The decade after the Massacre of Kamisukawa was a period of tense and unexpected peace. Though the rest of the Free Cities prepared themselves for an all-out war with the Empire of the Sun, it seemed that the Prince was content with placing the blame of the Frost Saint's Rebellion wholly on the Frozen Saint.

After he bound the Mothers of the Northern Tribes to deliver tributary goods to the Empire, the Prince himself disappeared from all state affairs for a decade. The only proof that he lived in Crimson City was his ever-present Domain hanging over the city's territory like a watchful predator and when the Chancellors needed the Prince to settle disagreements with his seal of approval.

— Excerpt from Prince of the Sun, by Scholar Nemuria of the Fallen Star Pavilion

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Primrose insisted Molam stay within the hideout under her supervision and he obliged, taking care to avoid Lyka's smoldering glares. Someone was sent to collect his items from the inn and Primrose introduced Molam to the rest of the group's members.

An overwhelming number of the members were various residents of the city that disliked City Lord Agytha's administration and sudden large amount of interference with the city's trade. While the Empire's various conquered territories meant that there were all sorts of cultures within its territory, a border city like JiangXi had a particularly large mix and Molam saw it reflected in the group that Primrose had gathered.

"A strategist, one that will lead us to different victories," she said to them. She and Molam had agreed on what to say beforehand, and he ensured she would keep the knowledge of the Oracle's aura a secret for now as well. The less people in the organization knew of it, the less likely a loose tongue would alert the city guards.

But Primrose pointed out that Kalle already knew, and that Lyka potentially suspected. Luckily, they were part of the group's leadership and she argued that the last member of leadership should know as well to make it clear to them why Molam was joining the leadership ranks.

"Just one more?" Molam asked. "You are the leader, Kalle's the alchemist, Lyka's a paranoid guardswoman, what's the last one like?" He appreciated Primrose's foresight with gathering a well-rounded group of people, and hoped that the last one was an expert in fighting.

Doubt flitted over Primrose's face, a similar look Molam received from inexperienced merchants wondering how much they should reveal, but then she smiled. "Shurra. Our master-at-arms, though you should understand that we aren't a large fighting force. You'll meet her tonight."

***

That evening, Molam followed Primrose and Lyka into a room furthest in the back to find Kalle standing around a table with another Northerner woman that could only be Shurra.

Primrose made brief introductions for them and then reiterated Molam's position as their strategist. To Molam's relief, Shurra did not echo anything similar to Lyka's open displeasure at Primrose's swift acceptance of him into their fold, only giving him a glance up and down before nodding.

Shurra had the trademark physical looks of a Northern Tribesperson: fair-skinned, a large physique, crystal blue eyes, pale blonde hair and high cheekbones. A thin blue tattoo of a thunderbolt ran from the corner of her left eye down across her cheek to the top of her neck, decorating a thin scar in the custom of the Northern Tribes for a hard-won battle. On her waist hung a short sword that she had shifted to the side with practiced ease as they all sat down, the chair creaking audibly under her large frame. Molam couldn't help but notice that despite the chair's protest, she moved with a subtle grace.

Shurra did not give a Tribesname and Molam wondered whether she was an outcast. It made sense for Kalle to not identify his Tribe for alchemists were expected to abandon kinship when they took upon the mantle of alchemy's pursuit of knowledge, but one glance at Shurra indicated she was a true Northern Warrior.

"You don't look as though you are good in a fight." She made no move to greet him physically as she sized him up.

Molam smiled at her. "Not all contributions are measured in physical strength." He then stepped to the side and allowed Lyka past him.

Though Molam had purposefully avoided clashing with Lyka during the day, the tight confines of the room meant that he could avoid her no longer as she closed the door behind them and strode past him. She was slightly taller than him, with a balanced, lithe poise to her step. He caught a whiff of something that vaguely reminded him of some fruit he had once sampled during his travels. Her dark skin reflected a golden sheen in the candlelight as she pulled off her fur hood to reveal her short, wiry hair. She pulled out her chair and settled down with a scowl, her heavy lidded amber eyes flickering towards Molam.

