- Franklin warns Sadima never to go in Somiss's room—not even to clean—and then he walks her to a nearby well so that she'll know where to fetch water.
- They talk about Somiss: he comes from a wealthy family, and his mom sends him money, but his dad's worried about the king learning of his activities.
- The problem is that kings don't want people doing magic, so this hobby that Somiss pursues could be very dangerous.
- Since Sadima has been listening in on the interviews Somiss conducts, she tells Franklin that Somiss should be asking not only for songs, but also for information on when they sing the songs and what they mean. Franklin agrees to pass this on to Somiss as it should be helpful.
- Sadima talks with a Gypsy woman at the well, and Franklin tells her about how the Gypsies speak the old language, which might have some links to magic. Somiss tried to learn it from them, but a bunch of Gypsies beat him up.