"The men are gathered- We have survived with almost no losses despite all odds, and yet, I do not feel fully satisfied.
Things are brewing, changing- Even around the fire, I see it, and I see the look in some of their eyes. When some look into the dark, they change and fidget. This is not like me. I have looked into it too often, perhaps. Two tours would do this.
We are safe where we are, and I have nobody barking up my back about being out of country. All is well, all things considered, even if Valentin and I have a score to settle. Does he think himself the superior mage? Maybe he even thinks himself something of an educated man. Would he be up to snuff in comparison to what I could do?
It is hard to say, and no matter what it is done, it cannot be a fair fight. Not for him, anyways. Four men is all it took to kill thirty-five Wachter and Von Zarovich. Four. Not one permanently dead or captured. Will it inevitably be our undoing, to be so significant? Untrustworthy to our own people, involved in witchery and such grand warfare?
Absolutely. But where there is a man postured for the future, there is hope, yet. I may not be Lord Regent, but I will ensure that a man like him will live on."
"You intend to live forever."