He remembered the fruit now – moonmelon, from the Endless Sands – and Lyka's origin fell into place. Oasis, the Free City in the Endless Sands. Despite the Empire's open borders and stated goal to accept all races, her ebony skin was a rare sight. The Oasis of the Endless Sands was rich beyond measure and there was little reason for their people to leave.

They arranged themselves in their seats: Molam found Primrose on his right side and Kalle to his left. Lyka sat herself down to Primrose's right side, her black spear leaning against her chair with the shaft reaching just over her shoulder for an easy reach. Shurra sat between Kalle and Lyka.

The meeting proceeded in earnest, with each member relaying their activities and fulfillment of their own goals towards establishing a foothold in the city without the city guards considering them a threat. Kalle's sale and distribution of the warming stones was being passed to other members now that the residents of JiangXi had given up on sourcing wood for the coming Winter's Sorrow. The flow of people coming into contact with their members provided a good source of information from the residents themselves, and their collective faces darkened at the level of desperation rife within the city.

"Can we increase production of your warming stones, Kalle?" Primrose asked.

The alchemist held out his hands. "The people you lent me can make the base materials, but I can't teach them runic carving without losing too many materials in the process of practicing."

"I assume quality must be met at a minimum?"

"Of course." Kalle seemed almost offended. "The best case if it's poorly made is that it doesn't work. The worst case is that it injures people. My work is for helping people, not the other way around."

Primrose nodded. "We wouldn't want items associated with our group to have any possibility of injuring friends or families of the members. I suppose there's nothing that can be done about it."

"Prim, we could raise the prices." Unlike the two Northerners Kalle and Shurra, Lyka did not sit straight in her seat but angled herself to the side with one arm draped on the table and the other hand in reaching distance of her spear. Molam could appreciate that Primrose's guard had a habit of being hypervigilant and always ready to defend her, though Lyka's way of going about it meant everyone else suffered her scrutiny. "If supply can't meet demand, we need to lower demand."

"And what of the people?" Molam asked quietly.

Lyka leveraged her amber eyes to look at him, "The newcomer should listen and not speak. You've been here no more than two days, if you think that you can –"

"No, he's right, Lyka." Primrose seemed deep in thought. "We're not the mursashu. While it's a strong source of funds for our activities, the main reason we're selling Kalle's warming stones is to garner sympathy with the people and provide them a way to survive Winter's Sorrow. Which…" Primrose turned to Shurra with a raised brow, "Did your people have any success in looting the storage or should we risk the Forest?"

"There's too many guards. There's more guards for the wood than for the food, if you can believe it." Shurra spoke with a quiet but firm voice. "I was wrong in thinking that I could contribute there, given how much I stand out."

"That's not an issue, Shurra." Primrose smiled at the Northerner, "So long as we didn't lose any more people. I understand; we've been doing so many covert activities and you feel as though you have nothing to do and want to participate."

"Leave the wood alone for a moment. Are we increasing the price of Kalle's stones or not?" Lyka pressed. "If we increase the prices, we can hire another alchemist to do Kalle's rune carving, then we'll easily increase our output, no?"

"From where?" Kalle frowned. "Techoria is only mildly inconvenienced by an army marching on their gates, or did you forget? Agytha's new changes or not, JiangXi is still a city of the Empire and alchemists aren't exactly welcome."

Lyka stretched back in her seat. "We can hire from Zaem."

Kalle snorted. "I'm not sharing what I know with those theory-chasing buffoons."

Molam almost felt nostalgic — it had been some time since he had worked together with a group of people, but they had been contract-bound to help him and he had no need to fear for his life then. The argument went on, back and forth, while Molam digested what he heard. The people of JiangXi desperately needed wood and food to not freeze in the impending months of Winter's Sorrow, and the city itself was keeping a storage of both without distributing it to the citizens. It felt unsustainable as a strategy no matter how he looked at it, and seemed like a last resort. What was Agytha preparing for, and why did she need all these resources? And how did she not understand that her actions were causing her own residents to resent her?

