I lazily knocked her rapier away from Rokhin with a gauntlet, talons extending just enough to catch the blade before quietly snicking back into their grooves. She looked at me somewhat petulantly and sheathed the weapon.

“The Keeper and I have been… discussing my intention of sending Tallis out to look for Kourser, accompanied by Gearwing 04 and 19 here.”

Rokhin calmly finished pouring the Farvis and handed the glasses to us. I suppressed a surge of guilt at using him in this way – he was the Assistant Messagemaster and I should really have called a servant, in all honesty. But he had never complained, which was one reason why I had chosen him over all the pampered, overambitious lord’s sons in the first place. I was in many ways an absolute hypocrite.

“The weather outside is terrible, sir. If we send Tallis out, we may yet lose him too.”

Keeper gave me a look and sat back in her chair, arms crossed.

“Your assistant sees more sense than you do.”