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the important matters previously brought forth, in addition to matters concerning the whole of the country as well as its neighbors.
    In the past, they had asked Corenn to report on her search for magicians. For a long time now, that no longer interested many members. And so they went straight to foreign affairs.
    The discourse on trade, taxes, and international competition annoyed her even more than the village quarrels. Unfortunately, this part was the most time-consuming.
    Then the Mother of Global Relations proudly announced the final ratification of a peace treaty with Romine. Everyoneapplauded and congratulated her. Though for some time now Romine had no longer deserved its title of High Kingdom and only had a very weak military force, it was still best to ensure neighborly relations.
    They then discussed an increase in port traffic, a problem that had just been brought before the Council of Villages and hadn’t been resolved. The Mothers attempted to draft a piece of legislation, but it quickly became clear that none of them were very knowledgeable on the subject. They decided to carry out a study and consult an expert, a task entrusted to the Memory committee. They would then revisit the matter.
    Since they had already made significant progress in the day’s agenda and the principal matters had already been looked over, the Ancestress suggested that they take up the remaining business the following dékade. Everyone accepted with relief, as they were weary from the string of meetings, which had gone from the third to the sixth deciday.
    Corenn was gathering her things when Wyrmandis, the Mother of Justice, approached her.
    “Do you know a Xan? He’s a sculptor from Partacle, I believe.”
    Yes, she knew him well. He was the one in charge of organizing the upcoming meeting of the heirs. He and Corenn corresponded regularly; she truly admired the gentle and thoughtful man, one of the few who didn’t consider the gift of magic a monstrous deformity, but rather a talent, a skill to be perfected.
    “Yes, actually. How did you know?”
    “I’m sorry to inform you, but he’s dead.”
    Corenn was shaken. Wyrmandis waited a while, uncomfortably. She seemed to be waiting impatiently for the questions that Corenn was inevitably going to ask her.
    “What happened to him?”
    “He was killed in his own home, along with his wife and three children. I’m sorry,” she repeated.
    Ermeil too. Richa. Garolfo. And what was the youngest’s name again? She couldn’t remember anymore. Dead. All of them were dead.
    “They didn’t suffer. I believe they were sleeping when it happened. According to the information I received from Goran, they were poisoned.”
    Corenn swallowed painfully. Weakened by shock, her voice was merely a murmur.
    “Poisoned? They were murdered?”
    “Yes. In fact...”
    Wyrmandis pulled her to the side and lowered her voice.
    “It’s almost certain that it was the Züu. That’s why I received the information.”
    Corenn understood. The Züu hadn’t set foot in Kaul for decades, and everyone wanted it to stay that way. The Justice committee was responsible for keeping a close watch on the murderers’ activities, the world over.
    “But why? Why would the Züu have wanted to eliminate Xan and his family? Who would have wanted that?”
    “I have no idea. I was hoping you could tell me. The Goranese are also baffled. Recently the Züu have been going after a number of people who are nothing like their usual targets, which include nobility, priests, and bourgeois.”
    A terrible suspicion suddenly came over Corenn, leaving her frozen in horror.
    “Do you have the names of these people? Of the unusual victims, I mean.”
    “Yes, of course I do, they’re included in my report. I can recite a few by memory: there was a Goranese soldier, a Lorelien nobleman, a Sailor from Lineh, or from Yiteh, I believe, and an herbalist from Pont...”
    Corenn felt as if the ground had split open right under her