More curiously, Shurra's role made no sense to him. Why hadn't Primrose assigned Shurra as her bodyguard if Shurra could fight and was currently looking for other ways to contribute? Surely Lyka could have attempted pilfering the city's storage, if that was the goal. While there also weren't many dark-skinned residents in the city, Shurra stood out just for being a good head taller than most people.

There may be a jade talisman in the room.

The others gave him a look as his hand jerked in response to the spirit's sudden announcement, and Molam played it off as though he had abruptly decided it was cold. He rubbed his hands across his forearms as he clasped his wrist with his other hand, shifting it slightly in the hopes that the spirit would tell him more. Jade was infamously expensive and only carved talismans could mute the effects of aura around the wearer. Where was it? More importantly — who had it?

If you are hoping for more information, I have none. This feather is hardly capable of my full abilities. It is the tiniest absence of auric movement in the room. I suppose the best way to describe to you is if you realized you weren't smelling smoke from a candle.

Molam resisted the urge to squeeze the feather, trying to focus his thoughts as the group's conversation had moved on from the warming stones to their current number. It would make little sense for the Empire to be unaware about a group such as this one, especially if the city's leadership wasn't so incompetent as to not understand the blowback from their actions. Counting the members jailed by the city guard, they had several hundred in total; it was not such a small movement that the City Lord could not possibly be unaware, especially if they had been gathering under the Tempest's Domain. But if the City Lord hadn't taken the extra step to root out the movement, it meant Agytha was keeping track of them through someone else. And that someone would need to be unaffected by Primrose's Charm.

Memories of his childhood threatened to bubble to the surface. He felt like a child again, overlooking the villagers' sense of unease around him. If a jade talisman was possibly in the vicinity, he should first proceed as though there was one until he could verify otherwise.

But why? Molam scanned the members around him. Not only was jade particularly expensive, its main use often affected the user themselves. Primrose could not possibly wear jade or it would affect her Charm — additionally, Primrose was possibly the only person he could trust so far since the Oracle had sent him to her specifically.

The rest of the gathering, he could not say. There was no evidence, but if the spirit thought there was a jade talisman in the vicinity, it was enough. He settled down to listen to the reports as his mind contemplated an adaptable plan that assumed the worst.

"Including the ones caught earlier this week, the city guard has about two hundred of ours tossed in their iron cells. Almost half our members. Jailed for the duration of Winter's Sorrow, on account of disrupting the public order, sowing chaos, and illegal sales and distribution of alchemy goods without a permit from the City Lord," Shurra reported.

"Our strategist here has the beginnings of a plan for saving them." Primrose gave Molam a look, signaling for him to speak. "But I assume you have questions."

Molam inhaled, putting away his inner thoughts as he realized all eyes were on him. "I think of it as just one part of a larger plan, but I think we should take advantage of the Tempest being gone."

Shurra and Kalle stared in silence and Primrose frowned.

"We don't know when she will return," Lyka pointed out.

"No, but we know she is out to fight the UnSeen and GloomSire in the Slumbering Forest." Molam held up two fingers. "First, she must find them. The Forest is large and the UnSeen have evaded capture for quite some time, so they must know how to avoid detection. Second of all, even though the Tempest must have more skill, a fight between two Titled Ones is sure to result in her being preoccupied."

Shurra frowned. "So you want to stage a jailbreak while the Tempest is gone."

"Yes. If she's still dealing with the UnSeen by the time IceMourne brings Winter's Sorrow, the snow will close the roads and she might not return until we see Spring's Blessings." Molam leaned forward. "JiangXi would be cut off from the rest of the Empire and all we need to do is secure it."

