I leaned against the window and cocked an eyebrow at him. “That sounds like you’re not sure she was.”

“I do not know for certain either way—I am simply stating the facts as they are known. Regardless of the female’s identity, your description of the conversation increases my desire to meet this mysterious dragon.”

I glanced at Maata. She watched me with close attention, clearly leaving it to me to tell Gabriel of the important happening.

“There’s more,” I said. “Right after whoever-he-is left, Fiat and Bao had a few words.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Gabriel said. “Fiat has always been subject to volatile emotions, and he seems especially unstable now.”

I took a deep breath. “More than you imagine. He beheaded Bao.”

To my complete and utter surprise, he didn’t leap up or exclaim in shock. Instead he nodded. “I expected something of that sort.”

“You expected it?” I asked. “Why?”

“It relates to my news,” he said, rising to take my hands in his. “Two hours before you landed in Paris, Fiat sent a message to the weyr announcing that he had challenged and defeated Bao for control of the red sept.”

“He did no such thing. He murdered her, pure and simple,” I said, outraged. “There was no challenge language whatsoever—he just snatched a sword from the wall and lopped off her head. Or at least we assume that’s what he did; fortunately, his men covered up the two separate parts of her that they hauled off.”

“He has clearly overstepped the bounds of weyr laws and must be dealt with immediately.” Gabriel looked past me, sightlessly gazing out of the window. “The problem is—”

“May! You’re back! Oh, I’m so happy to see you again!”

Gabriel froze at the bright, sickeningly chirpy voice, followed by the person of Sally.

She hurried into the room, clad in some sort of frilly pink and lavender capri pant set, her face beaming with joy as she stopped in front of me, kissing the air millimeters away from my cheeks.

“Hello, Sally,” I said slowly. “I see you’re still here.”

“She says she can’t leave,” Gabriel said in a voice completely lacking in expression. I assumed it was his way of being polite.

She giggled, shooting him a flirtatious look. “May, there’s so much we have to talk about! That silly Magoth needed some me time—you know how men are, always thinking the world revolves around them when it’s clearly we women who run things—anyway, he sent me here to learn all the ins and outs of consorting, not that I really need to do so because as you well know, I’m destined for greater things than a lowly position like the one you have. Hello again, Gabriel. You are looking especially handsome.”

The hair on the back of my neck rose at the way she positively purred his name.