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He lifts his head after only a moment, giving it a rueful shake. "I'm sorry to bring this to you, really, with everything else going on, but I'm not sure who else to ask. I'd rather not have this story spreading, so that limits my options. There are the other chancellors, I suppose. I already know Chancellor Zaman wouldn't approve, but everything's always so complicated with them, and of course it's hard to be sure what Chancellor Mardas's opinions are on…anything."

He's talking more to himself now, you think. You're only vaguely familiar with the names he's mentioning.

"Not to say that Mardas doesn't have opinions, it's just with all the…" Evander trails off, frowning. "I'm sorry—you probably don't know much about the chancellors, do you? Since you haven't visited. Let me explain. You've met Uncle Bes, of course. I mentioned before, he used to tutor me. Selene Savva more or less runs the campus, and her nephew is the Duke of Ageiran. Then there's Nor Zaman. They've been at the Academy for ages, and they're…not friendly with Despina, exactly, but they speak to her more than the others do. I know they wouldn't like it if they knew Uncle Bes and Chancellor Savva were doing this. And Skandar Mardas is the newest, so I don't know him well yet. He's very knowledgeable about demons, though. I was actually planning to visit him and ask what he knew when I first heard the prophecy might be returning, before Uncle Bes gave me the letter."

Evander sighs. "Sorry, I know that's a lot, but I really would value your advice on this. Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

He fidgets with the parcel again as he speaks. While there probably is more he can tell you about the letter, you'll need to think carefully about how best to get the information from him when he's clearly uneasy. Or perhaps you're considering another way to respond.

You shrug in response to Evander's question.

"Ah, yes, take some time if you like," he says. "I really can't thank you enough for listening to this."

You murmur something polite in response, almost involuntarily. You're finding it difficult to just ignore a prince, particularly one who's been so kind to you. Worse, you seem to have actually reassured him—his shoulders relax, and he goes quiet.

Next

"Do you have any thoughts on what I ought to do?" Evander asks. "I'm supposed to bring the letter to Chancellor Savva, of course. But I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to give it Chancellor Zaman—they'd likely try to make sure Uncle Bes and Chancellor Savva don't do something like this again." He laughs, though it mostly makes him sound tired. "I think I'd rather wash my hands of it and go speak to Chancellor Mardas like I planned, but perhaps that's just dodging my responsibilities."

Giving the letter to Chancellor Savva would likely let her improve Evander's claim to the throne, and strengthen the Academy's influence in the process. Bringing it to Chancellor Zaman might keep some of the Academy's ambitions in check, though you're not certain how Chancellor Zaman would feel about Evander.

But considering the prophecy's return, speaking to Chancellor Mardas might be more practical, even if it means setting aside political concerns and the letter itself.