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'You might be right about that,' said Garovel, 'but I find it a little hard to believe that Morgunov would be afraid of anything. All accounts that I've heard of the guy have painted him as an absolute lunatic who loves battle, even when he is losing.'

'Don't bother trying to make that argument,' said Worwal. 'I've told Abbas the same and more a hundred times over. His mind is made up on this particular matter.'

'Fair enough.'

"Morgunov loves the image that the masses have of him," said Abbas. "This idea that he is incapable of fear, immune to worry, that he is in so many ways an immovable genius beyond the scope of normal human understanding--these are all music to his ears. Propaganda to help sow the seeds of fear. In the end, he is just a man like any other."

Damn. Hector wasn't sure whose word to trust more here, but he had to admire Abbas' passion, at least. If nothing else, it was clear that the Lord Saqqaf had been thinking about the problem of Morgunov for a very long time now. And with the conquest of Sair, Abbas was probably feeling more strongly about it than ever.

Abbas wasn't done talking yet, though. "I've sometimes heard it said that if Dolf had only been more patient, he might have become an emperor himself one day, but I knew him better than anyone, and that simply wasn't his way. He was not a man who could abide mediocrity in virtually any aspect of his life. Every pursuit had to be given the entirety of his effort, and the Duels epitomized that part of him more than anything else. Frankly, I'm surprised he lived as long as he did. And I'm even more surprised his reaper went along with him.