At Skulduggery's prompting, Valdis made her way to the fire sector, but it was only out of sheer courtesy that she even deigned to speak with the leader of the Snakes. Still, the action was not without logic. She expected the Justicar to retaliate and putting their 'allies' on guard was purely tactical.

The large black hound, padded through the street toward the mansion, her head held low, tail held level to her back. She curled her lips back, showing her teeth to the Snakes that stood guard outside the grand headquarters and to their credit, they barely flinched, although their fear scent was quite strong. Instead of reaching for the unfamiliar minds, she simply went straight to the source.

Kongen av Slanger. She projected her thoughts outward, lifting her head as she did so, I must speak with you.