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But no. The Monster of the East was too isolated and self-obsessed to see anything of the big picture. Or he just flatly didn't care.

There were many people whom Vanderberk hated in this world, but there may have been none moreso than Gohvis. And not just because the Monster had humiliated him, either.

The lord of the mutants was immune to reason--and a bastard, besides. How much better would this war be going for Abolish if that lazy piece of shit had actually gotten involved? Even just a little?

Vanderberk knew the root of the problem. Gohvis didn't see any of them as comrades or even peers. He placed himself on the same level as Dozer and Morgunov--hell, maybe even higher. Such was his overblown ego. Vanderberk so badly would've liked to see one of the emperors humble that unruly lizard. And the more time that went by, the more likely it seemed that such a clash was inevitable. Vanderberk only hoped that he would be there when it happened.

A knock on the office door arrived, and Vanderberk looked up. "Enter," he said in Valgan.

A vaguely familiar face appeared. One of runners, though Vanderberk couldn't recall the name. There was usually no point. Here in Abolish, runners didn't last long enough to warrant remembering. It was probably among the deadliest jobs in the world.

"For you, sir." The runner placed a note on the desk, gave a quick bow, and then was off again, satchel bouncing against his waist as he sped away.

Wise to not stay. Maybe that one would survive longer than most. Bad news tended to bring out the worst in him and his men.

It was not bad news, however. Just an update from the Rainlords. They had suggested another location to meet.

There had been an annoying back-and-forth between him and them while they tried to agree on where best to discuss things further. Obviously, if he'd let them have their first, second, or third choice of location, he would have been giving them an advantage. And while he did not fear them, there was no telling what kind of wily stunt they might try to pull here. Supposedly, they were too honorable for that sort of thing, but they were also wounded and desperate, right now. In a way, that made them more dangerous than normal, not less. It made them unpredictable.

So he'd been refusing their suggested meeting places, and they had been doing the same.