"I was getting to that," Alistair says. He doesn't especially care how long Nathaniel knew Cousland or anyone else. Bully for him and his whole noble family—the voices resume, albeit a little more restrained. "—that would have been great, maybe that way we'd know whether he was doing something useful or sleeping his way across the Bannorn in disguise."

Can you stir stew viciously? He tries.

"If you want to send Wardens into the Deep Roads for him, we're going to need to know why he might be worth their lives. Their lives specifically. What he is that's worth trading Inessa and Ciri for. Unless you'd like to just go yourself to tell him off for spurning your sister. Then, by all means."