Well, well, well, well, well.
Relshen's playing his own game of Song of Ice and Fire with the Dark Aves. That's why they were allowed to take whatever eggs they wanted.
Relshen was doing what Brand tried to do all along! No wonder they caught on so fast. Brand was horning in on his territory without knowing it! The village elder didn't call Relshen. The Dark Aves did after Brand stole their egg.
I guess Relshen really wasn't impressed with Prince Shock Jock when he blasted one of their more treasured assistants to ash as a warning. Now he's busy working on a palace coup. Not to mention the fact that the Dark Aves have been seen working with the Puppetmancer. Could be Relshen is working for an entirely different master than Vetra-jou.
And the plot thickens further, while our poor protagonists continue to do what they have from the beginning: Get caught in the middle. In this case, a war between the noble House of Quetz and a slave revolt. Or much worse: A direct war between the Puppetmancer and Vetra. That's the sort of battle that there IS no minimum safe distance from.