Bifalt remembered her inhuman quickness. For her, the decision to act and the completion of the movement were immediate. Long before he could react, she had taken one of her daggers from her sleeve, closed the distance, and aimed her blade at Elgart’s throat.

Yet she did not reach her target. Jaspid caught her wrist. Showing his teeth, he kept her dagger from Elgart’s neck.

“I have not forgotten you, Devotee.” Elgart’s voice had an unfamiliar edge. “But I have learned that arrogance is a game of two players. If one does not play, the other cannot. And I know something that may surprise you. Prince Jaspid has been schooled by your sister in Spirit Lylin.”

Whatever Amandis felt, she kept to herself. Briefly, she considered Jaspid’s grasp. Then a slight movement of her shoulders suggested a shrug. When she stepped back, the Prince let her go.

“Very well,” she said, not to Elgart, but to Bifalt. “I will answer. But do not mistake earned assurance for arrogance. The distinction has weight.

“I have come to help you, King. Is that not obvious? Perhaps you should ask why I am here now. I have other duties.”

Bifalt swallowed his tension. He made an effort to seem calm. “Very well, most holy,” he replied. “I accept your reprimand. I wasted my first question. Here is another. If you will, tell me why you have come now.”

Amandis regarded him as if she saw signs of change. “The Repository’s need is also obvious. But Elgart reminds me that it would have no hope at all without you. I will answer to show my respect.”

With Bifalt’s bodyguards, Crawl and Brighten moved closer. Riflemen edged near. Only Suti al-Suri kept his distance.

“It was not the intention of my people,” said the devotee, “to participate in this war. If we mean to survive it, we must care for our own. But Magister Avail has been speaking to me. I heard his desperation.

“From him, I know that Sirjane Marrow is dead. The new librarian means well, but she is timid. The burden of the war falls to Magister Rummage, and he holds back his sorcerers for the last defense. Only your General Klamath stands against the enemy.

“If Magister Avail had said nothing else, I would not have heeded him. My people are at risk, King. Their need for the devotees of Spirit is extreme. But he also assured me that you may have forsaken the Repository. You are lost in the desert, or you have turned away, or you are dead.

“That I did not expect. Even the young upstart I first met would not have done so, and you have become more. Now I can see for myself that you have kept Elgart’s promise to the el-Algreb, and that you strive to join the fight. These are not the actions of a monarch who turns his back.