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Hector had to wonder if part of Haqq’s problem had anything to do with Abbas. From what he understood, the two of them used to work together quite a bit, such as on the Amir-9 shield and on Abbas’ powered armor, but as of late, it seemed like Abbas was too engrossed in his own work to bother collaborating. And of course, he was guarding the Candle rather obsessively, too.

Even during the floods, Abbas hadn’t come out of his workshop very much. Instead, he’d actually lent his armor out to his eldest son, Raheem, so that the man could venture out to provide aid while he continued working.

Unfortunately, Hector didn’t get to witness Raheem in the armor at all, because he used the suit’s incredible range and speed in order to help people much farther away, citing that “The Lord Goffe had this region covered.”

Something for which the man had gotten chastised, actually. Abbas had not appreciated Raheem risking the suit in far-off lands, where it could have become lost and very difficult to recover, especially since it was only Raheem’s second time ever piloting the suit.

But apparently, the guy had managed to save lives even along the western Ardoran coastlines, where the waves had been at their most devastating. Gina had showed Hector some reports online about a “metal angel” descending from the heavens and rescuing hundreds of people there. And when Hector in turn showed Abbas, the man didn’t say anything, but there was definitely a noticeable change in his aura.

A tinge of pride, Hector was pretty sure.

Plus, even if Hector didn’t know the inner workings of the suit’s operation, he knew that Abbas wanted to make more for his brethren to wear. So this was probably a test for the armor as much as it was for Raheem. And it seemed like both had passed with flying colors, even if Abbas didn’t want to admit it.

Additionally, Abbas had also completed work on the Kag for Rathmore’s Gate, though Hector had yet to test it out. He was a little afraid to, honestly, and with so many other things demanding his attention, putting it off was easy.

That previous experience with the Gate had certainly been something. More than he’d bargained for, definitely. How much crazier might it be now that he had a working Kag for it?

But as he was mulling over his decision here, regarding where he should go, the Gate was seeming quite relevant to that choice. Especially with the added wrinkle of Caster Egmond’s presence.