While I was mourning with the two gangs, Ash was launching our investigation of the Hive. Since his self-inflicted lightning hook injuries still hadn’t healed completely, he opted to multitask and headed over to the Lampblacks’ coal warehouse headquarters. As Sawbones smeared ointment over the electroplasmic burns, Ash polled the room at large.

“What do you think the Hive will do next?”

Danfield, the young Charterhall University medical student, was still new enough to the underworld that he held no opinion besides, “It’s the Hive, I’ve heard of the Hive, I don’t want to get involved with the Hive, and oh my gods I’m going to die!”

Sawbones and the rest of the Lampblack old guard, however, were livid with rage. While Pickett hadn’t been, shall we say, the easiest person to interact with (even for laidback Sawbones), she’d been part of the gang since the very beginning. They absolutely could not accept her death at the hands of interlopers from other districts who refused to respect local rules of combat.

“Who knows what the Hive will do next?” seethed the doctor. Seizing a roll of bandages, he viciously ripped off a strip and wound it around Ash’s bicep. “Djera Maha thinks she’s above the law.” (Well, in many respects, she was.) “She thinks she’s above the rules.”

“A little less tight, please,” requested the patient. As Sawbones grunted and unwound the bandage, Ash asked, “The rules? Which rules?”

“The rules rules,” Sawbones snapped, as if they shouldn’t need explanation. “If you have a problem with someone, you kill them in a fair fight. You don’t order a hit.”

A gang member who had just come off duty slung her wet overcoat across a free examination table and snarled, “The Red Sashes never do anything like this.” She hacked up a gob of mucus and spat it in the sawdust around the tables, whether to indicate her opinion of the Red Sashes or the Hive (or both) was unclear. Grudgingly, she admitted, “Mylera Klev knows how things are done.”

“Yeah,” seconded her patrol partner, who had followed her into the warehouse. “Someone needs to teach Djera Maha how we do things around here.”

Hearing their voices, Henner happily abandoned all the paperwork that accompanied his new role and popped out of his office. He waved his arms and exclaimed, “But that’s what happens! You cross the Hive, Djera Maha’s nephews show up, and bam! You’re out.”

In response, the other Lampblacks growled and cursed, but no one denied it.

Just to make sure we didn’t waste time assassinating the wrong people, Ash double-checked, “Do we know for sure they’re the ones who did it?”

With a shrug, Sawbones slapped the last bandage in place. “They’re always the ones who do it, right? You’ve heard the stories.”

“Yes,” said Ash drily. “Yes, I have.”

We heard plenty more, too, when we visited a sampling of pubs across Silkshore and the Docks. Seemingly every scoundrel had their own favorite story about how their crewmate’s childhood friend’s cousin’s spouse’s sibling had personally witnessed Wayan and Kuwat Maha strolling up to a target in broad starlight and shooting them in the head.

That did not precisely inspire Ash’s confidence in our decision to tangle with the Hive yet again.

More usefully, we also learned that apart from the Church of Ecstasy, the Hive maintained close ties with the Dagger Isles Consulate, thanks to Djera Maha’s “island roots,” as well as the Ministry of Preservation, the government agency that controlled shipping throughout the Imperium. Although we’d assumed that removing Skannon Vale had ended the Hive’s plans to take over enough berthing capacity to dock a leviathan hunter, his death had only slowed them. According to the dockers, just a few more judicious purchases would close that loop.

Now that was discouraging.

After our little research expedition, Ash cornered me in the orphanage to warn me that while the Lampblacks all wanted revenge, they were reluctant to take the final step and declare war because they feared the Hive – “and rightly so.” He pleaded, “Isha, let’s not do anything foolish, like ask Bazso and Mylera how much they’d be willing to pay – ”

Here he cut off abruptly, peered around, glimpsed a couple orphans far down the hall, and yanked me into an empty classroom.

“If we even whisper this to anyone,” he breathed, “word will reach the Hive.”

His paranoia failed to move me. “I chat with Mylera every week anyway,” I pointed out. “If I met with her, it wouldn’t raise any suspicions.” I didn’t need to remind him that I could conduct secret negotiations with Bazso even more easily.

Ash’s reaction was a weary sigh. “I’m just saying that until we commit fully, we shouldn’t even ask or suggest anything that could be overheard. Rumors spread like wildfire.”

Personally, I thought that if we kept ducking into empty rooms to bicker over whether the Hive would uncover our desire to execute a nebulous “this,” dramatically distorted reports would only circulate faster. After all, the underworld loved gossip even more than the readership of the Dockside Telegraph – and spread it more effectively too. As if to drive home this point, Faith opened the classroom door, cast a bored expression at us, and sauntered inside to eavesdrop.

