Chapter 9
- Flash now to Marienstat, where Cabbarus is bopping around the palace. He's happy that King Augustine collapsed after Cabby suggested that the king adopt him as a son; when the ruler's incapacitated, Cabbarus is dude-in-chief. But that might not last long—Augustine seems to be getting better, although he won't give up on trying to talk to his deceased daughter, and everyone he's called on has failed so far.
- Dr. Torrens isn't having any of this, but Cabbarus sides with the king. The dispute bursts out into a fully-fledged argument when Cabby tries to keep the good doc out of the king's rooms. The minister insists that necromancers need a higher incentive—a.k.a. more money—to talk to the dead princess, while Torrens says the king has to accept death and give up on his daughter, which Cabbarus says is treason. Cabbarus banishes Torrens from the realm on pain of death; he's pretty happy to get his chief enemy out of the country.
- Back in Dr. Torrens's apartments, Queen Caroline comes to visit. She's sad and angry at his departure, and tried to get his exile repealed—no luck, though. Torrens confesses that he's not planning to leave Westmark like he's been told to do, but that instead he's going to fight for the king and queen with their strongest ally—the people of Westmark. They love the monarch, he says (though they'll never be royals). The queen says he expects a lot from the normal people, but Torrens is living proof that regular people can go big—he was born a commoner himself.
- When Torrens goes to the harbor to "sail away" (and not really leave), he tries to fool any spies of Cabbarus's that might be following him. A seaman dogs his heels, but the sailor has a knife and is an assassin. Who will live? We don't know… yet.