Two by two, the hunters stood, saluted and left the chamber, following Chandni out until they were alone.

‘You have his manner, yes, that is beyond doubt, but I wonder, do you have his mind?’

Satyendra hoped this was a rhetorical question.

‘As you know,’ Yadavendra continued, ‘Lord Rochant is known for his wisdom, and I have come to trust his advice above all others.’ He pointed his jewel-bladed staff at Satyendra. ‘Let us pretend that he stands before me now, ready to offer guidance.

‘As you know, my sister, Nidra Un-Sapphire, betrayed us to the Wild, the second Deathless to do so in our history. It is our shame to be the only house to have failed so, and it is my duty to ensure it never happens again. So my question to you is this: how can I test the loyalty of my Deathless? How can I truly know that they will not follow my sister’s path?’

He blinked. This was an impossible question! Rochant would at least know all of the other Deathless personally. Satyendra had met Lord Vasin a handful of times and the others once or twice that he could remember. It seemed like he’d impressed Yadavendra on the visit so far, perhaps it would be okay to fail on this one task – if he was to put off the rebirth ceremony, it may even be advisable.

‘You can’t.’

Yadavendra’s eyes narrowed. ‘That is your answer?’

‘You won’t ever know for sure if they are tempted or not, and any test can be cheated.’ He could feel Yadavendra’s regard cooling with every word and it struck him that perhaps this was more than just a test. The High Lord really did want advice on how to manage the other Deathless. ‘I’m sorry but that’s the truth.’

The staff made a contemptuous flick towards the door. ‘Leave me.’

He gave a deep bow and turned to go. A part of him was pleased to have failed, but another was worried, and yet another annoyed not to have a better answer. How pathetic am I to want to please my executioner?

And yet he did want that. Some part of his mother’s hated need to be right had seeped into him over the years, and it tugged at him until he stopped and turned round. ‘The answer, my High Lord is not to test them at all.’

Yadavendra’s gaze snapped up to meet his own. ‘What did you say?’

‘I said that you should not test them.’

‘Go on.’

‘You should motivate them.’

‘What kind of motivation did you have in mind?’

The truth was he didn’t, but Satyendra was used to making things up, his quick mind weighing his words in the breath he took to speak them. ‘You have the power to make and unmake Deathless. Find another traitor, make an example of them.’