He tried the sleeping chambers next, but all he found were two corpses dining at the table by the entrance, scraping their food-sticks over empty plates. One of them wore prayer rings around her upper arms and had a decayed alapu on her lap; the other had rusted metal legs and a chunky gold amulet. Bile shooting into Jespar’s throat, he couldn’t hold back a gasp. The corpses turned their heads and looked at him, their lips moving but no sounds coming out.
