Lamplight flickered against the dark wood of the hallway's floorboards. The woman in the travelling outfit had just waved them on to a room that didn't exist. Josef stepped forward and down the hall. Malark and Claudius took equally directed steps — decisively forward, yet altogether aimless.

The woman with the purple stone in her pocket stayed behind them. Switching rooms had seemed so easy — the actual task, now begun, was anything but. There were only four rooms on this floor, and the woman behind them had one of them. Would they choose correctly?

They needed to lie, Josef knew, and fast. Sweat started to come to his hands. The last thing they needed was a guest watching as they tried to bust their way into a random room. But it just might come to that.

"So what do you say?" inquired the woman. "Tea for all of us, sewerbreeze lightly steeped, of course. Say what you will about Gangdrup, but it's the pinnacle of health, at least in the Southern Plate."

Perhaps sensing their hesitation, she pushed by them and then waved them over. "This room here is mine," she said while producing a key from an inner pocket.

She strode up to the first door on the left. The key scraped, crunched, and then clicked as the heavy door unlocked.

Josef was still unsure whether or not to accept the woman's offer — but Claudius had made up his mind. The Sea Gwell bowed with bravado and strode forward, nodding for both Josef and Malark to follow.

"Come along companions," Claudius said as he followed the woman into the room. "One should never pass up the opportunity for sewerbreeze tea." Josef looked to Malark who seemed just as hesitant as he was to enter the room. They had no idea who this woman was.

But ot was Malark who pushed forward first, adjusting his hair. "I'm sure Claudius has a plan."

Josef was sure Claudius had a plan as well, but he wasn't entirely sure if it was one he wanted to follow. He stepped into the room behind Malark, firmly closing the heavy wooden door behind them while Yolplay's Theory of Gujai Teleportation bounced around in his brain.

The room was stunning, and at least twice as large as their room, which now appeared as a garret in comparison. A massive window, framed by lush crimson curtains provided an impressive view of Lake Ferngloom. Small planks of wainscoting bedecked the walls and emerald-tinted glass cradled the many candles perched throughout.

The woman walked towards a couch and four wingback chairs, motioning for everyone to have a seat.

"Let me introduce myself," she said as she removed her jacket, folding it down over the chaise lounge. "Vaxsha. Believer in Rectangles. Jolly fool. And a proficient reader if there ever was one."

Josef watched as she flourished a pack of cards through the air, spreading the deck wide as she brought it down to rest on a small table nestled between the furniture.

But she snapped back up. "But we're here for tea, yes?" Her eyes touched each of theirs in turn, landing on Josef's last.

She then waltzed over to a rope hanging from the ceiling next to her bed. Josef thought it was an odd place for a rope to be hanging, but then a distant trill sounded out as Vaxsha yanked three times.

"Room service," she said smiling. "Worth every chunk. While we wait for the hot water to arrive, how about you three introduce yourselves. What brings you to Gangdrup?"

Josef watched as Claudius opened his mouth to speak but Vaxsha interrupted him: "I can see a lie taking shape already, Sea Gwell. Please feel perfectly at ease as I'm merely having a bit of fun. I know exactly who you are, except for that one," she said, pointing at Malark.

Of course she knew who they were, thought Josef. Everyone in Gangdrup had their faces imprinted deep into their brains. He'd made sure of that with his bombastic entrance during Moonsneeze. At least she seemed genial, but why had Claudius taken her up on her offer so swiftly?

Josef took a seat on the couch and peered Claudius, trying to discern exactly what his friend was thinking.

But then a knock sounded on the door. Vaxsha waved for Malark and Claudius to sit down while she stepped lightly towards the door.

She opened it, but she was discreet, only prying it open enough to accept a bulbous black kettle from a floating hand.

The kettle's steam billowed up in front of Vaxsha's lilac blouse and then further upwards into her light green hair. She placed the kettle on a straw mat laying on a wide desk. Swiftly and precisely she began to portion out the light flakes of the sewerbreeze mushrooms.

Josef looked at Claudius, waiting for him to respond. But the Sea Gwell was smiling. "I know who you are as well, Vaxsha Armatris."

Vaxsha stood still. Her fingers frozen yet still pinching a bit of sewerbreeze tea.

She turned and faced Claudius. "Is that right?"

"I recognized you almost immediately. You've done well for yourself, I see."

Josef could tell Vaxsha was still perplexed. But she finished portioning out the tea and moved a loose strand of hair away from her face.

Claudius reached out and tapped the deck of cards resting on the table. "You've come a long way since Kwabble Gru. 'Vaxsha the Vixen', was it?"

Vaxsha suddenly laughed and sauntered back to her guests carrying two cups of steaming tea.

"Kwabble Gru," she said, handing a cup to Josef and another to Malark, "didn't think anyone still remembered that old circus show. But you're wrong on the name. It was 'Vaxsha the Visionary' — although, I must say, 'Vaxsha the Vixen' pleases me as well."

Vaxsha returned with the last two cups, handing one to Claudius and keeping the last for herself. Josef felt the couch shift as she sat down next to him.

"I'm guessing by your outfit that you've moved past circus shows?" Josef asked, feeling his way into the conversation.

