The king took a long moment before he spoke.
I'd learned, in the short time I'd spent around royalty, that long moments like that never meant good news. They meant the person in charge was choosing which version of no to use.
"Your testimony is noted," King Rumin said. "And I do not dismiss the danger you've described lightly."
But.
There was always a but.
"However," he continued, "what you're asking for—military resources, official authorization, and a royal expedition to locate a divine entity based on a magical staff's resonance—requires more than testimony and mask fragments."
"We also have the tracking data," Des said carefully. "The decoy is being actively pursued—"
"By unknown parties," Lord Verin cut in. "Unknown parties who may well be mercenaries, rival mages, or thieves. A glowing compass needle is not a declaration of war from a goddess."
Des pressed his mouth shut.
Lord Kelon hadn't spoken in a few minutes. That worried me more than when he was talking.
