Resa writes questions for Elinor to answer about Mo and Meggie, and then they are taken along with Basta into the church and put into a cage together.
Capricorn tells the assembled people—mostly his men, but the maids are there too—that the three prisoners are to be punished for treachery, loose talk, and stupidity.
There's a disruption—the bell is ringing, signaling that there's a fire. Capricorn says it's not a big deal, and then brings a bloody rag out of a sack and says that it's proof that Silvertongue and Dustfinger are dead.
Elinor tries to reassure Resa that it's not true, they must be alive—who else would've started the fire?