Miles came down the last few steps and crossed the antechamber to the First Lord's meditation chamber. There were still scorch marks on the floor from the fires Tavi and Kitai had started, but the various kinds and colors of blood had been cleaned away. The door to the meditation chamber was half-open, but Miles paused outside it and knocked quietly.
"Come in, Miles," came Gaius's voice.
Miles pushed the door open and went in. Gaius sat in a chair by the little desk, lips pursed thoughtfully as he wrote something on a page. He finished it, signed it, and calmly folded the page and sealed it shut with wax and the hilt of his signet dagger. "What brings you here, Miles?"
"The usual," Miles said. "We have found nothing in the Deeps, beyond that odd cavern the vord had taken as a nest. There has been no sign of them elsewhere, but I have dispatched word to the Legions of every city to exercise extreme caution should anything happen that might indicate a vord presence."
"Fine," Gaius said. After a moment, he mused, "Did you know that the vord, in one form or another, utterly ignored Tavi's presence in at least three instances?"
Miles frowned. "I saw him scamper out of a crowd of them. At the time, I just assumed he'd been quick enough to get away. And they did attack him immediately after."
"But not until he struck at the queen with a spear," Gaius mused.
"You aren't suggesting that the boy is in league with them, are you?" Miles said.
Gaius arched an eyebrow. "Naturally not. But it is an anomaly which I do not yet understand. Perhaps it was nothing-mere luck. But what if it wasn't? It might tell us something important about them."
"Do you think they are yet here?"
"I am not entirely certain. It's odd," Gaius said, thoughtfully. "I've looked for their presence. I haven't sensed it."
"According to Count Calderon, they were very difficult to detect with crafting, sire."
Gaius nodded and waved a hand. "Well. We are aware of them. We are on the watch for them. It is all we can do for the time being."
"Yes, sire." He looked around the room. "It cleaned up nicely."
Gaius sighed. "I can't believe those two employed my entire liquor cabinet as a weapon against the enemy."
Miles pursed his lips and frowned. "Sire, may I-"
"Speak candidly, yes, yes." He waved an irritated hand. "How many times must I tell you that you do not need to ask?"
"Once more at least, Sextus," Miles said. "I don't mourn your liquor cabinet. Blessing in disguise. You were drinking too much."
The First Lord frowned pensively, but did not dispute the captain.
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Miles said.
"Did what?"