the Empire has become, and in the next you chide me for abandoning it. You
cannot have it both ways, dear brother.
I’ve told you about Vashanka. It will take many years, generations, before the
Empire disappears, but it is dead already, and it will be replaced by the people
of the new Vashanka. I’ve already made my choice.
But the priest had said all this, and more, to his brother and would not say it
again. “Hoxa,” he said, shaking Lowan from his thoughts, “I’ve been attacked in
the streets; I’ve been to the nursery where the child has killed one of my
oldest friends; my arm is on fire, and you talk to me about my wife! Is there
anything worthy of my attention in this forsaken pile of parchment before I go
fawn at the feet of Shupansea and tell her everything is under control again?”
“The Mageguild complains that we’ve not done enough to locate the Tysian Hazard,
Randal.”
“Not done enough! I’ve poured twenty soldats into our informers. I’d like to
know where the little weasel’s vanished to! Damn Mageguild: Wait till Randal’s
here; Randal can do that; Randal fought on Wizardwall-he can control the
weather. I could control the weather better than that damned pack of incanting
fools! Gyskouras is making the ground move. He’s three years old and his
tantrums are shaking the stones. We’ll have to go to the witch-bitch herself if
this keeps up-tell them that, Hoxa, with flourishes!”
“Yes, my Lord.” He shuffled the scrolls, dropping half of them. “There’s the
bill from the metal-master Balustrus for mending the temple doors. The Third