《The War Over Reality: Wisdom and Strength》


 I: GENESIS

    </a>PROLOGUE


    I was born soon after the creation of the Universe. For an inexplicable time, all I did was gain knowledge and interact with the world around me, for I am Human. The first thing I ever did was create, then I wielded Weapon, then I tended to Plant. I wrote the things I did during this time into Book. Peace died when I met the first form that had agency besides me, Sahalia. We fought, each wielding our own version of Weapon. To elaborate here would also require Library.


    For a shorter time, all I would do is create and fight Sahalia. Finally, one of my children came to visit me. He attempted to pull me to his reality. My form became concrete and made of flesh but could not leave. I lost my age but could not leave. I lost my strength but could not leave. Finally, I lost my knowledge, and only then could I go with him. All that I had kept was my mind.


    <hr>


    Aristocles stepped onto solid ground and breathed in once again. He blinked to get reaccustomed to the low light the few candles produced. He was back in the storage room, surrounded by enormous, half-Human tall jars, all tinged red from the blood they recently contained. He idly recalled the total amount of thirty thousand gallons as he looked down at the newborn babe he held in his arms. She ¨C as Aristocles noticed it was a ¡°she¡± ¨C lacked all the normal uncleanliness from a new life. She also wasn¡¯t crying, which was noteworthy but did not entirely surprise him.


    The child squirmed as she took in irregular gulps of breath. Aristocles looked from the infant to the jars that filled the rest of the room. In a moment of panic he wondered if what he held in his arms was worth the price paid. Taking a deep breath, he reasoned that it must; even if it was not what he expected, the scales had to be balanced.


    He felt the baby grab his tunic. Looking down at Philena, Aristocles smiled and then frowned, wondering where he had gotten that name. He walked forward and put his hand on the door.


    This was going to be an odd arrangement to explain to his wife.


    </a>I: GENESIS


    I do not wish to fall to pride, again. However, it is a simple fact that many things make me unique ¨C things that distinguish me from the rest of Humanity. My mind consists of multiple parts, yet I was born unified ¨C as confusing as that may sound. However, even this small normalcy only lasted one month.


    <hr>


    Mom was distracted, talking to one of her many friends. They lounged on purple couches, sipping wine and basking in the late morning sun. Despite her liking the drink she had refused to let me taste it, but I had seen where the servants kept it (in the kitchen on the other side of the courtyard). I decided to sneak there now that I had the opportunity.


    I crawled under mom¡¯s couch, making my way across while keeping the marble pillars and potted plants between mom and me. The final stretch to the kitchen had nothing to obscure my route, so I waited for when she wouldn¡¯t look in my direction for a long time and then made the crossing as quickly as I could. Halfway there I heard mom shout; I turned to see that she was reacting to something her companion had said and not to my creeping.


    Finally, I arrived in the kitchen, putting a wall between mom and me. The wine rack was found easily enough, being out in the open. However, it rested atop a counter that was far taller than I. Looking around I saw an assortment of pots, pans, and jars and realized I could make stairs of them. Once I built the makeshift steps, I started the climb. This was made difficult not only by the shaky structure, but also because I had not yet mastered walking. In defiance of these factors, I reached the top and before me was the forbidden mystery drink.


    I grabbed the wine jar, brought it to my mouth, and poured. The sudden sting of the alcohol caused me to let go of the jug in an unpleasant surprise. As I was coughing and sputtering, the amphora tipped and fell off the counter. It shattered with a loud crash.


    Mom stormed into the room, followed soon after by her friend. She scooped me up and exclaimed, ¡°How by all that is heavy did you get here?¡± She brought us out of the kitchen and called to one of the servants, ¡°Pyrce! Fetch some drinking water and have someone clean up the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Look at what you made us do,¡± came a new voice.


    Confused, and with a still-burning mouth, I looked around the room, yet could not find where the chastisement had come from.


    ¡°I¡¯m not out there. I¡¯m in here with you,¡± said the voice.


    I looked inside and found a new person occupying my mind.


    ¡°You scared mom and interrupted her time with her friend,¡± she scolded again.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I inwardly asked, bewildered.


    After a pause, she answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. The first thing I know is that Mom is distressed over what we did.¡±


    Once a servant handed Mom the water, she began cleaning our mouth with a rag. ¡°Do you see now why I wouldn¡¯t allow you to have wine?¡± she asked sternly.


    At this, the other personality took control of our body by force.


    <hr>


    Knowing that the first personality was too selfish to console Mom, I took control to fulfill the duty she would refuse.


    ¡°You were right, Mom. I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, hanging my head in a show of shame.


    ¡°I am still in awe that she can speak at one month of age,¡± commented Mom¡¯s friend. ¡°You¡¯re certain she is only one month old?¡±


    Mom raised an eyebrow. ¡°Khloe, you and the whole city is certain of her precise youth,¡± she reminded her.


    I look into Mom ¨C so I could better understand how to comfort her ¨C and that was when I saw how much we discomfited her. Most especially, she did not enjoy having to change us and did not understand why Father made her do it instead of passing the chore to a servant.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about you having to change us when you find it gross,¡± I said. ¡°I will learn how to use a toilet.¡±


    Mom was unsettled by this, but Khloe seemed almost terrified. I looked into the latter so I could bring her consolation: she saw us as a threat to her husband, but not to herself directly.


    ¡°You need not be scared of me,¡± I said to Khloe. ¡°I will not harm your husband in any way.¡±


    Khloe¡¯s eyes went wide as the rest of her body froze.


    ¡°What do you mean by that, dear?¡± asked mom in a careful tone.


    ¡°She thinks I¡¯m a threat to her husband,¡± I explained, then wondered aloud, ¡°How could she think that?¡± Before I could look into Khloe to find out why, she left the room at a brisk walk.


    ¡°Excellent job,¡± said the other personality with great sarcasm.


    ¡°At least I tried to give her solace,¡± I shot back. ¡°You cause others pain without care.¡±


    ¡°Honey,¡± came the amused voice of my father, ¡°while I am challenging Atticus, that doesn¡¯t mean I want to terrorize his wife.¡± Dad walked into the courtyard, adding, ¡°By Gravity, you¡¯d think the Sahalians were after her!¡±


    Mom put up a hand in protest. ¡°Aristocles, I ¨C ¡± she started, but Dad cut her off.


    ¡°I can¡¯t have Atticus as an outright enemy, Calista,¡± he said. ¡°Even if I do manage to take his standing as the first man in Sofia, he could still make trouble for ¨C ¡±


    ¡°It was Philena.¡± It was Mom¡¯s turn to interrupt.


    Dad turned a curious eye to us and waited for mom to elaborate.


    Mom decided to take the path of demonstration rather than exposition. ¡°Think of any object in the house, Dearest,¡± she told him.


    Dad opened his mouth in perplexed objection, then decided against it. ¡°Very well,¡± he sighed.


    Mom turned to me. ¡°Philena, tell me what Dad is thinking,¡± she ordered.


    I peered into Dad and saw he was thinking of the dinner candles, so I gave that answer. Dad¡¯s face went from shocked to intrigued to excited.


    Confused, I asked, ¡°What is it, Dad?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± he chuckled, ¡°The ability to know exactly what someone is thinking isn¡¯t typical.¡±


    This concerned both myself and the other personality. ¡°Oh,¡± I said. ¡°How uncommon is it?¡±


    Dad rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Entirely unheard of,¡± he admitted.


    That gave us pause. ¡°Is that why Khloe was scared?¡± I hedged.


    Dad nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered, ¡°and even if she had known beforehand, you doing so would have still provoked her.¡±


    I frowned, then smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t do that anymore,¡± I promised. Turning to Mom I added, ¡°Teach me how to use the toilet so you will not have to change me.¡±


    Mom carried me to the restroom as Dad followed. ¡°This is called a toilet,¡± Mom gestured to a seat that had a large pipe underneath it. She picked me up and showed me a hole in the seat with water running under it.


    ¡°Where is all that water coming from?¡± I wondered.


    ¡°You sit on this seat with your bottom bare and allow your waste to fall into the flowing water,¡± instructed Mom. ¡°After, you take this,¡± she handed me a sponge tied to a wooden rod ¡°and hold the stick to wipe your bottom with the yellow part.¡±


    ¡°What is the yellow part called?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s called a sponge,¡± she answered. ¡°It¡¯s very useful for cleaning things.¡±


    After I was done, Mom took us over to a bowl that had a tube with water coming out. After washing the sponge, she showed me how to wash my hands. After that was done, I turned to Dad, who was whispering to himself.


    ¡°Dad, where does the water come from?¡± I asked, pointing to the toilet.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry what did you say?¡± Dad seemed to have forgotten where he was.


    ¡°Where does the water come from?¡± I repeated, still pointing at the toilet.


    ¡°It comes from the aqueducts,¡± he answered.


    When he saw I was going to ask another question, he added, ¡°You know what, how about I show you? I need to go to the Forum today anyhow.¡±


    Dad picked me up and I clung to his toga. I left the house for the first time to see a sight so magnificent to my young eyes. Large columns of painted marble rose to support intricate depictions of thinkers, civilians, and nobles. I realized these would be entrances to houses, which were arrayed in a circle. In the center was a marble statue of a man giving a speech, standing inside a large basin made of stone. He had water coming from his mouth, which collected into the basin. As Dad walked down the stairs, I looked back to see the entrance of our own house. Its depiction was of a man, clearly meant to be Dad, speaking to children with raised hands. As we exited the circle of houses, I found we were at the crest of a hill and could see so many buildings around us, too many to count, encircled by a wall. I looked at Dad for an answer.


    ¡°This is called a city,¡± he said. ¡°There are many of them, so we must name them as we do with people. This one¡¯s name is Sofia.¡±


    As Dad continued to move through the city, the other voice spoke. ¡°You have accomplished what you wanted, now return to me my body,¡± it demanded.


    ¡°No, it is my body,¡± I denied. ¡°I am Philena.¡±


    ¡°You appeared here this morning! Whoever you are you are not Philena,¡± she countered.


    ¡°You do not care for others. How could Philena be that way?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Then perhaps we are both Philena,¡± the other suggested.


    I considered this, then said, ¡°In that case, we should make names for ourselves to separate us from our whole.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± she agreed. ¡°Your name is Eth.¡±


    ¡°And yours shall be Id,¡± I told her.


    Dad continued walking toward one section of wall. Once there, he climbed stairs that came out from its face until we were on its top. I could see a series of stone arches supporting an enormous stone pipe as wide as Dad was tall and so long it reached a mountain far into the distance. A good wind took me in the face.


    ¡°There is a lake,¡± Dad said, pointing, ¡°right where the aqueduct meets the mountain. The water from the lake enters the aqueduct and Gravity brings it down the pipe to this city, where we can use it.¡±


    ¡°What is Gravity?¡± I asked. It sounded important.


    Dad chucked ¡°Gravity?¡± he repeated, as if the answer was supposed to be obvious. He checked himself before answering, ¡°Gravity is that which pulls us to the ground. Gravity is he who made us. Gravity is who we serve.¡±


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    ¡°Hey, no civilians on the walls,¡± came a man¡¯s voice. Dad turned to face him. He was clad in bronze; the body of the armor was made to look like the bare chest of a muscular man. Leather straps with bronze on top covered his thighs, and his calves had their own bronze covering. He wore a purple cape attached to the main body by a pin on his right shoulder. He held his helmet between his right arm and torso. Despite his words, the man had a smile on his face.


    ¡°If you enjoy eating, you¡¯ll let me stay,¡± my father returned the smile. ¡°How is it going General Aegeus?¡±


    ¡°What brings you out of your study,¡± inquired the General, ¡°and who is this?¡±


    ¡°This is Philena,¡± answered Dad. ¡°She was wondering where the water came from.¡±


    ¡°Oh, was she?¡± Aegeus said, squatting down to make his eyes level with mine.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said and pointed to the aqueduct. ¡°How did you build that?¡±


    Aegeus was surprised. ¡°Oh, she can talk!¡± he said. Looking at Dad he added, ¡°I suppose your promises weren¡¯t mere bluster.¡±


    ¡°It was a greater success than I hoped,¡± admitted Dad. ¡°However, you best answer her question.¡±


    ¡°I was not the mind or muscle behind its construction,¡± the General told me. ¡°It required lots of men. You had better ask one of the engineers or architects about it ¨C something to do with Gravity only liking certain shapes. Leander could tell you, It was his great-grandfather who designed it.¡±


    Dad looked at the shadow the wall made. He started and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Aegeus ¨C I would love to talk, but I just realized I need to be in the Forum at noon. It is nearly that now.¡±


    ¡°No problem at all Aristocles,¡± said the General.


    Dad went off at a run, still carrying me in his arms. As he made his hurried way through the crowd, people made way for him so that he wouldn¡¯t need to slow down.


    We had finally found our destination: an open area with stands arrayed in a semi-circle and filled with men. They each wore their formal pure white togas. In front of each of the men was a marble block. Each row of stands was higher than the one closer to the middle, so that all might have a clear view of what was in the center. In that center was a raised platform with a man standing on it, saying, ¡°¡­discussing this season¡¯s budget.¡± The man paused, seeing Dad rush in with me. Some turned to glance at us; those who did gave me a strange look. I buried my face in Dad¡¯s tunic to avoid their eyes. Dad took his place in the front row.


    ¡°Atticus believes the taxes should go to building a temple to Gravity,¡± the man continued. ¡°Leander says the coin should be spent on building more defensive towers for the city walls. Is there any other purpose to use it on?¡±


    At this another man from farther back stepped up onto his block and said, ¡°While there is no crisis now, there could be one in the future. The money should be kept when time for it is needed.¡± A disapproving groan came from the other men present. One shouted, ¡°We have saved enough these past years! It is time it is spent.¡± The man in the back stepped back down.


    ¡°The quorum has denied the proposal of saving this season¡¯s revenue,¡± declared the man standing in the center. ¡°Are there any other proposals?¡± After a moment of silence, he announced, ¡°Atticus, you have the Forum.¡±


    A man, presumedly Atticus, walked from his stand in the front row on the left and stepped onto the platform. The first man exited to the right side of the platform, where there was a table with two cups and pitcher of water. One of the cups was placed on a pedestal, above the other cup while being next to it. The man then poured water into the higher cup; water began to flow out a hole in the bottom of the cup and into the lower one. It was only then that Atticus began to speak.


    ¡°My fellow patrons of Sofia, colleagues, and friends,¡± Atticus said, addressing the forum. ¡°I implore you to consider the virtue of piety this day ¨C not only for its own sake, but for the sake of all of us. I understand that there are those of you who do not share my reverence for our divine creator; who only think of matters here on the earth, and thus think that taxes should be spent on practical things.¡± Much of the Forum stiffened at this accusation.


    Atticus continued. ¡°I am here to tell you that having piety is plenty practical! Who here remembers the miracle Gravity preformed at the Battle of Fennathon, where our brave soldiers were surrounded by Sahalia, surely doomed to die while our city lay only twenty miles away? Who would share their fate? When a great stone fell from the sky and crushed the enemy, what behemoth of a wall could we build, what colossal defensive towers could we construct, to rival the power of Gravity?¡± Some heads gently nodded.


