Marcus immediately corrected himself with exaggerated care. "Actually, let me stop saying it like the thing slipped out of his pocket. Phei took it from him."
That name landed badly.
Marcus almost looked pleased. "There it is." He pointed around the room. "That's the face. Every single time somebody says Phei, half of you suddenly look like admitting what happened physically hurts. I'm tired of this whole room pretending he's not the one behind half our recent disasters because acknowledging that makes everyone uncomfortable that we're all losing to a seventeen-year-old kid."
Grandpa Maxton's expression darkened, but Marcus was rolling now.
"Yes, Danton failed. Wonderful. We agree. But failure requires someone on the other side making you fail." He tapped one finger against the air. "Phei took the Coffer."
Another: "Phei interfered with Anarctica."
