10. The Horsegroom

Freed from gaol, Kinch retrieves his belongings and eats, then reasons where Galva would have gone, focusing on Ispanthian wine sellers. He follows this trail to Splitbridge and an inn offering baths and lodging, guessing Galva would prize cleanliness and economy. He stakes out windows and confirms steam in one room.

Climbing to peek with a mirror, Kinch sees Galva bathing. He notes her missing breasts replaced by expert tattoos—a raven, a skeletal hand, and a sword with flowers—signs of her order and vows, and senses her strong magic more clearly without armor. Hearing a maid arrive with wine and hot water, he slips inside to hide behind Galva’s shield.

The maid attempts to sell sexual services using coded terms. Galva, misunderstanding, speaks earnestly about horses, especially mares surviving plague. The code collides with literal meaning, leading the maid to perform a comic pantomime of a horse, whinnying on hands and knees. Kinch cannot help laughing, revealing himself.

Galva reacts fast, hauls Kinch from hiding by nape and groin, and hurls him into the bath, then smacks him lightly with her shield. The farce defuses; they exchange quips about mares and horsegrooms, and Galva dresses as the laughter subsides.

When Kinch opens the window to vent steam, he hears the familiar cry of the blind cat in the street below. The cat’s return punctuates the scene, reconnecting Kinch with the creature that has been trailing him.