The Seer

by Sonia Orin Lyris

“Have you studied the battles in which the Teva lost?” “Apparently I was not to be burdened by those accounts, either.” “There are none,” she said, giving him a moment to consider. “There is a reason we brought sufficient force, Commander.” The thousands of soldiers and cavalry behind them, now making camp. It had seemed too much, by far, an excessive expedition, outrageously expensive, but Lismar had insisted. Looking across the small towns before him, he found himself wondering what she could possibly be thinking. What was her true agenda? Or maybe, being an Anandynar, she did not think much about cost. Well, satisfying Lismar was worth something, both practically and politically. Maybe even this much. In any case, they would end the affront to the crown, Teva or no, wherever it had originated. Mined gold. Forged currency. Theft on an empire-wide scale. He would not allow it. To Nalas he said: “Bring her.” Lismar snorted. “She can be useful, General.” Lismar raised her hands in mock surrender. “Evintine Three,” she said, “would eat a fistful of raw garlic before every battle, calling it his etheric shield. The Grandmother Queen slept with the severed paws of a mountain lion in her hands the night before a fight. Ramtor the Fearless kept the skulls of his enemies on long mahogany shelves and would kiss each forehead before dressing