Annan was like a donkey or a horse. He kept his head down and trudged ahead, leaving his companions to follow behind and pick up the droppings he left in his wake—more or less.
Annan had handed Lilith the Mage Tower as though he were giving away trust wholesale, so Idelia and the others had to check whether Lilith deserved it.
The person who knew Lilith best was the maid Abby, who brought food and books to her room every day. Next was Olmedo, who said Lilith had shut herself indoors in Shelter Harbor Town as though imprisoning herself.
Lilith mostly read books on history, scholarship, and illustrated guides—the sort Annan never touched. She rarely spoke, and the few words she did say were to Annan. Apparently, even a Tower Spirit wasn't immune to his charm.
After looking into all this, and considering that Lilith had come with them from Star-Moon Bay, Idelia had another talk with her.
"What do you want?"
"I don't know. Teacher Asimov told me to follow Annan."
"So you did?"
"Mm."
"What if your teacher told you to betray Annan?"
"Then I'd do as my teacher said."
Lilith's honesty gave Idelia pause. "Can you tell me about your teacher?"
"He's the director of the Grand Library in the Rikaner Kingdom..."
As Idelia listened, she compared Lilith's account with what she knew of Asimov. He had given the Second Prince's Life Casket to Annan in the hope that Annan would revive him. Did that make Lilith his "payment"?
"How do you like Gemstone... Free City?"
"The room is bigger than the one in Star-Moon Bay, and the view is better."
"Don't you want to go outside for a while?"
Lilith raised her serene eyes. "I'm fine staying here..."
"What would you think of having a Mage