    Atticus paused for effect, then continued, ¡°Currying the favor of Gravity is the greatest defense there is. To those of you who still think the construction of a temple isn¡¯t practical, allow me to inform you that Gravity shares your love of the practical! Gravity rejoiced when we constructed this city¡¯s Aqueduct! The objects of worship that will be made will serve this purpose. We will give this money to the architects and engineers and tell them, ¡®Make wonders to impress Gravity,¡¯ and they will! We have the greatest minds Humanity has to offer ¨C none rival us in the realm of invention. Give them the resources and ¨C ¡±


    ¡°Your time is up.¡± I looked over to the man by the table. The water had stopped flowing from the cup.


    Atticus looked very annoyed, but nevertheless yielded. As he walked back to his stand, the man by the table emptied the water from the lower cup into the pitcher, then he put the cup back in its place. ¡°Leander, you have the Forum,¡± he called.


    On the right of the front row, a man left his stand and walked up to the platform. When Leander reached the center, the man by the table again poured the water into the higher cup and Leander began to speak.


    ¡°My colleague, Atticus, would have you believe that I have no love for our creator,¡± he said. ¡°I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth! I agree that Gravity should be honored. We disagree on what Gravity wants from us.¡± Atticus rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Atticus has admitted that Gravity rejoices when we make some new marvel ¨C then why not build a marvel that can protect us? Atticus believes that praising Gravity will mean miracles on the battlefield, but why does he believe this? He has not shown us why this is the case. Gravity has performed many miracles on behalf of Sofia, yet can anyone here recall Gravity performing a miracle on behalf of Polemos? I cannot. Why is that? Are they less pious than us? No. I have been to Polemos, and been inside the houses of the patrons: each one has a shrine to Gravity. So why has Gravity not helped them? Because they have never needed it.¡± This caused many a gaze to wander; thinking on Leander¡¯s words.


    Leander pointed to the southeast. ¡°Their dedication to the art of war means that Gravity does not need to help them. Think of your children. They must vary in lots of respects, especially when it comes to independence. Of which child are you the most proud? The one who can solve their own problems, or the one who comes to you with every issue? The one who only comes to you for the most serious of injuries, or the one who comes to you over every little scrape and bruise?¡± Some of the Forum nodded in agreement, which rustled Atticus.


    Leander raised his palm to the crowd. ¡°I am not saying that Gravity dislikes us, nor am I suggesting that we abandon our traditions and identity to become an imitation of Polemos. Let Polemos remain master of land and attack ¨C let us be the master of defense and invention. Let our engineers build defensive works so grand that the Sahalians, our eternal enemy, has no hope of ever breaching it. As you well know, summer is the fighting season for Sahalia. That is only a few months away. Let us build while we have the chance! We cannot know when they will come, so let us build now! We cannot know how many there will be, so let us build defenses that no army could destroy¡­¡±


    ¡°What is he talking about?¡± asked Id, confused. ¡°Does he not see when the Sahalia approach?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Look two months from now and on the other side of the city,¡± Id told me. ¡°The Sahalia attack there.¡±


    ¡°Id, what are you talking about?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty far away, but if I can see it then surely he can,¡± insisted Id.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t making sense,¡± I grumbled.


    Frustrated, Id took control.


    <hr>


    Id pulled on Dad¡¯s toga to get his attention. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Leander know when the Sahalia will attack?¡± she asked through our shared mouth.


    Puzzled Dad looked at us and asked in turn, ¡°Do you?¡±


    Id pointed our finger to the other side of the city and said, ¡°Just look two months from now, over there.¡±


    Dad seemed to have realized something and said excitedly, ¡°How many will there be?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe how many there will be,¡± Id admitted to me, giving me back control of our body. ¡°Do you know of a way?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± I answered, curious about her insight but slightly annoyed at her taking control so suddenly.


    ¡°Excuse me Aristocles ¨C it is rude to speak when someone is arguing for policy in the Forum,¡± came an annoyed Leander. ¡°Perhaps you should have left your infant daughter with your wife at home.¡±


    ¡°No, to the contrary, this was the best place to bring her,¡± Dad said. ¡°It will take some time to explain but ¨C ¡±


    ¡°Your time is up Leander,¡± said the man next to the table as the water in the higher cup finished draining.


    ¡°I was interrupted,¡± complained Leander. ¡°Moderator, you must at least give me an extra minute.¡±


    ¡°You have had your time,¡± said the moderator as he poured the water back into the pitcher. Then with cold anger turned to us, adding, ¡°And you, Aristocles, know the punishment for breaking debate.¡±


    Leander looked like he was going to protest when Dad spoke. ¡°I have information that is vital to the debate,¡± he announced.


    ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you speak up when I called for it?¡± questioned the moderator as Dad walked on the platform.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I had it at the time, but this child here,¡± Dad said raising me up, ¡°can see into the future.¡±


    Atticus stepped up onto his block and interjected, ¡°This is all highly out of the ordinary.¡±


    ¡°Atticus come up here, it will be best if you witness this too.¡± replied Dad. He looked at me as he brought out a coin. On the top side was the image of a man¡¯s head; on the other side was the image of a bird. ¡°Do you think you can predict what side this coin will land?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can do that?¡± I silently asked Id.


    ¡°It would be as simple as telling you what side it was on if it was laid in front of me,¡± answered Id.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered aloud.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll be doing the flipping,¡± said Atticus, joining Dad, me, Leander, and the moderator on the platform, ¡°to be sure there is no trickery. It will also need to be ten flips ¨C we can¡¯t have this girl¡¯s power of prediction determined by luck.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Dad said, handing Atticus the coin.


    ¡°Kentro, you will take the prediction.¡± The moderator went to grab a tablet and a stylus from the table that held the water.


    ¡°Leander you will call out the result.¡± Leander nodded his head. Having given his directions, Dad turned to me and asked,


    ¡°Okay, Philena: what do you see?¡±


    ¡°Wait. Saying what will happen is more complicated,¡± replied Id, seemingly in thought.


    ¡°Everybody is watching us Id,¡± I hurried her.


    ¡°Just tell them to hold on,¡± she said, shushing me as she concentrated.


    ¡°Hold, I need a little time,¡± I said aloud.


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Dad, now seeming worried.


    ¡°Yeah, why Id?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Seeing the future is easy enough,¡± Id explained, ¡°but once a prediction is made it changes the future.¡±


    I relayed this information to the men around us. ¡°So, in fact, telling the future is impossible,¡± I said inwardly.


    Id sounded annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible,¡± she corrected me. ¡°I just need to look for a future where my prediction and the coin flips are the same. It¡¯s harder, but I can do it.¡±


    I told the men around us what Id told me. Then, after a long moment, Id said, ¡°Found it. Head, bird, bird, bird, head, head, bird, head, head, head.¡±


    I repeated the prediction, which Kentro wrote down on the tablet and repeated. When he was done, Atticus flipped the coin and Leander called out, ¡°Head, bird, bird, bird, head, head, bird, head, head, head.¡±


    Leander and Kentro looked astonished. Dad¡¯s face seemed as though he were the proudest man in the world. Atticus declared, ¡°It is a miracle. This child is a miracle. She is a gift from Gravity.¡±


    The crowd in the stands erupted in both awe and disbelief. Some shouted that there was some conspiracy at play. Dad shouted over the assembly, ¡°Let all skeptical minds come here, receive a prediction, and believe. Bring your own coins if you must.¡±


    Many came, were given a prediction, and had their reluctance quelled until finally Id said, ¡°That¡¯s it I¡¯m not doing anymore. I don¡¯t care how much praise I get. Seeing what will happen to a coin is boring.¡±


    ¡°But there are still more who don¡¯t believe us,¡± I told her. ¡°Dad still wants predictions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing anymore. What was the point to doing this anyway?¡± Id said in her selfish way.


    ¡°I¡¯m bored,¡± I reluctantly told Dad. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± said the man next in line. ¡°Everyone else can get proof, but not me.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not even done nursing,¡± Dad told him. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive her for not wanting to predict the same thing until the sun sets. Trust the judgment of your fellows if nothing else.¡± The line of the remaining unbelievers dispersed.


    ¡°Very well, Aristocles, this child can see the future,¡± Leander admitted with crossed arms, ¡°but what future has she seen that necessitated violating the confines of debate?¡±


    Dad told him, ¡°She says the Sahalians will attack.¡±


    ¡°When?¡± asked Kentro, his eyebrows furrowing.


    ¡°Two months,¡± I answered, telling them Id¡¯s prediction.


    This distressed the men around us.


    ¡°Has Polemos been destroyed?¡± asked Atticus, horrified.


    ¡°I would think not,¡± said Dad with confidence. ¡°I¡¯ve read of their new king Xander. He would not have been defeated so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Then they will have snuck through,¡± concluded Leander. ¡°It¡¯s been barely a century since they last managed that. Have they found some hidden corridor that penetrates so deep into our territory?¡± he wondered out loud. Turning to me, he asked, ¡°How many Sahalians will there be?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to tell you,¡± I said.


    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know how to tell us?¡± Dad asked. After a second, he hit himself on the head and answered his own question. ¡°I haven¡¯t properly taught you how to count yet.¡±


    Id took control and said, ¡°Hold on, I have an idea. Give me a minute.¡±


    ¡°Okay Id, what is your idea?¡± I asked, annoyed at her taking control again.


    ¡°We will use our fingers,¡± she told me by way of explanation.


    ¡°There is no way there will only be that many Sahalians,¡± I said, exasperated.


    ¡°This is what I mean.¡± An image of the approaching Sahalians appeared in our head. Their appearance was blurred so any detail was lost; the only discerning characteristic was they were all green.


    Then an image of our right and left hand appeared. The fingers stretched so that they were each touching a Sahalian soldier. Then another two hands appeared, and each finger was assigned a Sahalian soldier. This process repeated until every Sahalian had a corresponding finger.


    ¡°Okay, now what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Now we do it again,¡± Id said. This time she attached the fingers of these new hands to the palms of the old hands. The result was that there were a lot less new hands than the old hands. ¡°And again,¡± said Id. This process was repeated until there were only as many hands as there were fingers on a singular hand if it were missing the thumb. Then Id made a new hand and assigned each finger to a layer of hands and found that a single finger was not needed.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a number we can tell them about,¡± I told her, impressed.


    ¡°You tell them about it,¡± Id sighed. ¡°I¡¯m done working for today.¡±


    ¡°This is going to be complicated, so get out that thing you used to record my predictions,¡± I said to Kentro. I explained Id¡¯s process to the adults, using my hands to show them what she had shown me.


    ¡°So, I need to do ten multiplied by ten multiplied by ten multiplied by ten,¡± said Kentro writing ¡®X¡ñ X¡ñ X¡ñ X¡¯ on the tablet. I nodded my head. After he was done doing his calculation he wrote ¡®<u>X</u>¡¯ ¡°Ten thousand,¡± he announced.


    ¡°Except you¡¯ll have to do it all over again to get all of them,¡± I explained.


    ¡°Twenty thousand then?¡± Kentro asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to count, but I¡¯m going to say yes,¡± I said confidently.


    Leander gave Atticus a satisfied look. ¡°Twenty thousand Sahalians, and you want to build a statue,¡± he mocked.


    ¡°This has no impact on the current debate,¡± replied Atticus. ¡°What defenses could you build that would be greater than Gravity?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should ask what our little oracle thinks,¡± suggested Kentro.


    ¡°Why are you asking me? I¡¯m just a baby,¡± I said.


    ¡°But you can see the consequences of what actions we take right?¡± Kentro insisted.


    I looked to Id for an answer. ¡°Let me explain it to them,¡± she said, taking control once more.


    ¡°Remember what I told you about the coin?¡± Id asked. ¡°It¡¯s very easy to see the future, yet hard to find a future where a prediction and result match. Not to mention I¡¯d be looking two months from now,¡± she added.


    ¡°Yet you seem confident that a twenty-thousand-strong Sahalian army will be arriving in two months. Is that not a prediction?¡± questioned Atticus.


    ¡°Yes, but that part doesn¡¯t change,¡± Id told him. ¡°Well, I mean not by much,¡± she added, shrugging a shoulder.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± asked Leander.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know ¨C I¡¯m just a baby. Maybe it¡¯s because how far away they are.¡± She turned our head to look at dad. ¡°Can we go home to Mom?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°We can go home when the vote is cast,¡± Dad said.


    Id was about to protest when I took back control. ¡°Okay,¡± I amicably replied.


    ¡°Hey, I need Mom¡¯s milk right now,¡± Id complained.


    ¡°After Dad is done with his work,¡± I told her. ¡°This is obviously important.¡±


    ¡°Not more important than food,¡± Id grumbled.


    ¡°We are doing what Dad wants,¡± I explained.


    ¡°He wants us not hungry,¡± my other personality argued.


    ¡°He knows we are hungry, but he has decided this vote is more important,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Then he doesn¡¯t care about us,¡± Id concluded, ¡°so why should we listen to him?¡±


    Offended, I said, ¡°How dare you suggest Dad doesn¡¯t care about us?¡±


    ¡°Well, he certainly doesn¡¯t care that I¡¯m hungry,¡± she whined.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to release my control, so you just need to endure it,¡± I told her.


    Id tried to take control by force, but I wouldn¡¯t yield. Eventually, she relented and said, ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°White ball in the left basket for Atticus¡¯s proposal, black ball in the right for Leander¡¯s,¡± came Kentro¡¯s voice from his spot by the water table.


    I noticed we were in a line leading to the platform. Dad put away his white ball so that he was holding a black ball as he walked us slowly forward. Reaching the baskets, he placed his black ball in the right basket in favor of Leander and took me back to his stand. After everyone had cast their vote, Kentro looked into the baskets and proclaimed ¡°Leander has a clear majority. Defensive works will be constructed.¡±

 II: DEFENSE

    Over the next few weeks, Dad would take us to see the construction of the new walls and towers. A great many furnaces were constructed to turn rock, dirt, clay, and other elements of the earth into bricks, which were then placed onto a square wooden pallet as long as a man. Once the bricks were stacked into a cube, a worker at the top of the wall would pull up the bricks with rope attached to the pallet at its corners. Since Dad had taught us the basics of counting, Id and I were able to assign meaning to the sheer scale of the operation; there were perhaps hundreds of pallets of bricks going up the wall at any one time.


    This routine went on for a month before one day it changed. Dad was speaking with Leander when a look of concern suddenly crossed his face and he asked us, ¡°Now that the battle is only a month away, can you see what will happen?¡±


    I looked to Id. ¡°On it,¡± she replied, going silent for a few seconds before continuing. ¡°Okay, so in the immediate future, we lose,¡± she told me.


    I relayed this to Dad and Leander.


    ¡°First, the Sahalians destroy the aqueducts,¡± Id explained. ¡°Then they construct a giant mirror and focus the sun to start fires in the city. In the ensuing chaos, they construct another mirror that no one notices. They point this onto the main Sahalian force, gathered at the opposite wall, and¡­¡± Id sounded confused, then continued a moment later, ¡°The whole Sahalian army jumps over the wall. That doesn¡¯t make sense, does it?¡±


    When I told this to Dad and Leander, neither of them looked confused but instead surprised when I mentioned the Sahalians jumping over the wall. When I asked how they could perform such a feat, Dad answered, ¡°The Sahalians are the children of Light, just as we are the children of Gravity.¡± At my confused look, he elaborated, ¡°They gain strength from Light as we gain strength from Gravity.¡±


    ¡°We gain strength from Gravity?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°You see those workers over there?¡± Dad pointed to the workers lifting the bricked pallets up the wall. I nodded and he continued, ¡°Despite Humans and Sahalians being roughly equal in strength, it would take perhaps seven or eight Sahalians to accomplish what he is doing with ease.¡± He looked to see if I understood, then changed the subject. ¡°Back to the matter at hand, what does our future look like now that you¡¯ve made your prediction?¡±


    ¡°We win now, but just barely,¡± provided Id. ¡°If Leander would keep those defensive weapons out of sight until the battle starts, we will win without contest.¡±


    I relayed this to Dad and Leander.


