No one's listening. Her voice falters, then cracks, and she clamps a hand over her mouth to cover the way her breath is hitching.

Riccin isn't even looking at Hinnom. As far as they're concerned, ze's already dead, and that's what makes Marduk realise ze wasn't joking.

Hinnom's feral. Ferals are culled. Ze's going to get culled, and it's all her fault: ze told her, and oh.

Oh, Empress, what is she going to do?