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“Well, well, well!” came the familiar intonations of the Mad Demon. “Looks like ol’ Morgy here is the only one in the know! But that’s nothing new, now is it? You guys are always playing catch-up, aren’tcha?”

“What nonsense are you spewing now?” said Dozer.

“He’s not after your pet lizard, Dozy. Weren’t you paying attention? He’s clearly after Germal. Just like I am, as it so happens! What a coinkidink, eh?!”

“Hmph.” Dozer looked between the two of them as Koh debated trying to circumvent him and resume attacking. “Why the sudden turn? By my recollection, he has been the Liar’s stalwart companion for near a century already.”

“Why, you ask? Because, like me, he understands that it’s the right thing to do!”

“You cannot possibly be attempting to moralize at me, Nibas. You, of all people.”

“Look, I’m tryin’ somethin’ new. Maybe I’ve undergone something of a change, myself! Maybe I’m a new man!”

“If only that were possible,” came another voice from the left, this one feminine, belonging to the empress Sai-hee. And along with it, the whirling storm around them began to dampen, somewhat. Not in fury, but merely in noise. As though they had been put into a protective bubble, of sorts, with less need to speak in such intense voices. “More likely, this is yet another of your obnoxious games. You know nothing of the Man-Eater’s motivations, do you? You’re merely spinning yarns again.”

Morgunov clutched his chest. “My darling Saya! Say it isn’t so! You don’t really view me that way, do you?!”

She made no response.

Koh couldn’t help turning and growling at Morgunov.

“Whoa there, buddy. What’s your problem now, huh?”

In spite of everything, a part of Koh had actually begun to hope that the Mad Demon knew enough of the true circumstances here, that he would be able to articulate Koh’s position for him. But the more he listened to the man speak, the less likely that was seeming.

And it was rather irritating, to say the least.

Morgunov chortled as he looked over the others. “Honestly, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually on the dog’s side now!”

“How could that possibly be?” said the empress. “You are making even less sense than usual, Nibas.”

“I know, right?! I feel like I should be holding a bigger grudge, considering he just got done biting me in the face seventeen times, but I guess that’s just how the cookie crumbles!”

Koh very much wanted to make it eighteen.