Zezili forced a laugh. “Forget? Forget walking into that star-blasted wasteland you call home? If that’s what you people will make of this world–”

“Not my people,” Monshara said firmly.

“They bleed,” Zezili said.

“And they kill,” Monshara said. “They’ve killed you once. And I… don’t want to witness that again. That’s why I’m warning you instead of stringing you up myself.”

“How did you know me?” Zezili asked. “The other me?”

“It doesn’t matter. Whatever you’re planning, the Kai is eight steps ahead of you. Let’s finish these last few camps. Then you can go back to your empress, and I’ll go back to mine.”

“But that’s not what’s really going to happen, is it?” Zezili said.

Monshara gulped her wine. “Truly? No, probably not.”

“They haven’t told you their full plans.”

“You thought you’d torture it out of me?” Monshara laughed. “I’d like to see you try. They only tell me a piece at a time. I didn’t know I’d be working here with you until the day we traveled over.”

“But you saw their battle plans. She gave them to you.”

“You really think they’d give over something like that to a woman who could read Dhai?”

“You can’t read Dhai?”

“Of course not.”

“What the Kai turned over to me was likely in some cipher,” Monshara said. “I can’t even say with absolute certainty that it was an invasion plan. It wouldn’t be the first time the Kai sent me on a fool’s errand, telling me I had something important that turned out to be garbage. It’s how she tests loyalty.”

“And you passed?”

“She put me with you, didn’t she?”

“You make it sound like that was a prize.”

“It was…” Monshara finished her wine. “It was what it was.”

“Who did you deliver that map to?”

“You think it’s like that, do you? You think we’ll have some drinks and I’ll betray the Kai? You listen, Zezili–”

“You keep using my name like you think I forgot it.”

“I’m reminding myself of it,” Monshara said. “The woman I knew was much more compassionate than you are. Merciful. And hygienic. You’re… something very different.”

“Thank you.”

“Zezili,” she lowered her voice, “leave this thing about the mirror alone. If you interfere, I’ll report it.” She pulled the silver coin from her pocket and placed it on the table. “This woman on the coin, she was my mother. You understand?”

Zezili stared at the coin.

Monshara stood. “You can keep that,” she said. “I’ll see you in the morning. It’s a long way to Janifa from here, so I expect you should turn in soon. Can’t go off killing people with a belly full of liquor and no sleep.”