“But I could not!” Paffin implored. “Don’t you see? You believed the legend deeply. It was the engine of your passion. Believing that the Cadre were ruthlessly vying to return chaos was the foundation of your need to translate Bedlam Speak and stop them—”
“Nevertheless, you should have told me!”
“And you would have believed me?”
Bradel waved a paw dismissively. “If you knew their intentions so well, you could have offered proof!”
“But after everything you endured in Arabesque, you know how imperative it was that they remained hidden!”
Bradel fell silent.
Paffin went to him. “Can you honestly admit that you would have been convinced that the legend was false?”
Bradel glared up at him, despite knowing it was unlikely. “It appears that my beliefs matter little, Paffin-Blimsy.”
In the
