Okay, but like...
Zaeth isn't afraid of Koschei, because he loves and trusts him. All his mouthing off and not caring and lack of ambition... Koschei let him be that way, gave him the room he needed to grow. He saved his ass when they wanted to kill him and the rest of the coterie in San Francisco.
And that's why Zaeth is always up front with him, and gives it to him straight. Does some attitude come with it? Hell yeah, that's the Bruja way, but Koschei has never given him a reason to think he needs to lie about a situation. And that's why he has no problem telling him that Ermine arrived in Purpee, and was subsequently killed. As Prince, he steps up and takes the responsibility, like he said he would, and is actually rewarded for that honesty.
It's good storytelling.

















