Ariock landed on a mountain-facing balcony of one of the many towering buildings he had carved out of cliffs with so little finesse. He ducked inside.

Thomas’s face scrunched with pain as he flexed his legs, using a contraption that looked like a gyroscope built for midgets. He must have included this exercise machine on one of his lists of equipment to import.

“Hey.” Ariock glanced around the open air room, checking to see if Garrett or Evenjos had arrived yet. He noticed a pile of shredded cushions and blankets that resembled a large nest. “Where’s Azhdarchidae?”

Thomas rested in the gyroscope. “Winging around.” Sweat glistened on his forehead. “I guess everyone knows?”

He sounded guilty, as if a pet might be against a rulebook somewhere.

“Yeah.” Ariock offered a smile of reassurance. “It’s hard to miss a trained sky croc soaring over the Academy.”

The animal was probably the poorest kept secret in the city. Lots of people commented on it, noting that the sky croc was sensible enough to avoid people. It never flew within range of shooters. Whenever it banked towards the city, fiery flares in the sky barred its path and guided it in a safer direction.

Perhaps Thomas feared that caring for a baby animal exposed some kind of vulnerability within himself. But to Ariock, the pet signaled a refreshing reminder that Thomas was human. No matter how many minds he twisted, no matter how many Dovanacks his mother had murdered, he must have inherited kindness from his unknown father.

“Has Garrett or Evenjos showed up yet?” Ariock noticed three empty armchairs. He took a seat in the extra-large chair, obviously meant for him.

Garrett’s booming voice came from the doorway. “I just want to say, it’s been too long since our last private council.”

The old man limped into the room, leaning on his staff, the way he did sometimes. “I was going to call one. But you saved me the trouble.” He smiled fondly at Ariock and plopped into an armchair.

Ariock could not have explained, exactly, why he had asked for a meeting with the four of them, secret even from Vy. It was just a feeling. He kept suspecting that the three mind readers on his side—Thomas, Garrett, and Evenjos—were keeping secrets from him.

He wasn’t even sure why that worry had entered his mind. Maybe it was because they were no longer checking in with each other on a daily basis? The war entailed a lot of simultaneous action. They could not meet regularly anymore.

Or maybe Ariock was subconsciously worried about gossip behind his back?

According to Vy, some of the Alashani whispered that Ariock was nothing but a puppet messiah controlled by rekvehs. Ariock wanted to clear the air. He wanted some frank talk with his friends that did not have to be diplomatic and guarded.

“We ought to share updates with each other on a regular basis.” Garrett crossed one ankle over his leg, making himself comfortable. “And chat about our trajectory.”

Thomas gave him a bland look.

“Want to go first?” Garrett asked.

“It would be best if I go last,” Thomas said.

Garrett raised his bushy white eyebrows. “You have news?”

“Some,” Thomas said.

“I hope it’s progress on immunity to the inhibitor,” Garrett said. “What are you doing in that contraption, anyway? We need you for your brains, not your muscles.”

Thomas resumed his exercise.

“Well,” Garrett said, “I guess I’ll go first. Unless—oh. Here she is now.”

Thomas looked at the rough-hewn ceiling. Ariock followed his gaze and saw dust snaking in the shadows up there.

“Hi, Evenjos,” Garrett said in a friendly tone.

The dust coalesced, glittering, but it did not pour into the third armchair. Instead, it streamed towards Ariock. A woman’s bottom took shape directly on his lap. More dust solidified into shapely legs, which were crossed. Her spine began to form.

Ariock shoved her off.

Or he tried to. She was not fully solid. His hand passed through her torso.

Evenjos chuckled in a sultry way and slid off his lap, becoming fully solid. Her wings arced high on either side, metallic pseudo-feathers touching the floor.

“You’re so easy to startle,” she said in a teasing, singsong voice.

Ariock glared.

Evenjos sank into the waiting armchair, languid and untroubled. She bounced one leg atop the other, as if bored. “So. Do any of us have news?”

“Not much.” Garrett clasped his hands. “I did catch a penitent leaking intelligence into the Megacosm.”

That sounded disastrous. Ariock stared at his great-grandfather, wide-eyed.

“It wasn’t anything major,” Garrett hastened to assure him. “Just facts about the scarce defense network on Jerja. I added an extra contingent of warriors for the roster there, starting tomorrow.”

Jerja was one of the industrialized moons of Umdalkdul. It might be an airless outpost, but even so, a million people lived there. Free people. Under Ariock’s protection.

“We shouldn’t even have penitents there,” Ariock said.

“I agree,” Garrett said.

“So, what happened?” Ariock asked. “Aren’t penitents kept away from anyone in charge?” A penitent should never be privy to military secrets. Everyone knew that.

“Well,” Garrett said, “it turns out Choonhulm appointed a mayor who is a dumb-ass.”

Ariock leaned back, inviting more information.

“As soon as our conquering forces withdrew,” Garrett said, “the new mayor reversed the edict against using penitents as personal slave labor. Apparently, that mayor decided that he needed his own former master to scrub his floors and serve him pastries.”