Ignoring her and deliberately misinterpreting Ash’s words, I said, “So you’re suggesting that we finish all the reconnaissance before we approach the gangs.”

He threw up his hands in exasperation. “I’m saying that the Hive will know it was us! Or find out shortly thereafter! We have to be ready for the repercussions.”

“Why are you so scared of it?” I goaded him, earning myself an appreciative wink from Faith.

“Because it’s bigger than the Crows, the Lampblacks, and the Red Sashes combined!”

That, as far as I was concerned, was not a particularly impressive achievement. Within U’Duasha itself, House Anixis wielded far more power than the Hive – and I’d successfully evaded its clutches.

Seeming to agree with me for once, Faith flopped into one of the tiny chairs, folded her hands comfortably across her belly, and dozed off.

Since I still wasn’t budging, Ash tried a different tack. “You do realize that the orphans will be targets too – and the Hive isn’t exactly known for mercy.”

Neither, however, was it known for slaughtering children. That was the preserve of the Imperial military. I leveled a cool gaze at him.

At last he caved. “Regardless, I’m on board. I just want to make sure we do it right – and not haphazardly so a rumor gets out that gets us all killed.”

Despite my victory, I was not in a gracious mood. “I never suggested doing it haphazardly,” I retorted.

That was exactly the opening he needed. “Good. We should take our time planning the score then.” When I opened my mouth to object, he pressed on, “In the meantime, I’d be interested in locating the Helker battle plans.”

I swallowed my protests. I, too, had a vested interest in locating those damned, elusive battle plans.

In one of his seemingly artless, strategic non sequiturs, Ash inquired, “What do you think of the relationship between Iruvia and the Imperium?”

“What do you mean?” I asked warily, wondering if it were a prelude to recruiting me to assassinate the Immortal Emperor after we finished destroying his Church.

“Well, do you think it’s a good thing or a bad thing?”

What I thought was that that was an overly simplistic framing of a labyrinthine political issue that sparked debate at all levels of Iruvian society. U’Duashan schoolchildren were intimately familiar with the essay prompt, “Did Iruvia make the right decision in joining the Imperium in 489 IE? Discuss.” Sigmund and I had practiced defending all three possible viewpoints: “Yes” (because the Imperial Army was literally on Iruvian soil and war would have devastated the isle), “No” (because we could have worn down the Imperials and slowly recovered in the long term), and “It’s complicated and depends on the time frame and the specific impact on Iruvia that you wish to consider. Did you mean military, political, economic, or cultural?” (Although I could persuasively defend any of the three positions, my personal view tended towards the last. Of course, I was an Anixis.)

At my long hesitation, Faith’s eyes opened a slit.

Trying to recall and organize my old arguments, I explained, “While in principle I like the idea of greater autonomy – or even independence – for Iruvia, we do rely on the Imperium for quite a lot of governmental institutions.”

Ash’s expression was unreadable. “And you don’t think those governmental institutions could be handled by Iruvians?”

Regretfully, I shook my head. “Not immediately. It would take at least a couple decades to develop leviathan blood processing facilities, and to stabilize our own currency against the Imperial coin.”

“That’s an awfully conservative, responsible fiscal response!” Ash burst out, insultingly shocked by my financial acumen. “Isha, I’m impressed!”

I scowled at him.

He blinked, confused. “Are you okay?”

“I come from one of the ruling houses of Iruvia!” I exploded. “Why would you expect me not to be aware of such information?”

Ash merely exchanged a chuckle with Faith, then asked, “How strong are the, shall we say, more independence-aligned factions?”

My answer was immediate and automatic. “The majority of Iruvians don’t want independence. We just want to preserve the status quo.” Even though that was the official stance of the Houses vis-à-vis the Imperial government, it did accurately reflect popular sentiment. “There are splinter groups, such as the Hadrakin, that want to break away from the Imperium, but the average Iruvian is content with the current situation.” Judicious maneuvering on the part of the Houses ensured that we enjoyed the best of both worlds. “We’re technically part of the Imperium, we have great trade deals with the other parts of the Imperium – and we keep the organs of the Imperium confined in a tiny district just outside the walls of U’Duasha so we only have to deal with them when we feel like it. Such as our Spirit Warden. Singular.” That poor fellow was so bored.

The non-existence of ghosts in a major city distracted our fledgling Whisper. “There really aren’t any ghosts in U’Duasha?” he asked, skeptical and curious at the same time.

“There are a few, but they’re all attached to Whispers. Otherwise they’d get sucked into the well, U’Du.”

“It seems like technology the Imperium would love to get,” Ash mused.