"Long past," Vaxsha replied. "It's been many, many septujinnys since Kwabble Gru. Half of its employees were sootpilf fanatics, the other half could barely pull a crowd of two. I have to admit, Sea Gwell, I don't recognize you."

"I doubt you would. I only went a few times, back when I first arrived in Kaway Mahay. But I always lingered around your stand. If I remember correctly, you drew quite the crowd."

Vaxsha gave a slight bow. "Brought a crowd, created a name. Did I ever do a reading for you? My skills were still in their infancy back then…"

Claudius's skin deepened a shade towards purple. "You did, you did." Josef noticed he was smiling. "I could only afford a single card, and I had to save for even that, but it was worth it."

Josef leaned forward, eyes roving over the deck of cards. "What was the card, Claudius?"

But Claudius waved a webbed finger at Josef. "Nice try, young Josef. The card may be old, but the wisdom still lingers fresh."

Vaxsha chuckled to herself and relaxed back into the couch, taking a sip from her tea. "The temperature is perfect. Now is the time to drink, goo-drinker," she said, directly acknowledging Josef for the first time.

Malark took a sip, nodded appreciatively, and then spoke: " I'm curious as to what brings you to Gangdrup of all places?" Malark glanced at Josef.

Vaxsha then leaned forward and tapped the top of the cards. "These."

"What do you mean those?" asked Josef.

Vaxsha's hand floated above the top of the cards. "I did a reading for myself," she said, her voice shaking. "I spent twelve decadons preparing for it…and the signs were unmistakable. I was to head here, to Gangdrup, as fast as I could."

Josef heard her voice. It had shifted. It's former joviality had melted like a candle exposed to a ball of fire — only the narrow wick remained: the curious fear. Her hand continued to hover above the cards, circling and circling.

"You were told to come to Gangdrup?" Malark said, incredulous. "Gangdrup? Please now. Why to Gangdrup?"

Josef looked on as Vaxsha smirked, bringing her hand away from the cards and to her chin. "When you've practiced as long as I have, and when you've prepared and performed the rites as I have, and if you then drew the cards I did two days ago, you would understand. You would be fleeing this place as fast as you could."

"And yet you rushed in?" said Malark with cautious wonder, staring at Vaxsha, his eyes only snapping towards Claudius for a fraction of a second.

Josef knew Vaxsha was keeping much hidden. Two days ago was also when he'd broken free from his goo-sac. What was she hinting at?

"This is probably against the rules," Josef began, "but what did you see? What did the cards say?" He spoke quickly and without removing his eyes from the cards stacked on the table.

Vaxsha gave a short smile. "What you ask for is literality — a blunted and emaciated truth. Yes, it's true, I could put words to it, but I've spent septujinnys training to avoid just that." Vaxsha turned towards Josef and crossed her leg, taking a sip from her cup of tea as she did so.

She then continued: "I had to leave the Southern Plate to acquire it. And I'm glad I did….all for a single card from a dying reader."

"I'm guessing this card appeared in your recent reading?" Claudius asked.

"Yes," said Vaxsha as she suddenly leaned forward and cut the deck six times, creating seven piles. Josef, Claudius, and Malark were silent as Vaxsha's hand flitted between the various piles until settling on the third deck. "Yes, here we are."

She turned the card over:

Its background was jet-black — at its centre was a beehive floating in the darkness, while bony, skeletal fingers prodded deep into the hive, scooping at honey like scalpels used as spoons. Skeletal faces hovered near the card's edges, their faces tilted longingly towards the bee's palace.

Josef stared at the card. There was something utterly invasive and enchanting about it. He looked at Vaxsha. Her eyes were transfixed on the revealed card. Claudius and Malark stared as well.

"I drew this card along with others, which I won't reveal" Vaxsha said. "I paced within my wagon for a full hour before I finally gave my driver word to depart. And now here I am."

Josef pulled his hands through his black hair. He didn't know what to make of any of this. Vaxsha had read some cards and then decided to make her way to Gangdrup? She wasn't giving them enough to go on, yet he still found himself intrigued by both the cards and her demeanour.

Malark, still suspicious, put Josef's thoughts into words: "Forgive me for what follows, but I find your story — for that is what it is, a story — entirely lacking in anything resembling meaning. We're not some circus audience—"

"Malark, Malark," said Claudius imploringly, "I'm sure Vaxsha here is offering what she can. She's given us no reason to distrust her."

"I'm not a fan of secrets, Claudius," Malark said, tapping the side of his cup. "I do appreciate the tea, however. It has nothing on my wust juice, but its quite nice in its own way."

"I can say this," Vaxsha said, gazing at each of them. "It was no surprise to me, based on the cards I drew, that as soon as I stepped foot in Gangdrup whispers began to arrive about the presence of a goo-drinker and a certain Sea Gwell."

"Vaxsha," Josef said, making up his mind, "we need a place to stay tonight. Our room is no longer safe. One of the Ba'ha Company's rangers is after us and we can't stay in our room. You know there is danger, that we're in danger. Can you help us? Can we take shelter with you here tonight?"