Josef awoke on the couch. He was covered in sweat. He could hear Malark snoring, the slight whistle of Claudius's gills wheezing in the fluid darkness.

His hand rested on his stomach, tracking the rise and fall of his breathing. His eyes were wide open. A single candle remained lit and fluttering near the doorway.

Where had he gone? It had felt so real. He hadn't dreamt in so long…was that what dreams were like?

He turned over his hand and stared at the seaweed tattoo. But he could barely see it. It was no longer radiating out light.

He breathed in deeply once again.

He sees but barely, the invisible voice had said. He could still feel the pebble's impressions against his skin, the echo of falling water still alive in his mind as well.

But he was on the couch. Exactly where he'd fallen asleep.

He had no idea what time it was and his mind was racing. He'd never felt dread like that before — a subterranean force rising and speaking from everywhere and nowhere.

He sat up on the couch and felt an intense desire to leave the room and walk Gangdrup's streets.

Elfrieda the Plumscar was out there somewhere, though, and perhaps she'd brought others with her. Kipfish had sent her to capture him.

He'd survived and was now, once again, a highly prized object.

But he couldn't shake the image of the glowing seaweed tattoo. Somehow his dream had activated it. Its light had been brilliant and yet so feeble.

He rose to his feet and walked over to the room's only window. He couldn't help but notice their beauty again: the gigantic sewerbreeze mushrooms, pulsing and waving in Gangdrup's gloom. Glowing light blue water shoaled around their stems.

Who could he talk to about the dream? Would Claudius know anything?

Down below, Josef watched as some of the first merchants along the promenade brought forth their wares. A man placed ornate boxes crafted from wood and other metals onto his stand with great care. Another stall, one devoted to selling soup, was already active closer to the amphitheatre — Gangdrup was waking up.

Josef stretched and yawned, but then he heard footsteps behind him.

He turned and looked and saw Malark hobbling towards him while rubbing his leg.

"Fitful sleep," Malark whispered. "And now so much pain. How was the couch?"

"Good enough," Josef said in reply, his thoughts angling back to his dream. He had to tell someone: "I had a dream last night. It felt extremely real."

Malark pinched sleep from his eyes. "Dreams often do. You dreamt often when you were at the Ba'ha Grotto. We recorded many of your fitful sleeps."

"You recorded my sleeps?"

Malark nodded solemnly. "Everything we could."

"How long was I in that goo-sac for?"

"A long time, Josef. You were a late arriver from the conjoining of Mama Earth."

"Mama Earth?" Josef ask confused." A late arriver?"

Josef watched as Malark quickly glanced at Claudius's sleeping form.

"The vast majority of those who survived that conjoining arrived in a great blitz. Far before my time. You, however, trickled in just when I first started working at the Ba'ha Grotto."

Josef looked at Malark. His face was heavy with age and canyons of wrinkles had formed around his eyes. If what Malark was saying was true, then he'd been asleep for a long, long time.

"I'm scared," Josef admitted.

"Fear is natural," Malark whispered back after a short pause. "It means you're alive."

"Is it though? I keep hearing these tales of goo-drinkers causing grand revolutions, subverting monarchies — and here I am, barely able to sleep, barely able to swing a sword. I don't understand…"

Malark didn't respond. The whistle of Claudius's gills filled the silence.

But then he turned to Josef and spoke: "Do you know how many goo-drinkers have escaped from The Ba'ha Grotto, Josef?"

Josef shook his head. He had no clue.

Malark raised his hand and formed a circle in front of his face. "Zero."

Josef could see Malark's point. He then smiled and pointed at himself. "One."

Malark grinned. "Exactly. You're making use of what you've been given. Claudius has done so well. I never would've believed it. You've done so well. When you descended down that ladder I'd thought I'd see you again within the hour…how wrong I was."

Josef let Malark's words swirl in his mind while his hands traced the inside of his palm. "This tattoo was glowing in my dream," Josef said eventually, raising his hand up to Malark's eyes.

"A tattoo," Malark said in surprise as he inspected Josef's hand without touching it. "A seaweed pattern. Why did you get this?"

Josef explained his encounter with the woman and Claudius's reaction and then proceeded to tell Malark about how it illuminated itself in his dream.

Malark shook his head. "This is much beyond me, Josef. I've never heard of such a thing. This tattoo is a thing of Gangdrup and I haven't visited here since I was quite young."

Josef wilted. He'd hoped Malark might know something, but it appeared he might be on his own — unless Vaxsha knew something.

She was just now rising up from her bed. Josef watched as she yawned, her hair tumbling down her face as if she'd just emerged from a swamp. She'd slept in her travelling clothes.

Claudius was still asleep.

"What void-cracked time is it?" Vaxsha said as she peeled her light green hair from her eyes. "Didn't know I was inviting vagrant roosters to spend the night here."

Claudius awoke with a start, quickly wiping a bits of drool from his gills. "Roosters! What? Where!" He said, still half-asleep, casting his head about and rubbing his eyes.

"Those two," Vaxsha said, pointing at Malark and Josef. "I feel like I've slept less than an hour."

"There are stalls going up along the promenade," Josef said, pointing down below them.

"Good grief. It's still practically night still then," Vaxsha said as she swatted feebly at both Josef and Malark.

"If the goo-drinker's up, then I'm up," said Claudius rather perkily while hopping out of bed. Josef watched as Claudius did a short stretch and then bounced over to the window. The Sea Gwell then gazed down at the same stalls just as Josef had moments earlier.

"Do you think Elfrieda will be brazen enough to attack us in the street?" Claudius asked, turning to Malark.

