This Is How You Lose the Time War

by Amal El-Mohtar

Brava, my pomegranate. Well done. Nine out of ten. (I reserve a point, always, to encourage reach exceeding grasp.)

What would Genghis say if we built a bridge together, Red? Suppose we reached across the burn of threads and tangles, cut through the braid’s knots—suppose that we defected, not to each other’s sides, but to each other? We’re the best there is at what we do.