Ariock could imagine it. The newly freed slaves of Jerja would experiment with tranquility meshes and nectar drinks. And with no one watching over their shoulders … the elite members of that new society would bring a few penitents into their private chambers to serve them as slaves.

Those penitents would then eagerly listen to top secret conversations while they scrubbed floors.

“To be fair,” Garrett said, “I don’t think it was Choonhulm’s fault. It’s hard to assess someone’s character at a cocktail party. We simply don’t know the people of Jerja, and Choonhulm was told to appoint one of the locals to act as our military mayor. It’s inevitable that mistakes like that will happen.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“It’s a miracle there was only one penitent leaking information.” Ariock supposed knowledge leaks were inevitable with such a huge populace under his stewardship. “It could have been more.”

“It could have been,” Garrett agreed. “Anyway. As soon as I detected that particular livestream in the Megacosm, I teleported directly to the source and killed him.”

Ariock nodded. He didn’t want or need details about the execution.

“Is there a new mayor?” Thomas asked.

“Yup,” Garrett said. “I made a temporary appointment, and Kessa will set up someone permanent. But I suggest we establish these free outposts with more pomp and ceremony, moving forward. Make the residents of those outposts feel how important they are, and how much they matter. We don’t want them falling into bad habits.”

Thomas nodded. “A consul for each planet we take over would help.”

Ariock figured that various dignitaries and officials could manage whatever bureaucracy was needed. Someone had to ensure that the deposed mayor of Jerja did not continue to accidentally leak military secrets to penitents.

“And thank goodness for superluminal communications,” Garrett said, with a nod to Thomas. “Because the outposts need oversight.”

Ariock was grateful that Garrett had not brought this incident straight to the attention of the war council. It was a gaping security hole. It could scare hundreds of councilors, which meant scaring the public. It could rile up further hatred against penitent Torth.

Best to deal with it in private, and then present it to the war council as a problem that had already been solved. The councilors would only have to deal with the aftermath.

“What did the Torth Empire learn?” Thomas asked. “Did they get Ariock’s mass-teleportation schedule for that moon?”

Garrett nodded.

“That means they’ll have a clearer picture of his limits,” Thomas said. “We’ll alter his schedule.”

Ariock knew he should have thought of that, himself.

Perhaps he should check in with Garrett more often. What other near-threats did the old man swat away without any praise or thanks? For that matter, what about Thomas and Evenjos? What did they do, exactly, on a day to day basis?

Evenjos blushed when Ariock looked her way.

Ariock wondered if her pink cheeks were a conscious detail. Everything about her was so artificial. “Do you have anything to report?”

“No,” Evenjos said.

“I beg to differ,” Garrett said. “Evenjos has saved quite a lot of lives.” He shifted his gaze to Ariock. “She’s devoted all of her spare time to healing. People call her the Lady of Life.”

That was surprising. Ariock expected a bare minimal effort from Evenjos.

“I am working on a new face,” Evenjos said in a demure tone.

Her facial features changed, subtly but unmistakably, from humanlike to Alashani. Her skin went milk-white. Her head became rounder, her chin smaller, her lips like a rosebud. The magenta hue of her hair drained away, and its texture became tightly curled.

“Amazing.” Ariock tried not to show how unsettled he was. He no longer recognized her face.

“That is to encourage trust.” Evenjos melted her face back to her familiar sultry features. “People admire Alashani. They are not so certain about humans. Or rekvehs.”

“But…” Ariock wished he could blend into crowds with her ease. “You’re keeping the wings?”

Evenjos flexed her wings. “My purpose is to signal rather than to deceive. I am showing that I wish to disassociate myself from mind readers. The Alashani are my people.”

That was a change.

“I owe the Alashani a great debt.” Evenjos gazed out at the city, perhaps regretting the fit of destruction she had mistakenly wrought. “My people are long dead. But their descendants have survived, despite my mistakes. I wish to compensate them, as much as I can. I will heal any warrior who falls in battle.”

“Thank you. That’s very noble.” Ariock tried not to admire her goddess form. She really wasn’t as self-centered as he kept assuming she was. She had an honorable sense of justice.

Evenjos looked pretty and pleased, though she tried to hide it.

Ariock looked away. He reminded himself that she was all about artifice.

“What about you?” Garrett asked him. “Anything new to report?”

Ariock studied his friends. Thomas was exercising. Evenjos and Garrett politely feigned interest, yet their curiosity had to be false.

They were mind readers. They probably soaked up every decision he made, and at least half the thoughts that went through his head.

All the same, this meeting had been a good idea. Evenjos and Garrett had shared news that they would have been justifiably reluctant to share with the whole war council.

“I think you know what I’ve been up to,” Ariock said. Every city he conquered was public knowledge. “And I guess you know my overall concerns.”

Garrett spread his hands, as if to say, “you’ve caught me.”

“I share your concerns,” Evenjos said, her exotic accent like a caress.