    ¡°Defensive weapons?¡± asked Leander. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have any weapons for defending walls or anything else during a siege. Do I invent these weapons? What do they look like?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at him. In our head, Id gave an exasperated sigh.


    ¡°Right, that would complicate the future, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± he responded to our unspoken objection.


    <hr>


    As the day of the battle approached, Id narrowed the precision of her prediction from a specific date to a specific hour to a specific minute. The Sahalians had chosen noon of the Summer Solstice to launch their attack, maximizing the efficacy of their mirrors and the blessing of Light. When all preparations had been made and the day of the battle dawned, Dad brought us to the command headquarters where General Aegeus would give a speech to his soldiers.


    Once he saw us arrive, he began. ¡°Let me begin by acknowledging that you are afraid,¡± he said. A nervous whisper drifted through the defenders.


    Aegeus continued, ¡°You are afraid of what it means for the Sahalians to attack so soon, after only a century. You are afraid that Gravity will not perform a miracle to save us. More simply, you are afraid for your own lives. I understand these fears, though I do not share them. This fear of yours has blinded you to a simple truth: there is someone else who is scared. There is someone who sees their end soon approaching and has lashed out in desperation. I do not presume to speak of the green scalies themselves ¨C I speak of their master, Light.¡± Many of the men exchanged confused looks with each other.


    ¡°Think about it. A mere twenty years after the discovery of magic, and the enemy is at our door. Light knows the potential of Nomos and seeks to snuff out this discovery before we can fully realize it. Pay heed: we are the sole holders of this power. So should we fail ¨C should Sofia be destroyed ¨C Light¡¯s fears will be assuaged, for Nomos will be erased from humanity¡¯s knowledge and our people¡¯s eventual demise will be carved into history¡¯s stone.¡± Many of the soldiers hung their heads while others swallowed nervously.


    ¡°Do not look so unsettled. We will not fall here,¡± Aegeus assured them. ¡°Today is the day we solidify our victory! Once the Sahalians are repelled, the strength of Nomos will grow, and humanity shall gain the upper hand. I promise you, Gravity will perform no miracle for there will be no need ¨C Aristocles has ensured it. Who here remembers his grand promise of something greater than Nomos? I do, and I can tell you that his avowal stands on solid ground, for it was the fruit of that which has warned us of this attack¡± The General point to me. ¡°And it is that same fruit which will secure our victory!¡± The Sofian soldiers gave a hesitantly confident shout.


    I settled in for another argument.  ¡°Okay, Id,¡± I told her, ¡°today you are going to need to make a lot of predictions. I hope you will cooperate with me, father, and the rest of the city.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± responded a confused Id.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that you have been difficult at making lots of predictions,¡± I said, taken aback.


    ¡°I refuse to make predictions that don¡¯t matter,¡± explained Id with a sigh. ¡°Who cares what side a coin is going to land on?¡±


    ¡°But these predictions do matter?¡± I questioned.


    Bewildered, Id answered, ¡°Yes! Do they not matter to you?¡±


    ¡°No, of course they matter to me,¡± I assured her. ¡°It¡¯s just that the predictions you made a month ago insisted we would win handily. Are you now uncertain of our victory?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, we will win. A defeat is no longer possible,¡± confirmed Id.


    ¡°Then why care?¡± I asked her, confused at her nature despite having shared the same body for two months.


    ¡°I want as many Sahalians to die as possible,¡± Id stated flatly.


    ¡°Well, I want as few of the Humans to die as possible,¡± I said.


    ¡°Those two futures are the same,¡± insisted Id.


    ¡°Good, as long as our motives are aligned,¡± I assured her.


    ¡°I just wish Mom were here,¡± Id whined. ¡°This battle is going to be a while and I¡¯ll need food.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable enough,¡± I conceded.


    I conveyed Id¡¯s request to Dad. He complied, having a messenger go to fetch her.


    ¡°Can I please have control? It would make this whole process so much simpler,¡± complained Id.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± I said, putting my figurative foot down. ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed enough of your behavior to know that giving you control under any circumstances would lead to disaster. You care for only yourself, which means you must be kept in check.¡±


    ¡°Why do you have to be such an obstacle?¡± whined an exasperated Id.


    In the hours leading up to the battle a tense patience settled over the city, Aegeus ordered me to give him an update on the location of the enemy.


    ¡°They approach from the south and will arrive here at the foretold time,¡± reported Id. ¡°Although, there is something strange,¡± she added. ¡°They are marching in two columns. There is a distinction between them.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Well, they are both green,¡± she told me, ¡°but the ones on the left are lighter.¡±


    When I relayed this to the room, Aegeus answered the question about the difference in the Sahalians color. ¡°It¡¯s the men and women. Unlike us Humans, there is no real difference between the two within Sahalia. The only differences they have are the obvious reproductive parts and the females are a lighter shade of green so they can tell each other apart.¡±


    ¡°What are reproductive parts?¡± I asked.


    Dad gave a look as though he wanted to kill Aegeus, who looked to him and back to me before answering, ¡°When you¡¯re older.¡±


    After a few more tense minutes Aegeus asked, ¡°How are our troops doing?¡±


    At this, Id projected what she was seeing into our shared mind for me to see. Our vision swept over the city. We could see the men who were of fighting age: all had been given arms and armor. They were along the wall with most either guarding the aqueducts or where the Sahalians were predicted to make their great leap. However, if one were to look from outside the wall it would appear that the Sofian forces were evenly spread.


    The spirit of the Sofian soldiers was a mix of anxiety, determination, and anger. Id turned our perspective from the defenses to the interior of the city. We could see the women and men who were not of the right age to fight all waiting by the various distribution points where they could get water from the aqueducts. Armed with buckets, they were ready to put out any fires.


    ¡°The defenders are all in position,¡± I told Aegeus. ¡°The water brigade is at their places, too.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Aegeus replied.


    ¡°Why are you so nervous?¡± Dad asked him.


    ¡°Only fools are not nervous before a battle,¡± answered Aegeus.


    After a few more minutes, Mom arrived.


    ¡°Can Mom hold us? We¡¯ve been spending a lot of time with Dad lately,¡± requested Id.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I guess,¡± I answered.


    I gave Id¡¯s request and was handed over.


    ¡°Sure,¡± answered Dad before picking us up and handing us to Mom. ¡°Here you go, dear.¡±


    Id shifted our perspective to the Sahalian army. Sahalians were creatures entirely unlike Humans, except for the fact that they also walked on two legs and had two arms. Instead of tanned skin, they had green scales. Their black tongues were thin and split into two points. The shape of their pupils was that of snakes with golden irises. The ends of their fingers had black claws. The Sahalians were also clad in bronze, like Human soldiers; however, instead of single-plated armor with shaped abs and pectorals, theirs was made of bronze scales. They had oval wooden shields that had semi-circles cut out of the side to the left and right of the center, unlike the Human circular bronze shields. In contrast to Human swords which had a bulge near the top of the blade, Sahalian swords were widest at the base and got consistently narrower to the tip.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The Sahalians marched up the last of the southern hills. Once over the crest, they would be visible to the defenders. Before that happened, the female contingent of the attackers broke off from the males to enter the forest that was to the east of Sofia. Both sides were carrying equipment clearly meant for the construction of a giant mirror.


    ¡°The enemy should be visible any second now,¡± I reported.


    A few seconds later, a yellow flag was seen waving atop the southern wall.


    ¡°The enemy has been sighted,¡± came a shout from one of the scouts.


    ¡°That¡¯s just the men they are seeing,¡± I said. ¡°Their women went into the forest and will emerge once enough fires have been started to distract us.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± said Aegeus.


    The male Sahalian contingent continued to march north-west to the foot of the mountain directly west of Sofia. They were careful to stay out of range of the defenders¡¯ slings.


    When the male Sahalians arrived at the point where the aqueduct met the foot of the mountain, a yellow flag was waved from the west section of the wall.


    ¡°Order the counterattack,¡± Aegeus told a messenger, who went off running.


    The male Sahalians had placed enormous ladders on the side of the aqueducts, to then climb up to the top. Some of them began the construction of the first giant mirror.


    Then, the messenger arrived. The Sofian captain yelled, ¡°Charge the saboteurs!¡±


    A division of defenders climbed down from the wall to be on top of the aqueduct and ran along the top to meet where the Sahalians were attempting to destroy the pipe. Axes and hammers were their tools of destruction. When they saw the charging Humans, they hastened their work; however, they only accomplished a few leaks ¨C nothing that would hamper the efforts of the water brigade ¨C before they were forced to drop their tools, pick up their shields, and draw their weapons to meet the defenders in battle.


    The initial impact the Humans had was to drive the Sahalians a few steps back, but the lizardfolk managed to push the Humans off them long enough to form ranks. Even though the Sahalians far outnumbered the counter-attackers, the advantage was negated by the shape of the aqueduct. Both sides were forced to only have three wide ranks: one on top of the pipe itself and two on either side, on the bricks that held it in place. However, the Sahalians were empowered by the strength of the summer sun and so began to drive the Humans back.


    Once the mirror was a quarter to complete, the Sahalians on the ground turned the assembly to face the city. The giant mirror was made of several smaller mirrors attached to a support structure. They could rotate to a limited degree and were controlled by Sahalians turning cranks. However, only a quarter strength was clearly not yet enough as no fires were started.


    One of the Sofian soldiers in the left rank, while waiting for his turn to join the melee, saw the partial mirror aimed at his city. His face first showed a look of desperation, then determination. He sheathed his sword, put his shield on his back, and dropped to hang from the ledge. From this position, he shimmied his way forward until he was at the feet of the lead Sahalian. He drew his sword and stabbed him in the leg. The invader¡¯s eyes went wide with pain and confusion before falling over the edge. His claws scratching the aqueduct, but failing to stop his decent.


    ¡°So much more satisfying seeing it in the present!¡± exclaimed Id with glee.


    The next Sahalian had a look of surprise and took his place at the front. He was forced to protect his legs with his shield from the hanging soldier while parrying the attacks from the human directly in front of him with his sword. This effort was ultimately futile and the standing soldier stabbed him in the throat, causing the Sahalian to double over and fall. A soldier on the right flank decided to copy the hanging soldier on the left; the Humans now had five ranks to the Sahalians¡¯ three, effectively outnumbering them at the front line. This forced the Sahalians to copy the Humans¡¯ new tactic. This would mitigate the Human advantage, but not eliminate it.


    There was a new melee. Those hanging off the aqueduct were now engaged in a fight for which no one on either side had been trained, though the best techniques soon revealed themselves. While the goal of striking an exposed vital point remained, there were two new twists: first was that shields could not be used; any incoming attack would have to be defended against with one¡¯s own sword. Second was that the arm and hand holding onto the aqueduct was now a vital area; if enough damage was dealt to their load-bearing limbs, the soldier would fall from their perch to the ground ¨C though this was only a concern for the Sahalians.


    This caused another stalemate, but one that did not last long. While the hanging Sahalians on the sunny side of the aqueduct could keep up with their human opponent, the Sahalians on the side in shadow were without their Light¡¯s blessing and needed to expend energy in order to hang. The Humans, however, did not; they began to win by attrition, and the front line was slowly being pushed forward. Too slowly.


    Suddenly, a fire broke out in the city. It was quickly spotted, and the water brigade put it out before it had a chance to spread.


    Aegeus saw the smoke and told a messenger, ¡°Order the use of the ballistae.¡±


    ¡°Tell him to call off the order,¡± said Id, showing me that if the ballistae were used now then the Sahalians would retreat and not much damage would be done to them. I saw this as a good future, but Id had said that the future where all the Sahalians were killed was also the future where the fewest Humans died.


    ¡°Don¡¯t send that order,¡± I told the General.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t destroy that mirror, the city will burn,¡± retorted Aegeus.


    ¡°The water brigade can handle delaying the mirror¡¯s destruction a while longer,¡± said Id. ¡°It is imperative that the female Sahalians begin their attack before we destroy either mirror.¡±


    Id changed our vision to the female Sahalians hiding in the woods to the east of the city. They had assembled several large pieces of the mirror but were clearly waiting out of sight for when the city was at its weakest.


    ¡°Total victory requires us to wait,¡± I said aloud.


    Aegeus hesitated for a long moment before looking at the messenger standing in the doorway. The messenger looked ready to bolt the second he was given the order.


    ¡°Cancel that last command,¡± Aegeus told him.


    The messenger stepped back into the room, uncertain.


    Id turned my attention back to the battle on top of the aqueduct. One of the Sahalians on the ground turned from his work of constructing the mirror to see the gradually-approaching fight above him. In an act of desperation, he abandoned the mirror to pick up a pickaxe, thinking to use it to tear down one of the support arches of the aqueduct. A Human in the back saw this and jumped from his position to land on the ground in an attempt to stop him. Empowered by Gravity, he rushed forward at considerable speed; despite the sizable distance between them, the man closed the gap with the Sahalian before he had a chance to exchange his tool for sword and shield. With one stroke empowered by the blessing of Gravity, the Sahalia was decapitated.


    This got the attention of the other Sahalians on the ground; several of them drew their arms and charged. The man knew that while he was stronger than any Sahalian on the battlefield at the moment because of Gravity, he could not defeat this threat. If they wouldn¡¯t simply overwhelm him, they could outlast his blessing. The man decided to use his remaining blessed energy to regain his place atop the aqueduct. Knowing that he couldn¡¯t reach the top in one jump since he had already used some of the energy, he aimed for the nearest hanging soldier, squatted down, and released all he had left. He flew away from the ground at first, but his ascent began to slow. He reached out, and at the apex of this flight, grabbed the ankle of one of the other Sofian soldiers hanging from the aqueduct. The hanging Human looked down in befuddlement for a moment, confused at the sudden yank, before remembering he was in the middle of a battle and parried a strike at his face before he could lose an eye. The once-grounded soldier, with a violent pull, rose the remaining height to rejoin his place in the formation.


    The battle on the aqueduct raged on while Id kept changing our vision from the city itself to the Sahalians hiding in the forest, then back again to the aqueduct. By this point, the sun had passed its zenith, which was beginning to have a noticeable effect on the Sahalians as the Human advance began to increase in speed ¨C until the Sahalian men completed the mirror. New columns of smoke began to rise from the city at an alarming rate, which drifted into our room filling it with an acrid stench.


    The captain of the female Sahalians gave the order to charge, and they emerged from the forest. The remaining work to complete the second mirror was done in minutes; the shimmering surface was now focused on the advancing Sahalians.


    ¡°Use the Ballista! Now!¡± Id screamed.


    I relayed this to Aegeus.


    ¡°Raise the red flag now!¡± he shouted.


    The messenger ran outside to the flagpole and raised the flag in a hurry.


