Meanwhile, Aitrus continues his study of the ghost-roads at the clock tower. His first tentative investigations have come to little. The roads are either broken or incomplete. The latest one opens up into an alley of pure spiritual silence, and this isn't the first time that Aitrus has felt this. Something is happening in Crow's Foot that is draining small sections of the district of all its spiritual energy.
Both Whispers seek answers in the counsel of the demon, Setarra, who is currently giving advice to many other Whispers working for Bosk, the Spirit Warden in charge of clearing out the surge of hungry spirits in Crow's Foot. Setarra tells Nor that she knows that Oslo is working with another Whisper, probably one of the many hired by the Wardens, but she does not know which one. For Aitrus, she has more information to give. She points him in the direction of the hooded proprietor and offers him help in his continued study of the clock tower. Before leaving to meet with the proprietor, Setarra asks the pair to investigate a brothel called The Leg Up in the docks. It's another possible point of silence. The pair agree to look.
At the hooded proprietor's, located in a half-sunken building in a grotto close to the docks, Aitrus learns of a spark-engineer named Breen who works in Six Towers. The points of silence, he surmises, could be the result of a device, but he knows not what kind of device. Breen might know, and Aitrus should seek her out.
On their way back, they stop by The Leg Up and discover that the whole brothel is devoid of spiritual energy even though it's occupied. A whole building of hollows, something neither have ever heard of. They flee the area before they are discovered.
Shortly after, Nor runs into Gen, one of his wastrels, who tells him that Oslo is working with a Whisper and is going into the Isidor Manor to help ensnare spirits. The Whisper is using him as bait, Nor realizes.
It's been a long time since the pair have been to the Isidor Manor. For all undesireables in Crow's Foot, stepping foot in Isidor's Manor is a rite of passage. Whether you're hiding from the law, experimenting with the unnatural, needing a place to sleep or steal, Isidor's Manor has always been a somewhat more safe place for the young criminals in Crow's Foot to get their feet wet. Scaling the walls outside the manor and making their way through the wild, overgrown and dark gardens, they hear Oslo scream deep inside the building. Nor dashes inside while Aitrus takes in the area, seeing a strange well-dressed figure in an ornate wooden mask staring back at him from across the lawn. Before he can react, the well-dressed Whisper takes his leave and Aitrus rushes in to help Nor.
Inside, Oslo is chased by a roiling tide of corrupted, deranged spirits. Nor catches up to him on the second floor landing and barely gets his shield up in time. While the ghosts tear and gnash at his defenses, Aitrus arrives and finds a ticking sound coming off the boy. A box is attached to Oslo and it's ticking faster. Managing to remove the box, Aitrus tosses it through the shield and into the mass of ghosts just before opens.
It's an explosion in reverse, a sudden void that pulls in all spiritual energy around it, including the kind that lives within the three Whispers. Managing to hold onto their own spirits, the box closes and they collapse onto the ground, completely overwhelmed by the sudden silence around them.
Nor offers Oslo a home. The boy takes it.
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