If he were hoping to steal, export, and sell that knowledge to the highest bidder, he was in for a huge disappointment. “The U’Du isn’t human technology,” I warned. “Our ancestors built a temple in a caldera, and then four stars – the Demon Princes – fell from the sky and destroyed it. Their impact created a giant well of fire that attracts and burns ghosts, and U’Duasha grew up around it.”

Naturally, the conclusion Ash drew from that origin story was: “So the Demon Princes are great for commerce and stability!”

“Also for bloodshed and waste of life,” I countered.

“And also for hosting excellent tea parties!” Faith squealed. “The Demon Princes are a crucial contribution to culture in U’Duasha!”

At the same time that Ash ignored her and informed me, “And I’m sure that blood was put to good use,” I fell for Faith’s bait and snapped, “They can hold their tea parties in Doskvol.”

Her positively cherubic smile hinted that she’d already mailed the invitations and expected the Demon Princes on the next train.

Ash’s attention, on the other hand, had already turned towards possible scores, and he said absently, “Fair enough. But for now, finding the Helker battle plans could be a good chance to test our orphan network.”

I hadn’t realized that that last coin from the Zayana boys mattered so much to him, but our interests on this point aligned. “I like the idea of finding the battle plans. I know someone who’d pay a great deal for them – because it would save them from breaking into the Lord Governor’s stronghold.”

Faith’s eyes lit up. “Breaking into the Lord Governor’s stronghold sounds like an amazing plan!” she cried.

“Yes,” said Ash, earning a very odd look from me before he continued, “I’ve placed a lot of bets on, shall we say, war-oriented manufacturing companies, and I’d really like to know what to do with them. The battle plans would be a great source of insider information.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed, surprised that I’d missed the breadth of his investments. “I thought you just wanted to sell them to the highest bidder.”

Converting one source into two streams of profit appealed to Ash on a deep level, and he promptly endorsed my plan. “We can do that too – ”

“Wait!” wailed Faith. “Wait! How is it that everyone is involved in treason and didn’t invite me? I am deeply, deeply offended!”

“Consider yourself invited, Faith,” I informed her.

“Okay!” Instantly appeased, she beamed at both of us.

“So what do you think about the relationship between Iruvia and the Imperium?” Ash asked her for some inexplicable reason.

With a pout and a tilt of her head, Faith feigned profound concentration. “I was really hoping…that there would be more cultural sharing! The whole Demon Prince thing sounds like an excellent idea. I feel that we should import it here.”

Once again, I couldn’t resist her bait. “We already have the Church here, with its demon-human hybrids,” I reminded her.

“Oh, but that’s completely different! There’s only one demonic influence here! If there’s only one, you can’t incite them to compete for power and influence!” With a wag of her finger, she reproached me for stifling creative expression in Doskvol: “That’s not the sort of thing people write plays about. But if you have multiple separate demonic influences, their struggles can generate excellent and very entertaining stories.”

Ash declared, “I object to the Church’s extreme hypocrisy regarding any demonic practices. Which I keep learning more about every week. In general, I think Iruvia is much better off without the Imperium, as is Tycheros, as are many of the others, favorable trade deals or not. But regardless, I’d like to know what’s in the battle plans.”

As did I, although I hadn’t yet figured out a way for either Irimina’s housemaid or lady’s maid to break into Ronia Helker’s safe. And somehow, I couldn’t see Irimina just opening it for me, even if I asked very, very nicely…. A sudden thought struck me, and I exclaimed, “Faith! You’re on friendly terms with Irimina!”

As if she knew exactly where this was going and wanted to ensure that it took the longest possible time to get there, Faith gasped, “Why, Isha! Are you jealous? Would you like to become on excellent terms with Irimina? I’m sure we can invite you!”

“No, that’s fine,” I replied, supremely sarcastic. “We only need one of us to be on good terms with her. And we’ve got you. Can you gain access to the Helker papers?”

“Oh, probably,” she shrugged, wielding indifference like a bludgeon.

Stunned that he’d been sitting on his investments when he could have gotten insider trading information long ago, Ash demanded, “Wait, does Irimina have the battle plans?”

If she didn’t, then I had no idea where Ronia Helker’s copy could be. “I don’t know, but that’s something Faith can find out. That’s something Faith is uniquely positioned to find out.”

“Then by all means, we should explore this avenue! I was assuming we’d have to kill someone to get the plans!”

Faith’s features wavered between apathetic and engaged, as she calculated which attitude would provide maximal annoyance for us and entertainment for her. Apparently she settled on the latter, because her entire face lit up. “That sounds almost not-boring!” she proclaimed.

I took that to mean she’d investigate for us.