[i]There is no situation the Fixer cannot resolve, huh[/i]? Why only did he not send the good man to fix the Withering for him, Jillian wondered. Was the old demon simply overplaying – or overestimating – his servant’s capabilities, or was there an actual reason why he would rather risk the lives of two wholly expendable humans as opposed to his favorite henchman’s in order to combat Kreshtaat’s ploy? If the end of the Withering really was important to him, it seemed very strange that he would not have tried to destroy it himself, or that he had failed in his attempts, if he was in control of such an exceptionally gifted and capable human. If he truly was far above Crone’s and Renold’s powers combined, then there was nothing that Jillian or Gerald could do that would make them better candidates for this mission.

 “Did you make him?” Jillian interjected critically, “I mean, did you give him your power through a contract, this Fixer? You say that not even you know what he’s fully capable of. How is that even possible?”

“Eliza here seems to have gotten some of her power through you,” she continued confidently, preferring to use Crone’s true name because she thought it more respectful and pretty. ‘Crone’ sounded so very derogative. “And from what I’ve seen, she vastly outmatches both Gerald and me. Did you give this man so much power that you lost control over what he’s capable of, or has he done something else to gain his abilities?”

Once she was given an answer – one which she fully expected not to be satisfactory – she would press on with “And besides, why hasn’t he ‘fixed’ the Withering for you if he’s so extremely powerful? Why would you need us two? We’re clearly the least powerful individuals in this scheme. We struggled with a couple wyverns and humans. We almost died. We’re prone to disease and fatigue. What makes us better suited to this job than the Fixer himself?”

The witch’s tone may have come across as slightly accusatory, for she shared Gerald’s skepticism in light of what the old one told them. Even if the man was not a direct threat to them, which she was willing to believe, it made little sense that the Grand Master would have struck this deal with her and the necromancer in the first place if he had such capable and discreet lackeys available. Unless… unless the Fixer could not dream, for whichever reason? That in itself would be strange. It would also, most likely, make him unable to use magic of any kind, not without becoming a Piaan addict. It made no sense either way, and curiosity alone demanded more answers. Believing herself safe behind the terms of their contract, Jillian intended to press her luck and question the demon lord as much as possible. She could only gain from it.