There were several beats of silence in which Leal debated whether or not to allow her to change the subject. Recalling that the matter of "letting" and "allowing" had been a thorny one just now, he made the obvious choice.
"He claimed to not have written it so much as unearthed and 'recounted' it for modern readers. The man is called Sennet, the Marquis of Galane."
Leal caught the subtle way that Hilde became more alert upon hearing his answer.
"He's still alive?" she asked.
He decided to also let that one pass for the moment and said, "Barely, from what I last heard."
"What do you mean? Is he sick?"
"No," Leal replied levelly. "He is in prison and is… likely to be executed."
Hilde took a moment to digest this. Then, she snorted out a brief, humorless laugh while glancing heavenward
