Tal put up a hand. ‘Can we stop saying its name, my lord. If we say it three times, it will come and get us.’

Rochant chuckled, as if he’d been amused by something Tal had said, but Sa-at couldn’t see the joke. ‘We’ve already said its name five times. If it was going to come it would have by now.’ He looked at Sa-at. ‘I can tell you the Corpseman’s story if you want.’ Tal covered his face at the sixth mention of its name, making Rochant chuckle again. ‘It is a story that nobody else has ever heard before, the details known only to me.’

‘Yes,’ said Sa-at. ‘Yes, yes!’

Rochant looked at Tal. ‘You may want to get that food now as I’ll be saying the demon’s name quite a lot.’

Tal seemed torn between wanting to do just that and wanting to stay and listen, but he stood up quickly and bowed. ‘Yes, my lord.’

When he had gone, Sa-at asked: ‘Why did you make him go?’

‘Because you traded for this, not him.’

‘I don’t mind if he hears it.’

‘How can you say that? You don’t even know what I’m going to tell you yet.’

Sa-at stopped to think. Talking with Rochant was making him think a lot. It was great! ‘You don’t want Tal to hear the story. You want to keep it a secret from him.’

‘I want you to make your decisions actively, not passively. Don’t take an action because it’s easy or because your friends want it, take the right action, the one that serves you best.’

‘Why?’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Why?’

‘Why do you want me to be like this?’

‘Because I think you have potential.’

‘Potential?’

‘I think you could be more than you are. Much more.’

‘You do?’

‘Yes. You have a spark, something that reminds me of myself when I was young. If you let me, I could help you grow into something amazing.’

Sa-at couldn’t help but grin. ‘You can tell the story now.’

‘Get me some water, and I’ll begin.’

Varg grumbled all the way to Sagan, Glider growling along with him. They sound like an old couple, thought Pari. If she hadn’t been so worried about her brother, she might have found it amusing.

‘Not sure about that Sapphire knowing about me either,’ Varg continued.

She looked at Lord Vasin moving effortlessly ahead of them in great bounding glides. How is he getting so much height so easily? ‘He doesn’t care about you, Varg. And besides, we have nothing to fear from that quarter.’

‘That makes one of them.’

‘Quite. Now do stop talking, I’m trying to think.’