Chapter Forty

Zuberi kept a low profile when he returned, working quietly with only an iota of acid spat at anyone who dared push a conversation.

It lessened any suspicion that would have occurred had he simply gone about duties with no complaint. He knew his reputation.

The butler had decided to play a safer game, rather than questioning directly. There was scant chance of finding truth under interrogation and even though his method took more time, it was safer than running the risk of warning and rumour spreading.

Those who served the Gods were not always pious, and the worst was easy to bring out.

Despondency had begun to settle on him as the days passed and nothing had been discovered. In fact, he had just started to admit defeat. The palace had taken on the feeling of a tomb of the living, the occupations moving uneasily and mindlessly about their duties whilst their master bore out his hours in fits of dejection or wicked ire.