Yrene waited until she heard the door shut. “She was wise to not speak aloud of her plans.” “Why.” His first words to Yrene so far. She jerked her chin toward the open doors to the foyer. “The walls have ears and mouths. And all the servants are paid by the khagan’s children. Or viziers.” “I thought the khagan paid them all.” “Oh, he does,” Yrene said, going to the small satchel she’d left by the door. “But his children and viziers buy the servants’ loyalty through other means. Favors and comforts and status in exchange for information. I’d be careful with whoever was assigned to you.”
