“Therefore, I expect us to see significant results within the next two weeks,” General Wei concluded his presentation. Then he turned to me. “Does this plan meet with your approval, Your Highness?”

I looked at the map they’d spread around the conference table again, even though I would have memorized it by now even without an eidetic memory. It still didn’t look good, but it could be worse, I supposed.

After the airship fiasco and the lost battle, I forced myself to face the fact that I had been playing with fire. It was time to take a step back and let the professionals do their thing. For the most part, at least. That’s why I’d been quite silent for this meeting, and probably why Wei felt the need to ask.

“If I may summarize the main points,” I said. “You propose to spread most of our forces, and the reinforcements arriving soon, between various outposts, bases, and garrisons. At the same time, we’ll evacuate all the less defensible settlements the raiders might reach. And we will send off certain ‘hunting teams’ to attack groups of nomads whenever they show themselves. Those they should be able to beat, at least. That’s where most of our soldiers in the higher stages will go. Do I have the right of it?”

“A succinct summary, my lady.”

“Are there any objections? I encourage you all to speak your mind.”

The officers and nobles sitting in the meeting room looked at each other, but no one spoke, or displayed any signs of disapproval.

I nodded, trying to show some gravitas. “Very well, General. Implement this plan.”

A few of the officers smiled, and the conversation resumed, hashing out a few final details. I excused myself shortly after. It wasn’t like I knew enough about the south to give input on garrison strengths or routes, and they didn’t need me looking over their shoulders.

As I left, a guard closing the door behind me with a soft thud, I couldn’t help my thoughts returning to my dream again. They’d often strayed there the last few hours. I barely saw the wide corridor and its crisp white walls as I walked, the sound of mine and the guards’ feet thumping on the floor the only break in the silence.

Why did I even have the dream? Probably my darkness affinity doing some weird stuff. Maybe there’s something that happened to open me to those dreams, who knows? It might work through a connection I have to someone — like a blood connection. Then he was having an important dream, thinking about me, and I happened to be asleep at the same time.

I frowned. That was the best theory I could come up with right now, even if it left a lot of open questions. Like Carston himself. Was he from another world? He said something about not growing up to have an eidetic memory, but maybe I was overinterpreting things.

I shook those thoughts off as I stepped out of the building, tilting my face up to meet the sun’s rays. It promised to be a nice day, although there was a hint of rain in the air.

“Did you leave the meeting early?” Tenira asked.

I turned to see her leaving the building’s entrance behind me, a smile playing on her face. She looked perfectly composed in a dress shimmering with silver threads, grace and beauty rolling off her. But I noticed a slight shadow beneath her eyes.

“I saw the important part,” I replied, tearing my eyes away from her.

Lei came out of the building behind her, grinning. “We’ll show those raiders where the sword hangs!” Then he paused. “Do you want to spar a bit, or maybe review some plans?”

Neither of those sounded good at the moment. I wasn’t in the mood for a fight, even if it was sparring, and I didn’t know if I could concentrate on technological plans.

“We could visit the town,” Tenira suggested. “I hear they’re building a telegraph line here. On the hill beside the base and the town, I think.”

That sounded like a good idea. “Sure, let’s go.”

We started walking, a group of guards accompanying us like always. On the way, Lei talked excitedly about the newest breakthroughs on the project. I marveled at his enthusiasm and the fact it wasn’t affected by the battle and the whole war.

When we left the base, I half tuned him out, looking around at the town. It was encircled by walls that reached at least twice the height of Pekasa, the town I’d visited near the sect, even though its population couldn’t be much higher. They put a large chunk of the town in shadow. Now I realized why it was called Rampart. No wonder it housed one of the main army bases in the South.

There was a dent, where a second fence encircled an area that bordered on both the base and the town walls. A hill rose behind it, buildings scattered over its surface, with a tall post somewhere close to the top. If I focused, I could even see the wire stretching from it in the direction of Blue Valley City.

It didn’t take us long to reach it, the gate standing open to let us enter. I hurried up the hill and paused at a good vantage point, looking over the city. Reddish and brown roofs, a maze of streets, and the sounds of people going about their lives. “It doesn’t seem too different from what I remember of Earth,” I mentioned.

Lei cocked his head. “Well, there certainly was no qi on my world. And a town this size would have had a lot more smog.”

I grinned at that. The air was definitely clearer here than in most places I’d been on Earth.

“I don’t know, it could use a good clock tower,” Tenira said. She turned around. “Let’s go, shall we?”

I followed her. For a moment, we walked in silence, before Lei started talking again. He gestured at the complex rising before us, pointing out all the places where we could see qi, and the lines of electric cable.

It couldn’t hold my attention the way it usually might. Hanging out with Tenira and Lei felt good, even more than seeing the proof of our technological innovation. I couldn’t help but smile as I walked, the sounds of their footsteps echoing mine, Lei’s excitement bouncing around us.

When we reached the building, he hurried ahead, looking at the devices in the room and examining the telegraph line itself. I hung back a bit, and Tenira joined me.

