She wasn’t sure how long she had been resting when she heard steps outside her tent and the flap was thrust out of the way. Raelendra’s green eyes immediately shot open and she was on her feet already beginning a weave when she saw who it was. Instead she spread her hands and bowed low. “Chancellor.”

“The perimeter is secure, I am told you sent for me?” There was a tone in the Chancellor’s voice that spoke of his disgust. “In the future you will present yourself to me when you have need of my expertise.”

“Yes, Chancellor, my apologies. I lost myself.”

He hummed as his imperious grey eyes took in her austere tent. “I am told that you have brought great victory upon us this day by releasing the Weave.”

“Yes, Chancellor.”

“I will forgive your insolence this once. The Empire owes you that much.”

“Thank you, Chancellor.”

“Now, why did you request the honor of my presence?”

“I have freed the Weave in the immediate vicinity of our encampment, which means we can use the Weave to help shore up our defenses. I anticipate that the stable Weave will spread. I requested your presence regarding the storm.”

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“Ahh yes, the glowing clouds. Was that you as well?”

“No, Chancellor, not exactly.” Raelendra shook her head. “In the histories of the fall of Hymaera it speaks of storms like that. Mana storms the ancients called them.”

The Chancellor hummed thoughtfully as he studied Raelendra, his expression completely unreadable. As usual, the Chancellor was sharp, precise, and inscrutable. “I recall that the ancient Hymaerans feared the Mana Storms, they changed the very world in the wake of the First Tear.”

“So the histories inform us.”

“The storm has moved away from us.”

“It has, I saw it move off. There will be others though, until this world reaches a balance.”

A slow smile spread across the Chancellor’s face. “Let us hope then, Magus, that the balance is in our favor.”

It took a massive effort to keep a frown from marring her brow as she bowed once more to the Chancellor. “The Emperor’s will be done.”

“In all things, Magus, in all things.” The Chancellor responded before he swept out of her tent as quickly as he had entered.

Raelendra sat heavily on the cot as the strength went out of her knees. What have I done? She asked herself yet again. She kept making the right choices for the Empire, but ever since the magi had torn a hole in reality, Raelendra had begun to doubt the absolute rightness of the Empire.

She stayed for a long while, sitting on the camp cot, staring at her trembling hands. Finally, she forced herself to resume meditating, though the inner calm was difficult to recapture.