“Power will fall into someone’s hands. Would you prefer that mages such as Drakh or Morden had it instead?”

“Don’t dodge the question. How do you justify trying to kill me and my friends?”

“Agents are expendable,” Levistus said. Those odd colourless eyes rested on me with no particular expression. “In the sufficiently long term, everyone is expendable.”

“Including you?”

Levistus shrugged. It was an indifferent movement, and in an odd flash of insight I understood something about Levistus that I hadn’t realised before. Levistus wasn’t doing this for himself, not really. He might act out of self-interest, but at some level he did genuinely believe that by keeping himself in power, he was making the world around him a better place.

It was a worrying thought. Someone who’s amoral and selfish can be a threat to you, but they’re also a threat to everyone else, and that tends to limit how much time they can spend on you personally. But someone who believes in what he’s doing can convince other people that opposing you is the right thing to do. In the long run, that’s a lot more dangerous. “Enough philosophy,” I said. “What do you want?”

“The conflict between us has grown unproductive,” Levistus said. “I am willing to consider a truce.”

I studied Levistus. “In other words, you’ve got enough on your plate with Morden that you don’t have the time to keep going after me as well.”

“As I understand it, you have been making your own preparations for your old master’s return,” Levistus said. “I’m sure you have already calculated your chances of survival should you fight me and him at the same time. You would be wise to limit your enemies.”

“I thought you said that Richard was controlling everything I did.” I tilted my head, looking at Levistus curiously. “If I’m so much his servant, why would he be coming after me?”

“As I said—everyone is expendable.”

“Including your allies.” I tapped two fingers on my arm. “If all you wanted was a truce, all you needed to do was stop going after me. That means you want more.”

“As a part of our agreement,” Levistus said, “you will cease working against my interests. This means you will take no action against White Rose.”

I’d carried on tapping my fingers; as Levistus spoke I stopped for a second, then continued. “You realise I’m working for the Keepers now,” I said. I kept my voice casual. “I’m supposed to do what they tell me.”

“The Keepers serve the Council. They do not all serve the same Council.”

“Did it ever occur to you that this kind of corruption might be exactly why the Council has so much trouble effectively opposing Dark mages in the first place?”

“I am not here to engage you in a debate,” Levistus said. “Well?”

“You know,” I said, “I can’t help noticing that this deal seems a little uneven. You started all this by telling me to work for you or else. When I took the ‘or else,’ you tried to have me killed. Now you’re offering to stop trying to have me killed, and in exchange I’m supposed to commit treason yet again. Bit slanted in your favour, don’t you think?”