“It may get worse,” I said. “It is ten days to my inauguration, and I had hoped the army would be here by now. I am going to exercise the Firelord’s right to change the laws. The Chosen will fight me every step of the way.”

“That they will. There’ll be civil war, Elsha.”

“Then I hope to God that what I do is right.”

He looked full in my face then, and his smile was the old smile I loved, serene and warm and encouraging “You are right, lionheart. Never doubt it.”

“You’ve changed your tune,” I said “You told me once that defiance was not worth its price.”

“That was the only foolish thing I ever said. Since you walked with the Firelord, I have seen the Quelled stand singing, filled with inspiration and hope. Long have we dreamed of revolt, but always our defiance has been ineffective, stamped out before it was hardly begun. We were scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. Now we have a champion. You’ll give us our revolution – and you’ll give us power behind it, a Firelord on our side, and laws to back us up. You will achieve in your lifetime what we might otherwise have done in centuries. I cannot tell you what you mean to us. To all the Quelled. To me. I honour you, Elsha. I love you well. All the Quelled love you.”

For a while we sat there looking at one another, hesitant, overwhelmed Then suddenly I found myself in his embrace, and the feel and smell and touch of him was like a homecoming to me, and I felt again all the passion and pain and hope and wild dreaming of a child in Siranjaro.

And it was good.

Two more days passed, and still there was no sign of Amasai and his army, nor any word from him. I began to fear that the messenger had taken his gold and deserted me. I went three times a day to the towers, and looked out across the mountains and valleys for a sign of an army on the march. Without Amasai, my cause was lost. As Firewoman I could write new laws – I could rewrite the entire social structure of my world – but without supporters to issue and enforce the laws, I could achieve nothing. Amasai was vital to me.

Lesharo knew my inner fears, and his serenity was my strength. To him I told my new laws, and my plans for establishing them.