"But you must know where he went, and about this tally."

"Said I don't. He packed up all his things, not that that was much, and bought himself a donkey for the journey, so I reckon it must be a goodly distance." He pointed his file over his shoulder toward the south. "Like I said, downcountry,

"The last thing he told me was to be sure I sent the tally to the palace, because he done the work and it was only fair that they pay for what was done. I asked him where to send the payment, as he done the work, but he said to use it to hire a new man. Said it was only fair what with him leaving me on such short notice,"

Verna considered her options. "I see." She watched him take a dozen strokes on his shovel, and then turned to Warren. "Go outside and wait for me."

"What!" he whispered heatedly. "Why do you — "

Verna held up a finger to silence him. "Do as I say. Take a little walk around the area to be sure.. our friends aren't looking for us." She leaned a little closer with a meaningful look. "They might be wondering if we need any assistance."

Warren straightened and glanced to the man filing his shovel. "Oh. Yes, all right, I'll go look and see where our friends have gotten to." He fumbled with the silver brocade on his sleeve. "You won't be long, will you?"

"No. I'll be out shortly. Go on now, and see if you see them anywhere."

After Verna heard the front door shut, Sproul glanced over his shoulder. "Answer's still the same. I told you what.."

Verna produced a gold coin in her fingers. "Now, Master Sproul, you and I are going to have a candid conversation. What's more, you are going answer my questions truthfully."

He frowned suspiciously. "Why'd you send him out?"

She no longer made an effort to show him a pleasant smile. "The boy has a weak stomach."

He took an unconcerned stroke with his file. “I told you the truth. If you want a lie, then just tell me and I'll build you one to fit."

Verna shot him a menacing scowl, "Don't you even think of lying to me. You may have told the truth, but not all the truth there is to tell. Now, you are going to tell me the rest of it, either in exchange for this token of my appreciation — " Verna used her Han to snatch the file from his hand and send it sailing up into the air until it vanished from sight. "—or in appreciation for my sparing you any unpleasantness."

Whistling with speed, the file streaked out of the sky to slam into the ground, burying itself a scant inch from the gravedigger's toes. Only the tang stuck above the dirt, and that glowed red. With angry mental effort, she drew the hot steel up in a long, thin line of molten metal. Its white-hot glow illuminated his shocked expression, and she, too, could feel the sizzling heat on her face. His eyes had gone wide.

She waggled a finger, and the ductile line of glowing steel wavered before his eyes, dancing in time with her finger's movement. She swirled her finger and the hot steel coiled around the man, holding mere inches from his flesh.

"One twitch of my finger, Master Sproul, and I bind you up in your file." She opened her hand, holding her palm up. A howl of flame ignited, hovering obediently in the air. "After I have you bound up, then I will start at your feet, and I'll cook you an inch at a time, until you give me the whole truth."

His crooked teeth chattered. "Please…"

She brought the coin up in her other hand, and showed him a humorless smile. "Or, as I say, you can choose to tell me the truth in exchange for this token of my appreciation."

He swallowed, eyeing the hot metal around him, and the hissing flame in her hand. "It seems I do recall some more of it. I'd be most pleased if you'd let me set the story straight with the rest I'm now remembering."

Verna extinguished the flame above her hand, and with an abrupt effort, flipped the Han's heat to its opposite, to bitter cold. The glow left the meta! like a candle's flame being snuffed. The steel went from red hot to icy black, and shattered, the fragments dropping around the stiff gravedigger like hail.

Verna lifted his hand and pressed the gold into it, closing his fingers around the coin. "I'm so sorry. I seem to have broken your file. This will more than cover it, I'm sure."

He nodded. It was likely more gold than the man could earn in a year. "I've got more files. It's nothing."

She laid a hand on his shoulder. "AH right, Master Sproul, why don't you tell me what else you remember about that tally." She tightened her grip. "Every last bit of it, no matter how unimportant you consider it. Understand?"

He licked his lips. "Yes. I'll tell you every bit. Just like I said, Ham did the work. I didn't know nothing about it. Said he had some digging to do for the palace, but nothing more. Ham's the closemouthed sort, and I never paid it no mind.

"Right after, he broke it on me, real sudden like, that he was quitting, and going off to live with his daughter, just like I told you. He was always talking about going to live with his daughter, before he had to dig his own hole, but he didn't have no money and she's no better off, so I never paid him no mind. Then he bought that donkey, a good one, too, so I knew he weren't mooning this time. He said he didn't want the money from the work for the palace. Said to hire a new man to help me.

"Well, the next night, before he left, he brought over a bottle of liquor. Good stuff what cost more than the bottles we always bought. Ham never could keep a secret from me when he gets to drinking, everyone knows the truth of that. He don't tell what he shouldn't to others, understand, he's a man to be trusted, but he'll tell me everything, if he's been drinking."

Vema took her hand back. "I understand. Ham is a good man, and your friend. I don't want you to worry about betraying a confidence, Milton. I'm a Sister. You aren't doing wrong to confide in me, and you need not fear I will bring trouble to you for it."

He nodded, clearly relieved, and managed a weak smile. "Well, like I said, we had that bottle, and we was talking old times. He was leaving, and I knew I'd be missing him. You know. We was together for a long time, not that we didn't…"

"You were friends. I understand. What did he say?"

He loosened his collar.”Well, we was drinking, and feeling all misty-eyed about breaking up. That bottle was stronger than what we was used to. I asked him where his daughter lived, so I could send him the pay from the tally to help out with things. I got this place, after all, and I can get by. I got work. But Ham says no, he don't need it. Don't need it! Well, I was powerful curious after he said that. I asked him where he got money, and he said he saved it. Ham never saved nothing. If he had it, it was because he just got it, that's all, and hadn't spent it yet.

"Well, that's when he told me to be sure to send the tally to the palace. He was real insistent, I guess because he felt bad about leaving me with no help. So, I asks him, 'Ham, who'd you put in the ground for the palace? »

Milton leaned toward her, lowering his voice to a gravely whisper. "Didn't put no one in the ground, Ham says, 'I took 'em out. »

Verna snatched the man's dirty collar. "What! He dug someone up? Is that what he meant? He dug someone up?"

Milton nodded. "That's it. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Digging up the dead? Putting 'em in the ground don't bother me, it's what I do, but the idea °f digging 'em up gives me the shivers. Seems a desecration. Course, at the time, we was drinking to old times and all, and we was in stitches over it."

Verna's mind was racing in every direction at once. "Who did he exhume? And on whose orders?"

"All's he said was 'for the palace. »

"How long ago?"

"A good long time. I don't remember.. wait, it was after the winter solstice, not long after, maybe just a couple of days."