dragonlady7

meet death sitting

via https://ift.tt/3xS8Hkq

After a minor crisis yesterday wherein I realized that this is where all the pieces of several serieses are starting to have to fit together and bear the weight of the whole saga, I have managed, with a great deal of soothing and help from various folks, to get the next chapter up. In which we find out where Geralt has been, and we start to learn some things about our boy Voorhis.

Chapter 7, on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/31289303/chapters/79720330

“And what of it?” Luliana asked, neutral and noncommittal. Voorhis was in her bedroom, after nightfall; what could he possibly want?

“She has given you more, and more intimate, gifts than the others,” he said. “She has also given you a promotion, replacing the clerk her father had assigned for this purpose.”

Luliana knew enough of politics to know that Morvran Voorhis specifically was the Emperor’s creature, raised by him, resident of his private apartments until the previous year when Voorhis had largely been out on campaign. And in this moment she put together his propensity to frequently appear in the recountings of various affairs, with the previous knowledge, and came to a realization:

He was part of the Emperor’s intelligence network, certainly, even if not a member of the official Intelligence Bureau. He’d been promoted so high, so young, and had been involved in so many campaigns, so suddenly– and he was so blithe and fair-faced and good-natured, seldom stern or forbidding– he was everyone’s friend, knew everyone, was vaguely involved in everything while only paying diffident attention to it–

“Did that clerk work for you?” Luliana asked, tilting her head slightly. “But surely, if you object to her staffing choices, that’s a matter to raise with the Princess directly.”

Voorhis smiled a little wider. “You are sharp,” he said admiringly. “No, I object not one whit to the Princess’s staffing choices. She needs someone this sharp, and not beholden to her father at all. But that’s why I’m here.” (Your picture was not posted)