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"But not for lack of ability! For consorting with that Roger Palmer character--"

"Whose capabilities are unknown"

"He worked for your servant You ought to know theh!"

"Yet, nonetheless, I do not" Mircea’s tone was cally, his eyes stayed brown Marloasn’t getting to him "And as he and Elizabeth are now deceased, weCassandra’s talents in question"

"Yet you decided to ain her trust"

"Only prudent"

Marlowe crossed his arer see his face, the set of his shoulders told a story all on its own "Only prudent, if you had told us Only prudent if you hadn’t shown, how shall we say, some persistent interest in the Pythian office before now"

I’d been trying to get a hand on the ring of jostling bricks, to force the daers as my head abruptly jerked up And then even ain, when I felt someone’s hand onfor a few ht have taken that moment to show up and say hi, except that the hand was not followed by a crushing blow or the sound of an alarm But by a second hand onMy spine would have liquefied in relief, if it hadn’t been busy being pulled out of uys would have rippedAnd worst of all, he was

And I wanted to hear this

"Howrock, "have you given through the years? How h, apparently" The tone was dry "We reed froive up a bit of that stiff-necked pride and pay a visit herself, it ift--"

"Do not takeforward and bending down, slapping his hands on both ar! You’re the best a that But you didn’t go in your senate capacity, did you? You went alone, quietly, with no retinue and with no mention in the senate records You went for you, not for us, and I want to know--"

"And what I want," Mircea said, his voice suddenly going flat, "is to kno you e to run your depart me"

"What do you expect?" Marlowe dehtly "You’re her ht of you allying yourself with a possible Pythia It’s the sort of move that could put you in an inviolable position" He hesitated, and then came out with it "It’s the sort of move that could allow you to make a bid to replace her"

"I have no such ambition," Mircea said, more evenly

"And if you did?" Marlowe asked pointedly "What would you say then?"

"If you have already ive you a chance to explain"

"Which I have done You si I say"

"Because it doesn’t make sense! Do you really expect--"

I lost the thread of conversation again, because the stone around me suddenly heated up, and not like a rock on a sunny day More like lava Jonas gave a tre jerk, and it felt almost like the bricks liquefied for a split second--

And then suddenly hardened again, leaving me trapped worse than before

Way worse Nowout, but my hands were stuck by my head like I’d been thrown into the stocks, and my chest was compressed to the point that it was hard to breathe The stones went back to their forht in my ear And allowed me to catch a breath only when the ones directly underneath my chest turned just so

Which they did about half asdesperately at the sliver of Marlowe I could still see through the screen

Hurry up, I thought, but not at Jonas I could breathe, sort of I was okay I was going to be okay Probably And I wanted to hear--

"--control what you believe," Mircea was saying "I seethe leaders of other senates--"

"And yet every Pythia," Marlowe said doggedly "Before she was even crowned, in one case, receives a visit, and not in an official capacity--"

"Official visits are cold and for I cannot charm anyone on behalf of the consul if I do not even know the," Marlowe pointed out

"Do not appear to be working yet," Mircea said, finishing his drink "Every Pythia is different--"