He didn’t need it, but it was best to be prepared. He hadn’t lived as long as he had by thinking the world was a kind and predictable place.

As the energy settled inside him, the back door of the tavern opened, slicing a line of light across the courtyard. Janek shifted his attention from the spirit plane, and the physical world came abruptly back into focus.

Caden stepped into the yard and closed the door behind him. The boy paused, uncertainly peering about the empty yard until Janek lifted his hand. When Caden failed to see that, Janek flicked a spark of light from his fingertips to announce his presence. He let the spark fall to the ground as a dying ember.

Caden hurried to join him. He’d grown taller in the few months since Janek had taken him from his home in the mountains of Pinalt. The captain of the guard had beaten some of the arrogance out of him, but he had plenty to spare.

He favored his mother’s line, which was fortunate. His features were more refined than Asil’s, his body taller and more slender. There was a slight wave to his hair that the emperor entirely lacked. The lift of his chin was the same though, as was the proud set of his shoulders.

“You came,” Caden said, with a note in his voice that suggested he’d doubted Janek would answer his summons.

“Of course. You said it was urgent. It was dangerous to send that note. Most soldiers can’t write more than their own name.”

Caden bristled. “Which means most wouldn’t be able to read the note even if they found it. I was careful.”

He had been, tucking the carefully worded slip of paper inside Janek’s glove. There was that. The boy wasn’t stupid. Only young. “What is it you need of me?”

Caden leaned in close enough to whisper though he had to know that Janek would take measures to prevent anyone from overhearing their conversation. The redirection spell he’d cast over them would keep most people from seeing them at all.

“Serat shorted our pay again and blamed the lack on a missed shipment even though everyone saw them unload two carts’ worth of wine from the Magefire yesterday.”

“So?”

“So? The men are talking mutiny.”

“The men won’t revolt,” Janek said. “They couldn’t hold the island without support from the capital, and no country would shelter them if they fled.” If there’d been another option for any of the soldiers here, they wouldn’t have ended up on Erys in the first place. “Serat is smart enough to know how far he can push them.”

“You can say that? If Serat had kept himself to patrolling the straits as he was ordered, there wouldn’t have been a rebellion to begin with. It was his idea to expand inland and cut down the trees for his docks. To burn villages and strip the island of everything of value for his own profit. He shouldn’t be in a position of power over anyone. I don’t know why—”

“You know why Serat was sent here,” Janek cut him off. “Serat is the Archmage’s man. Your father deemed him too dangerous to keep at court.”

Caden scowled. “If he was too dangerous there, then he is doubly so here where he can act unchecked.”

Not quite unchecked.