Carala lay in a deep and restful sleep on Ammas's narrow bed. Her sleep had been fitful for a time, interrupted by broken waves of weeping or thick slurred words. When such things happened, Ammas would slip off his stool and kneel at the bedside, pressing the stilling charm against the princess's throat and whispering those soft, eerie words. But she had been quiescent for over an hour now, breathing deeply and smoothly, and at last Ammas rose from his chair, grimacing as he cracked his back.

"I think she's through the worst of it," he murmured to the faces arrayed at the back of his bedroom chapel, tucking the charm into his belt. Barthim had joined Lena and Casimir not long after nightfall, and the look on the bouncer's face was almost grim. As the sun was setting he had arrived for work, only for a furious Madame Laurette to insist he go over to Ammas's temple and drag Lena back by the hair if necessary. Barthim, who had barely less contempt for Laurette than he did her customers, had wandered over in his usual genial way to ask Ammas if everything was all right. Instantly he recognized a crisis, and he returned to Laurette to inform her that not only would Lena be staying with Ammas for the time being, so would he.

"And if this is not to your liking, Laurette, then you are welcome to be tearing up Lena's contract and to be firing me." Barthim had smiled, the lamp in Laurette's office gleaming off his bald head and flickering at the anger in his usually warm eyes. "But if Barthim the Beast walks away, so do all his men. And you will have to rely on the city guard. I am hoping you understand my position." Laurette had been supremely displeased, but had not made any further issue of it. Barthim handed Drusis, his stand-in for the day, an extra bag of coppers on his way out for the overtime he would be owed. Drusis, at least, was happy, even if no one else involved was.

Casimir stepped forward to take Ammas's place at Carala's bedside, but his master placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You need sleep, lad. Go on up. We won't know if anything else needs to be done for her until she wakes."

"I'm not sleepy," Casimir protested, and he did seem thoroughly awake despite a certain glassiness in his eyes. Barthim grinned.

"All right," Ammas said, though he was troubled. How much of this the boy should see he truly didn't know. "But I don't need you at her bedside just now. Go down to the catacomb and find me a fresh set of robes. Maybe some of the thicker ones; it feels like a chilly night."

Casimir nodded and took off for the chancel only at a slightly slower run than he had sprinted to fetch the grave-leeches. Ammas murmured to Lena to sit with the girl, and headed for the chancel himself, groaning and flexing his arms and legs as he went. He had been in that chair for hours now, and his joints were aching and his muscles stiff. The temple was ominously dark, as he had directed Casimir to light only the largest brazier, the one between the main body of the temple and the chancel. His shingle wasn't hung out, but he didn't want to give any impression he was open for business.

The autumn air did have a bit of a sting to it, and Ammas shivered as he passed the brazier's warmth, his eyes roaming over the mosaic floor in front of the altar where he had spent a solid half hour on his hands and knees scrubbing up the various leavings from Carala's illness. Casimir and Lena both had offered to do it, and while such a thing should have been part of Casimir's duties an apprentice, Ammas had strictly forbade either of them to come near the tainted area. Until he was sure of the exact nature of Carala's blood sickness, he would take no risks. Never had Ammas heard that the wolf's blood sickness could be transmitted through anything other than a bite, sexual congress, or a blood ritual, but he had already made a grave error today and refused to take any more chances, at least not until Carala was awake.

The garden was a vague pool of shadows, and Ammas took the time to ignite the lantern he kept out here for nighttime visits. Some of his herbs were best gathered in the dark, and quite apart from that it served nicely as a place for quiet reflection and peace, which he could certainly use at the moment. If, perhaps, it was a bit warmer. Right now the garden was cool enough that he shivered in his thin white shirt and plain breeches, toes curling against the bottoms of his simple shoes. His usual attire he had stripped off to scrub the floor, giving it to Casimir to launder. He supposed he must look far more ordinary than he usually did, and wondered what the princess would make of it.

Ammas had just begun priming the pump, a trickle of water coursing into the earth, when a soft voice cleared its throat at the door. "Lena?" he asked, straightening up with a frown. "Is it Carala?"

"No. Barthim is sitting with her. I wanted to talk to you alone, if that's all right." The blonde Lioness girl stepped into the garden, shivering despite the heavier clothing she wore.

