There was something about General Eigengrau that made her uneasy. He reminded her of a smug uncle, the sort of man who complained about the incompetency of entire generations or the ubiquity of fools in the world. He seemed the type to confuse ambition with duty and good fortune with merit. When they had first met, he had valorized Pelphia by saying, “Our excellence is evidence of our righteousness,” but she was certain he had mostly been referring to himself. She thought him wrong on both counts.
