“I merely speculate on the lack of faith you all freely acknowledge,” Soma said. Amusement sparkled in eyes that perfectly matched the blue of his plate armor. Despite their glares, he remained perfectly relaxed in his lean upon the wall. “I was there when we finally conquered Miquo, and I assure you, its populace was far more vicious and deadly than anything we’ve encountered here on Thanet. Yet when matters calmed, and its capital fell, God-Incarnate Lucavi proudly marched its streets amid dozens of parades. He blessed Miquo’s regent. He prayed with her Anointed. He laid hands upon the orphans of Miquo and healed their wounds. In doing so, he gave the people a reason to believe in his deific nature. Yet what have you offered Thanet other than stories and badly chiseled statues?”

Sinshei cast a glance to Magus, conversation passing unspoken between them. No, her father had not come to Thanet. Not yet. But when he did, would he be greeted with the prayers of a faithful populace… or would he find lurking assassins and unchecked rebellion?

“The task may be difficult,” Magus said carefully. “But I trust the stories and sermons of the Uplifted Church to convince the people that their salvation comes through faith in the God-Incarnate. A difficult task, but a worthy one, am I right?”

He was trying to extend a cooperative hand to the church, Sinshei sensed. As Imperator, no matter how much he might argue, the fault of a dead paragon and magistrate ultimately fell upon his shoulders.

“A task that would be made easier if my magistrates and priests might lecture without fear for their lives,” she added.

The Imperator rose from his seat, and he clasped both hands across his chest.

“I vow upon my honor, in full witness of the Three Pillars and the God-Incarnate who watches over us, that I shall find and slay the insurgent known as Vagrant. His blood shall flow across my blade. His head shall hang above the gates of Vallessau. I swear it, and I shall make it so.”

Sinshei caught Soma smirking from the corner of her eye, and she hoped Magus did not notice such a disrespectful reaction. The Imperator was an absolute beast in battle, and he commanded the loyalty of the empire’s troops like no other, but he was painfully straightforward in his approach to everything. If a thing worked once, then it would work again. If a thing was good and proper, why wait to make it so? He knew only how to beat a soldier to the dust and break him physically. He didn’t understand the subtlety needed to truly seduce a heretic’s heart.

God-Incarnate help her, she could not wait for the Seeds to arrive on their boat. Her plan of ridding herself of the Imperator forever relied upon them and their gifted power.