"Oh, you were very much the inspiration," China assured Solomon, her smile turning sly. "When you were almost assassinated yesterday, I decided you would need servants able to tell something was amiss immediately from the other side of the Sanctuary, and act accordingly with all due speed. If they had to wait until you were screaming, they wouldn't be very efficient as a defence force, would they?"

All of which was true, to a degree, teasing though her tone was. Sanguine's appearance yesterday was certainly what spurred China into finishing her work early. For her recovery to be effective, she needed stability around her, and her social standing to be well and truly established. None of that would be the case if the Irish Sanctuary underwent any more changes than it already had. Instability invited conflict, which wasn't a bad thing in and of itself, but which could be disastrous to all involved if China wasn't prepared for it.

But Solomon was right. The initial inspiration came from his rather unique way of seeing the world. When he'd convinced her to help rescue Bliss, the unerring way he saw right through her was what gave her the idea. As well as the suggestion that perhaps these statues shouldn't be able to talk.

"Eleven more?" she asked once more for confirmation. "That shouldn't take too long, provided Dexter's put on some muscle in the last few minutes. Perhaps you should help him, Elder Wreath. Lifting the rock you've been living under for the last few centuries must have taken its toll."