Whether the stern Legate General had practiced his stoic look or whether he knew more than he was letting on about the nature of the mission and its more academic points, he did not so much as flinch at the answer. His professionalism came off naturally.

Gro-Tagnud did not skip a beat once Meesei finished. "What other necessary steps are there towards touching this axe you have to Clavicus Vile?"

[hr]
The morning in the Silent City came on more slowly than most. Undoubtedly, the abundance of food and wine from the night before had made enough people jovial. Those same people were taking the morning off. In contrast, Rhazii could not sleep in if he wanted to. His curiosity about Kaleeth's earlier years had been piqued since Meesei mentioned them. He was halfway through his breakfast porridge before anyone else in the pack emerged for food.

When Kaleeth-rei showed herself, Rhazii put his spoon down and stood up from the table. "Good morning Aunt Kaleeth," he said. He hesitated after his next breath. "Um...listen, I have some time before my group musters for training today. I was wondering, do you have time to talk about something?" He turned up his palm.