"Maybe. But you know me. These kind of things always turn out messy. There's just no talking to some people."

But he hopes it's different this time. He always hopes. Given their current situation, the Emperor doesn't seem too bad. She's been providing pretty well for the so-called Foreigners, and the kedan themselves seem loyal to a fault. But he's seen things like this turn bad; things that look pretty on the surface, but are nothing but ugly underneath. And with this much magic obviously involved, there's a pretty good chance that there's something horrible going on right beneath their noses.

"I've heard some things that make me pretty sure the Emperor's a witch, and I've just about had it with witches."