"As I said before, The Ba'ha Company has never done anything of the sort. It would definitely break a precedent. I can't imagine Kipfish would want to start something with Gangdrup, but who knows," Malark finished saying and shifted his eyes over to Josef. "Perhaps none of us fully understand what they're seeking."

"There could also be more than just one Windsnort Ranger, right?" Josef added. "I mean just because this Elfrieda the Plumscar inquired at The Backwards Flow doesn't mean she's the only one looking."

"Very true," said Claudius while turning to Vaxsha. "What's your plan, dear host? You've just come here to watch the fireworks, right?"

Vaxsha laughed as she tugged her jacket back on. "I won't deign to answer that. You can be flippant if you want Sea Gwell. I already told you how I hesitated to come to Gangdrup. I truly wish I hadn't drawn those cards. I would much rather be back in Kaway Mahay. But as it stands, I do have other errands I'd like to attend to. If need be you can stay here again tonight. Perhaps we'll see how things unfold with the meeting with the Gangdrup Council."

"Agreed," Josef said. "We should also leave separately from Vaxsha. Avoid suspicion and all that. Are you ready, Claudius? Malark?"

Malark cleared his throat. "I've decided to head out for Kaway Mahay today. You two don't need me. You've made it this far already, and I would just slow you down with my leg."

Malark then nodded his head from side to side: "I'd also prefer to continue living. I don't like my odds of staying in Gangdrup. I've heard enough stories of Elfrieda the Plumscar to know I'd rather not be around when she's around."

Josef was surprised, but Claudius didn't make the slightest shriek. Josef was sure the Sea Gwell was going to combust at any moment but he remained calm, his gills fluctuating like a gentle lake.

"Thank you for coming and warning us, Malark. It means a great deal to me," Claudius said forthrightly. "You didn't have to come here, but you did."

Malark nodded and patted Claudius on the shoulder.

Josef moved towards the door. "Let's get out of Vaxsha's hair." Josef then turned to Vaxsha and thanked her. "We'll perhaps see you later this evening?"

Vaxsha nodded. "We'll see what unfolds."

And with that Josef, Claudius, and Malark left Vaxsha's room and crept back down the hall.

The Backwards Flow was completely silent. It was still so early. All the guests were asleep, but as they came down the creaking stairs what they saw made Josef's stomach clench.

The door to their old room was wide open. Someone had picked the lock in the middle of the night.

"They could still be in the room," whispered Claudius.

Josef gripped his short sword. "I'm going in."

"Goo-drinker!" hissed Claudius, but it was too late.

Josef strode forward, his sword extending outward. He pressed the tip of its blade against the heavy door. Gradually it creaked open.

He looked inside.

Two wilted candles flickered behind glass. The room was just as they'd left it. There was no one inside. Through the slats of the jalousie window Josef could see the sewerbreeze mushrooms in the distance. Perhaps they'd forgotten to close the door.

"No one's there," Josef reported quietly, exiting the room.

"I need to leave this place," Malark said, his voice breaking.

"Perhaps we forgot to close the door?" Josef offered, but Claudius shook his head.

"No, I know I closed it when we left. Someone broke in. And either they were brazen enough to let it be known by leaving the door open, or they think it doesn't matter because they believe we've left the inn, or even left Gangdrup."

"Hopefully the latter," Josef whispered.

They continued downstairs and immediately saw the flash of a familiar figure.

Rayala. Already she was scurrying about, kindling bulked in one arm and a bowl of soup in the other. She sped by them and disappeared into the great room past the stairwell's opening. They then heard the clatter of falling wood.

"Have a seat," she shouted from around the corner. "I'll grab three bowls and a loaf right away for you."

They all said good morning and entered the great room. It was empty save for a lonely and rotund sewerman hunched in the far right-hand corner.

Josef felt Claudius nudge him in his ribs. The Sea Gwell then leaned in close: "Do you recognize him?"

Josef peered closer and then realized it was the same sewerman they'd seen harvesting the black dust from the moss. "Is that the sootpilf harvester?"

"I think it is. Boris, was his name," Claudius added.

The sewerman they'd identified as Boris then turned and gave a start when he saw them. Immediately he looked around the room and then scurried through the maze of tables towards them.

"Hold it," said Malark, extending a wobbling hand. "What is your business?"

Boris waved his hands in front of himself. "Please forgive me. I come as a friend, on behest of another friend.

"John?" Josef blurted out.

"Yes, yes," said Boris, rubbing a hand against his bald head nervously. He looked behind himself and then glanced at the door before speaking again. "As you know, I harvest sootpilf."

Malark retracted his head in revulsion but Boris ignored him.

"I also distribute this sootpilf…and last night, one of my purchasers…"

"One of your purchasers what?" Josef said, growing impatient.

"I overheard him. He was saying there's a bounty…" Boris then leaned in close, covering his mouth. "5000 gold chunks for you to be brought to The Ba'ha Company alive. I remember seeing John with you the other night and so I went to him. He said I could find you here."

No one said anything. Josef watched as Malark and Claudius exchanged a glance. Claudius crouched down and removed the scroll from his rucksack and read it again. He looked at Josef.

"I think we might want to take the council up on its offer for an escort."

"There's more," said Boris. "John also said he's able to shelter you if need be." Boris then handed Josef a piece of paper. "There's his address. He said to only come if it was an emergency."

Josef thanked Boris and stared at the piece of paper: 12 Chestblunder Lane.

Boris then bowed and swished his arms in front of himself as if casting a spell. "You never saw me."

He then ran towards the door (without even finishing his soup) and tripped, flying forward and landing on his side. Like a bipedal crab, he leveraged himself back into the air and then, hobbling, left the inn.

"5000 chunks," Malark whispered. "The void take all of us. Yes, Claudius, you're going to need that escort."