Zeter slept for three days. When at last he awoke, he was stiff, hungry, and parched. A pitcher beside his bed was the first thing he reached for. Water never tasted so good and he downed the entire thing in a few gulps. Next to the pitcher was a small loaf of bread, some cheese, and a chunk of sausage.

“Bless the healers,” he sighed as he began to eat.

He knew better than to get up and out of bed. That was a sure fire way to get the healers all around him and fussing about how he was feeling. As long as he stayed in bed and ate, they’d leave him alone. He knew he’d been asleep for three days because a small stack of shaped stones were placed on the table beside his bed, marking how long he’d been here. After his other, recent stays with the healers, he’d figured out their method of keeping track of time.

Once he finished eating, a healer approached him.

“How are you?” she asked.

“A bit stiff,” Zeter said and then proceeded to answer the other questions he knew she’d be about to ask, “but no headache, my vision’s normal, no tingling in my fingers or toes. No ringing in my ears, and everything smells and tastes normal.”

“Very good,” she smiled as she made notes of all his answers on the small strip of parchment she was carrying. “Seems you’re getting pretty familiar with how we run things.”

“I’m just a quick learner.”

“Well, if you’re feeling well enough, I’d like to have you walk around the room a couple times to make sure your balance isn’t affected.”

“Sure,” Zeter said and got up out of bed.

The healer followed him around as he began to walk. His legs were a bit shaky but he put that down more to his prolonged stay in bed and lack of food rather than any effect from over-channeling.

“You come walking here often?” Zeter teased.

“Most days,” the healer replied, playing along and giving him a knowing look.

“I’ve only been a couple times but might make a habit of it.”

“I guess I’ll see you more often then.”

“How do you feel about bleeding eyes?”

“I try to prevent it, usually.”

“What about skin that turns to jelly?”

“I’ve only seen that once before and it was…memorable. I’d advise against it as well.”

“Hmm, what’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen come through here?”

“A rabbit,” the healer smirked, knowing that wasn’t what he’d been referring to. “It had a twisted ankle and limped on in here all on its own. We patched it up and sent it on its way.”

“Really?” Zeter asked, stopping in his tracks and turning to face the healer.

“Yes, really. It happened yesterday.”

“I think you had a shapeshifter in here, then.”

“A rabbit?”

“Do you see many rabbits inside the city?”

The healer thought for a moment but then shook her head.

“That’s because they’re not allowed in. They wreck crops when they get into them. And besides, how would a rabbit know to come to you for an injured leg?”

“Why wouldn’t they just turn back into a person to get their injury treated?”

“Maybe because they weren’t supposed to be inside the city,” Zeter explained. “Maybe they could get in as a rabbit but not as a person, see? Next time something like that happens, call for either Ketty or myself and let us check it out.”

She nodded and they finished their circuit around the room, stopping by the main doors.

“I guess you’re free to go, just try to avoid using any magic for another two or three days,” the healer checked off the final section on the parchment. “And I’ll keep an eye out for more rabbits.”

As soon as he left the healers, Zeter went looking for Jelvaic. It wasn’t a hard thing to do since Jelvaic tended to stay put in the administrative building these days. There was, as always, a queue, but the person organizing everything let Zeter jump to the head of the line. It was only a short wait before he was let in to see Jelvaic.

“You should be resting,” the large man said the moment he saw Zeter.

Zeter waved the comment aside as he took a seat. “There might be spies in the city disguising themselves as animals. One of the healers told me about a rabbit that came to them with an injured leg.”

Jelvaic didn’t respond at first, instead pursing his lips and steepling his fingers.

“I know,” he said at last. “I suspect they’re from Shinrai. They have an encampment outside the city, like the Sages, though they took greater care to keep it hidden until recently. They contacted us about a shipment of supplies they want to bring into Ichiba Wa, now that it’s safe. A gesture of good will, they say. They also want to buy any crops we might have ready.”

“The crops I can understand,” Zeter said, knowing that Shinrai was dependent on Yomichi for a lot of their food, “but why would they be sneaking into the city?”

“Same reason as everyone else,” Jelvaic shrugged. “Akumu’s gone so there’s an opportunity for anyone and everyone to try and move in here and take what we have.”

“Can we refuse Shinrai, then?”

Jelvaic shook his head.

“We need those supplies. And if we don’t begin selling our crops then we’ll run out of income for the city.”

“Announce a rabbit hunting contest within the city?”

Jelvaic laughed darkly but again he shook his head.

“No, but I might have everyone do an audit on their livestock and pets. Anything out of the ordinary will be investigated. I might also put out a general warning to everyone, Sages, Shinrai, and anyone else that comes along, that we’ll be culling any odd animals we find. Might make them think twice about it. Now then, if that’s everything, I want you to go home and rest. Put your feet up, eat a good meal, and don’t bother yourself with the needs of the city for a while.”

“Alright,” Zeter said as he rose from his seat. “I just wanted to make sure you were aware.

“Thank you,” Jelvaic waved him off and Zeter left.

He didn’t go straight home, however. He had one last stop to make along the way. Ketty’s home wasn’t far from his own, perhaps to make it easier for Jelvaic to keep an eye on all those associated with the Sages of the Mercurial Robe. Whatever the reason, he knocked on Ketty’s door and was surprised when Armand opened it. He looked pale but not sickly and his hands were steady.

“Yes?” Armand said.

“Is Ketty around?”

“No.”

The boy wasn’t much for conversation and his expression said even less.

“Any idea when she’ll be around?”

“No.”

“Alright, then. Just tell her to keep an eye out for anyone shape shifting as animals in the city.”

“Okay.”

Armand shut the door.

Well, that was a little odd but not terribly so. She’d probably instructed him to treat anyone who came to the door that way. Though, why have him answer the door at all if that was the case? Zeter could send her message spell but he still wasn’t supposed to use magic and this wasn’t exactly an emergency. He just wanted her to be keeping an eye out as well, and to let her know he was aware of the situation in case this was another ploy by the Sages and not Shinrai. A subtle warning that the city knew what was going on and to get any Sages out before they got caught.