The others shifted and leaned closer to the table as well. "This might come as a welcome surprise to some of you," Primrose gave Shurra a nod as poured tea for each of them, pushing their cups to each member as she talked, "but I have mentioned that we were waiting for one last member for us to begin what we gathered for. Molam is that person. He has been given the Oracle's color of approval in this matter, and so long as we succeed in freeing the city, I plan on transferring leadership to him so I can resume my original role."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

To Molam's own surprise, the other three merely nodded. He remembered that Primrose had been waiting for the Oracle to send someone, and imagined that she had at the very least told these members her plans. He was grateful for Primrose's foresight — it would be difficult for any other group to just accept his entry and purpose without the Oracle's backing. With a sense of wistfulness, he wondered if any of them were also disappointed he was not a Titled One.

"But," Primrose held up a finger and shifted her gaze sideways towards Molam, "That depends on his performance."

"If we dare do anything rash and the Tempest returns, we can hardly explain away the situation. At that point…" Lyka turned a sly look towards Molam, "We would need a Titled One such as the Whale of ZhiXia."

Molam kept his face passive at Lyka's provocation.

"Lyka, there's no point worrying about what we can't control," Kalle tapped a finger against his teacup, brows furrowed as he looked between the two of them. "We focus only on what we can control. Right now, JiangXi has no Titled One, placing the Empire on similar footing with us. Worse, in fact, given Primrose's reading of the public sentiment. Agytha has done herself no favors with the people."

"That amounts to hardly anything, unless you invented a trinket that can control the weather." Lyka directed her ire at Kalle. "Am I the only one here that thinks this is foolish?" She held out her hands with an expression of incredulity. "If the Tempest returns before we've secured the city, everything we've built up for the past few years may disappear like water in the sands. In fact, even after we've secured the city, how are we going to hold it if she does return? Even if Winter's Sorrow comes about and she can't return, it's only a few months until Spring's Blessings. The Tempest will just return with a full division of the Red Army; Gods help us if we have to defend JiangXi against two Titled Ones without a single one on our side. All you've done is join and immediately doom us to a repeat of Kamisukawa."

"Lyka." Molam saw Kalle and Shurra's faces blanch at Primrose's warning tone and wondered if he had flinched as well; for him it felt as though RainBringer herself had just reprimanded him. "Enough."

Lyka's dark complexion flushed. "I don't mean to question your judgment, Prim. It's just… if we do not tread lightly all we'll find is quicksand."

"And I understand your worries. Make no mistake; all of us here share that worry. We'd truly be fools not to, and there's a reason why we've confined our activities to ones that wouldn't give the Tempest any reason to root us out." Primrose laid a gentle hand on Lyka's arm, her tone softening. "We can't stop the Tempest from returning but if we don't do anything, our members in jail are most likely going to freeze. The City Lord isn't going to be burning any wood to keep the jails warm this Winter's Sorrow — do you understand? We cannot afford to wait any longer. Molam is right: the Tempest is away and now is the time for us to seize the city. We might lose many to the city guards, but –"

"My apologies, Primrose." Molam cut in. "But we only need to capture Agytha."

Primrose took an audible breath at being cut off, then turned to Molam. "Explain."

"The city isn't the walls or architecture. It's the people." Molam interlaced his fingers as he tried to decide how much to say in the vicinity of one who held a potential jade talisman. "All we need to do is turn the people. You'll often find that people in groups prioritize themselves more than the person they're supposed to serve. If I understand the situation correctly, if we can just capture Agytha the rest of the city will be... very grateful." He shrugged. "And we can probably release the food and wood she's stored to the people. The promise of something better is a stronger motivation than some lofty ideal of overthrowing the Empire. These people just want to be fed and survive Winter's Sorrow."

The room went silent as two pairs of blue eyes, a pair of amber eyes, and a pair of purple eyes stared at him. It reminded Molam of the stunned silence from a Mursa when he had explained that he wanted to steal into Crimson City's Palace.

He filled the silence with more details on how the jailbreak would enable them to capture Agytha, and their plan for holding the city afterwards.

"It's possible." Primrose crossed her arms, her lips pressed into a thin line as she contemplated his proposal. "That would require a lot of planning, with little room for mistakes."

Molam nodded. "We will need to accomplish much before Winter's Sorrow. Has the Fallen Star Pavilion sent word to JiangXi as to when IceMourne arrives?"

