And so it was a relief when six of them pivoted on the spot, putting their robed bodies between him and the light. The seventh lowered their wand and held out a hand towards him. In it, Satyendra could see a small chunk of sapphire. It did not glow, but he sensed it was important.

‘For you, Vessel,’ said the Bringer. ‘Take it.’

‘Take it,’ echoed the others.

Satyendra did as he was told and the bringer tapped it with the tip of his wand. There was a brief flash of discomfort as the sapphire and the diamond chimed together, and he could feel the beginnings of a headache.

‘Listen to the past, Vessel, and listen well.’

The seventh Bringer of Endless Order turned and they all walked away from him in different directions, a slowly expanding circle of murmurs and rustling robes. Satyendra wondered if they were performing part of the ritual or whether the murmurs had another purpose.

In his hand the crystal shook softly, and words began to spill from it. He heard a man’s voice and knew with a sick certainty that it was Lord Rochant Sapphire, speaking to him from some other time. And some other poor fool’s body.

‘Honoured Vessel. You are about to make the ultimate sacrifice for me and for House Sapphire. I have no doubt that you have spent long hours preparing for this moment, and that my deeds and decrees are well known to you. However, to truly understand me, there is something that I must share with you. What I am about to say is never given voice by the Story-singers, and is not recorded in our histories. It is something that I share with you, and you alone, to bring us further into alignment.’

Satyendra’s lip curled into a sneer.

‘When I was a hunter, I had the honour of serving Yadavendra, now High Lord of House Sapphire. This is well known. Less well known is that I also served his sister, Nidra, and that I was her lover. When Yadavendra elevated me into the ranks of the Deathless, he changed me in many ways, but my love for Nidra remained.

‘However it is forbidden for Deathless to lie together, as such an act endangers the cycle of rebirth. I knew this, but I was weak. Nidra knew this too. When I invited her to my castle, she refused. When I asked to see her, she ignored me. When I sent gifts, she returned them.

‘Then one day, when my second body was old, I received a letter from her. In it, she made clear that what we had enjoyed was over, and that for the good of the house, I had to move on. My behaviour, such as it was, would not be tolerated any more.

‘That was the message that broke my heart and ended my second lifecycle.’