LYSSARA
I found Thalric on the northern terrace. The tea was already made, and I dropped onto the dining table.
I told him about Kaelrith's assessment while the tea went cold between us, and he listened with the complete attention he had always brought to things I told him, and when I finished, he was quiet for a moment, and then he said: he wants to stop.
‘’Yes,’’ I replied.
‘’That is the question underneath the shaping, ‘’ he retorted.
‘’Yes.’’
He said: Then that is what you bring to the meeting. Not force and not the compact's enforcement mechanism and not Kaevra's coalition positioned at the meeting location's perimeter. He said: You bring the question; he has not been asked in four generations. He paused. He said: Do you want to stop.
I looked at the tree line and I thought abo
