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Oliver could have fled back to the waking world – wanted to, in fact. But this confrontation was going to occur whether he wanted it to or not, and it would be better to get it over with now, away from the eyes and ears of everyone else.
Náli stomped to a halt in front of him, close enough for Oliver to feel his forceful exhale across his face. “You’re not practicing,” he accused.
“I am, I can assure you. Rather diligently, in fact.”
“That’s bollocks.” Fury sparked in his gaze. And fear. His face was all screwed up with it, teeth flashing like that of a frightened dog. “You’re meeting someone. Someone here beyond the veil, in secret.”
Shit. Oliver affected bored and said, “How could you possibly know that?”
“Because I bumped up against someone else’s magic while we were searching for you. Someone’spowerfulmagic. They had shielded you from us. With a bit more pressure, I might have–”
“Don’t.” Fear overrode Oliver’s desire for secrecy. “For gods’ sakes, don’t push at it, whatever you do.”
Náli looked triumphant a moment, and then his face fell. “Who is it? Whose magic shouldn’t I push?”
Oliver chewed at his lip.
Náli’s head tilted. “Aside from my ancestor, the people of his village, and you and your lot, the only one I’ve ever encountered here was–” His eyes bugged.
“Náli–”
“No.”
“If you’ll let me explain–”
“Ollie,no.” He gripped the front of Oliver’s tunic and shook him. “Tell me you aren’t meeting with the Selesee emperor.Tell meit isn’t him.”
Oliver sighed.
“RomanusTyrsbane, the Immortal Emperor Unchallenged .RomanusTyrsba–”
“That is his name, yes.”
Náli gripped his shoulders and shook him again, harder this time. “You idiot! You bloody fool! What are you doing? What are you thinking? He’s been searching for you, and you just waltz right into his trap? Willingly?”
“If it was a trap, how am I not still in it? How am I standing here getting spit on by you?”
Náli started to say more, then released him and began to pace a tight back and forth line in front of him, gesturing to the empty air, strangling an invisible opponent until the veins in his throat threw shadows. “Good gods, Oliver. The emperor? Really?” When he darted a glance, Oliver inclined his head in a silent yes. “Good gods,” he repeated, and kept pacing, his turns tight, cloak flaring behind him. “Why? Why would you…?How? How did he find you?”
“I didn’t seek him out, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“What I’m wondering is why you think it’s a good idea to meet with our enemy in private, in a plane you still hopelessly don’t understand. Do you know: if you’re killed in this realm, there’s a good chance you’ll turn up dead in our own?”
“The thought crossed my mind.”
“Did anyotherthoughtscross your mind?”
Oliver sighed. “I was dreaming. I entered this plane unintentionally in my sleep, and found myself in a solarium – the royal one in Aquitaine, if the drawings in books are at all accurate. I could see a fire in the grate, and when I walked toward it, I found the emperor seated before it. He offered to teach me more about magic, and I let him.”
Náli paused, and gaped at him. “He offered to teach you,” he deadpanned.
“Yes.”
“Magic.”
“Yes.”
“And you…lethim.”