Kalle answered. "IceMourne is predicted to arrive in JiangXi in three days, from the southeast."

"We move then and free the prisoners." Molam stood up, "I believe I'll need some time to look over the city's layout and understand what we have to work with." He gave Shurra a pointed look. Shurra's eyes flickered from him to Primrose, who drank her tea but nodded. "Now is the time. The Tempest is away and the Red Army is besieging Techoria. What better opportunity can we wait for?"

"And after?" Lyka demanded. "I like how you haven't addressed what comes after Spring's Blessings."

"The other Free Cities will be more inclined to help."

"Perhaps you can explain what makes you think that the Free Cities are willing to come together after all this time?" Primrose poured herself a new cup of tea but her eyes were focused on Molam.

"Kalle," Molam gestured at the alchemist, "Why do you think the Empire is attacking Techoria?"

The alchemist scratched at his scruffy beard in thought. Molam briefly wondered if Kalle had chosen to grow it out for Winter's Sorrow. "Assuming his goal of preparing for another challenge against Sanctuary's Submerged Leviathan is unchanged… I'd say the Bloody Prince wants to obtain the SunFlower."

"Which gives us a few realistic results after Winter's Sorrow." Molam held up a hand and counted off on his fingers. "One — the Empire succeeds, destroys Techoria, and obtains the SunFlower. If that's the case, the Free Cities will be forced to fight the Empire that has the greatest weapon alchemy has created when Flangel the Wise was the Prodigy. They'll be forced to unite."

He held up a second finger. "Two — the Empire fails, Techoria survives, and the Empire is forced to retreat with nothing to show for it. That will mean Techoria not only fought off the Empire, but that the Red Army must be battered and licking their wounds. In this situation, the Free Cities should unite and attack the Empire while they are weak. In either result, the best time to strike is immediately after. Even if we cannot fight the Bloody Prince directly, the Empire will be at its most vulnerable. And I doubt any of the Free Cities would want to see the result of the Empire strengthened with the SunFlower, correct?"

Molam allowed his gaze to linger on Shurra and Lyka. Primrose watched him closely but he ignored her inscrutable gaze. Kalle aside, Shurra and Lyka having distinctive traits of the Northern Tribes and the Oasis was not a mere coincidence. The Free Cities were already tangentially involved.

"So to answer your question, Primrose," Molam picked up the teapot and refilled Primrose's empty teacup. "The Free Cities have everything to gain by acting and everything to lose if they don't. All we need…" He pushed Primrose's cup to her and looked at the rest of the table's empty cups, "...is a little push. JiangXi could be the first new Free City since the Empire's Fracturing. The first new success story, one that could wash away the pain of Kamisukawa."

"And what would the Empire's people say about that?" Shurra's gaze flickered from Molam's eyes to the teapot in his hand.

"I believe most of the able-bodied people have been drafted away by the Red Army," Molam poured and refilled Shurra's cup. "All that's left are city guards; and they are drastically outnumbered by the citizens themselves. City guards that the citizens dislike for enforcing all these rules. The city itself clearly does not have any particular love for the Empire, given the way Agytha has been enforcing things. We can use that to our advantage."

Kalle's thumb rubbed worryingly against his growing beard as he pushed his cup forwards so Molam could avoid leaning over the lengthy table. "I understand. But as Lyka mentioned, you are putting a lot on hoping that the Tempest cannot return before Winter's Sorrow begins."

"I understand the worry. That is why we need to move swiftly, faster than could be expected — and plan around the onset of Winter's Sorrow." Molam filled Kalle's cup for him as he answered. "She's off to look for the UnSeen and GloomSire right before Winter's Sorrow, in the Slumbering Forest. If she values her own life, she will tread lightly within the Forest, which will reduce the speed at which she can find the UnSeen. And a fight between two Titled Ones in the Forest… well," Molam pushed Kalle's refilled cup back to him, "We would be foolish to not capitalize on a situation where she is gone."

