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‘Do you really think we’re going to find anything?’ said Roman.

‘I don’t know,’ said Voreese. ‘That’s the point of searching, my dear boy. To dispel uncertainty.’

‘Okay, but you were the reaper of this place’s creator. So shouldn’t you already know about any hidden areas?’

‘Sure, apart from, y’know, the thousand-year gap between when I last visited and now. Wouldn’t exactly be surprising to discover that one of its many inhabitants since then made some sneaky additions.’

As Roman was about to respond, he lost the balance of his hovering technique and had to catch himself on the floor. “Tch.” He took a moment to regather his concentration and begin hovering again.

‘Maybe you should focus more on your technique and less on running your mouth,’ said Voreese.

‘Oh, well, my mouth’s not actually moving, so I guess it’s fine,’ said Roman.

‘Heh. Feel free to shut the fuck up, anyway, if the mood strikes you.’

‘It doesn’t. Besides, I’m sure you’d just get bored if I did that.’

‘That’s actually true. I just like telling you to shut the fuck up. Don’t actually do it, though. I’ll get upset.’

‘You’re a complicated woman, Voreese.’

‘Unfortunately, brilliance and simplicity rarely go hand-in-hand. That’s always been my problem. Woe is me.’ And she pretended to cry.

Roman decided to ignore that and change the subject. ‘Wanna tell me more about Warrenhold’s genius creator? Stasya Orlov, wasn’t it?’

‘Oh, you remembered. How uncharacteristically intelligent of you.’

‘Somehow, I knew you were going to say that.’

‘And yet you did nothing to preempt or prevent it. You’re just getting lazy now, aren’t you? Or too comfortable, maybe. Guess I’ll have to find some new way to keep you on your toes.’

‘You know what would really shock me? You giving me a straightforward, sincere answer for a change. Truly, I wouldn’t know what to do.’

‘Sounds lame.’

They arrived at a corridor that branched off into multiple rooms. He picked the nearest one, holding up his lantern as he hovered into the darkness.

The chamber proved larger than he expected, almost big enough to be a banquet hall. It was still totally empty, though, so there was no telling what its intended purpose might’ve been. Assuming it even had one.

‘So? What was Stasya like?’

‘The complete opposite of you,’ said Voreese. ‘I really miss her.’

Roman floated toward the far wall. If the point of this venture was to find hidden areas, then he had to inspect the walls thoroughly. Maybe there was a hole or loose stone somewhere.

‘She was a troubled soul, in many ways,’ the reaper went on, unprompted, which surprised Roman. ‘Hated interacting with people. Seemed happiest whenever she could lose herself in her work.’