...Aleck and Beth huddled under the robe behind the pillar, listening. More people came in, exchanging greetings and bantering. Now and then they heard the croaking voice of the Elder asking, "Are we all here yet?" or "Who's still missing?" Beth peeked around the side of the pillar, keeping the hem of the Robe carefully over her head, and retreated. Her eyes met Aleck's. She shrugged. Aleck peered around his side of the pillar and saw a dozen gray-robed Keepers and the Cook arranging pillows and seating themselves in a circle. He ducked back.

   "Before we begin," rumbled the deep voice of the Cook, "I'd like to ask about this. I found it perched on top of the statue of Kaios in the hall."

   "Looks like a crow," someone said.

   "Yes, but it isn't," said the Cook.

   "Dead crow?" suggested someone. Several people laughed.

   "A dead crow is still a crow," said someone else.

   "It's not a crow on the inside," said the Cook. "It smells like sawdust and metal. And something burnt I don't recognize. It's got no trace of the bay on it, so it didn't fly here from shore. Not recently, anyway."

   "Really?" asked the Elder. "It couldn't be one of the Archivist's Crow Terminals, could it? Those haven't been seen since the Great Breach!"

   The Cook sniffed at the Crow Terminal.

   "Why is it called a 'Crow Terminal'?" asked someone.

   "What's a 'terminal'?" asked another.

   "That's the name given in the old records," said the Elder. "I remember researching the matter once, long ago, but I never found an adequate explanation of the term. Only a description of their purpose."

   "It smells like old Archive dust," affirmed the Cook. "I'd say it's been here a long, long time. It smells faintly of a person, too, but no one I recognize."

   "Could this have anything to do with what you came to tell us, Cook?" asked someone.

   "Don't know," said the Cook. "The Elder Keeper thought it was auspicious for a crow to appear just now, me being a huntlie, but I have no idea."

   "What is the Crow Terminal supposed to do," asked someone, "aside from look like a crow and smell like sawdust?" Laughter.

   "The Archivist could see and speak through his Crow Terminals," said the Elder.

   "Try it," said someone.

   "Try what?" asked someone else.

   "Yes, see if you can speak to the Archivist through it!" said a third.

   "Archivist!" croaked the Elder, in a loud voice. "Great Thoth, eternal Keeper of our Archive! Can you hear me?"

   A long moment of silence followed.

   "I say we forget about it for now," said someone.

   "Let's get on with the Bone Council," said another.

   "What if someone's using it to spy on us?" asked another.

   "Using it how? It doesn't do anything."

   "Let us begin," said the Elder. "Cook, please be so kind as to place it in the middle with the Sacred Bone. Are there any objections?"

   Several people said No, while others muttered or whispered briefly; then silence. Then a sound broke the silence that Aleck remembered well: the clatter of beads as the Cook rattled the Shinbone of Kaios.

   Then a long silence.

   Aleck peered around the side of the pillar. The Cook and the dozen Keepers sat in silence, the Crow Terminal and bead-wrapped Shinbone resting in the middle of the circle. No one moved. He ducked back. Beth looked at him. He shrugged. Beth looked around the other side of the pillar for a moment, then turned back to Aleck. He shrugged again.

   The silence continued.

   Beth and Aleck simultaneously looked around the sides of the pillar, Beth tugging the corner of the Robe from Aleck's grip. He jerked back behind the column. While re-draping the robe over him, Beth mouthed the word "Sorry!" Aleck silently puffed out of his cheeks and raised his eyebrows.

   The silence of the Bone Council continued.

   Aleck's eyes strayed over the lines of text carved into the surface of the pillar. English! Akaz had told him there was a reason why the people of Kaios-X23 spoke English, but never explained what it was. Seeing the writing on the pillar startled him. He had spoken English with folk of all sorts on Kaios-X23, seen it on a few signs and buildings in Melkhaios, but he never never saw a book or a block of text here. It seemed incongruous and eerie. Why in god's name do they speak English? he thought. He looked at Beth, who was reading the patch of pillar in front of her. Damn it, Beth, I need to talk to you.... I wish we had our telepaphones, why didn't I grab those? Dammit...? He scowled and turned to face the pillar. I wish these clowns would start whatever it is they're doing....

   He read:


      ...Beware the third of them:
      shaking a bone-rattle, he
      stabs you with arrows. He
      rallies the secret teachers
      to harbor your undoing....


   Beads clattered against the metal Shinbone of Kaios, shocking Aleck--he jumped, and started to exclaim, "What the--!" The "wh--" exploded from his mouth before he could stifle it. Beth looked at him, wide-eyed. They froze. The rattle continued--it had covered the sound of Aleck's voice. They both exhaled silently with relief.

   Aleck jabbed his finger at the word "bone-rattle" and mouthed the words, "I just read this!"

   "What?" mouthed Beth.

   "This! It's about the Cook!" mouthed Aleck.

   "What?" mouthed Beth, irritated. She craned her neck to read what Aleck was pointing at, raised her eyebrows, furrowed them and looked at Aleck. She pointed towards the sound of the shinbone rattle. Aleck nodded, vigorously. Beth raised her eyebrows again.

   The rattle stopped. "Friends," rumbled the deep voice of the Cook. "I have requested this Council in order to reveal to you the visions I have recently had in rattle-trance...."