“By the way,” I asked, “do you remember Carston?”

“Your father?” She raised an eyebrow. “I think I met him as a child a few times, but I can’t quite recall.”

We walked over to examine some of the equipment. “Why did he leave?”

“I don’t know, I’m sorry. Some sort of falling out with your mother, I imagine.”

I gave her a sideways glance and asked, “Is he, though? My father, I mean. What do you think?”

Tenira stayed quiet for a bit, looking intently at some qi device. After a moment, she shook her head a little. “I can’t say for sure. My mother is a bit of a gossip, you know. She said that Kariva mentioned that she knew every cultivator your mother might have slept with during that time in, and no one but Carston had blond hair or fair skin.”

“Hmm.” I blinked, then turned around. “Let’s head outside.”

I looked at the wire running through the air, and thought about what she’d said. I figured Kariva would know what she was talking about. But Mother may have kept someone a secret. And besides, I didn’t want to count on gossip. At this point, I was starting to get sick of the question, and resolved to just shelve it.

“Do you miss your old life, Tenira?”

My friend grimaced, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear. “Sometimes. On the whole, I’m glad I’m here, though. I never saw much of a future for myself there, but now it’s different. Besides, having qi is wonderful.”

I nodded. “I can see that.”

“And you, Inaris?”

“Yeah, I miss it. Less so as time goes on, though. I feel like I don’t miss it enough, sometimes.”

Tenira snorted. “You just need to overcomplicate things, don’t you? Don’t feel like you have to pine over your old attachments. Besides, you’re too much of a cold-blooded bitch for that.”

I shook my head. “You know, you’re the only one who would dare call me something like that. Besides Mother, but I don’t see her that often. Whatever would I do without you, Tenira?”

Humor sparkled in her eyes, and her smile lit up the day so much I had to avert my eyes so I wouldn’t stare. “Probably be a little more arrogant than you already are, and get assassinated for it?”

I laughed. Before I could continue the banter, though, Lei returned. He’d somehow managed to get his robes in disarray and get a smudge on his cheek. “Ladies, what are you doing dawdling here? There’s more to see.”

Tenira shook her head. “We should get back. The reinforcements from the central provinces are supposed to come, remember? Inaris needs to be there for it.”

I sighed, but she was right. “Yes, let’s head back.”

It didn’t take us long to leave the compound. I only noticed I’d felt some pressure when the accumulations of qi got weaker with distance. The guards, who’d kept their distance to give us some privacy, closed in again. I noticed what I thought might be a smile on Aston’s face, but it quickly smoothed back to a neutral expression.

This time, we didn’t talk much on the way back. All too soon, we passed through the gate post into the base again, then made our way to the wing of the building we’d been put up in. There, the others split off to go to their respective rooms and freshen up.

I hurried to mine and looked through the clothing I’d brought. A few of the servants rushed in. I recognized both of them from the palace, but didn’t try to start a conversation. They styled my hair and put on a bit of makeup. After a few minutes, I was ready, and left my room again to head to the open square at the back of the base.

I arrived just on time. A few shadows already darkened the ground by the time I took my place next to Tenira, close to General Wei and Lord Zun. When I looked up, I could make out a number of airships closing in quickly. They touched down a minute later.

Their doors opened, and soldiers marched out, taking up a formation. They all saluted. I returned their gesture, then focused my attention on the officers stepping up to greet us. I recognized one of them from the meeting in the palace, although I hadn’t caught her name. They both knelt to me.

“Please rise,” I said, then raised my voice so everyone could hear me. “We are glad of your timely arrival. Your help in repelling the nomad scourge plaguing the south will be invaluable. I’m sure you will prove your worth in the battles to come, and I look forward to having you fighting by my side.”

No one looked upset, and a few of the soldiers I could see actually relaxed a bit, so I must have done well.

A few other officers exchanged a few words, then we turned to head into the building. But I paused, throwing a glance back as something tickled my awareness. Aiki Ilia, the agent, had approached a one-star general from the reinforcements. I watched a packet change hands. Probably an exchange of correspondence.

I felt a little better at the thought that Kariva was handling things back home.

Then we reached the meeting room, and I turned my thoughts back to my surroundings. I should learn the names and details of the new commanders, and we needed to bring them up to speed.

But in a pause during the meeting, I pulled Tenira aside. A meaningful look at Aston had him raise a barrier of air qi that would prevent us from being overheard.

“I’ve been thinking,” I said. “I’d like you, or the people from my retinue, to reach out to the various commanders. High officers and nobles. Not officially, just a few off-the-record conversations, if you can. I’d like to hear their opinions on what’s going on, see if they have concerns or suggestions they wouldn’t raise publicly.”

Tenira raised her eyebrows, then nodded. “They might be wary of talking to me and Lei,” she said slowly. “But we can try, and I’ll tell the others. We’ll do our best.”

“Great.” I smiled at her, then turned to rejoin the meeting.

It should be over soon, at least. If nothing else, I’d go into the field to escape these constant meetings.