Warbreaker

by Brandon Sanderson

“The queen,” he said, glancing at the God King’s box. “They sent the wrong one,” Blushweaver said. “The younger instead of the elder.” “I know,” Lightsong said. “Clever of them.” “Clever?” Blushweaver said. “It’s downright brilliant. Do you know what a fortune we paid these last twenty years to spy upon, study, and learn about the eldest daughter? Those of us who thought to be careful even studied the second daughter, the one they’ve made a monk. But the youngest? Nobody gave her half a thought.” And so the Idrians send a random element into court, Lightsong thought. One that upsets plans and conniving that our politicians have been working on for decades. It was brilliant. “Nobody knows anything about her,” Blushweaver said, frowning deeply. She obviously did not like being taken by surprise. “My spies in Idris insist the girl is of little consequence—which makes me worry that she is even more dangerous than I’d feared.” Lightsong raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t think, maybe, that you might be overreacting a tad?” “Oh?” Blushweaver asked. “And tell me, what would you do if you wanted to inject an agent into the court? Would you, perhaps, set up a decoy that you could display, drawing attention away from the real agent, whom you could train secretly with a clandestine agenda?”

“I never knew him,” Susebron said. “He was a very good person,” Siri said. “I realize that. Though I never spoke to him, somehow he was noble enough to die so that I might live.” The priest smiled down. “The amazing thing is,” he said, “Lightsong did that twice.”