She didn’t particularly mind. While she enjoyed being with him, theirs was no great love affair, and she was certain that he felt the same way. It was a relationship of convenience between two Illyri, based on many things—ambition, shared enemies, common goals, occasional physical needs—but not on any deep affection, and not on any particular trust either. They were both too experienced to really trust anyone, but they were also clever enough to realize that neither of them would ever give away anything that might endanger themselves or weaken their position. Unlike Krake and Merida, there would be no careless pillow talk. If they shared any information, they would do so deliberately, and with a purpose. Dyer was handsome in a vague way; his features were slightly too regular to be truly interesting. He was also small for an Illyri—just a little over six feet in height—but his ascent to power had been steady and careful, until he was now, to the eyes of outsiders, just one step away from the highest position in the Empire.
