‘Then I take it you haven’t been to visit House Ruby lately.’ Before she could respond to that he offered her his hand. ‘Can you stand?’

‘One way to find out,’ she replied, taking it. Once upright she examined herself critically. ‘Well, I seem to be in one slightly battered piece.’

‘Good. I’m sorry to rush things, Lady Pari, but we need to talk.’

‘Can we do it while we walk? I should have been in Sagan hours ago, and my brother won’t be happy. I have a man waiting for me with a wagon.’ She glanced up and down the Godroad. ‘Not too far from here, I think.’

He nodded, and the two of them started to walk together, Pari forced to a near jog in order to match the bounding gait given by his Sky-legs. ‘Though I wish the circumstances were better, Lady Pari, I’m very glad to see you again.’

‘Thank you, though I’m not sure the sentiment is shared by your mother.’

‘I’m sorry about that. It’s been … hard for her in the Wild, and I haven’t been able to see her as often as I’d like.’

‘You don’t share her concerns?’

‘What? That you were involved in Rochant’s escape?’ He shook his head. ‘No. No, not at all. It makes no sense for you to do this now and I’m sure my mother will realize that when she’s had some time to reflect.’

Pari was quiet long enough for him to look down at her. She was frowning at the road ahead. ‘Are you? I’m not. Truth be told, Lord Vasin, I’m worried about her.’

He sighed. ‘I’m worried too.’

‘Tell me.’

‘What I just said, about her reflecting and having time to calm down, that’s the sort of thing Mother used to say about me. This isn’t like her. Turning on allies, being unreasonable, and …’ he forced himself to say the words, ‘torturing other Deathless, even enjoying it … it’s like I don’t know her.’

‘Desperation drives people to terrible things.’

‘I feel like I’m fighting so hard to keep a sense of myself in all this.’ He looked at Pari. ‘Everything we’ve done, with Rochant, with the other houses, has all been to bring my mother back. But what if it’s too late? What if her soul has changed so much that we can’t put things back the way they were?’ He choked back a sob. ‘I thought she’d come back from the dead but sometimes … I don’t know.’