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“I owe you an apology The hu beaten”

“Quite alright, sire If she had not fallen, she would have been She is impertinent and deceitful”

“Is that so?”

I have not found her to be either of those things It is interesting that Tyvian seeiven that he is usually very kindly toward hu, above what I would have expected, even under torture And as for impertinent, she has flashes of humor which never rise to the bar of rudeness

“In my experience, yes, sire You would do well to be careful of what she says Remember, she was instrumental in the escape of the traitor Rath K’zar”

“I am careful of what everybody says, Tyvian Especially when they appear to have an agenda at play”

Tyvian bows his head, a gesture of submission which really only serves to hide his eyes I have never suspected Tyvian before

I do now

He justme that Rath K’zar escaped I was led to believe that the traitor was buried beneath the palace in the recent explosion Rath K’zar should be a fine paste between boulders night now But Tyvian used the word ‘escape’ Interesting Fuzkin’ interesting

Four

Krush

A day goes by, and then another There is much to consider, and I need not hurry If Rath K’zar has escaped, he has not done so simply to rush back into the city It is better for all concerned if I continue to pretend that I have been taken in by the conspiracy which has evidently hatched directly beneath my nose

I focus irl instead She is an easy captive to keep She sleeps quite contentedly in the cage at the foot of olden-barred enclosure is more comfortable than any bed she has had the fortune to sleep in before She has lived a life of extreme deprivation, a fact which confronts

“Out,” I say, unlocking her cage “It is time to eat”