The news -- the rumour -- was flying now, by wave and packet and word of mouth, with nothing questioning it. A silence worse, to Luvan, than any platitude the Communion could wavecast.
He had more pressing worries, though -- like the Matriarch pressing a handful of illumina chips, a stun-gem and passage on the next ship off-planet into his numb hands.
Leaving Rith now might as well be exile from House Verdanin.
But the House needed to know; and he drew the bad lot.