The Lochal placed the tome on the table in front of Gallazza. The black cover bore a single onyx gem nestled in gold embellishments, and a forked black ribbon marked the section where some unknown reader had left off. The reader was likely dead now, the yaomo thought, but then perhaps so am I, if this is another of the king's plots.
He reached for the book, but the Lochal's voice stopped him.
"Will you not wait until she returns?"
She referred to the young girl, Chang Chang, of course. Gallazza scoffed at the notion.
"What difference could her presence possibly make? If I'm to go mad, as you claim is a distinct possibility, she can't save me, nor would she want to."
"Isn't it preferable, even for one such as you, to go into the unknown with someone by your side? While she is present, you will know you are not alone."