"Even if this idea works as you say, I don't believe you fully understand what you are talking about with distributing food and wood to the people after." Lyka's cup was placed too far away for Molam to even lean over to fill. "I don't know if you noticed, strategist, but food is expensive after the drought. That damn Mursa Shang bought it all, right before RainBringer's Flood less than two weeks ago. Who knows how much is still left in the city's storage? If we take the city and find that we cannot provide for the citizens, we are damning ourselves to a city that will riot by people looking for any excuse to stay warm."

Molam smiled at her defiant look, then stood up and walked around the room to Lyka's side, pouring her tea for her. "The City Lord doesn't want to offend the mursashu, but that doesn't mean we couldn't just buy food from them once we control JiangXi's coffers. And as for warmth, we have Kalle's warming stones to distribute alongside the confiscated wood."

The last drop of tea rippled against the rim of Lyka's cup.

"We release our friends. Capture the City Lord Agytha and free JiangXi, then win over the citizens by providing food and heat." Molam walked back towards his seat and sat down after setting the teapot down. "We succeed and the Free Cities will take notice."

"It's…" Lyka avoided his gaze as she hesitated, "...possible."

Molam leaned forward. "Excellent. We are all aligned. Now, there's three days before IceMourne's arrival." No need to give Lyka any reason to second-guess herself. "During these three days, we'll observe the city guards and plan for releasing the ones in jail with the ultimate goal of taking over the city itself. Of course, if something unexpected such as the Tempest's premature return comes up, we can always change or abandon the plans."

"That is flexible enough," Shurra drank the tea Molam had poured for her. "We won't make a final decision on committing ourselves until Winter's Sorrow sets in."

"It's an ideal situation," Kalle stroked at his beard, "Once Winter's Sorrow sets in and IceMourne's arrival closes off the roads, travel between the cities is impossible. It's the very same tactic the Red Army is using at Techoria to prevent anyone leaving or unexpected reinforcements. Not that any Free City is close enough to send reinforcements without worrying about the Red Army taking a detour."

"Gain control of JiangXi at the start of Winter's Sorrow and we'll have the city to ourselves until Spring's Blessings." Primrose set her cup down before continuing, "Which would give us time to charm the city with new management."

Molam, not willing to get ahead of himself, conceded to Primrose's position as leader and settled back in his seat as she began assigning tasks to Shurra, Kalle, and Lyka. From the tasks, it became clear that Lyka was responsible for information gathering, Shurra was in charge of those that could fight, and Kalle was responsible for tools as well as his alchemist duties.

"One final thing." Molam spoke up just as the rest stood up to leave. "Our timeline, while set in stone, is for only those of us here to know. Go about your duties, but don't reveal why. Understood?"

Each of them nodded. Then they left for the door. Lyka gave Molam a strict stare as she left, prompting a smile back from Molam.

Shurra glanced at Molam, but otherwise paid him little heed. He could only nod in acceptance, knowing that winning the Northern Warrior's respect would take time.

Kalle was last to leave, giving Molam an encouraging nod, to which Molam returned a knowing head tilt. The man stopped at the door, opening it back and forth twice slowly, staring at the hinges.

"Stay a moment, Kalle." Molam stopped him. "As a matter of fact, there's something specific I would like to request from you."

***

"To confirm, you don't want it to kill anyone." Kalle rubbed at his scar, an eye looking at Molam.

"Yes. Please ensure it's nonlethal."

"Alright, good. Because if you asked for that, I would have refused you outright." Kalle stood up and left the room, stopping one more time to swing the door on its hinges again.

"Kalle," Primrose's voice carried a hint of reproach. "Duties."

"Yes, yes." He gave the door another look, "Another time, then." And the door closed behind him.

Now that Molam was left in the room with just Primrose, the memory of the spirit's warning resurfaced in his mind and he couldn't help but imagine the dagger she may or may not be holding right now.

"It is rare for a person to willingly give up the lead, much less a man to a woman." Primrose was refilling the teapot with hot water before she refilled both of their cups. Molam hadn't paid much attention to it prior, but he noticed that she could pour tea with precise movements while looking at him.

