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@AceChase Truth be told, I get confused about this sometimes. The way I saw it was that Ambrose's trade off did not kill someone when they were not meant to die. However, despite Eugene removing the rats from the city, the people that were "saved" were already on their way to death as they had already been infected. The people that he "saved" the thousands of people that could have caught the plague had not yet and so were not, one could say, 'dedicated to death'.
However, one could argue that since the council was already doomed (since they had already contracted the plague), Eugene killing them would not have tilted the balance. Unfortunately, Eugene hadn't had the time or the forethought to see which of the council members were infected as there was a chance that some weren't infected yet. I decided not to reveal this because Eugene himself did not know and I wanted to keep the spotlight on him as much of his internal struggle stems from how he doesn't fully understand the plague nor the difference between justice and revenge.
Hopefully this answers your question without confusing you more.
I've loved reading your comments and I'm glad you've enjoyed reading The Magician's Vow. I do have a sequel planned, but am not sure when I'll have the time to start it.
Thanks again!