fast? Kaya managed to suppress her surprise, barely, and only nodded. "Not my guild anymore," she said. "May we continue our journey?"

"I'll see you to the doors," said Tolsimir. Hand still resting on Voja's shoulder, he began to walk. Kaya and Kellan sheathed their weapons and followed him.

Quickly, Vitu-Ghazi appeared before them, having previously been concealed by the curvature of the land. Kaya stared.

The towering guildhall had reconfigured itself as it came to rest in the open moor. Formerly a tall tree cupping a grand city, it was now a tangle of roots draped around and across what looked like a remote country manor—modest in comparison to what it had been before, although still grand enough to rival Karlov Manor. Kaya knew the edifice couldn't be more than a year old, but it managed to carry the impression of having been there before, wood weathered by the passage of time, windows drooping slightly at the corners as if they could no longer hold themselves entirely open.

A single trunk still stood, taking the form of a gnarled oak that stood higher than the house itself, shading the roof with its branches, and roots broke the soil all around the foundation, making it as uneven and rippled as the living sea.

Tolsimir smirked as he looked at her, judging her reaction. "Like Ravnica itself, Vitu-Ghazi may be transformed, but still, the city-tree stands. This way. Trostani will receive you."

The doors swung open as the group approached, apparently responding to their presence, and they continued inside, through the vaulted entrance hall and past a guild checkpoint into a smaller, cozier receiving room. The walls were lined with bookshelves clustered with volumes of Ravnican history, and at the center of the room, another oak tree grew. No—not another. The same oak. There was only one tree, after all, and it was the tree outside and the tree inside and the manor itself.

Kaya, who had beheld the true World Tree of Kaldheim and the twisted Invasion Tree of New Phyrexia, caught her breath, awed despite herself as the three largest branches of the oak began to twist and move. Seamlessly, they became three women, seemingly human from the waist up, sinuously bending branches from the waist down. Three dryads, each one an individual, and collectively the singular entity through which the Worldsoul of Ravnica was said to speak.

Kaya inclined her head. "Trostani," she said. "We have come to consult the original Guildpact, if you would allow it."

"Of course," said one of the dryads that made up the being known as Trostani. This was the one called Ses, the dryad of order and the rightmost body. "Our roots tell us you seek to serve the investigation, that you will find the person responsible for targeting our fellows."

"We are honored to assist." It took Kaya a moment to realize that this was Cim, the dryad of harmony; she was on the left side of the thick branch from which they all grew. That was new. "We are told your former guild's leader has left us as well."

"Teysa's death will be avenged," said Kaya stiffly.

"Like all the deaths while you were gone?" asked Oba, the dryad of life. Her sisters turned on her, the three normally united dryads twining around one another as they returned to their usual accord. Oba was, Kaya noted, the central body now. Did that correspond to her influence on the tripart being? Life, triumphant in the aftermath? She couldn't have said either way.

Oba was still frowning when they returned their mutual attention to their guests.

"Tolsimir will show you to the Guildpact," said Cim. "It has always been Selesnya's purpose to preserve the history of Ravnica. Here, in this new configuration, we are able to do so in a somewhat more accessible way. Anything you need to know, you should be able to find it here."

That seemed to be their dismissal: without another word, Tolsimir turned to leave the room, and Kaya and Kellan had little choice but to follow.

"Has Trostani seemed different to you lately?" Kaya asked once they were outside the room and halfway down the hall.

"She's still adjusting to the new shape of Vitu-Ghazi," said Tolsimir. "The wind is different so low to the ground. There's much to get used to. Do you only need the original Guildpact?"

"That was all we were told to look for," said Kaya. "We may ask to see more, if it sends us in a new direction."

"Very well. This way." He led them into a smaller room, an oak podium at the center. A bubble of magical force surrounded an open book. It faded when he waved his hand, leaving the book unprotected for them to read. "I'll be with Trostani if you need me."

Kaya and Kellan exchanged a look before she approached the podium, stepping up behind it and skimming her fingers down the page. It was open to the table of contents.

"Judith could have been more helpful about what, specifically, we're consulting," she said sourly.

"The Rakdos rarely seem inclined to assist with anything resembling an official investigation, even if it would help them," said Kellan. "Whatever we're supposed to be looking for won't be about Judith, but it might be about her guild?"

"That would make sense." Kaya checked the page again, then flipped deeper into the book, heading for the section on the establishment of the Cult of Rakdos.

Aloud, she read, "'The Cult's purpose is to be twofold: to serve the people of Ravnica, and to placate the demon Rakdos through blood and through fire.' Grim, but not news. 'They shall satisfy their hungers as they see fit, and in so doing, shall keep Rakdos satisfied. We hope, by binding the guild to him, that he will find a greater purpose than destruction.' Then there's a bunch about specific duties ascribed to the guild, positions members are expected to willingly assume, how much chaos they're allowed to cause before the Senate gets involved—none of this is new. Why would Judith want us to see it?"

"The book seems too large to be just the Guildpact," said Kellan. "Is there anything else in there?"

"There's some history at the back of each section, explaining decisions that were made during the founding so that future keepers of the Guildpact can understand them better," Kaya flipped forward again, pausing a few pages later. "'It is the hope of the founders that, by binding the demon Rakdos to a people of his own, we can prevent his continuing to instill murderous rage in the citizens of Ravnica. This disruptive pastime has resulted in random slaughter and rampages, with even the meekest of people turning on their kin without warning or due cause—'"

Slowly, Kaya looked up. "Didn't Etrata say she didn't remember killing Zegana?" she asked.

Kellen nodded. "Would Judith really implicate her own parun?" he asked, voice unsteady.

"To save her own skin? She might." Kaya stepped away from the book, mouth set in a grim line. "We need to report this to Ezrim as soon as possible."