With Lady Chastity stabilized Sir Hemlock sends servants into the city to get aid from a Sanctuary Aeon priest rumoured to be working among the poor.
Sir Mal confronts Tarquin, and is joined by Hasimir & Virssu. The boy is unrepentant and convinced of the appropriateness of his actions. He decries Hasimir's attempts to rebuke him reminding him of "his place" in the employ of his barony and pouring scorn on the "landless Torenson's inability to recognise the honour in what he has done". He feels that by slaying a traditional enemy of his House, his actions make him a hero and they seem to have given him a new confidence. Sir Tarquin moves off to have lunch leaving Mal and Hasimir to discuss matters further. Hasimir confronts the Hawkwood about his knowledge of his psychic gifts and Mal allows Hasimir to read his mind, revealing his own psychic gifts and how he was previously a prisoner of the church.
The servants return to say that the priest will not come so Mal and Hemlock set out to fetch him. They find him ministering to a baker who has been injured with sever burns. Hemlock explains the situation and the priest, Protos Cobblestone, concedes to come now that he understands it is a serious issue and not just nobility wasting his time with trifles.
Upon their return to the mansion Cobblestone sets up a variety of instruments, tools and religious paraphernalia and requests water, towels and food (he hasn't eaten). He reassures Hemlock and tells him to do three things: rest and take care of himself, look after his other guests and finally pray.
It was around that point that Marquis Anton De Havilland Hawkwood returns. He spends a lengthy time filling in the others about his activities in Suryada and being briefed in turn about what has been happening in his absence.
While in Suryada De Havilland made contact with Lawrence and advised him of the hit list. The Scraver then passed on what he’d already found about the identity of Lady Yelizaveta Decados. At De Haviland's request he located an Ur-Obun scholar, Velike Sho Bahkran, who was able to explain the identity and story surrounding Eokésmen ma Dohlenni (Tonbei's last words). Lawrence also advises that he hears on the Scraver gossip network that things are happening in Deepcore 104 and that the Guild is rattled.
The Marquis has also learnt that while Arcadia's father is getting a high profile socially as a dinner guest and socialite after his release, there is no word on the fate of her mother.
Sir Mal attempts to sense if Tarquin had been affected by an occult power and after some attempts he detects he has, but it was some days ago.
Protos Cobblestone advises that Chastity is stable but that her cybernetics will take time to recover and/or repair. She have been mumbling a name; is there an "Arcadia" here? Hemlock goes to sit with her and after a time she regains consciousness calling out "Arcadia...Mother!" before realising it is Hemlock beside her. He promises to remain beside her while she sleeps.
Sir Mal receives a note from a Scraver saying that his boss has died and that he owed him the following unfinished work - the partial translations of some more of the intercepted messages. Mal assumes that Mitnick was the other assassins' target.
Mal takes Tarquin to one side and tries to work out when or by whom he was affected. Tarquin is convinced that he is fine and eventually excuses himself, going upstairs to unpack. Before he does so he knocks on the door of Chastity's room, demanding to be allowed in to see her. But, after a tense confrontation with Hemlock, he withdraws.
De Havilland is now aware of the fact that Hasimir has been acting as a go-between between the Baron and a rising number of dissenters who would want the Baron overthrown/killed. Hasimir tells him that he has been feeding the Baron information on the 'rebel scum' in an attempt to keep him increasingly nervous and appreciative of the information and up until recently the Torenson knight had the intention of supporting Tarquin's claim for the right to rule if an attempt is made to remove the Baron. The Marquis was not happy that the Baron would be harmed and suggested that if this uprising came about, as a Phoenix Knight he would feel somewhat compelled to ensure that the baron came to no direct and immediate harm for as far as he was aware, the Baron had not warranted such treatment. Hasimir then detailed why the peasantry had such feelings of angst against the Baron, and mentioned that the people of the Midden Barony had been driven to the point of despair. De Havilland then determined that he would need to see this for himself since he had a duty to protect the innocent and also avenge the wronged. A certain degree of "mistreatment" might be standard for any new Hawkwood ruler and so he would have to look at the matter and the level of hardship that the people were being forced to bear. The Marquis did say that he would not be comfortable overthrowing the Baron himself unless it was clear that there was good reason for doing so, and also reminded Sir Hasimir to be mindful of the Baron's sponsor, the Duke. Hasimir then mentioned the increasing martial training within the barony plus the change of peasant staff. De Havilland believed it had all the signs of a massacre. Hasimir then went on to describe that if the uprising did take place and if Sir Tarquin happened to be killed during the proceedings that a Torenson stand-in was an entirely honourable option as an interim, at least until a replacement was determined.
Their discussions turned to Tarquin again and they believe that it may be prudent to pretend that his attempt to kill Chastity actually succeeded and put the lady in hiding for the time being to protect her while they also decide what to do with the boy.
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