"Mrs. Fell?"

"You have the advantage of me. Why don't you come in?" She's scanning outside, past Sadde. "No reason to be this visible, if you're who I suspect."

"I probably am," she says, accepting the invitation and walking in.

"An unknown practitioner, days after the city goes to war. You're probably the target, or connected," she says, showing Sadde a seat. "Tea?"

"I'll accept, thank you," she says, taking the seat.

She comes back from the kettle with two steaming cups instead of one.

"Am l right about why you came looking for me?"

"You're correct about who I am. I don't know what you inferred about my motives. But, again, probably." She accepts the cup and blows on it.

"That you're hoping for support, and that l'll end up saying l can't provide anything material."

"Information would help, too."

"Your enemy hasn't pulled out all the stops yet. You're up against whoever answers only to him, which means Matthew, the Eye, and whatever he has locked away in his tower. And soon my sons too; he called them back. He has not publicly called for help as Lord of Toronto, but is likely to if you win any victories. Then you have the major players bound to help him protect the city and irritated at you that they have to."

She nods along this explanation.

"What are your thoughts on all this? Conquest, your husband, your children..."

"My husband and sons are enslaved. When my granddaughter is born, she will have a short childhood before being forcibly inducted into the same. I would like to see the slaver lose his position, in the hope that some later enemy can destroy him utterly and free my family, but he knows this and is more than capable of blackmailing me to stay neutral."

"But you could, and of course you do not have to confirm this, subtly sabotage him to the extent of your ability to do it without being found out."

"I don't make a habit of doing that, even though Matthew would be all in favor." It's not a disagreement. "Same reason I assume you haven't mentioned your name. It's safe any specific time, not necessarily safe over time."

"You can call me Sam," she says, not saying it's her name.

"Fair enough. Any information you think might help, Sam? Matthew hasn't been allowed to just hand me a list of what the Lord has to deploy, for this exact reason, so I can't tell you where to look for the gaps in his defenses."

"It would be useful to know the exact details of the whole slavery thing Matthew has. I've heard third—and fourth-hand accounts but you probably know more than anyone other than the man himself."

Susan exhales slowly. "The practical effect is that the entire bloodline has to obey or be forsworn. If you mean how it came about, there's a story behind it. I have time if you do."

"I'd be most interested in hearing that," she says, crossing her legs and leaning forward in curiosity.

She takes a sip and a deep breath.

"The story starts with a young man rescuing his love from imprisonment in her father's house. As he sees it. How right he was is not the point here. Joseph brings with him the tricks collected in his short career as an illusionist and a new familiar, a face-stealing killer and impersonator. He himself is, for all his conviction, not a fighter. His enemy is armed and shoots to disable. With Canfield's bullet in his leg, Joseph Attwell swears to watch his enemy die. It's a very weighty oath, sworn on his name, blood, magic, the works. And it helps. Working toward fulfilling that oath gives him the strength to keep fighting. He wins. Not by fighting; he is an illusionist; but he can occupy his opponent. His familiar has killed Canfield's butler and stolen his face. The disguise lets him get close unopposed. The assassin stabs several times and manages enough that Canfield would die painfully soon.

Canfield calls the Lord of Toronto. Not to save him, but to give him an out. He volunteers as a host for this Incarnation of Conquest. The Lord gets more able to think, less set in his ways, more human; his host gets the knowledge that some part of his consciousness survives to shape the Incarnation's perspective on what conquest is.

It's a bad deal, but he prefers it to dead. And now he can't be killed. Which means Joseph can't watch him die. The Lord threatens to declare Joseph forsworn, but instead offers him protection in exchange for service. Joseph accepts. And the oath was by his blood. It binds his son, and our sons, and every generation with no end in sight. Despite our best efforts, they are all forsworn if they refuse an order."

"...and is Joseph by any chance one of the ghosts the Lord has?"

"After he died trying to subdue some Other for his master, yes. Matthew got sent to collect the echo."

"What would it count as, if his ghost happened to see the Lord's current vessel die?"

"Good thought, but no. The Incarnation would survive, and the surviving parts of Canfield with him. Taking a new host would be closer to the mark, but even then he doesn't abandon what's left of his current host's supply of humanity.
Also because the ghost is barely better than using a picture of Joseph. But if that were the only problem then his heir could speak for him.

We have tried to escape, and the Lord knew we would. If there's ever a way out it won't be as straightforward as him losing a fight."

"So the only real option is the Lord releasing the oath?"