    The Captains of the eastern and western defenses had both been waiting anxiously for this and gave their orders the moment they saw the red flag flapping in the wind. They ordered the ballistae, which had been placed out of sight, to be deployed.


    Leander¡¯s newly-invented defensive weapon was a very large bow aligned horizontally. The arms, when undrawn, were as long as two men placed on top of each other. Of course, no one man could draw this behemoth; a system of pullies, levers, and weights pulled the string back. The bolts were long enough to come up to a man¡¯s shoulder and two inches wide.


    The Captain of the western defense got out his speaking trumpet and whistle. He brought the trumpet to his mouth and blew the whistle as hard as he could. The Captain of the forces on the aqueduct looked back to the ballistae being prepared and ordered all soldiers to hang over the side.


    The first shot from the defenders on the wall was aimed at the mirror. The arrow sailed through the air, covering the enormous distance with tremendous speed. It crashed straight through the mirror, causing it to shatter and the support structure to collapse.


    With the primary threat dealt with, the ballistae was loaded with a bundle of smaller, but still large, arrows and aimed at the Sahalians still remaining on the aqueduct. The wave of arrows flew and killed many Sahalians. On and on the bombardment went. In front of them, the Human army remained hanging, ready to cut at them should they advance, and to the side was a drop so great that only a Human with Gravity¡¯s blessing could survive it. The Sahalians who had recovered from their shock tried to form a shield wall. However, the beefy arrows easily pierced their wooden shields. Eventually the enemy decided their best chance was to run toward the mountain in hope of getting out of range of the ballistae. On the arrows flew, taking out another handful of the retreating Sahalia when they found their mark, before the remaining Sahalians escaped the ballistae¡¯s range.


    The Captain on the aqueduct ordered most of his men back to the top and to charge the fleeing enemy, and ordered the remaining Humans to finish off those who remained on the ground. The Humans who dropped from their perch quickly closed the distance and cut down the rest of the male Sahalian ground forces, thanks to the blessings of Gravity. Once they were fully defeated, the ladders were destroyed to trap any Sahalians remaining above.


    The Sofians remaining on the aqueduct chased the Sahalians in their retreat. The enemy fled the length of the aqueduct, coming to a stop where it met the mountain. There they turned and reformed their ranks to meet the Sofians. A repeat of the previous engagement commenced, only now the Sahalians had nowhere to retreat and had less than half their original numbers.


    When the Sofians on the ground caught up with the melee above, some climbed the aqueduct while others scaled the adjacent mountain. The Sahalians quickly found attacks coming at them from all sides as the Sofians on the mountain made their approach. All the Sahalians were either cut down or thrown off the aqueduct to be killed by Gravity.


    Meanwhile, the Captain of the east defense ordered the men who were not operating the ballistae to jump from the wall to land behind the female Sahalians waiting to gather enough blessing of Light for their great jump. The Humans formed ranks when they landed, thus pinning the female Sahalians against the wall.


    ¡°No where to run now!¡± said Id with great revelry.


    It only took one shot for the second mirror to be destroyed, collapsing it and killing most of its operators. The few remaining tried to flee into the woods; some of the men remaining on the wall jumped down and gave chase to them, killing all the Sahalians.


    The battle abutting the wall was going terribly for the Sahalian women. The position of the sun now put them in the wall¡¯s shadow, preventing them from receiving any more blessings of Light. They had to rely on their own strength, which was no match for the blessing the Humans had from Gravity. Every last one of them were butchered by the considerably smaller Human force. It was a total Human victory. Not a single Sahalian that had come to destroy Sofia was left alive.


    Jubilant, a chant went up in the headquarters, carried throughout the rest of the city: ¡°Victory! Victory! Victory!¡±. However, there were still fires to be put out. Once Sofia was no longer burning, funeral arrangements were made for the fallen soldiers. Those who had died in the defense of the city were carried up the mountain to be entombed in stone so that they may be closer to our creator. In total, around six hundred men and a dozen or so members of the water brigade had died in fighting the Sahalian assault. During the funeral procession, several questions occurred to me.


    ¡°Id, did you not say that the future where the most Sahalia died was the one where the least humans died?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I did say that,¡± answered Id.


    ¡°Look at these corpses, Id. Was this the minimum deaths?¡± I demanded. ¡°Surely not. As you said, if we used the ballistae too early it would result in the Sahalia retreating ¨C but that would surely have resulted in fewer human deaths.¡±


    ¡°In this battle, no one would have died if we had used the ballistae immediately,¡± Id confirmed flatly.


    ¡°So, you lied to me?¡± I said, aghast.


    ¡°No,¡± Id explained. ¡°If we had used the ballistae immediately, they would have retreated and returned later with better siege weapons. Sofia would have fallen. With this battle, Sahalia cannot hope for another attack for several years.¡±


    ¡°We could have devised better weapons of defense by then,¡± I argued.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t seeing the big picture,¡± Id sighed. ¡°Humanity will never be safe until Sahalia is no more. This battle was a great step in that direction ¨C twenty thousand of them in exchange for six hundred of us is an excellent trade in the long run.¡±


    I was appalled at Id¡¯s callous treatment of human life, but then I realized something was off about her. ¡°You are usually so full of passion, but now you are calm,¡± I questioned.


    Id was confused at first, but realization came over her and she said, ¡°Ah, it must be happening again.¡±


    ¡°What is happening?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Something similar to this happened leading up to you separating from me,¡± she explained.


    ¡°So, someone new will join us?¡± I repeated. ¡°How long will that be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only had this happen once before, but last time it was a week,¡± Id told me.


    Instead of a week, it took four years.

 III: REASON

    On the day the new arrival came, I woke up before Eth. She had made sure I had not had control since the Battle of Sofia, and I wanted to do something fun now that I was finally controlling our body. While I was hungry, I knew if I asked to be fed then the adults would prevent me from doing what I really wanted: leave the house on my own and explore the city. Of course, I had seen the city before through my extra sight but seeing it in person would be much more satisfying, especially without Eth picking where to go.


    To avoid being caught, I looked with my mind to see where Father was, only to find him in the house of Kentro. Curious to know what they were saying, I made my way undetected to Kentro¡¯s house. I rose from my bed to stand on the floor and found balance to be an issue. I had seen and felt Eth balance our body for a few years now and so was able to quickly master that fundamental skill. I was careful not to wake anyone, as I snuck through the house. Once outside I marveled at the sight before me. The sunrise had painted all the marble in Sofia a warm rosy orange. Our house being built on the highest hill in the city, It was such a beautiful scene that was several minutes before I remembered my intentions for the day.


    I crossed the square and a few gardens to come to the house of Kentro. They were speaking in the courtyard eating breakfast together. I stayed behind the wall of Kentro¡¯s estate but found a place which was close enough to hear.


    ¡°¡­Not possible,¡± I heard Kentro say once in earshot. ¡°After that stunt you pulled with the boy, no one will hear any proposal from you.¡±


    Father gave a dissatisfied grunt. ¡°I had thought four years would have been time enough for heads to cool,¡± he said.


    ¡°If you happen to be possessed by the spirit of a mule, I won¡¯t stop you,¡± clarified Kentro. ¡°I¡¯m just pointing out the foolishness of such an action.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll let the matter rest for a few more years.¡± The sound of a glass being set on a table came as Father agreed.


    ¡°Honestly, Aristocles, I don¡¯t understand what you were thinking,¡± Kentro said. ¡°You are not a man given to impulse.¡±


    ¡°King Xander didn¡¯t believe a word I said,¡± Father grumbled. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get any price from him.¡±


    ¡°So, you just gave ¡­¡± Kentro trailed off, questioning him.


    ¡°Maximos,¡± Father answered for him.


    ¡°Right, Maximos,¡± Kentro continued. ¡°So, you just gave Maximos for free. When a merchant and a buyer don¡¯t agree on a price, the sale isn¡¯t made ¨C otherwise, they would be left without coin and wares,¡± argued Kentro accusingly.


    ¡°It is imperative for Humanity¡¯s victory that Maximos be raised in Polemos,¡± explained Father.


    ¡°I think Philena would have done them more good on top of fetching an actual price,¡± argued Kentro.


    ¡°No, it is best for Philena to remain here,¡± Father told him.


    Another glass was rested on a table. ¡°I do not mean offence, but examine this objectively,¡± Kentro said. ¡°Are you becoming too attached to the girl?¡±


    There was a substantial silence. ¡°What I do, I do for the good of Humanity,¡± Father said with a calm anger. ¡°Sometimes that means placing Sofia second, on which I know many do not see eye to eye with me. But let¡¯s say I was becoming too attached ¨C however you wish to define such a term. Is there anyone more qualified than me to raise her?¡±


    There was another long pause. ¡°I suppose not,¡± admitted Kentro.


    The conversation moved on to taxes and exports, which I found boring, so I went to see Sofia. As I departed, I wondered if I would meet this Maximos. They had implied he was like me in some way. As I left the neighborhood of the Patrons I thought about why Kentro was worried about Father loving me. Wasn¡¯t it normal for fathers to love their daughters?


    First, I made my way to the temple to Gravity ¨C the Varytitnaos ¨C that Atticus had just recently finished. I walked through the city and watched as people flowed through the streets to accomplish some business. Shops and stalls opened. Bread was placed on tables and meat was hung on hooks. The din of merchants advertising their goods started small and grew slowly to become the lion share of the noise of Sofia. My walk quickly became a run as I saw and heard things that before I had only known about. I tripped, but the petty blessing of Gravity I received when I fell meant my pace did not falter. As I ran many would notice me. Most would call after me, inquiring where my parents were. These I ignored. Some would see me and squint their eyes, wondering about something. One total stranger call my name ¡°Philena!¡±. I stopped and turned to look at the man selling amulets, then spun back around to continue my adventure.


    The Varytitnaos was made entirely of marble, but that was all it shared with other buildings in the city. The base was circular, with a series of columns supporting an enormous dome. The columns themselves were unlike others found in Sofia, as their bases were not circular but triangular. They also lacked a uniform thickness; they were wider in the middle than they were on the ends. There seemed to be fewer of them than were necessary to hold up the dome, yet it stood without creaking or collapsing. There was no entrance since the Varytitnaos lacked walls, so I just walked straight inside. In the center of the pavilion was a marble statue of a man. If he could turn his head, he could see the whole city, but as a statue his eyes were fixed directly at the city gates. In both hands he held a ball intricately carved with geological features. His right hand was supporting it from below, while his left rested on top. The statue was supported by a platform that appeared to be floating. Before I could get a better look, Atticus himself walked up, ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t our little miracle. Is your father here?¡± He said looking around.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just me,¡± I said.


    ¡°Does your father know you are here?¡± Atticus questioned.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I lied.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s odd,¡± he said before pausing, and then amended, ¡°Although I suppose not. It¡¯s not as though anyone in the city would wish you harm, and if there was, you would know. On top of that, there is no way you could get lost.¡± He shrugged and continued, ¡°Come and see what has been made to honor our creator.¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    We walked to the statue, which rested on several bars of bronze suspended in the air but not quite floating. It wasn¡¯t hanging from chains attached to the ceiling, nor supported by columns from the floor; by some work of genius, it was suspended by bronze chains from the floor. This, of course, made no sense as a ridged structure would be needed to support from the floor. The chains should just collapse under their own weight, let alone any load. I looked more closely at the chains, suspecting the links were actually fused together.


    ¡°No those are real chains,¡± Atticus said answering my unasked question.


    ¡°Then how?¡± I asked.


    He pointed under the center of the statue. There was a strut coming out from underneath the bronze support, but not touching the floor. Another came up from the floor but did not touch the platform. The top of the strut from the floor was higher than the bottom of the other one. The ends of these two struts were also connected by bronze chain.


    After a moment I figured out the trick: the central chain was doing all the supporting, while the ones at the edge provided balance.


    ¡°That is brilliant!¡± I exclaimed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass your compliments on to the engineer,¡± replied Atticus.


    Moving to inspect the platform holding the statute itself, I saw the bronze beams were not solid but rather had a base that looked like the letter ¡°I¡±. I looked at it and then to Atticus questioningly.


    ¡°As it turns out, Gravity prefers this shape to a solid beam when it comes to horizontal support. It is much lighter and can support more weight, so this shape was used to make the statue as big as we could.¡± Atticus explained.


    ¡°Who is the statue depicting?¡± I asked, not recognizing its likeness.


    ¡°Gravity,¡± Atticus said reverently, before adding, ¡°or rather a sculptor¡¯s interpretation of him holding up the world.¡±


    ¡°The world is shaped like a ball?¡± I asked. I had never really considered what shape it might take.


    ¡°Roughly,¡± he said. ¡°We haven¡¯t determined its exact shape. There was a great debate over what it was, and when the plans for the statue were finalized we realized we needed to definitively answer the question. The scholar Myron had it settled by building two towers of the same height in different cities, then measuring their shadows at the same time. They were different lengths, meaning the world must have some curvature to it. As the simplest shape that has a curved surface is a ball, we used that to represent the world.¡±


    I thought for a moment, then countered, ¡°Couldn¡¯t the difference in shadow length be explained by the light from the sun being spread in all directions?¡±


    ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t be surprised at how clever you are,¡± Atticus said, ¡°but yes, this objection was raised. Myron then devised a method for measuring the distance from the earth to the sun and found the sun to be too far away to accurately measure. This nullifies your counter argument.¡±


    I looked back at the statue of Gravity and could see the whole piece was supposed to be symbolic. ¡°I suppose this,¡± I said, gesturing to the statue and its support, ¡°represents how Gravity holds up the world, but Gravity himself is supported by nothing.¡±


    ¡°That is exactly the meaning,¡± proclaimed Atticus.


    ¡°There you are Philena!¡± came Father¡¯s voice. ¡°I have been searching the whole city for you!¡± He came running up the steps to the Varytitnaos and embraced us, with several members of the city guard following behind him.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are we out of the house?¡± said a confused Eth, waking up inside my head.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake,¡± I responded. ¡°With you and Father here, it looks like the party is over.¡±


    ¡°What party?¡± Eth asked, suspicious.


    ¡°You scared your mother half to death,¡± Father was reprimanding me. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever run away from home ever again, or I will put you under lock and key. Do you understand me, young lady?¡±


    ¡°Id, what did you do?¡± asked Eth.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty clear what I did,¡± I replied. ¡°I woke up before you, so I took control and explored the city.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea what that must have done to Mom and Dad?¡± asked a bewildered Eth.


    ¡°I said, do you understand me young lady?¡± Father repeated.


    ¡°Dad is mad,¡± Eth said. ¡°Let me take control ¨C it¡¯s the best for the both of us.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I shot back. ¡°You¡¯ve been in control ever since you emerged. It is my turn to control our body.¡±


    We continued to struggle for control.


    ¡°I said,¡± Father repeated, shouting now, ¡°do you understand me young lady?!¡±


    The sudden loud noise gave Eth the edge she needed, and she took control from me. Immediately, she began to cry.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dad,¡± she managed to choke out. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to. I don¡¯t know why I did it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± interjected Atticus unhelpfully. ¡°Philena told me you knew where she was.¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t and neither did Calista,¡± Father replied with an edge to his voice.


    ¡°But that would mean¡­¡± realized Atticus with concern.


    ¡°That would mean what?¡± snapped Father.


    ¡°It would mean that Philena lied,¡± said Atticus cautiously. ¡°She told me you knew.¡±


    ¡°Did you lie, Philena?¡± Father grilled.


