The islander was silent for a while, then tapped out the ash from his pipe, packed fresh tobacco in, and took another drag.
“You came here for your own purpose, my brother,” he stretched and turned to sit beside Hadjar. They were hastily stitched together, battered, and tired. But together. “With the purpose that leads you specifically. But that doesn’t mean everyone else has the same purpose. Anise came for her own reasons, my wife for hers, and Shakh... well, Shakh was always difficult to puzzle out, but I don’t think he came out of boredom. Although...”
Hadjar’s eyebrows rose.
“You... are you joking?” The General almost choked on air from sheer shock. “By the Evening Stars, the world must have gone mad if Einen Kesalia is joking!”
“We have not seen each other, my brother, for nearly
