Bambridge, accompanied by the sneaky Skreek Kilri and a team of co-conspirators, sets in motion a plan to distract the guards of the Temple with fireworks (already on edge due to the recent Babelite attack), and then to slip in unnoticed. The Shiga and Skreek make their way through the Temple, until they find a bricked-up passage to the upper level of Nimiss' office. Kilri splits off to find some boxes of forms to hide the reopened passageway, but doesn't immediately come back.

The Wooden Shekel at last heads in on his own, finding a stash of money, some useful items, and the files he came for – with a bit of misadventure in the process of doing so. Disaster strikes as a Jupani guard discovers the reopened doorway, and Bambridge has to flee! Kilri shows up in the nick of time to throw off his pursuers, and together they escape the Temple.

In the presence of Faraon the Friend, a golden dragon crimelord, Bambridge is paid handsomely for his work, and allowed to question a Faceless One about his involvement with the death of an Eeee opera star. He finds out that not only is he not involved with that death … but that the "victim" had faked his own death, and was not actually murdered at all.

It's now time for Bambridge to take a vacation from Rephidim. Perhaps to the Nagai Empire.