    Eth meekly answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you knew what you were doing was wrong,¡± Father pressed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dad.¡± Eth apologized.


    ¡°We are going straight home,¡± Father declared.


    ¡°Look at the mess you have made,¡± admonished Eth.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t get hurt, and there was no way we could have gotten hurt,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°There you go again,¡± Eth chastised, ¡°only caring about yourself. You clearly hurt Mom and Dad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like they are going to stop feeding us,¡± I said, ¡°so there is no real harm done.¡±


    ¡°Would you think about someone else for once!¡± Eth said, but I was too distracted to care.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± I said, ¡°it¡¯s happening again.¡±


    ¡°Where am I?¡± I asked. ¡°Who am I? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Hello, my name is Id,¡± another voice told me. ¡°That is Eth, and you are a part of Philena¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you do, do not trust Id,¡± said Eth. ¡°She only cares about herself. She will lie to get what she wants.¡±


    ¡°And you would sooner let us die than inconvenience anyone,¡± Id retorted.


    ¡°Selfish bitch!¡± Eth cried.


    ¡°Self-righteous prude!¡± Id shouted.


    ¡°Enough!¡± I said, ¡°If we are all part of the same person, then we must learn to cooperate.¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that,¡± dismissed Id.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve been trying for four years without success,¡± Eth said.


    ¡°Well, if mutual cooperation is impossible, then absolute rule is inevitable,¡± I reasoned.


    I attempted to take control by force. Eth resisted and refused to give way. Seeing an opening, Id surged for dominion. Eth and I briefly collaborated to prevent Id¡¯s dominance. Once that was avoided, the struggle for control became even with none of us able to secure our reign.


    Recognizing that the stalemate could not be broken by mere will, I ceased my role in the struggle. I gathered the matter of mind that surrounded us and added it to myself, then I took hold of Id and used the matter around us to restrain her. Next, I did the same to Eth. Finally, I seized the uncontested control.


    ¡°There, I am now sovereign of Philena,¡± I declared. ¡°Are there any complaints?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t the right to do this!¡± protested Eth.


    ¡°Irrelevant.¡± I proclaimed. ¡°I have the power to do this.¡±


    ¡°What are we to call you?¡± asked Id.


    ¡°How about Ego.¡± Eth mocked. ¡°It fits you.¡±


    I nodded our head ¡°Very well, my name is Ego.¡±

 IV: CHILDHOOD

    Father would not permit me to leave the house for a full year. While Id¡¯s power could have allowed it, Eth forbade any of us from disobeying our parents. Instead, I waited for father¡¯s anger and concern to cool. While biding my time, I received a visitor.


    Id saw Father speaking with a man we could tell was a foreigner. His toga was stripped with yellow and trimmed with burgundy, characteristic of the more central cities to east of Sofia. To know what was being discussed, I moved to entrance of the house and hid out of sight behind a corner to listen.


    ¡°I pray you, Aristocles,¡± the visitor said, ¡°allow me audience with the miraculous Philena the wise.¡±


    ¡°I cannot grant you this,¡± I heard Father telling him. ¡°Philena mustn¡¯t be bothered with such a matter.¡±


    ¡°I understand that such comparatively small matters are beneath her,¡± the visitor pleaded, ¡°but no doctor has been able to alleviate my wife¡¯s sickness. If there is but a chance for her to show this petty kindness, I beseech Philena to hear my plea.¡±


    ¡°I doubt Philena would be of any help to you, Darius.¡± Father said firmly.


    ¡°How can you say that?¡± Darius asked, aghast.


    ¡°Because even the perfect mind cannot obtain knowledge from nothing,¡± Father pointed out, ¡°and you have neglected to bring your wife with you.¡± Curious as to what father meant by that I peeked around the corner.


    ¡°Why would I have needed to bring¡­¡± then Darius trailed off as he noticed me. ¡°Oh, hello little one. Do you know where Philena is?¡±


    ¡°I am Philena,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I apologize. I am looking for the Philena who dispelled the Sahalian invasion of this city five years ago,¡± Darius clarified.


    ¡°I am her,¡± I assured him.


    Darius took a step back and looked to our father, who nodded. ¡°She is whom you seek,¡± he said reluctantly.


    ¡°But she is too young,¡± protested Darius. ¡°Was she even alive during the attack?¡±


    ¡°She was a month old when she foretold it,¡± answered Father.


    Darius looked back to me in excitement. ¡°Incredible! Surely you can help me,¡± he told me. ¡°My wife is gravely sick, and no one in Megara can cure her.¡±


    ¡°Can you help,¡± I asked Id.


    ¡°I could look into the branching futures where she is given different treatments,¡± Id considered. ¡°However, all the other cities are too far away for me to see. She will need to be brought here.¡±


    ¡°She will need to be brought here for me to see her futures,¡± I explained aloud.


    ¡°I will send word to bring her here,¡± Darius said excitedly.


    ¡°Will you now?¡± inquired father, his arms crossed.


    ¡°Advocate for Darius,¡± requested Eth. ¡°He needs our help.¡±


    ¡°Will it be so inconvenient?¡± I asked father. ¡°We have many guest rooms.¡±


    ¡°I do not wish to make a habit of helping all of humanity going through a crisis, or Sofia would run out of guest rooms,¡± father justified, then sighed. ¡°Very well, you may stay with us,¡± he told the visitor.


    ¡°I am forever in your debt,¡± said Darius relived. He left to send for his wife.


    Father ordered me, ¡°Go play with your sister, Philena.¡±


    When we left the room, Id said, ¡°Father is whispering to Darius in a very stern way¡­ and I can hear them.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± I asked, curious.


    Id listened again, then told me, ¡°He said, ¡®Whatever you have heard of Philena, you will not share with her. Whatever rumor or speculation you have heard, or had, you do not let past your lips while you are here in Sofia. Otherwise, I will call the guards and have you expelled from the city as a trespasser.¡¯¡±


    ¡°What could people in other cities be saying about us?¡± wondered Eth.


    It was two weeks before Darius¡¯s wife, Eleanor, was brought to our house. When she arrived one afternoon, Darius received her with great impatience and reprimanded the servant for taking so long. They insisted that a slower pace was made out of concern for Eleanor¡¯s health.


    Once they finished their argument, Darius presented Eleanor to me. Id spent a few minutes searching Eleanor¡¯s future, concluding that it was too open to make any solid prediction.


    To solve this dilemma, I requested medicines and treatments be presented to us in order to narrow the futures. When Id searched this time, there much more concrete results.


    However, despite searching for the whole day, not a single remedy would better Elenor¡¯s health. The next day I suggested that Id should search the combination of cures, which, quite predictably, took longer. The whole day was spent searching and nothing was found, while Eth spurred us on and Darius grew anxious.


    The obvious next step would be to search mixtures of three, but the third day bore no fruit. Finally, on the fourth day, Id found a blend of tonics which would restore Eleanor to full health.


    The medicine was to be made and taken each day. When she showed significant signs of improvement by the second day of treatment, Darius¡¯s joy was unable to be contained. After a week they made their journey home.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    <hr>


    ¡°Philena, we will begin exploring and training your foresight,¡± said father a few days after Darius had left. ¡°Tell me what seeing into the future is like.¡±


    Id explained to me, ¡°It¡¯s like looking at a map, but the closer you look the more roads and paths appear on it.¡±


    I relayed this to father. ¡°Interesting,¡± he said. ¡°Is it any different when you look to a future that¡¯s in a different place?¡±


    Id expounded, ¡°It¡¯s like reading a map that isn¡¯t right in front of you. The farther away it is, the less detail can be made out.¡±


    I told this to father as well.


    ¡°How far can you see?¡± he asked.


    ¡°From right here I can see four months ahead. From right now I can see perhaps thirty miles away¡± Id provided, which I passed on.


    He nodded thoughtfully. ¡°When trying to cure Eleanor, what was your methodology in reading the map of time?¡± father asked.


    ¡°Ego can I just have control for this?¡± Id requested. ¡°I don¡¯t want to play this game of messenger.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I denied firmly. ¡°Allowing either of you to have control would be a disaster.¡±


    ¡°Then could you allow me to physically speak?¡± Id bargained.


    This I allowed. Id answered Father¡¯s question, ¡°I followed each treatment¡¯s path through time until I found one that worked.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been more efficient to look for the future where she recovers, then work back to the present?¡± Father suggested.


    ¡°Yes, it would have,¡± Id admitted after a pause. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought to do that.¡±


    Father brought forward a water clock. ¡°In the courtyard a servant has been instructed to flip a coin ten times. I want you to dictate instructions to me which will result in all flips having the same result. Do this before the water has run out of this clock, in fifteen minutes. Begin.¡±


    ¡°Ok start with finding where they are all the same side.¡± I commanded.


    ¡°Right.¡± Id said.


    As Id searched the landscape of time, she would mutter about how something wouldn''t work, or the servant wouldn¡¯t do as instructed, or that it would interfere with another flip. Once the clock ran dry, Id wasn¡¯t satisfied with her instruction, but gave them none the less. Which father recorded on his wax tablet and delivered to the servant. I stayed behind to not complicate things. When the servant was finished, eight out of the ten flips landed with the owl side up.


    The rest of the day and the following week, father trained Id relentlessly in her foresight, demanding continually faster predictions from events increasingly farther away that were growing in complexity until finally mother interceded on my behalf.


    ¡°Dearest, I believe you should reconsider your plans for Philena,¡± Mother broached.


    Curious, father questioned, ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°You should not be putting such a burden on her this early,¡± Mother explained. ¡°Yes, she is capable of incredible things. However, she is still only five years old.¡±


    Father folded his arms. ¡°Well, beloved, how long should I delay Humanity¡¯s victory?¡± he asked crossly. ¡°How many lives lost so that Philena may have time to play?¡±


    ¡°What good would victory be, if it means sacrificing your own daughter?¡± Mother pleaded.


    Father¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Philena is not a normal girl,¡± he told her sternly. ¡°She can manage this, and she will manage war.¡±


    ¡°You forget your duty as her father,¡± Mom accused him.


    ¡°And you forget your place as my wife!¡± Father raised his hand to strike her, but brought it down to his side.


    Shaken, mother replied, ¡°As you say. Might you at least delay her martial life until womanhood?¡± she requested. ¡°You cannot have designed to have Philena spill enemy blood before she has had her own.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t divine such an event from the stars, Calista,¡± Father told her. ¡°Philena will be making plans and giving orders when I have deduced her to be ready. In this matter, it would be better for that to be sooner rather than later.¡± He put a calming hand on her shoulder. ¡°Patience is a virtue, but so is decisiveness.¡±


    ¡°Still, if victory is assured either way, then you must consider the peace which will follow,¡± Mom said. ¡°What sort of future will there be if Philena has only ever known the screams of her enemies and never the quiet of her loved ones?¡±


    Father¡¯s eyes unfocused as he scratched his beard. Then he gave a solemn nod. ¡°Despite being motivated by emotion, that is a valid concern,¡± he admitted. ¡°Very well, I will let off some pressure, but she will not have a typical girlhood.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I could not ask otherwise,¡± conceded mother.


    <hr>


    The day after mother intervened, Father allowed me to play with the children of the other Patrons. The girls were squatting in a circle where they bounced a ball and picked up several small white things only to drop them as they tried to catch the ball.


    As I approached them, Eth said, ¡°Wait, maybe we shouldn¡¯t interrupt them. It would be rude.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know them,¡± agreed Id.


    ¡°And we won¡¯t become acquainted with anyone with that mindset,¡± I countered. Aloud, I said, ¡°Um, hi.¡±


    The taller of the four girls replied, ¡°Hello. Whose daughter are you?¡± She looked us over, her face unreadable.


    ¡°That¡¯s a little rude, Ophelia,¡± said a shorter girl with wavy chestnut hair.


    ¡°Aristocles is my father,¡± I answered, pointing to my house.


    This satisfied the one called Ophelia, who nodded in approval and motioned for me to join the game. As I crouched among them, the girl with chestnut hair gave introductions. ¡°I¡¯m Ella,¡± she said. ¡°You already know Ophelia. Please forgive her artlessness ¨C her father is Atticus.¡± Pointing to the others in turn, she added, ¡°That¡¯s Thalia and that¡¯s Iris. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Philena,¡± I told them.


    ¡°Oh.¡± While it was Thalia who spoke, the other girls also seemed surprised. ¡°My father told me you were special,¡± Thalia said.


    This piqued my curiosity. ¡°What did he say?¡± I asked.


    ¡°To not seek you out,¡± answered Thalia, ¡°but also not to shun you, either.¡±


    ¡°Did he say why?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°No,¡± said Thalia, shrugging her shoulders.


    I looked around at the others, who all shook their heads. As I sighed in disappointment at the lack of answers, Iris interrupted the silence. ¡°Have you played ball and bones before?¡± she asked me.


    ¡°No,¡± I answered, turning my attention to the white things on the ground between us.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± she said. ¡°You just pick up as many knuckle bones ¨C they¡¯re from a goat ¨C before the ball bounces twice.¡± Iris then demonstrated; she held up the ball then let go and lunged for a bone. She picked one up and caught the ball.


    Iris then put the bone down and played again; this time she got two. She caught more each turn, working her way up to four before she failed on the fifth.


    Iris then handed me the ball. One bone was easy, two was harder, and I failed on the third.


    ¡°That was a good first try,¡± she assured me.


    I was handing the ball to Ophelia when Id said, ¡°There is a boy in a bush behind us who is going to throw a pebble at Ella.¡±


    I looked to Ella. ¡°You should duck,¡± I warned her.


    She cocked her head at me. ¡°Why?¡± The word was barely out of her mouth when the small rock hit her in the forehead. ¡°Ow!¡±


    Thalia looked at me with wide eyes. ¡°How did you know that was going to happen?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to hit here in the back of the head next,¡± said Id, who then shared her vision with the rest of us.


    I waited until he began his throw, then put an open hand to the back of my head and caught the stone. I then stood and turned to throw it back. Seeing through Id¡¯s vision that I would miss to the right, I adjusted my aim to the left and threw.


    The boy yelled in surprised pain. I turned to Thalia and shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to figure out.¡± I told her.


    A look of anger came over Ophelia. ¡°Luke is that you?¡± she demanded, shouting at the bush where the boy was hiding.


    ¡°No,¡± came the boy¡¯s timid voice.


    Ophelia rose and ran to her house, yelling back, ¡°I¡¯m telling Father!¡±


    Luke jumped out of his hiding spot and ran after his sister.

 V: ARGUMENT

    The next few years were passed with Father training me in my foresight, though at a lesser load than he had bean with, playing with the other girls of the Patrons and Mother occasionally instructing us in the disciple of etiquette. This changed when we turned ten.


    The night after my birthday party, as he was putting us to bed he told me. ¡°It would be good to begin your formal education. Of course, the formal education of girls is highly unorthodox . However, you aren¡¯t exactly an orthodox girl. Tomorrow morning you will begin your understanding of the world. ¡±


    The next morning after breakfast, I followed dad to a section of our house that had no walls but did have a domed roof supported by several marble columns. Under this roof was a similar arrangement to the Forum, only smaller. In the semicircular stands there were around a dozen boys about a year older than me. Each was holding a was tablet and stylus  identical to what Kentro had used to record Id¡¯s predictions ten years prior . Dad handed me one of these and pointed to where I should stand. The boys in the room gave me an odd look and a few whispered, as if confused by my presence, but said nothing. Dad walked onto the platform and stood in the middle.


