“I would have you do what I do. I would have you be a planner, the highest order in the Cadre. I would have you join us in overseeing all that the Cadre does, originating the ideas that drive it.”

Of all Dyeawan’s expectations after the testing, none reached the heights expressed in Edger’s words.

“I would… yes, I would like that, Edger. Very much.”

“Wonderful! That is simply wonderful. I am very pleased to hear you say that, my dear. With that settled, you must realize while the results were indeed impressive, the tests we placed before you were meant for novices. And planners are not novices.”

“You mean… there are more tests? Harder tests?”

“In your very special case, just one, but yes, it will be significantly more difficult. My… colleagues… have insisted.”

“Do they not want me?”

“No, no, nothing like that. They simply haven’t been privy to our conversations. They don’t know you yet. And admitting new recruits into planning is a very rare thing indeed.”

“All right. What is this final test? And when is it?”

“I am afraid I cannot tell you either of those things, my dear.”

Dyeawan only nods, unsurprised and undisturbed. “That’s part of it, right?”

“That is correct. For now, you will return to your regular duties. What comes will come, and my faith in you remains absolute.”

Dyeawan knows what faith is, but she’s never experienced it, and in that moment she can’t decide if she’s sorry or grateful for that.

“Thank you again, Edger. Thank you for everything. I don’t want to let you down.”

“That is impossible, little Slider.”

Dyeawan smiles for him. It’s clear to her that he doesn’t think he’s lying. However, she has learned that people lying to themselves about a thing doesn’t make that thing true.

ONLY FIRE AND ICE GROW IN CHARNEL HOUSE GARDENS

IT’S THE SMELL OF WINTER rotting.

The benefit of visiting The Dry House is that the small domed structure has been set far apart from the rest of the Spectrum. The robed Councilmembers, their clerics, and the many daily Capitol petitioners also avoid The Dry House like a plague, making it the most peacefully serene and vacant spot in the city’s bustling epicenter. It’s a perfect escape from the constant bureaucratic chaos and its million tiny agonies.

The downside of visiting The Dry House, obviously, is that it is filled with the dead and rapidly decaying.