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The Rainlords were briefly silent until Mevox piped up.

‘Why Moaban?’ the reaper asked.

Qorvass chimed in now. ‘We have a summer home there which can accommodate you all comfortably. It is a lovely place. Asad and Imas grew up there. We would invite you to Kuros, but we are not sure how our kin would react to your presence.’

“If you stay in your own territory, the Vanguard will be more likely to find you,” said Asad. “But my involvement in your affairs is still a secret, no? Therefore, I think it would be best if you relied on me in this case.”

“What are we supposed to do once in Moaban?” said Salvador. “Wait around and hope the Vanguard has a sudden change of heart? They have our kin!”

“It is a bad situation,” said Lord Abel, “but our priority now should be to regroup. We can determine our next move later. I believe we should accept Lord Asad’s hospitality and leave Luzo immediately.”

“Agreed,” said Amaya. “In fact, I believe we have already wasted too much time here arguing. The sooner we leave, the better.”

Lord Salvador grumbled but conceded a nod.

‘Alright, fine,’ said Mevox. ‘But what about--?’

The reaper stopped talking when the east door opened and a young attendant rushed up to Lord Abel and whispered something to him.

Abel stood up instantly. “I have just been told that the Lord Zeff Elroy has arrived in Luzo.”

Hector heard a chorus of gasps, but for his part, he was mainly just confused.

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The group gathered beneath the wide overhang of the modest building’s front entrance. Zeff and Axiolis lay unconscious in the back of a parked limousine while the reaper Ezura recounted the tale of what had happened to them and her servant, the Lady Evangelina Stroud.

Asad was still having trouble believing that was really Zeff lying there. A part of him had thought he would never see his old friend again, and these were strange circumstances in which to be proven wrong. But after listening to Ezura, it was difficult to feel very relieved.

The ruling Rainlords stood there alongside him, as did the Elroys and Hector. Everyone else who’d been present for negotiations had since dispersed, given instructions to prepare for an immediate departure.

Once Ezura was done talking, Lord Salvador eyed the Blackburns. “It seems you were not lying about Parson Miles.”

Lord Ismael merely returned a grim look.