“And he’ll know you couldn’t have traveled that far without some foreign contraption either. Again, he will know you are hiding something, or he will assume you are lying about everything. Neither will earn his trust.” She spins the blade she’d used to threaten Reed, its hilt in her palm, tip kissing the table’s wood grain. “You also mention that the sun is entering some . . . active phase. That means more silent storms in the coming moons. So many that it may be impossible to time your plan. What if you bring the rifles to the General and there’s a storm before our wind wagon fleet can get there? What if he learns that the mag-rifles are flawed before we can attack?”

Reed and I had discussed this. I’d assumed that if we acted quickly, it wouldn’t be an issue, but with the Prime’s good eye boring into me, I see how risky that is. If the General discovers the flaw in the mag-rifles before we can make our move, we’ve lost our only edge.

The Prime runs a hand over her jaw. “What if we keep the mag-rifles,” she proposes.

“But they’re how I barter my pack free.”

“Your pack and all of Bedrock will be free if we do this correctly. Why give him a weapon this efficient? Why arm him when we can arm ourselves?” A pause. “If we keep the mag-rifles, build a fleet, and attack when the skies are clear, his modified rifles won’t stand a chance against this new technology.”

“So I just let my pack suffer until we build a fleet? That could take moons!”

“It will.”

I stand, slapping the table. “I’m not waiting any longer. I traveled across the wastes, dammit. I found the Verdant. Your people are calling me gods touched. Don’t I get a say in things?”

“But you’re not gods touched, Delta.” She steels me with her good eye. “No one is, according to what you found at Eden. Not even our long-lost ancestors whose skulls held what the General calls stars. Those “stars” are just tech. Old World tech. Our gods are nothing, and we are certainly not touched by them.”

“How can you be so calm?” I’m still standing, practically shaking.

“Controlling perception is a necessary skill as a leader, Delta. Do not confuse my careful planning with lack of enthusiasm. I am tempered and careful because I know we have only one chance. Now, please sit, so I can continue to explain.”

I glance at Asher, Reed. My half brother nods encouragingly. Asher’s brows flick skyward, as if to say, What other choice do you have?

I flop into the seat.