Were he anyone else, there would be questions. There would be suspicion. But one does not maintain a relationship with a memory demon without extending some measure of faith. She trusts that Siebren de Kuiper is not the sort of man to mislead her.

"It's been around two months since you left. During that time, Prince Ephrain has made a bid for control over the island's inhabitants twice- once at Merrymeet, and more recently, during a strange compulsion that forced everyone to relive their worst memories or experience their deepest fears as an operatic performance. The second incident ended with Ephrain being slain, so we are down another demon prince. No one is terribly torn up about Ephrain's death, of course, but this is different from when Mendel was slain. This time, it wasn't a mortal resistance that took him down- it was Prince Aster's doing. He's moving openly now, kena. The Prince of the Dark Feast is emboldened, and that's worrying. I do not think you are one of his immediate targets, if this purge is meant to continue, but considering your position in the late Prince Mendel's court, I cannot help but feel some concern."

There's a pause.

"If you do not want to tell me why you left, you do not need to. I understand that you must be under a lot of pressure right now. And yet... and yet, you remain aloft!" she jokes.