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“More nonsense,” said Sai-hee. “As Medan said, these two have been a pair for almost a century, yes? So how could they be mortal enemies as you describe?”

“Mindflayer, remember? That’s his power. I’m sure he enslaved Koh’s mind.”

“Enslaved? A creature this powerful? And why is he no longer so? What changed and why now?”

“The mindflayer probably caught him in a moment of weakness. And now, clearly, something has shifted for the Beast here. Maybe I don’t know exactly how it happened, but he seems to have absorbed the feldeath’s power.”

Sai-hee still wasn’t looking convinced. “If he has been enslaved for so long, why did you, knowing all of this and being one of his bosses for decades, do nothing about it the whole time?”

“Look, my head got scrambled, too, okay? Not by the mindflayer, necessarily, but that’s neither here nor there. Point is, I’ve only been figuring this stuff out recently. And hey, I did occasionally still try to get my hands on him, too. The mindflayer’s a slippery bastard.”

But Koh was hardly even listening now. Instead, his attention had shifted more heavily to the empress.

There was something about her. These questions. This persistent stubborn refusal to listen. Explained, perhaps, by the Mad Demon being so difficult to take seriously. And by the overall hubris of servant emperors. None of them were prone to changing their minds, certainly.

But was there more? Something hiding behind her? True, there was no obvious scent of the Children upon her, but that was rarely a trustworthy source of information, anymore. Koh was quite sure that most of them had figured out he could track them that way long ago. And emperor-level servants were unlikely to be direct vessels for them. Too much attention. Too much clashing power.

Plus, Koh had investigated all of the current emperors many years prior. They were clean. Or at least, they used to be.

But that still didn’t mean they were totally free of a Child’s influence. There could be one in her inner circle, concealing itself within her long shadow.

And here, Koh’s senses felt heightened in ways that were previously unimaginable. Finding such a well-hidden target from this position would have surely been impossible before, but now?

There was indeed a scent on her. Or rather, around her. Within her aura. A lingering profile. A familiar one, too.

Makirë.

He sensed her. He didn’t know how she related to the Peacemaker, but she was there. Somewhere.

The most childish of the Children. The Child Exultant.