"That could have been all kinds of bad," Sassafras said as we soared in a small transport toward Ostrogotho. I
appropriated a six-seater, pouring on the speed and covering the distance it took our convoy to travel in half a day to
an hour. The lights of the Seat sparkled on the horizon as I answered.
"Could doesn't count," I said, reaching for Jabuticabron the moment we passed over the edge of the plane border. He
answered instantly and didn't overreact when I told him what we'd discovered. Instead, in true Jabut fashion, he mentally
saluted me.
I shall assemble a force at once, Ruler.
I didn't chastise him for cutting me off. He had work to do.
Instead, I sat back and rubbed the tension from my temples with my fingertips while Sassafras, now in cat form again,
glared at me from his perch on my lap.
"You realize, if you fail, you've given Henemordonin a doorway into having you removed." His flat voice matched his