Roderick watched. That was all he could do lately. And even that wasn't easy. Watching someone craft the perfect plan to make the world bow—knowing it might destroy everything in the process—without being able to stop it, was excruciating.
Emperor Kaan had used Riona's blood, taken when he pretended to heal the Blood Moon child, to weave his influence. With it, he had earned the trust of both Florian and Ol'gaz. The effect still lingered, only weakening when they were away from him.
***
"Why did we listen to him?" Ol'gaz groaned when it was just the two of them in the room. The demon, wearing Florian's form, paced back and forth in the guest chamber the emperor had provided.
"You're the one who answered him," Florian muttered.
The truth was, they were both ensnared by the blood's power. Florian felt an unnatural closeness to the emperor, while Ol'gaz's sense of ease around him felt forced, artificial.
