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The Napan scowled ‘And how many hundreds of spies do we have in this caine she will perers?’
‘Your flaw, Korbolo Dom, is that you think in a strictly linear fashion Ask that question again, only this ti suspicions about us’
The High Mage was too distracted to notice the Napan’s half-step forward, one hand lifting But Korbolo Dom’s blow died at that very e reached him His eyes sloidened Then he shook his head ‘No, that would be too great a risk to take A Claw let loose in this caer everyone- there would be no way to predict their targets-’
‘Would there be a need to?’
‘What do you slayers , Korbolo Doions at Aren More, we also possess the e cadre for the Ar that army on the day of battle? How many reasons do the Claw need to strike at us, and at us specifically? What chance would Sha’ik have if ere all dead? Why kill Sha’ik at all? We can fight this ithout her and her daoddess-we’ve done it before And we’re about to-’
‘Enough of that, Kaoddess will permit a Claw to infiltrate… in order to deal with us With you, Febryl andpossibility, but I still think it reoddess is too heavy-handed, too ensnared by emotion, to think with such devious, insidious clarity’
‘She does not have to initiate the scheme, Korbolo Dom She need only comprehend the offer , and then decide either to acquiesce or not It is not her clarity that is relevant, but that of Laseen’s Claw And do you doubt the cleverness of Topper?’
Growling under his breath, Korbolo Dom looked away for a oddess being in no mind to accept communication from the Empress, from Topper, or anyone else who refuses to kneel to her will You have thought yourself into a nightmare, Kamist Reloe, and now you invite e We are well protected, and too far advanced in our efforts for all of this fretting’
‘I have survived this long, Korbolo Do what my enemies would attempt Soldiers say no plan of battle survives contact with the enee is the very opposite Plans derive from persistent contact with the enemy Thus, you proceed on your terms, and I will proceed on mine’
‘As you like Now, leave e stopped pacing to fix the Napan with an unreadable look for aabout and left the chamber
Korbolo listened until he heard the flap in the outer room swish open, then close He listened on, and was satisfied to hear the draws being tightened by one of his bodyguards positioned just outside the entrance
Draining the last of the wine- damned expensive but tastes no different frooblet down and strode to the mass of cushions at the far end Beds in every rooain, those other ones are not for sleeping in, are they No, only this one …
In the front room on the other side of the silk partitions, the wo on her own heap of cushions, where Korbolo had left her so of durhang-like any other intoxicant-created a process of diminishment of its effects Until, while a layer of insensate nus as having her head yanked up by her hair then dropped back down-cool awareness reeous, as well, the rituals her master had inflicted upon her, rituals that eliminated the weakness of pleasure There could be no loss of control, not any s, for of feelings she had none An easy surrender, she had found to her delight, for there had been little in her life before her initiation to seed warm remembrances of childhood
And so she ell suited to this task Uttering the right sounds of pleasure to disguise her indifference to all of Korbolo Dowith phleg, for as much time as was needed, before the subtle, tasteless drops she had added to his wine took effect
When she could hear his deep, slow breaths that told her he would not easily awaken, she rolled onto her side in a fit of coughing When it had passed she paused again, just to be certain that the Napan still slept Satisfied, she clambered to her feet and tottered to the tent flap