"It's all right," Ammas said. "I think she'll be awake soon, though, and I should be there when she is. I have a lot to explain to her."

"I'm sure. But it's you I wanted to talk about. And -- me, I guess."

Her teeth had sunk into her lower lip and her arms were crossed defensively under her breasts. Ammas didn't believe he'd ever seen in her in a mood quite like this. "Certainly," he said, faintly cautious. "What about you? Let's start with that."

Lena sighed, looking up to the night sky. She seemed embarrassed, unable to meet his eyes. "I guess you know I don't really enjoy what I do for a living."

Ammas said nothing. He had never imagined a prostitute's life to be especially fun, or even tolerable, but he had no idea what advice or comfort he could give. Lena seemed to be waiting -- for sympathy or condemnation he didn't know -- and when it wasn't forthcoming she sighed again and continued, her voice picking up a nervous quaver.

"But I do enjoy when I work for you. Even if it's frightening sometimes. I never wanted to go down into that crypt, and I'm sorry I couldn't find what you -- "

"Lena," Ammas interrupted. "Stop. That was not your fault. I never should have proceeded with her treatment if I didn't have an antidote ready. I had no business sending you down there at all. I was in a panic myself."

"I don't know enough to tell you your trade, Ammas."

"Well I do, and I can assure you the mistake was mine alone. At the very least I should have waited until Casimir had come back to the temple."

Lena smiled softly. "That boy adores you, Ammas. You better let him know he saved that girl."

Ammas nodded, a smile of his own on his lips. "I have. And he did."

"Good." Lena hesitated. "I guess what I'm saying is, I could have found those things for you if I'd been trained a little better. If I -- worked here full time."

This last she spoke so quickly and anxiously that at first Ammas wasn't sure exactly what she had said. After a moment, it dawned on him and his lips curled down unhappily. "Lena," he said gently, "I can't possibly take you on as an apprentice."

For the first time she looked upset. "Why? Because I'm a whore?"

"Merciful gods, no!" he exclaimed, and the vigor of his denial seemed to surprise her. "Do you think a -- a prostitute never enrolled in an academy? Or a debtor? Or a beggar? They weren't all from wealthy families like I was. The academies were a way out, a key to open the locked door of society. You needed brains and aptitude, but they never rejected on the basis of station. Criminals weren't welcome, but even then there were exceptions."

"I had heard -- well, that it was very expensive," Lena said uncertainly.

"And it was. That's why so many alumni were pledged to the service of others: to repay their debt. Even I had to spend some time working for the Emperor's army."

"You served in the army?" Lena was wide-eyed. Ammas didn't go around screaming his hatred of the Emperor all the time, but his disdain was no secret.

"I did. Not a pleasant time, and I settled down as a Vigilant for the Ismenian houses fairly soon after." He smiled fondly, remembering the beauty of Leusenia and the white sands of the coast. "But as for me taking you as an apprentice, the Doge hasn't approved it. I could get Casimir in terrible trouble, and myself as well. One orphan boy, I doubt they'll care. But a grown woman? Two apprentices in less than six months?" He shook his head. "I can't put you at that kind of risk. Or myself."

Lena nodded. "That makes sense. But I didn't even want an apprenticeship. I could never do what you do. I just thought I might be an assistant. Someone to do regular work while you teach Cass. Fill in for him when he's doing something else, like tonight."

Ammas stared at her, his heart swelling with pity, and even more so with regret. He would like nothing better than to give Lena an escape from working for Laurette and the sort of men who visited brothels. If he could still expect the princess's payment of that bracelet, he might even have been able to do it. But his failure in treating her compelled him to reject payment, unless he could repair his error. "Lena, I'm sorry. I can't afford to take you full time. I wish I could."

"Part time?" she said hopefully.

"I would have to buy out your contract from Laurette whether I hired you full or part time. She's already complaining to Barthim about you. Some night it won't be Barthim on duty when I'd need you. It comes down to your contract. And I don't have the coin to do it." Ammas looked at her, then turned away and hurled his ewer into the dirt. "Gods damn it all, anyway. I'm sorry. I truly am."

"It's all right," Lena said softly. There was a resignation in her voice that told him she hadn't expected much else. A slender hand touched his shoulder and he could smell the lingering traces of her perfume. "But I am worried about you."