The darkness of dawn had not yet waned when Bishop Duvernay left his humble quarters in the twisting maze behind the Grand Temple's glittering interior. Knelt in the nave, the section of the church where the many pews spread out across the lustrous pearl-tiled floor, was a woman cloaked in black.
"Sister," the bishop greeted. "You honor me."
Placid green eyes, so unlike the icy blue chill of the bishop's own gaze, looked up from prayer. However, the empress remained kneeling.
"It is not honor that compels me to arrive. The time is ripe for me to grab someone in her inner circle without the princess ever being wiser," she announced plainly yet elegantly.
Bishop Duvernay walked around the altar to the pews, considering Empress Katya's words deeply.
"Good. I had told you that placing someone by her side would be ineffective."
