Laughing, they headed out the door and across the grain fields to the tiny river of snowmelt used for irrigation and water supply. Its waters had waned as people redirected their own channels from nearer the source. Bastiaan didn’t blame them, but if they kept at it, he’d end up with no water and have to put up a fight. “Okay, divulge. What did you discover?”

“Loads!” Runt practically skipped in his pride. “Sven can see the future!”

Bastiaan’s pace slowed. “Truly?” That was a powerful Talent indeed, one he’d never encountered in his studies. A new Knowledge Talent—he’d have to write it down in his research book. There were three classifications of Talents—ones that affected the body, such as a Healer; Talents that had an external effect, such as his own time-stopping skill; and then Talents of Knowledge or Mind, such as seeing the future. The lone exception was the Wishtress, who could be any or all of these with a single wish.

It was hard to collect information about the Talents since there were so few of them and the location of the Well had been hidden.

“Do you know the breadth of Sven’s Talent? How far into the future he can see? Does the Talent have limits?”

“He saw a lot of what was to come—he already knew about the prince’s marriage and the coronation that would follow. He claims King Mattias is still going to refuse commoners access to the Well, but Sven didn’t give details. He said the canals would be thawed by this time next year!”

That didn’t sound like seeing the future. That sounded like educated political guesswork. “Interesting. How did you discover his Talent?”

Runt slid his bare feet into the lazy water and clumps of dirt floated away. “Listening at windows, of course. He stayed in a cottage for a couple days, but then militairen came for him and he’s been living in the forest ever since.”

“You didn’t see him use it?”

“How could I see him use it? It’s not like he had to snap like you do. At one point his face went all slack and dumb looking. So maybe that was him seeing the future. Or maybe he just looks like that sometimes.”

“Probably the latter,” Bastiaan joked. Runt snorted. “Does anyone else know about his Talent?”

“Lots of people. I think maybe the girl he was with told someone. Commoners have been joining him in the forest. Woodsfolk.”

More strategy. There was no better way to amass a loyal following than to hint toward a powerful Talent and offer promises of hope. A Talent would ensure Sven’s leadership. But what was Sven rebelling against? King Mattias had yet to take any action as sovereign. Was Sven’s sole motivation to take people to the Well?