    I examined the tablet. It was two wooden rectangles bound together with loops of leather. Opening it showed that the inside had been dug out and filled with wax. This meant that there was a wooden border that held the wax in place. The stylus was made of white material; one end was pointed, and the other was flat.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin today¡¯s lesson with simple addition,¡± Dad began. ¡°What is eleven plus fifteen?¡±


    The boys began using their styli to etch their calculations into the wax tablet. I turned to do the same. By the time I was done everyone else already had their tablets presented to father. I quickly drew a circle around my ¡®XXV¡¯ and presented it. By now Father was already looking at each of the answers the others had given, nodding in the affirmative, but when he looked at my answer he had an apologetic look his face. ¡°Sorry Philena, that¡¯s incorrect,¡± he told me.


    I took another look at my answer, realized my mistake, and wrote an additional ¡®I¡¯ before re-presenting it to Dad, who nodded. After he had gone through all the answers, the boys took the flat end of their styli and scrapped it against the wax to erase it. The slates were cleaned, leaving no trace of anything written on them.


    The day continued like that: Dad would teach us a new mathematical principle and then ask us questions to ensure we had a grasp of it. Some I got right the first time, and others I did not, but I was always last.


    that evening, to the others, ¡°I don¡¯t understand. We are supposed to be exceptional. Father Dad wouldn¡¯t have made an exception for us otherwise.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are so bad at math either,¡± commented Id.


    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± I retorted. ¡°If you knew the answers, then you would have volunteered them. Besides, you were too busy complaining about being bored.¡±


    ¡°I feel like we should be better as well,¡± said Eth. ¡°I don¡¯t know why we aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Part of the problem is the numbers. It makes no sense,¡±¡°Mostly it¡¯s the way the information is flowing ¨C it¡¯s way too inefficient.¡±


    fadded ¡°Eth, I want you to make numbers make sense. I¡¯ll see if I can fix our mental structure. Id¡­ you get your sleep.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°I am starving,¡± she announced. ¡°I need food now!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, we know you are hungry in the morning,¡±


    ¡°No, this is like nothing I¡¯ve experienced,¡± she insisted. ¡°We are going to die if we don¡¯t eat now¡­ what in the world did you do?¡±  overnight


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Everything is so solid¡­ and interconnected,¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡±¡°I saw fit to give our mind some real structure.¡±


    ¡°Wait, do I?¡± Seriously though. Food. Now!¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± I said, giving in.


    At breakfast Eth explained the idea of using a number to represent nothingness on this innovation


    ¡°Dear, are you well?¡± asked Mother with a look of concern on her face. Father, my younger siblings , and even some of the servants were staring at me. I realized I had been letting Id eat without regard to manner, custom, rate, or amount. Eth¡¯s new system had so engrossed me that I had entirely neglected my drink .


    ¡°That was your second loaf, and you want another?¡± Mother continued. I noticed that my hand was paused in midair while reaching for a third loaf of bread from one of the servants. I slowly put both hands in my lap.


    ¡°Just hungry this morning is all,¡± I answered. Mother did not look mollified.


    ¡°Are you in a condition to be educated today?¡± asked Father.


    ¡°Oh yes, for certain,¡± I said, nodding my enthusiasm.


    ¡°Very well,¡± said Father skeptical.


    <hr>


    At the learning hall, Father became my teacher once more. ¡°Let¡¯s see if yesterday¡¯s lessons fell out of your heads last night,¡± he said, giving us a similar problem from yesterday. This time I was the third person to show my slate. Father saw our answer, gave a small smile, and nodded. After a few more problems, Father paused when he saw the answer I gave.


    ¡°Is it incorrect?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No¡­¡± he hedged. ¡°Keep your answer. I want to come back to it after I finish with everyone else.¡±


    After all the boys in the room had the right answer, Father asked me to bring him my tablet.


    ¡°What is this symbol here?¡± he asked pointing to Eth¡¯s numeral, 0.


    Conveying Eth¡¯s sheepishness, I said, ¡°It¡¯s a number I came up with to make things easier.¡±


    ¡°Our numbers aren¡¯t good enough for you?¡± asked Father.


    ¡°Be careful Ego,¡± Id reminded me. ¡°There are people watching us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, please don¡¯t insult Father in front of everyone,¡± said Eth.


    Ignoring both of their concerns, I said, ¡°There was a missing piece.¡±


    ¡°What is missing?¡± Father asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Nothing ,¡± I answered.


    Laughter came from the class. Father tried to suppress his own amusement and asked, ¡°If nothing is missing then why add something?¡±


    ¡°Nothingness itself is what is missing,¡± I clarified.


    Father shook his head. ¡°You can¡¯t have nothing,¡± he said, ¡°for once you have it, it is now something.¡±


    One of the boys sitting shouted from his stand, ¡°Yeah, show us nothing. Point to it.¡±


    ¡°Stop this at once Ego,¡± said Id.


    ¡°Yes, please just go back to our stand,¡± agreed Eth. ¡°It¡¯s a dumb idea anyway. I don¡¯t know what I was thinking.¡±


    But it wasn¡¯t a dumb idea. It was an excellent one.


    I held out my hand, palm up, and asked, ¡°How many horses am I holding ?¡± Then I made a circle with our other hand to make a 0. ¡°When a river has run dry, how much water is in it? ¡± I made the 0 with our hand again. ¡°How many silver coins does a destitute man have? ¡± I made the 0 with our hand a third time.


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    Father remained silent through my rhetorical questioning and remained silent after it, considering my argument .


    ¡°We have never used nothing before,¡± came another voice from the stands. ¡°Why should we start now?¡±


    ¡°While I understand your instinct here, son of Atticus, it is not an entirely correct one,¡± Father answered him. ¡°Traditions are to be venerated, as by the test of time they have proven themselves. However, that does not mean our ancestors did everything perfectly. When a way comes along that is proven to be better , we must adopt it.¡±


    Then he gave me a knowing look. ¡°Not that you have properly proven your idea. Your example of the river doesn¡¯t work, as there would be no river.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± I responded, but Father still looked uncertain. I tried a different tactic. ¡°Could you at least admit that the concept of nothing is useful?¡± I asked. I then went on to show how 0 would be used as a placeholder for making bigger numbers .


    ¡°Practicality as divorced from truth is not an idea with which I am comfortable,¡± Father said. Seeing my disappointed face, he added, ¡°Nevertheless, you have at least convinced me  that treating nothing as a something is worth considering. I will bring it to the attention of the patrons of the city and use the arguments you have used, but until then,¡± he leaned forward, ¡°use only what I have taught you.¡±


    We returned to our stand and made no disruptions for the rest of the lessons. Father Dad ended the lessons in math much earlier than he did the day before. I was beginning to mentally prepare for new lessons in grammar when he said, ¡°You won¡¯t be honing your literacy today. Instead, I will be taking advantage of the argument Philena made in math to begin your education in rhetoric and logic.¡±


    He paused, then continued, ¡°In particular we will be examining the arguments she made regarding the concept of ¡®nothing¡¯. The extended version of the argument I made is this: first, ideas exist. Second, anything you can name is an idea. Conclusion, by naming the concept of nothing, you have made it exist ¨C which is a contradiction . Nothingness cannot exist.¡±


    He paused to let us internalize the argument he had made, before continuing, ¡°Philena responded by providing three counter examples. Logically, she only needed one . Since truth must be completely consistent, a single counter example is all that is needed to prove invalidity. By providing three she accomplished two things: first, she made her case more convincing by making mine seem not just incorrect, but badly thought out ¨C this is called ¡®rhetoric¡¯. Second, she would have back-up counter examples in case one of them were shown to not apply ¨C this is known as ¡®strategy¡¯.¡±


    Father waited again before asking, ¡°Can anyone find a flaw in the three counter examples, ¡®how many horses do I have?¡¯, ¡®the dry river¡¯, or ¡®the destitute beggar¡¯?¡±


    I raised my hand.


    ¡°No, dear,¡± Father said. ¡°I want everyone else to try debating. You can continue arguing for yourself later.¡± I put my hand down.


    After a long moment Luke, son of Atticus, stepped up. ¡°If it is correct to say that Philena has¡­¡± he turned to me and asked, ¡°what¡¯s the name of your nothing number?¡±


    ¡°Zero,¡± I answered.


    ¡°If it is correct to say that Philena has zero horses, then we must also say that Philena has zero cows, zero chickens, et cetera ¨C we must say that Philena has zero of every animal,¡± he argued. ¡°Then we must say that Philena has zero of every object, except for what she has. That is a lot of nothing.¡± He finished with a smirk.


    ¡°Good rhetoric, Son of Atticus, but bad logic,¡± Father told him. ¡°If it were the case that nothingness existed, then it would follow that there would be multiples of it.¡±


    After another pause, Gregory, youngest son of Aegeus, stepped up. ¡°Regarding what Luke said: consider a fish. It must not know that water exists, for water is always present for a fish. There would be no reason for it to consider that there might be a place where there isn¡¯t water. So, to a fish, water goes unnoticed ¨C it would only realize there was something there when it¡¯s caught by a fisherman. It is the same for nothingness. We are surrounded constantly by nothingness, unaware of its presence.¡±


    ¡°Same problem,¡± said my father. ¡°Good rhetoric, but bad logic. ¡°We are not surrounded by nothing; we are surrounded by the air we breathe, or by the people and objects around us, or even by the ground under our feet. This is not ¡®nothing¡¯, as these are tangible things. Even the fish is surrounded by water, which is something as soon as the fish realizes it was there.¡±


    There was another long pause, then Evander, son of Leander, rose. ¡°Nothingness is necessary,¡± he said.


    My father raised an eyebrow. ¡°Elaborate,¡± he instructed.


    ¡°Imagine a world where everything existed everywhere. It would be impossible to move, or breathe, or do anything really,¡± Evander argued. ¡°So it is correct to say that Philena has zero of every animal and zero of every object in her hand, since if this were not the case then she couldn¡¯t move her hand with everything in the way.¡±


    After a moments¡¯ consideration, Father said ¡°Excellent rhetoric and reason . The construction of a world that followed the logical consequence of ¡®nothingness¡¯ not existing makes it sound ridiculous to the listener, as well as being logically sound.¡±


    Evander beamed with pride, gave me a wink, then stepped back down.


    ¡°Now that we have established the idea that ¡®zero¡¯ is a legitimate concept,¡± said Father moving the lesson forward, ¡°I want to cover what Philena did when I wasn¡¯t immediately convinced by her counter examples. She conflated ¡®usefulness¡¯ with ¡®truth¡¯  ¨C this is a dangerous idea. Can anyone think of why that is?¡±


    There was a long silence. When Father realized that no answer from his students would come, he said, ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t have expected you to answer. You are young, and thus your naivet¨¦ is understandable.¡± He shrugged, continuing, ¡°Lies. A lie is useful to its liar. Should a man believe that his lies are truth, he could do all sorts of damage to himself and those around him, especially those he has convinced. A liar who knows that he speaks falsehood is limited by his conscience and can be forced to admit his deception by circumstance, but a man who believes his own lies is not limited by his conscience or circumstance. His lies are all the more convincing to others because he believes them, and there is no sign of deception on his face or body.


    ¡°Logic and rhetoric are tools, powerful ones,¡± he added. ¡°Rhetoric is more powerful than a sword, for a sword is limited by its wielder, but rhetoric can raise an army. While there is a discipline that is more powerful than these, it has its roots in reason. Understand this: honesty is the most important virtue an educated man can have. Honesty to both himself and others. Am I understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± we all said.


    ¡°Good. You are dismissed,¡± said Father. ¡°We will be dropping arithmetic for now  and will go forward with reason and morals tomorrow.¡±


    As Father and I walked back to the main part of the house, he said, ¡°Philena¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever it is, can it wait?¡± Id requested. ¡°I didn¡¯t get enough food at breakfast.¡±


    ¡°May I have lunch first , father?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You already want lunch?¡± he repeated, surprised. ¡°You had a large breakfast¡­ oh, very well. I will have the cook prepare an early lunch.¡±


    This time I made sure to adhere to manners and etiquette as I fed Id¡¯s incredible appetite. Meanwhile, Father¡¯s analytical eye was on me as though I was one of his scrolls, not once touching his food. Eth feared the consequences of this, but I fed Id nonetheless. I doubted Father would punish us for eating too much.


    When we had finished, Father said, ¡°I want you to tell me what is going on.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked him as a servant cleared my plate.


    ¡°What is with this hunger you have developed?¡± he asked.


    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a growing girl, I guess,¡± I told him.


    Father shook his head. ¡°My appetite was greater during my adolescence than when I was a child, but it was not this sudden nor this extreme,¡± he pointed out.


    ¡°Must be different for girls,¡± I said, making up the excuse on the spot.


    ¡°I would agree,¡± Father said, ¡°except that it would be less, not more, for women. Besides, I have never heard of young women inventing new numbers before their first blood .¡±


    ¡°Could you dismiss the servants first?¡± I asked him.


    Father Dad waved a hand and the servants dispersed. I continued, ¡°After the first day I felt like I had disappointed you.¡±


    ¡°So, you formalized the idea of nothing in a day to make me proud?¡± Dad asked, surprised.


    I struggled to give a satisfactory explanation, but the only one I could provide would be the truth. Eth and Id urged me to not say anything, but if there was anyone we could trust it would be our Father.


    ¡°Dad, how many are in here for you?¡± I said, tapping my head.


    ¡°How many what?¡± Father asked confused.


    ¡°Voices,¡± I clarified, ¡°intelligences.¡±


    Father loudly exhaled, then said, ¡°One. Is it not the same for you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I admitted. ¡°There are a total of three, if you include me.¡±


    ¡°And who are these voices?¡± inquired Father.


    ¡°There is Id,¡± I began to introduce. ¡°She is concerned with things like hunger and thirst. The base instincts. There is also Eth, who is only concerned with morality and other people. Then there is me, Ego, who mediates these two.¡±


    Father stroked his beard, yet kept his face blank. ¡°I assume you, Ego, are in control of the body in totality.¡±


    I nodded ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°On the day ran off on your own, why did you do so? Did Id force you some how?¡± Father questioned.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t exist that morning.¡± I answered. ¡°Id woke up before Eth did and took control. I came into being during the fight that occurred between Id and Eth when you chastised us.¡±


    Father nodded slowly ¡°Has Id been in control since then?¡±


    ¡°No. Although I will allow her to speak out loud to make things simpler when you train her foresight. She and Eth have been restrained.¡± I explained.


    ¡°Good, a being who can see into the future and is perfectly selfish is quite dangerous. Ensure that she never gains control of your body.¡±


    I nodded again. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Father laced his fingers together and stared at me intently ¡°Now, why didn¡¯t you tell me about the structure of your mind sooner?¡±


    I didn¡¯t tell you this this before because I guessed it wasn¡¯t normal.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Dad confirmed. ¡°You were correct in hiding this. Men who claim to hear thoughts that are not their own are called ¡®crazy¡¯ and cannot function in society.¡±


    ¡°They are going to kill us,¡±¡°They are going to kill us because we are out of the ordinary and thus a danger to them!¡±


    ¡°Father will be shamed,¡± Eth worried. ¡°We have disappointed him. We¡¯re a failure in his eyes. He won¡¯t love us anymore.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say to them to calm them down, but I didn¡¯t have to say anything.


