The Little Birds reached out to collect their sweets. Once the children had finished eating them, they vanished into the attic again.
A thin maid in an overly loose leather robe stood at the attic door, quietly watching.
"Next, we must take good care of Lord Eddard. He is very valuable. The Black Cells are quiet now, and I have prepared for the transfer. I am still guarding that level," Varys told the maid. Varys had another identity: a jailer in the Black Cells.
The maid nodded to Varys, then left as well. Varys remained alone in the attic, his shadow stretching long through the darkness.
"The Queen Mother is in Maegor's Holdfast, pretending to be calm. That pretty head of hers could fall today. I must prevent that. Queen Mother Cersei should continue her good work, whether in King's Landing or Casterly Rock." Having made up his mind, Varys went downstairs.
"Cersei Lannister and Eddard Stark live. Gendry must be eliminated." Varys appeared in an empty stable in the darkness, found the entrance to a secret passage, and slipped sideways inside.
Varys was going to Maegor's Holdfast to see exactly how things stood with Cersei.
The northern sky reflected the raging fires below, shifting constantly between vivid colors. An eerie green tide flowed through the clouds, and orange light spread across the horizon. Ordinary flames, red or yellow, competed with emerald-green wildfire, waxing and waning, giving birth to countless fleeting shadows.
In the darkness, apart from the wrecked ships, much of the fleet from Volantis and the other slave states surrendered. Duke Stannis Baratheon led his fleet in an attack from the east of King's Landing, while Ser Garlan Tyrell led a force from the Reach in from the west. The Lannisters' cause was lost.
The camp on