The Sovereign was silent for a long moment. The chasm stretched around us, the thousands of vats glowing like a field of captive stars, as the hooded statue loomed at the center, its face hidden in shadow, and its hands folded in eternal patience.
Then he spoke, and his voice was quieter, as if he was speaking to himself as much as to me.
"He is what happens when a man who should have died goes on living."
I waited. The Sovereign did not seem to need encouragement.
"I have been alive for more than eight thousand years," he said. "I have seen empires rise and fall. I have seen gods die and be forgotten. I have seen the world change and change again. And in all that time, I have never met anyone like him."
Then he looked at me, and he sort of smiled, or maybe it was a frown. It seemed my question had made him look deep into himself, and I don't think Sid was liking what he saw.