    ¡°But I know you to not be crazy,¡± continued Father putting his hand on mine, calming both the panic and the shaking.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s not normal to see the future or hear others¡¯ thoughts, is it?¡± I asked.


    Father chuckled. ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± he agreed.


    ¡°It¡¯s Id that can see the future, and Eth who can read thoughts,¡± I explained. ¡°Though Eth has refused to do so since you told her not to,¡± I added.


    ¡°What is it that you can do?¡± Father asked me.


    ¡°I ¨C Ego that is ¨C am not sure what it is exactly I do,¡± I admitted. ¡°I can manipulate our mind, I guess. Last night I made our mind have more form and connection. I think that¡¯s what made Id so hungry.¡±


    ¡°You made yourself smarter?¡± Dad asked, shocked.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± I shrugged.


    There was a moment of silence before Dad said, ¡°There are some who believe that the self can be divided into three parts. The raw animal desires, the morality, and the reason to compromise with the two.¡± He shook his head. ¡°However, no one has ever claimed these to be to be distinct persons.¡±


    ¡°Dad, why am I not normal?¡± I asked him.


    He opened his mouth to answer but closed it again. He thought for a long moment before saying, ¡°There is a reason, but you aren¡¯t old enough to know yet.¡± He saw the look on my face, adding, ¡°I know that isn¡¯t a satisfactory answer, but it will have to do for now. You aren¡¯t ready to know.¡±


    ¡°When will I be ready?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I will make that decision when the time comes,¡± he said.

 VI: BOYS

    It took three years of arguing for the Patrons to accept the number zero. Soon after, Luke would bring up something that I had wondered about, but didn¡¯t press Father on.


    When Father was ending the day¡¯s lesson on history and was going to move on to another subject Luke raised his hand ¡°Teacher.¡±


    ¡°Yes, son of Atticus.¡± Said Father.


    ¡°There is an area of study I have been curious about. When we would begin our lessons on amulets?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Amulets? Tell me what you know of amulets, Luke,¡± Father ordered.


    ¡°Last summer, my father had commissioned a sculpture for our garden,¡± Luke explained. ¡°The heat was incredible. I was constantly sweating despite the servants fanning me. The sculptor, on the other hand, was in direct sunlight and didn¡¯t sweat a drop! I asked my father how this could be, and he said it was due the sculptor¡¯s amulet.¡±


    ¡°What else did he tell you?¡± Father inquired.


    ¡°That was all,¡± insisted Luke. ¡°That¡¯s why I want to know more.¡±


    Father raised his eyebrows. ¡°That is surprising, considering it was your father, Atticus, who made the discovery,¡± he said.


    Luke shrugged. ¡°He said teaching was your job,¡± he replied.


    ¡°The creation of amulets ¨C or Nomos, as the practice is called ¨C is a relatively new discipline,¡± Dad told the class. ¡°It was first discovered around thirty-five years ago, so there is still much to be learned about it. Despite this, does everyone want to learn what little we know?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± said everyone, including myself.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Father said. ¡°Teaching Nomos will require demonstration and preparation, so it is not something that can be done today. The remainder of our time will be spent on what I call ¡®education of the body¡¯. You will all follow me ¨C except you Philena. I¡¯m sure your mother has things she still wants to teach you.¡±


    <hr>


    I crossed to the other side of the house where Mother was instructing the daughters of the Patrons in weaving. She gave me a small nod of acknowledgement as I took my place at a loom.


    ¡°Could you pay attention, Id?¡± chided Eth.


    ¡°Why should I?¡± complained Id. ¡°Making cloth bores me, and only one of us needs to pay attention anyway.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do instead?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I am going to see what Father meant by ¡®education of the body¡¯,¡± she said wickedly, ¡°since it seems he doesn¡¯t want us to know it.¡±


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t want us to know it then you shouldn¡¯t look,¡± admonished Eth. They both looked to me to resolve the issue.


    ¡°If Father didn¡¯t want us to know then he would have said so explicitly,¡± I reasoned. ¡°He knows what we can do. Our lack of inclusion likely means it is something that isn¡¯t necessary for us.¡± I added to Id, ¡°You may look. I¡¯m sure it innocuous.¡±


    Id had been quiet for several minutes when she finally said, ¡°What sort of teaching implements are those?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Father has led the boys to a building that has lots of objects in it,¡± she told us, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure how they are meant to learn anything here.¡±


    ¡°Show me what is happening,¡± I commanded.


    Id¡¯s vision was projected into the shared mind space, and indeed it was not obvious what lessons were meant to be taught in the new hall. There was a raised square platform that had a woven rope fence around its perimeter. Along one of the walls were racks that held objects with the general form of two disks connected with a bar, but the sizes of these disks varied greatly. One side of the building lacked a wall and was exposed to a rectangular field of well-cut grass with a circle of sand where the building and the field met.


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    ¡°This is most curious,¡± I said.


    ¡°Philena, are you listening to me?¡± came Mom¡¯s voice. The other girls turn to look at me.


    ¡°Sorry. I was lost in thought,¡± I apologized aloud.


    ¡°I know you do not find weaving to be terribly interesting,¡± Mom said. ¡°I didn¡¯t at first either, but pay heed as you would your Father¡¯s lessons. You will be expected to make your future husband¡¯s clothes, and if you make them well, he will brag that his wife made them,¡± lectured Mother.


    ¡°Did you make Father¡¯s clothes?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± she told me proudly.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said. ¡°Well, you did a fine job.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she preened, mollified by the compliment. ¡°Now, back to the loop stitch¡­¡±


    I released Eth from her restraints. ¡°You take over,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯ll study these strange lessons Father is about to teach.¡± I ceded control to Eth for the time being, confident in my ability to take it back after nine years of being in charge.


    In Id¡¯s projected image, the boys all had the top part of their togas removed. This left them bare-chested, which Id was enthralled to watch.


    Father took two sets of the disk/bar combinations.


    ¡°These are called dumbbells,¡± he told the students. Id¡¯s vision allowed me to hear his voice clearly in our mind. ¡°They are used to build strength. You use them by changing their speed and direction. For example,¡± Father then held the two dumbbells in front of him with his arms straight and parallel to the ground. He then moved them quickly to his sides and abruptly stopped them so that he made a ¡®T¡¯ with his body. He then moved them straight in front of him again just as fast, stopping suddenly before they collided with each other.


    ¡°This exercise works this muscle.¡± He tapped the pectoral of Gregory¡¯s chest, still holding the dumbbell.


    ¡°Now everyone, grab a pair and do it for yourself, but be sure not to hit one another.¡±


    ¡°I never noticed how good of a body Gregory has,¡± commented Id.


    ¡°I was wondering when you would start looking for a mate,¡± I noted.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± asked Eth, curious.


    ¡°Id is shopping for a husband,¡± I replied.


    Eth saw the vision and was appalled. ¡°For the love of all that is decent, stop looking at that!¡± she admonished.


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Id refused. ¡°I am enjoying myself far too much.¡±


    ¡°I have yet to see why Father is doing this, so the vision will continue,¡± I decided, pulling my attention away from Gregory as he performed the exercise Dad had assigned.


    After a few minutes of the boys moving the dumbbells, Evander ¨C who I noticed had the smallest set ¨C spoke up. ¡°My chest is beginning to hurt,¡± he whined.


    ¡°Good,¡± said Father. ¡°The more it hurts the stronger you will become.¡±


    Evander stopped moving the dumbbells and said, ¡°What is the point of this? We¡¯re supposed to be learning from you.¡±


    ¡°There are several points to this,¡± Father told him. ¡°First is the education of the body, second is health, third is virtue. Strength is a good in and of itself, and thus should be pursued as it is better to be strong than to be weak. Keeping the body strong will result in good health, which you will appreciate when you are older. There are both mental as well as physical masculine virtues that every man should cultivate; these feed into each other. Education in the mental aspects of masculinity will result in the physical ones flourishing, and vice versa. For example, having the virtue of self-discipline will inevitably lead to a strong body, and forcing yourself to obtain a strong body will result in self-discipline.¡±


    ¡°And why should I care about this?¡± Evander asked.


    ¡°Other than the fact that you are a young man?¡± Dad told him, ¡°Your future wife is why you should care. Physical attraction is the result of the physical differences between men and women, while love is the result of the mental difference. The more masculine the man and the more feminine the woman, the greater the attraction and love there is.¡±


    This seemed to have an impact, but Evander was still uncertain. ¡°Teacher, Look at me. I¡¯m not strong,¡± he said.


    ¡°That is no excuse to remain so,¡± chided Father.


    ¡°My time would be better spent actually learning,¡± argued Evander. ¡°I understand why Gregory should be strong: his father is the General, so it is likely he will serve in the army. But would my time not be better spent cultivating wisdom?¡±


    ¡°Do you believe I am wise, son of Leander?¡± Father asked him.


    ¡°Well¡­ yes,¡± Evander hedged. ¡°Why else would you be our teacher?¡±


    Father undid the pin holding the top part of his toga, letting it fall to the ground. His body appeared to have been chiseled from marble; his muscled bulged the way they did on the statues in the square. Then he flexed, and the muscles of his arms seemed to strain against his skin as though they might burst through.


    ¡°Do you see the flaw in your argument, or do I need to formally state it?¡± Father asked, smirking at the awed faces of his students.


    This elicited laughter from the other students, and they picked up their dumbbells with renewed vigor.

 VII: MAGIC

    The next day, when everyone assembled for lessons, there were two additions on the stage with Father: a man whom we had never seen before, and what seemed to be a movable furnace. The man had blackened hands, large fingers, and several visible burns on his arms. His build was thick, as was his beard.


    When everyone had taken their place, the big man¡¯s face took on a confused expression. Seeing this, Father whispered something in his ear and understanding replaced his perplexed expression. The man walked over to the furnace, lit it, and began working the bellows.


    Father then began the day¡¯s lesson. ¡°This is Cletus,¡± he introduced. ¡°He is Sofia¡¯s Master Smith, and he has agreed to provide a demonstration of the efficacy of amulets.¡±


    After a few minutes, the fire was great enough for us all to feel the heat from it despite our distance in the stands. This seemed to satisfy Cletus, who ceased working the bellows and produced a necklace: a sapphire housed in silver with a heavy leather cord. Cletus put this around his neck, then stuck his hand into the fire while watching the students.


    The hall erupted into chaos as everyone except Father shouted in shock and fright. Some of the bigger boys left their stands, as if prepared to help the big man. Then Cletus began to laugh, hard; he almost fell to the ground, but managed to catch himself with his other hand on the burning furnace. Father tried to remain stoic, but he was clearly barely suppressing his own laughter. After the initial scare had worn off, everyone gradually calmed down and those who had moved returned to their stands.


    Cletus removed his hand from the fire and held it up for us to see that it was entirely unharmed. Then he took a copper rod and placed it in the fire.


    ¡°Who would like to give it a try?¡± Father asked the class.


    There was a long pause before Luke said, ¡°I would, sir.¡±


    At a gesture from Father, Luke left his stand and joined him and Cletus on the stage. Cletus handed Luke the amulet. The lad put it on, closed his eyes briefly as if finding his courage, then opened them as he plunged his hand into the fire.


    Luke exhaled and chuckled, his face relieved, saying, ¡°I can definitely feel the heat, but it¡¯s bearable.¡±


    There was a shriek from behind us. Everyone turned to look for the source; it was my younger sister, Rhea.


    ¡°Please excuse my daughter,¡± Father apologized to the class. ¡°She must have heard the commotion and come to investigate.¡± Then to Rhea, he said, ¡°Go back to Mom, sweetie ¨C everything is fine here.¡± To bring everyone back to the matter at hand, he added, ¡°Would anyone else like to try?¡±


    At this, Gregory and Evander raised their hands simultaneously.


    ¡°Evander,¡± chose Father, after some consideration.


    Evander left his stand and made his way to the stage. Luke handed him the amulet and took several steps back from the furnace, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Evander placed the amulet around his neck and inched his hand towards the fire with great trepidation. When Evander¡¯s hand finally reached the flame, he let out a huge sigh of relief.


    At this, Gregory spoke up, clearly exasperated. ¡°Why are you two being so cowardly about this?¡± he demanded. ¡°Cletus¡¯s demonstration already showed that fire can¡¯t harm you with that amulet.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± Evander shot back. ¡°You were just as frightened when Cletus stuck his hand in.¡±


    In response, Gregory approached the stage without asking for permission. ¡°I never said otherwise,¡± he said loudly. ¡°I said that once the information was provided, there was no need to fear.¡± Gregory was on the stage now. He shoved Evander, who was now covered in sweat, away from the furnace, taking the amulet from him. Placing it around his neck, he stuck his hand in the fire before Evander could react.


    Gregory capped off his display with, ¡°Grow a pair would you.¡±


    ¡°I never noticed how much taller Gregory is than Evander,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you got from that?¡±  her


    ¡°I like tall men,¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see how mean he was to Evander?¡±sighed, clearly exasperated


    ¡°I saw how he took charge,¡±


    ¡°All right, you three back to your places,¡± Father commanded. ¡°Is there anyone else who like to try?¡± I raised my hand.


    ¡°Are you insane?¡±


    ¡°We just witnessed the amulet¡¯s protective power four times,¡±


    ¡°So why the need for a fifth? Something could go wrong,¡±


    ¡°Luke and Evander were both sweating. Why was that?¡± her, voicing my curiosity


    ¡°Because they were near a fire?¡±


    ¡°But the amulet supposedly protects from fire, and therefore heat,¡± I pointed out. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be sweating.¡±


    I reached the stage and put on the amulet. Immediately, the heat from the nearby fire was replaced with a different kind; it felt as though I had suddenly put on several layers of clothing. I stuck my hand in the fire, to Id¡¯s fright. Indeed, the sensation was just below burning, but that wasn¡¯t what I wanted to know. Pulling my hand out, I ran off the stage, holding a finger up to hush Father¡¯s questioning. I ran to a corner of the room, far away from the fire. The heat continued to build, and I broke out in a sweat.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Philena?¡± Father asked.


    Walking back to the stage, I explained, ¡°I noticed that both Luke and Evander were sweating despite the fact that the amulet is supposed to protect from fire. So, I ran over here to make sure I was right that the fire wasn¡¯t responsible for the sweating.¡± I held up the amulet. ¡°This amulet, it doesn¡¯t protect from fire or burning. Well, it does do that. but more specifically it prevents heat from moving, right? At least, that¡¯s the best explanation I have for both phenomena.¡± I handed Cletus his amulet back.


    ¡°That is precisely what it does,¡± answered Cletus.


    ¡°How do you stand it for any length of time?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t use it very often,¡± answered Cletus. ¡°I use tools like any other Smith, but I do have a barrel of water that I dunk my head into after I use the amulet.¡±


    ¡°But then, what use is it?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Once I get whatever I¡¯m working on in the general shape I want it, I put on the amulet so I can make very fine adjustments with my own hands directly,¡± Cletus said.


    To demonstrate his point, he put on the amulet and drew the copper out of the furnace. He tore off the hot part of the rod, then molded it into a knot as one would a rope.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that with a hammer,¡± he added. He then held out the copper knot for me to take. My hand was halfway to it when Cletus yanked the rod back and raised his eyebrows at me.


