Perhaps it is that I am too much a cynic.  Or perhaps that I am a foreign man, surrounded by a foreign people, in a foreign land.  Or perhaps it is that when I sleep at night, I dream of my former friends and comrades falling to the Oblivion onslaught on the streets of the Imperial city, only for them to rise again and draw their swords against us.

Whatever the reason, I am not in the least surprised to discover that the threat to the Duchess’s life comes not from without, but from within her own court.  You see, you cannot protect yourself from those who are closest to you, from the ones seemingly without motivation, or with motivation beyond your comprehending.

Trust is ever our enemy’s greatest tool, because betrayal can only happen if we trust.

S.K