"I am still new and need to earn trust." Molam pulled his cup closer, but did not yet drink. "Regardless, the only thing that matters here is ensuring that the plan is carried out."

"Perhaps I may ask what happens if things do not go according to your plan?"

Molam shifted his eyes from the cup to Primrose, who had sat down. "I am grateful you are supporting my transition to leadership by not questioning it brazenly in front of the others."

"A wise woman once told me that men could all benefit from being more attuned to a woman's doubts." Primrose sipped at her cup before continuing, "Especially considering three were in the room. After all, I cannot be the only one who thinks that it may be too convenient to rely on things proceeding as planned. While I don't doubt freeing all those jailed can be accomplished and that these numbers would allow us to take advantage of the current situation to capture the City Lord's mansion, Lyka is right for bringing up the same tired point: None of it matters if the Tempest returns."

The momentary pause dragged on as he sipped at his tea, conscious of Primrose's gaze on him. Molam wanted to ignore the flames that licked at his back, hoping that the burning sensation of heat throughout his body was merely the spirit's Domain of warmth. But the flames never lied. All of them were human. If it made sense to them, even if it was just to save on food, his life wasn't of value to them.

But that meant the same for the Tempest, did it not?

"I'll deal with the Tempest if she shows up." A declaration with no backing, but the current flames of doubt must be doused to buy time. "Ideally, we capture Agytha alive."

"You presume much if you suggest a hostage will work against the Tempest." Primrose's eyes glowered at Molam from behind the rims of her cup. "And you are suggesting you can fend off a Titled One?"

"To do so, I will need to know more about their abilities." The spirit's silence meant that he was not in danger yet, but the warning echoed in his mind. This woman was capable of killing him at a moment's notice. "Ideally, we avoid a fight with a Titled One. Instead of worrying about all these things out of our control, perhaps you could help me quickly understand the current state of this movement's forces? Information, resources, and any footholds you've gained or established over the past few years." Molam drained his tea, setting the cup down with an audible clink. "At least, I hope the years you spent here bore some fruit. You aren't the type to not have collected resources for the future, yes?"

Primrose leaned over and refilled his cup. "Very well. I can understand the need for information. Perhaps you can suggest where I should start?"

Molam waited until she pulled back before he responded. "Let's start with all the ways this can go wrong. The Tempest's known abilities. City Lord Agytha's strengths. And of course..." Hesitation gripped him. If Primrose was not who she claimed to be, he was dead. But so far, he had not seen anything else that would fit the Oracle's description of the flowers that bloomed in the flames, and if he could not trust the Oracle's guidance then what did he have?

If there was a jade talisman, its effect is no longer here.

Emboldened by that knowledge, Molam finished his thought. "What happens if the City Lord knows of this group and has planted a spy?"

"Quite the series of questions." Primrose's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "Although I suspect the last one is the most important of them all. Whom do you suspect? I have met and questioned everyone in our movement."

"What if there was a jade talisman?"

Primrose's movements faltered. "You are certain?"

"It was in this room. One of the three had it."

"In that case, we do have a problem." Primrose's tone changed and she avoided his gaze briefly, her eyes flickering downwards before fixating upon him with her eyes. "Do you suspect me?"

"No." Molam leaned forward. "Nor am I blaming you. This isn't like the stories of the Companions, or the Red Emperor, where the demons and DuskWing seemed to do nothing but wait to be destroyed. This is real life, and everyone is a participant — willing, or unwilling."

Primrose's eyebrows did not relax, and Molam wondered if there was more to what she worried about. "What can be done?" she asked.

"I know Kalle from before, but I'd like to know what you know about him. Of course, our master-at-arms Shurra and your bodyguard Lyka as well." Molam kept his eyes on her as he rattled their names off. "Perhaps you can get me some time to talk to each of them?"

Primrose blew at her tea, gazing at him but not seeing him, lost in thought. "That can be arranged. Do you want me there?"

Molam shook his head. "There is something I must confirm alone."