“I am no wizard,” the Nightingale said. “My gifts come from the Emperor.” “There is no Emperor!” Heloise felt her legs shaking. “The Sacred Throne is empty! It looks like it’s been empty for a thousand winters! He’s a made-up story! Just like the devils!” “The devils are real!” The Nightingale held up the head as proof. “So are bears! So is the pox or a dust-devil, or any other thing that can kill us! Doesn’t mean you have to burn villages.”
