"Klade, one of the Five, had gone to the slavers in Kholinar and purchased a *person* to see if it truly was possible."
"He hadn’t even bought a parshman; there had been *Alethi* for sale."
"King Gavilar himself stood pointing at something on a table, surrounded by *five others*: two officers, two women in long dresses, and one old man in robes. Why wasn’t Gavilar at the feast? Why weren’t there guards at the door? [...]"
"“Thank you, *Meridas*,” Gavilar said. “Leave us for a moment, all of you.”"
"He leaned forward, the light from the ruby slipping between his fingers. “I need you to deliver a message to your leaders. The Five? You’re close to them, and *I’m being watched*. I need their help to achieve something.”"