“Liberate the Quelled? Close the mines? Give up divining? Harsha, you are mad! You made vows – sacred, unalterable vows! Will you break them now, and kill us all?” Maelmor’s face was livid, and his body shook with rage.

“I do not recant my vows,” I said. “I will divine, but only for a limited number of firestones. I am still pledged to giving people life and warmth. But there is this other warmth now – the fire that people have within.”

“Fire within!” His face reddened, and sweat stood on his brow. He was summoning the new warmth himself, without realising it “God forgive me,” he said, “for making you the Firelord. You made a holy vow that you would help human life endure. Yet you plan to close the mines, knowing that we cannot live without firestones. They have saved us from the cold for five centuries. You cannot wipe out the necessity for them just by thought, no matter how many fools you have deceived. Your new warmth won’t last. People cannot sit and contemplate heat every moment of their lives.”

“They do not sit by their fires every moment, either,” I replied. “And the new warmth is more excellent than fire. We have it with us always, ready to be called. We can stand in snow all night, and use it to endure. We can survive anywhere in the mountains, by our own power.”

“Our own power? By God, woman – how many people do you think have that power? Two? Ten? A hundred? What happens to the rest? To those unable to call the power; to the newborns, the old, the ill, the weak-willed? You who are pledged to preserve life – do you leave them all to suffer, to freeze to death?”

“No one will suffer, Maelmor. I know there are people who will not be able to learn this ability. Many people, perhaps. They will be allowed all the firestones they need. But for the majority of us, fires will be burned only twice a day, not all day as they are now. A minimum of firestones will be used. The mines of Siranjaro, Thorn and Raddai will remain open, and will export firestones for cooking and heating water, and for the people who are unable to warm themselves. I will divine as often as necessary, to keep those mines open. They will be worked the first half of every year by Quelled; in the second half of the year, they will be worked by Chosen. Every year the mining crews will be changed; each adult will be required to mine only once in their lifetime. This is a fair way, with everyone who uses fuel doing their share of mining. Slavery will no longer exist.”