VIII | Questions
Asmodeus led him to a narrow, gloomy, private cabin in the rear of the vessel and shut them in it. The shutters were partially open—enough so that the dim lights on the River’s opposite bank were visible but not enough to alleviate the room’s generally oppressive nature. The air was thick with incense.
“Be seated,” said the prefect, and vanished into a rear sanctum which, aside from the candles on his crowded desk, was the only source of light, and this hardly more than what a modest fireplace would have provided. He shut the iron door firmly behind him.
Dravidian seated himself across from the desk and waited, studying its cluttered surface as he did so. A flare went up outside the shutters—which were unusual in that their slats were positioned vertically rather than h
