In the end, it took more than a couple of days of patient detective work to find out where Ammadrine and her new host might be living. It seemed like half the time, Mom was waiting for a call back from one of a huge list of friends, and other moms, and people who owed her a little favour. She didn't like to tell Amber all the details, because she didn't want her to get in trouble.

They spent a day and a half hanging around a cul-de-sac in Little Castleton, about as far from the school as you could get and still be worth working there. There was a house there that somebody had recently moved into, and one of the ladies in the office was sure that one of the new janitors lived somewhere in that neighbourhood.

Amber and a couple of other kids were racing up and down climbing ropes, on a playground at the corner of the street. Mom was sitting on a bench with a couple of shopping bags, watching. But she had one eye on a house halfway down the street. It was obvious someone had moved in less than a week ago, because there weren't blinds on the windows. And then, on the second day of this discreet stake-out, a man in a car pulled up. He had a uniform coverall in navy blue, with the school logo on the back. Their patience had paid off: here was one of the new janitors. His uniform was also covered in considerable amounts of mud and plaster dust, and he had a hard hat in one hand.

"Looks like this one's a proper handyman," Mom commented, "Maybe he's helping them clear out the damaged buildings, or showing the builders around. Or... seeing if the monster left any clues behind?"

Amber clambered onto the bench, and looked across the street. The man was far enough away that she couldn't see many details, but she could be pretty sure.

"It's not him," she shook her head.

"Sure?"

"Yeah."

"Positive?"

"Yeah," a brief fit of giggles swept away the disappointment, "That guy's kinda shaped like a carrot. Like, his shoulders are huuuge, and he looks like he spends all day lifting stuff. The other guy, his belly's wider. I mean, he's not like a huge fat guy, but he's only as fit as he needs to be."

"Okay. On to the next guy."

* * *

Orsertro's eyes flickered open, and he looked around his chambers. Something was out of place, and he wanted to know what it was before he gave any sign of movement. A second later, he could feel it; another empowered soul. The colour was a pale turquoise, that he was all too familiar with.

"What are you doing here?" he growled.

"Someone's been trying to sneak into your chambers in the middle of the night," Belmadir answered.

"It looks like he succeeded."

"I don't mean me. I'm just making sure she's not here."

"Right," Orsertro grunted, and pushed himself up to a sitting position. The sheets slipped down, and the cold night air immediately raised goosebumps on his chest. As he'd expected, Belmadir was standing in the corner, in full armour. Quite apart from all his skills in magic, changing the properties of things and mimicking the powers of the others, he had an impressive talent for moving silently even when carrying a half-ton of battle gear. "You know, even if she was here, you don't need to bring weapons?"

"She's losing her mind. She's going to nullify your powers if you aren't careful."

"She's confused and upset. We're all having trouble with these new bodies. If she needs somebody to talk to, I think you should be all in favour of that."

"I might be, if she was in control of herself. Her actions lately are outright irrational, and this needs to stop. She doesn't know how to deal with anything like this, do you understand? You might think you're being some noble confidant, but it won't stop with talking. If you keep on validating her obsession, she'll start to think it's acceptable to act on those feelings."

"Maybe it is. You think it's better to let her suffer, let her keep on torturing herself with feelings she can't even talk about?"

"That's not the question," Madir was leaning so close now that Orsertro could see the fear in his own eyes reflected in the turquoise visor, and the disheveled stubble of a man who had neglected to shave yesterday. "You know what she is, if she opens her heart. You know how much damage it will cause if she accepts her feelings. If she loses her mind enough to trespass in another man's sanctum, do you think it's just to cry on your shoulder?"

"But still..." Orsertro knew that the other Lord was right, but still he couldn't admit it. He cared too much about the people around him.

"But nothing. Ammadrine is tainted, and you know what that means. You can't let this go any further, and if you intend to tell her this is in any way acceptable, then we will have to stop you. It is still possible to have you cast out of the Council if you act against the Empire, you know."

"You think listening to her troubles is–"

"Do you not understand the meaning of tainted, Orsertro? If she allows her body to be overwhelmed by human emotion, she will lose connection to the ancestral powers that are so vital to us. She will lose her mind, and you cannot predict what she would do then. If she cannot control her own emotions, the Empire will fall, and the people of Pangea will return to barbarism. Is that what you want? Or maybe the same corruption is threatening your judgement?"

"I understand," Orsertro finally answered, "But what can we do?"

"I am proposing a new set of rules. It will be hard, but it needs to be done. For the good of the Council, and for every living thing on this world. And for her too, to keep her sane. We must speak only in the ways defined by ancient protocol. We are only the Lords, the Masters of the Council, and the rulers of this world. We are men no longer, and she is no woman. We cannot be friends, even. Because for civilisation and sentience to survive, to preserve the wisdom of our people, we must be the lords that our duty demands."

Both remained silent. Eventually, Orsertro managed to nod. He knew how much pressure Ammadrine was under already, and he couldn't bear the thought of making that worse. Pressure to deny her feelings, and act perfectly according to the script that they had worked out. They were all expected to fulfil their roles to the exclusion of all else, but the pressure on her was worse than anyone, especially the additional fear of the Taint, and how it could corrupt her powers. But... as much as he cared for her, he knew that there wasn't any possibility of her acting on those same feelings without destroying everything they'd worked so hard to build.

"Very well. So we're machines acting out our duty, with no feelings at all?"

"Unfortunately. Until the Empire and its people are mature enough to survive without our attention. Perfect Knights and a perfect Princess, playing our appointed roles. It really is a terrible thing, but it is the only way to drag an entire race from barbarism to civilisation."

There didn't seem to be much else to say.