Chapter 33 (There is no such thing as perfect security)

Seeking respite from grief over Nantha’s death, Prince Roderick hunts on a remote continent while Haditha and the children stay with her sister. He returns to Zimia still grieving and finds Emperor Salvador showcasing Grand Inquisitor Quemada’s brutal public interrogations as a deterrent. Roderick is appalled by the spectacle and the cheering crowd.

Roderick confronts Salvador, arguing that Sister Dorotea’s Truthsayer methods are more effective and humane than torture, which only fuels mob violence. Intrigued, Salvador agrees to a controlled comparison between Dorotea and Quemada.

With the plaza cleared at Roderick’s request, Dorotea silently confronts Quemada in the observation suite. Without touching him, she presses into his motives, questioning his reliance on lethal methods despite Suk training. Under her scrutiny, Quemada breaks and admits he profits from selling organs of those who die under questioning to Tlulaxa buyers and Suk transplant physicians.

Roderick underscores Dorotea’s swift, bloodless success. Outraged and excited by the revelation, Salvador orders Quemada to be interrogated publicly by his own Scalpel team to extract all his secrets. In panic, Quemada tries to redirect attention toward Empress Tabrina, implying she holds information Salvador seeks.

The chapter closes with a decisive shift away from public torture as entertainment toward exposing corruption within the Emperor’s own apparatus, while raising new questions about Empress Tabrina’s involvement.