“My cousin,” she said, nodding at the door next to the desk. “I’m waiting for him now. He says good things about you, by the way.”

“That’s very nice of him,” Jason said. “I was really impressed by that crazy vortex power of his.”

“He mentioned you were a bit odd. Something about being from another world, and also, cannibals.”

“That would be the exciting new development I mentioned.”

“Is that how you became involved with Rufus Remore?”

“It was,” Jason said. “You know Rufus?”

“He conducted my field assessment.”

“He didn’t fail you, did he?”

“No,” she said, with a confident smile. “He passed my whole team.”

“Your whole team? He only gave six people a pass, right?”

“Four of which were my team,” she said. “The others were those two who follow Thadwick Mercer around. Such a waste of talent.”

“Rufus said the same thing,” Jason said. “Is Mose on your team?”

“No,” Beth said. “Mose is a little inconsistent to pass a Rufus Remore assessment. He’s great when everything is going right, but needs a little help when things get sticky.”

The door next to the woman at the desk opened to admit Mose Cavendish into the room, looking rather flustered. Jason and Beth both stood up.

“Jason?” Mose said.

“G’day, Mose.”

“You can go in now, Mr Asano,” the woman behind the desk said.

“No worries,” Jason told her, nodding to Beth.

“Lovely to meet you, Beth Cavendish,” he said. “Always a pleasure, Mose.”

They made quick farewells and Jason went through the door. On the other side was a chamber that looked similar to a nearly empty courtroom. There was a long, high judge’s bench, but all the seating for lawyers, prosecutors, plaintiffs and gallery were replaced with a solitary chair in the centre of the room.

Three people were already sitting behind the bench. In the middle was the director of the Adventure Society, the elf, Elspeth Arella. Jason had only spoken with her the once, although he had spotted her from time to time at social events. To her left was Vincent, who Jason had last seen doing the walk of shame from the suite across the hall. To her right was another elf, an elderly woman. All three of them were looking at him with blank expressions.

Jason looked around, then plopped down in the chair.

“We didn’t say you could sit,” the elderly elf said.

Jason gave her a casual nod of acknowledgement.

“You’re forgiven,” he said, her lips thinning as she heard his response.

“I have found that people in your position tend to show us respect,” the woman said.

“And I find people in your position,” Jason countered, “tend to confuse respect with obedience. Would you rather I come in here acting the way I think you want me to act?”

He gestured to himself.