“If only I had.” Kile squeezed up his mouth and took a deep inhalation through his nose. “Twins—they never happen with the Fhrey. Never once. I knew that in the future there would be myr, but at the time I made the horn, I didn’t realize that the hybrid of human and Fhrey would introduce that little surprise.”

“But you can see the future.”

“Yes, although you might be surprised how much there is. You’ve seen the night sky, looked at it your whole life. Are you certain you’ve taken note of every star? I didn’t notice you, at least not until it was too late.”

“Why are twins a problem?”

“There was no provision for them in the functionality of the horn. At the death of the fane, the horn won’t be able to clearly determine which offspring is entitled.”

“Wouldn’t it be the first to breathe?”

“The nature of the horn—its connection to Phyre—requires it to track the moment spirit meets vessel. In the case of twins, that window is too close to call. As a result, the horn will recognize both as eligible. There can be only one heir and one challenger. Two heirs mean the horn cannot be blown by anyone. This paradox will shatter it. One twin must die before the ruling fane passes or the horn will be broken, and the house of carefully stacked sticks I have spent generations building will fall. All the sacrifices made by so many will be for nothing. And there have been a lot of sacrifices.”

“And you can’t just wave a hand and change that? You made the horn.”

“Yes, I did, and it is sort of like a promise, a promise people suffered for. Were I still Uberlin, I wouldn’t care. But if I were Uberlin, I wouldn’t be trying to fix what was broken.”

“And you’re certain of this? I mean, you made a mistake with the horn. Could you be missing something now?”

He shook his head. “Failure to notice a rare event isn’t the same as when I study something in detail. And believe me, I’ve scrutinized this more than any other event.”

Farilane nodded, which allowed the monster that was her hair to throw more strands into her eyes. She brushed them back, discovering them to be soaked. “Okay, I see that, but why me?” she asked. Knowing the facts of the matter, she felt unjustly accused. “Why not Nordyan? Will he be that much better an emperor than I?”

“No.” Kile shook his head. “Nordyan will be mediocre at best, invisible to the course of time, a mere name on a tomb, and he is exactly what is needed at this particular place and time.”

“So is it because I’m a woman?”

“No.” A sadness flew across his features. “It’s because you aren’t the right woman.”

“I don’t understand.”