The Which watched the general carefully. She knew that, as a mere soldier, his counsel had been discounted far too often in this throne room. As an outsider herself, she appreciated Bahn’s tenacity and confidence. His strategy now was obvious but potentially effective. The fight often goes to the aggressor, The Which thought as Bahn cut to the chase.

“Now, I implore you, reinstate troops to the capital city of Mist Tier,” the general summarized in no uncertain terms.

King Xander seemed stymied, but Nor was quick to rise to the defense. “Your words belie themselves, General,” she said. “It was Xander’s decision to redeploy soldiers to the outlying tiers. Why question it in success?”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, it was a directive born of superstition and not military logic. To be blunt, we got lucky. Mark my words, the Indirans will attack again. And in greater numbers.”

The king scratched his chin; then his attention drifted back to the magi seers and their less than linear way of thinking.

“Is it possible that the Indirans are aware of the Prophecy and believe they can use it to defeat us?” he asked the Four Tellers.

“As a matter of perspective, the Aurora Constellation is not visible from Indira. It only occurs in our sky.” To The Which’s surprise, The Where had responded first. She would not have expected him to have paid attention to the previous conversation, much less provide so cogent a point.

It prompted The Why to muse, “It is possible that the details of our culture would be unimportant to them.”

“Unless they have studied the writings of the Predeciders as scrupulously as we have,” The Which countered quickly.

Queen Nor turned to her, and The Which quickly deciphered that there was more than just curiosity in her gaze. The queen was sizing her up. Unlike King Xander and his chronic cluelessness, The Which knew that the queen was highly attuned to the presence of competing power within her sphere. Perhaps it was a particularly feminine trait. She also knew that the more she exerted her influence in these summits, the more she would be considered a force within the inner circle, a position that did not come without risk.

At the moment, Queen Nor’s inscrutable expression made it difficult to tell if she thought The Which was a rival or a peer. It would therefore be prudent to let the queen have the last word.

“Our histories are as tied together as our futures,” Queen Nor said. “Don’t assume their ignorance.”

General Bahn cleared his throat, reclaiming the floor before the discussion could continue down this dithering path.

“Your Majesties, I am simply a soldier,” Bahn said. “The Prophecy is a matter for yourselves and the Four Tellers to decipher. But isn’t it possible that the soldier in question is not one of ours? I know why you removed all our soldiers from the capital city. But if we cannot defend Mist Tier and the Indirans decide to attack the throne itself and overrun the city.” Bahn drew a steadying breath. “Then isn’t it possible that you are fulfilling the Prophecy with your own reckless decision?”