"That pressure will manifest as restrictions and limitations on what he can do, how much he can influence, and how openly he can exert his will for a significant period of time."
She paused, watching the fury boil in his eyes. "It is not punishment in the way you are picturing it, Rex."
"It is not a lashing or a fall from grace. It is politics."
"Politics," Rex repeated.
The word came out of him with a flat, hollow resonance, dripping with a contempt so thick it was almost palpable. He let out a short, bitter bark of a laugh that sounded more like a snarl.
"He tried to erase my children before they even had a chance to draw breath."
"He tried to unmake my very soul and my entire legacy... and the consequence is politics?"
"He gets a reprimand in a divine boardroom while we're left to bleed in the dirt?"