“We’re doing well,” Garrett said gruffly. “I know we’re going to hit a wall sooner or later, but the more we take from the Torth, the more they lose.” He turned to Thomas. “Speaking of which, have you considered experimenting with subtle brainwashing? I get that it’s unfeasible to zombify the whole Megacosm. But what about a more nuanced approach?”

Thomas stopped exercising and stared at Garrett.

Ariock stared as well. It had not occurred to him that Thomas might be capable of a gentler, more nuanced version of brainwashing.

But Evenjos had taught him about the spectrum of powers, hadn’t she?

Zombification was a very high magnitude of telepathy, which meant there ought to be less powerful magnitudes below that. A gentler touch. Something that did not entail permanent brain damage.

If a gentle touch could be applied to trillions of mind readers…

Well. Why was Ariock risking his life every day in battles, and the lives of his troops, if Thomas could simply win the war with a thought?

“I’d have to do it to them one at a time,” Thomas said. “And as soon as they figured out what I’m doing, they’d all withdraw from the Megacosm. I might theoretically be able to brainwash half a million, if I got a major power boost and worked ultra fast. But definitely not billions. Not trillions.” He kicked off his gyroscope in a new direction. “We’d have to take them by surprise, and we’d only get one shot. It’s definitely not worth taking that shot now.”

Garrett looked vexed. He made a cigarette appear and began to smoke it.

Ariock wondered if Thomas was dismissing his own potential. He might not be able to defeat the Torth Empire with a thought, but he was certainly good at scaring them.

Was zombification the only way to keep winning? Was that approach even sustainable, long-term?

Thomas seemed withdrawn, lately. He stayed in his tower or in the research annex. He only ventured outside in order to zombify prisoners or to show up for war councils. He stayed quiet in meetings, lurking in a corner as if he didn’t belong.

“I do have a couple of things to share,” Thomas said, rotating inside his contraption. “One is something that Garrett should have mentioned. The Torth imprisoned all their super-geniuses.”

Evenjos looked startled, and Ariock felt the same way. This was perplexing news.

“What?” he said. “Why?”

“They didn’t imprison them,” Garrett said in a grouchy tone. “The boy is exaggerating.” He inhaled from his cigarette. “The Torth super-geniuses have been well-guarded ever since the empire declared war on us.”

Thomas shook his head. “They separated the Twins.”

Ariock wasn’t sure if that was significant.

“They put each Twin in a battleship that can be remotely destroyed, if the Majority wills it.” Thomas sounded like he was gloating, but he also sounded disgusted and sad. “That tells us the Torth Empire is making panicked, stupid decisions.”

“How so?” Garrett raised a bushy eyebrow. “It looks like common sense to me. You’ve been putting out your siren call every day. Some Torth must be secretly tempted to join you. The Majority wants to prevent another Upward Governess situation. They’re just ensuring that their high value assets don’t go renegade.”

“Right.” Thomas smiled thinly. “Death threats work on normal people. But super-geniuses are hyper-self-aware, and have high rates of unpredictable mental idiosyncrasies, plus suicidal tendencies. It’s a bad idea to pressure them like this.” He strained to flex, to keep his rotation going. “Especially with me offering them an alternative lifestyle.”

Garrett looked unconvinced. “They’re still working ‘round the clock, according to chitchat in the Megacosm. So they’re still acting loyal, at least.”

He seemed oblivious to the strain in Thomas, who was also working day and night.

“If they’re truly loyal,” Thomas said, “they’ll get burnout. And if not? They’ll either figure out a way to go renegade and join me, or they’ll escape by killing themselves.” He looked confident. “Any way you slice it, it’s a stupid move on the part of the Torth Empire. And it’s a boon for us.”

The topic made Ariock uncomfortable. When he thought of the Empire’s super-geniuses, he thought of children, such as those whom he’d seen murdered in baby farms.

“Anything else to report?” Garrett asked Thomas. “Have you finally made progress on immunity to the inhibitor?”

Evenjos clasped her hands, alert and hopeful.

Ariock leaned forward, despite his caution around mind readers. Immunity to the inhibitor would change everything. Evenjos would finally run out of excuses to fight Torth. She would smash cities.

As for Jinishta and her Alashani warriors? And Ariock himself? They would become invincible.

With immunity, they would be able to conquer multiple cities simultaneously, instead of having to concentrate all of their forces in just one spot, with a trailing defense. The Torth Empire would likely go into a full-fledged panic. They’d evacuate every territory that Ariock and his forces so much as looked at.

“Nothing to report on that, yet,” Thomas said.

Ariock sat back, disappointed.

“Um.” Thomas stopped his exercises. The contraption slowed, and he looked hesitant. “I do have something to report. It’s just a minor problem. Nothing to get concerned about.”

“What?” Garrett scooted to the edge of his seat.

“It’s no big deal.” Thomas came to a complete stop. “I hope.” His shoulders hunched in a defensive way. Whatever this was, it shamed him. “Do you remember, right after I got healed, you asked me to check myself for brain damage?”

They were all instantly alert.