"You should not have come here without Duke Aventine."
Vica turned to look up at the wizened old man behind them. He was garbed head to toe in white, face nearly entirely covered by a triangular piece of fabric that hung over his nose and mouth, but the wrinkled skin around his eyes betrayed his age. When had he sneaked up? "Well, we have," she said. "And...we need help. You mentioned the duke. Are you, uh, the person we should be meeting?"
"I was."
She and Dresden got to their feet, watching the hunched-over figure with wary eyes. "Was? But not anymore?"
"Things have come to light during his short absence. What Duke Aventine believed to be only the beginning of a plague, simple to snuff, has turned out to be more widespread than we thought. You two should have passed by and avoided th
