“That is the pertinent question, isn’t it?” says Palamedes, pointing his spoon at Gideon for emphasis. The idea that someone could become a god isn’t foreign to their world, but that doesn’t mean anyone can do it anytime. “I suppose it depends what godhead means to him. He already possesses the ability to create pocket universes and elaborate illusions, craft wards and sigils the likes of which I have never seen, and bring people back from the dead in certain capacities. But that isn’t enough for him.”

Pal frowns faintly into his ice cream, once again brought up against the mystery he cannot crack: what does the captain really want, and do they dare give it to him? “Discovering what would satisfy him may be the key to escaping this place. Or it may mean our downfall.”