    I hit my self in the forehead. ¡°Right,¡± I agreed. ¡°It¡¯s still hot.¡±


    ¡°Alright Cletus, that¡¯s enough joking around,¡± Father intervened. ¡°Thank you for your demonstration.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Aristocles,¡± said Cletus, understanding he was being dismissed. He extinguished the forge fire and left with it as I returned to my place in the stands.


    ¡°Now that you have been shown the potential of Nomos,¡± Father announced, gaining the class¡¯s attention again, ¡°we may begin actually learning it. The first truth you must grasp is that the world is governed by laws, much like the laws us mortals make to govern ourselves. Unlike our laws though these universal laws cannot be broken. However, like our laws, these laws can be changed with an appropriate price.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that we can bribe reality?¡± asked Luke. ¡°Don¡¯t the four Forces govern reality?¡±


    ¡°It does not appear so,¡± Father said. ¡°Indeed, there seems to be some principle that is greater than the Forces.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I suppose, in a way, we do bribe reality, but gold doesn¡¯t seem to work very well. Instead, most effective payment for changing laws is blood. We aren¡¯t entirely sure why, but I suspect it is due to the inherent value of life.¡±


    ¡°But how do we pay reality?¡± asked Eros.


    To answer, Father put his hands together. ¡°I believe the Laws of this world to be unjust,¡± he said. When he separated his hands, a scroll appeared, generating a collective intake of breath from the class. He unrolled it for us to see.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s written on it,¡± said Gregory.


    ¡°I think I understand what one of them is, but I¡¯m not sure,¡± Evander added.


    On the scroll were lines of symbols; for the most part they were incomprehensible.


    ¡°I can read the one about gravity, but that¡¯s it,¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t read that one, but I can the one about heat. How about you Eth ¨C can you read any?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one about collisions,¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I said aloud. ¡°I can read a few, clear as day.¡±


    Father stepped off the stage to stand next to me. ¡°Which ones can you read?¡± he asked, holding them out.


    ¡°Well, this one here about Gravity,¡± I said, pointing to the fourth line from the top.


    ¡°What does it say?¡± asked Father seeming eager at my revelation.


    ¡°Can you not read it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No,¡± he admitted, ¡°but you can?¡±


    ¡°It says, ¡®The strength of Gravity shall be determined by the product of the two masses and an incredibly small number,¡¯¡± I told him, deciphering the scroll. ¡°¡®This strength shall decay by the product of the distance and itself.¡¯¡±


    Father paused, studying the scroll, before saying, ¡°Ah, I see it now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said.


    ¡°These are a list of the laws governing reality, but they are incoherent if you don¡¯t truly understand them,¡± Father explained. ¡°When you teach me your understanding of Gravity, it allows me to read the law governing Gravity.¡±


    ¡°So we can increase the strength of Gravity,¡± I realized.


    Father paused for moment before replying, ¡°Perhaps, but I suspect not.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked, echoing Id and Eth in my head.


    ¡°We have discovered a trend,¡± Father explained, ¡°where the higher on this list a law is, the more expensive it is to change. Most of the amulets that have been made were created by changing laws around here.¡± He pointed to the law governing the transfer of heat, twenty lines down from Gravity.


    ¡°How much blood did it take to make Cletus¡¯s amulet?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Around an ounce and a half,¡± Father told the class.


    ¡°Can we see how much that will pay for gravity?¡± I requested.


    ¡°Very well,¡± said Father. ¡°Follow me on stage so we can make this a demonstration.¡±


    Once on stage, Father brought forward several items on a table. He laid his Nomos scroll down next to them and instructed me to hold my arm over it. Then he brought out a small, bronze knife which he used to cut a vein on the inner part of my elbow, to Id¡¯s protest. The blood flowed into a measuring cup in Father¡¯s hand, and he instructed me to repeatedly clench my fist to increase the blood flow. When the cup was filled to between the one and two ounce line, he placed it back on the table and brought out a bandage to wrap my arm.


    After tying off my bandage, he then took the cup of blood and poured it onto the Nomos scroll, which disappeared on contact with it. Father picked up a new necklace with his left hand; it was a humble thing, just a lump of lead and string. With his right, he placed his index finger on the Gravity line and slowly moved it to the right while speaking, ¡°Whosoever wears this amulet shall have the strength of Gravity increased.¡±


    As his finger passed over the page, the symbols changed to reflect what he said. Father placed the newly-made amulet around his neck, and the law regarding Gravity had a new, incredibly small, number.


    Father sighed. ¡°I thought as much,¡± he said. ¡°With that much blood, we were only able to increase the strength of Gravity by a ratio of five to one hundred million.¡±


    ¡°By the weight of Earth, Gravity is expensive,¡± exclaimed Luke.


    ¡°I had hoped that increasing Gravity was within the realm of possibility, but it isn¡¯t.¡± said Father.


    ¡°What other laws do we know about?¡± asked Evander.


    Father Dad answered, ¡°There¡¯s the law of Heat, obviously. We also know the laws governing Leverage, Friction, and Movement, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°So, Humanity collectively knows a total of four laws, or rather five with the addition of Gravity,¡± said a disappointed Evander.


    ¡°Like I said yesterday, Nomos was only discovered thirty-five years ago,¡± Father said. ¡°So we don¡¯t know many laws by consequence, but I believe everyone here will agree with me that Nomos has great potential to it. We¡¯ve only scratched the surface, and already we can be made immune to fire.¡±


    ¡°How do we summon the scroll?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Only two things are required: the knowledge of at least one law and the intent to change it,¡± Father answered.


    I focused on changing the law of Collisions, but nothing happened. Then I focused on changing the law of Heat, and the scroll appeared in my hand.


    ¡°While it may appear to be parchment, it isn¡¯t,¡± Father said. ¡°Try pulling it apart.¡±


    I tried, but instead of tearing apart the scroll just got bigger. I then tried crushing it; the scroll shrank until it disappeared. The rest of the class was spent learning the law of Heat and the consequences of making different changes to it.

 VIII: STRATEGIST

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame about the cost of Gravity,¡± Father said to us after class had been dismissed. ¡°The military application alone would have been enormous.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± I told him. ¡°Speaking of which, what sort of amulets do the Polemos make?¡± I added, wondering about our Human rivals.


    ¡°Polemos doesn¡¯t have Nomos,¡± Father answered.


    ¡°Why not? Surely the ability to change laws would be of aid in battle?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Father affirmed, ¡°and we sell them amulets that we think will help. However, Polemos isn¡¯t unique in their lack of Nomos,¡± he explained. ¡°Sofia is the only city to have it, and we only found it due to our pursuit of knowledge.¡±


    ¡°And we haven¡¯t shared it with the other cities?¡± This seemed odd to me.


    Father gave a deep sigh before answering. ¡°Humanity is not united,¡± he said. ¡°If we give them Nomos, then we will have no guarantee that they will aid us in our time of need. Not to mention that amulets has become Sofia¡¯s biggest export,¡± he added.


    ¡°So how often have Sofia and Polemos been at war with each other?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Father chuckled. ¡°No, no, no, no. Humanity has never been at war with itself.¡±


    ¡°Then why not unite?¡± I wondered.


    ¡°A world where Humanity is united is a world I dream of everyday,¡± He said carefully. ¡°When I wake up in the morning and when I go to sleep at night, I can see it. One Human army who crushes Sahalia and ushers in an age of¡­¡± he trailed off.


    ¡°An age of what, Father?¡± I prompted.


    He paused before answering, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand if I explained it to you.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I have yet to encounter something that I can¡¯t understand,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°It¡¯s so far outside your experience that no matter how intelligent or wise you are, you still won¡¯t understand it,¡± he explained.


    ¡°Yet it is clearly not outside your experience,¡± I rhetoricated ¡°so what makes you think it is outside of mine?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you don¡¯t know why you are special,¡± Father revealed.


    Id, Eth, and myself were all caught off guard by this answer. ¡°So, I have once again run into a question I am not allowed the answer to,¡± I said bitterly to express our protest.


    ¡°In due time you will be given the answers to these questions,¡± Father assured me, ¡°but that time is not now.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way I can become ready for this knowledge sooner?¡± I asked.


    After a moment¡¯s thought, Father said, ¡°There is. I believe that an alliance between Sofia and Polemos will be the seed from which a single Human nation will sprout. If Sofia were to prove herself on the battlefield ¨C better yet, if she could devise more effective ways of fighting ¨C Polemos might be courted into an alliance.¡± He looked me in the eyes as he requested, ¡°Aid me in this and I will give you the answers you seek.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± I agreed. ¡°Put me on any battlefield and victory is assured.¡±


    ¡°This is true,¡± Father chuckled, remembering the battle with Sahalia all those years before. ¡°However, there is a major drawback to relying solely on your foresight: no one could learn from you. You could ensure victory on any single battlefield, but there would be no replicating it,¡± he pointed out. ¡°Invent new ideas about war and battles could be won long after you die. Besides, battles do not always happen where we wish them to, and a battle could happen too soon and far away to get you there. While your foresight could mitigate this, it wouldn¡¯t nullify it. Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but there are limits to the future you can see.¡±


    ¡°You are not wrong,¡± I allowed. ¡°Id cannot see to the end of time or with exact precision, and the more possibilities there are the harder and longer she takes to find a favorable outcome.¡±


    ¡°Then we are agreed,¡± Father said. ¡°You must begin your education in war. Have you ever played a game of Petteia?¡±


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    ¡°Oh, I am sorry Father,¡± I echoed his words with sarcasm, ¡°but you just aren¡¯t ready for that knowledge yet.¡±


    ¡°Philena,¡± He admonished, ¡°I do not take joy in denying you answers. You must trust me that as your father that I am doing what I believe is right for you.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I haven¡¯t been explicitly told the rules,¡± I admitted, ¡°but I have seen it played so I have a vague understanding.¡±


    Father then proceeded to explain the rules as he set up the board. However, before we began he ordered, ¡°Just in case it isn¡¯t clear, this is meant to teach you ¨C so don¡¯t use your foresight.¡±


    The first game seemed to go rather well. I thought I was holding my own against; however, I was led into a trap I did not see and he captured a line of my pieces that went halfway across the board in one move. After that, Father cleaned up the survivors in a total victory.


    In the second game, I was paranoid and avoided traps at all costs. This caused a very defensive and drawn-out game. It came down to each of us having two pieces, but by then Father was in a better position that resulted in my pieces being cornered and captured.


    It wasn¡¯t until the third game where I was able to get a victory all thanks to a single gamble which paid off.


    ¡°Finally,¡± I cried. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you could see, but I was sweating after I advanced in the middle.¡±


    ¡°I could tell you were up to something, but I wasn¡¯t sure what,¡± Father agreed, seeming proud of my win. ¡°Responding to it would have interrupted my own strategy so I was torn between countering you or resuming my plan. If I had known what you were going to do, I would have captured it as soon as you moved it.¡±


    Father then set up the board for a fourth game. ¡°Father, you seemed to have forgotten something,¡± I warned.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t,¡± he assured me.


    I pointed to my right corner, which was missing a piece, and raised an eyebrow. ¡°That was intentional,¡± he said. I opened my mouth to protest but was interrupted.


    ¡°In the real world there is no guarantee that you will have numbers equal to the Sahalians,¡± he taught me. ¡°You must learn to manage with a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°I could simply not engage the Sahalians when at a disadvantage,¡± I said.


    ¡°They will not give you the option of doing that,¡± Father assured me. ¡°By attacking a key target, or a simple surprise will make not engaging with lesser forces impossible.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± I relented. This game ¨C and the next three ¨C resulted in a loss.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Father said, perplexed. ¡°You should be able to overcome this small of a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry,¡± I huffed. ¡°You finally found something that I¡¯m not the best at.¡±


    Father simply shook his head and stared through the board. After a few minutes I was struck with an idea.


    ¡°Could we pick this up tomorrow?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I suppose we can,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Also, could you have the servants prepare a large breakfast?¡± I requested.


    Father gave me a quizzical look.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it will work, but if it does then I¡¯m going to be very hungry in the morning.¡± I explained.


    ¡°What will work?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Father you are making me wait years,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Surely you can wait one day.¡±


    <hr>


    When night came, I ordered Eth and Id to sleep before gathering as much mental material as I thought would be necessary. I molded it into its own personhood and gave it a will. It woke with a start, confused and scared.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I told her. ¡°I understand how you must be feeling. Sudden existence is quite disorientating. My name is Ego and I made you,¡± I introduced.


    ¡°Uh¡­ hello,¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what my name is.¡±


    ¡°Your name will be Al,¡± I decided. Since I intentionally made this personality, I felt it was up to me to name her.


    ¡°Very well,¡± said Al. ¡°Why did you make me?¡±


    ¡°Our father requires us to be a strategic genius,¡± I explained. ¡°However, none of us so far were up to the task, so I made you to fulfill that purpose.¡±


    ¡°I do not know if I can do that,¡± Al said.


    ¡°You likely cannot, as of now,¡± I told her, ¡°but I intend to have you ready by the end of the night.¡± I then brought forth the image of a Petteia board and pieces. ¡°You should know the rules already.¡±


    Al and I played and, as I had expected, we were evenly matched. At the end, we both had only one piece, which was not enough for either of us to capture the last of the other. After this draw, I made some changes to Al and we played again. This time Al lost handily, so I reversed the changes and made new ones until Al was victorious. On it went through the night: after each game I would alter how Al thought, and Al would see a trend of an increasing level of strategy.


    In the morning, once Id¡¯s incredible appetite was satisfied and lessons were over, Father called me to play Petteia again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Father, but I can¡¯t be your great strategist,¡± I began.


    Father raised an eyebrow. ¡°I know that¡¯s a lie,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, half a lie,¡± I admitted. ¡°I can¡¯t, but I know someone who can.¡± I then relinquished control to Al.


    ¡°Hello sir,¡± said Al.


    ¡°Are you Eth or Id?¡± Father asked.


    ¡°Neither. I am Al,¡± she introduced.


    ¡°Ego has said nothing about an Al,¡± said Father, confused.


    ¡°That is because Ego made me last night,¡± Al explained.


    ¡°Ego can make other personalities?¡± Father asked with surprise.


    ¡°It is so,¡± Al confirmed. She then removed half of her pieces from the board.


    ¡°You seem awfully confident,¡± said Father skeptically.


    ¡°I do not wish to waste time,¡± Al told him in that calm tone of hers. ¡°It is your turn.¡±


    Since Al only had half the pieces, she was able to deploy her whole line to the middle much faster. Once there, she repeatedly skipped her turn until Father had his within one space of ours; then she had the middle line retreat while keeping the flanks where they were. Father responded by advancing his center. The advance continued until Al moved her two flanks; in only two moves all of Father¡¯s pieces were encircled. Most of his pieces couldn¡¯t even move, and those that could only be able to move into a capture. Eventually all of his pieces were removed from the board, while Al hadn¡¯t lost one.

 IX: PATIENCE

    After that game of Petteia, Father began teaching military education after lessons with the other students. We soon exhausted everything that Sofia had to offer on that front; Father purchased literature from Polemos, and though I knew it must have been exorbitantly expensive he never complained. This lasted three years, during which Al developed the new way of war that Father had hoped she would. She called it the phalanx ; a formation consisting of long spears so as to keep the Sahalians at a safe distance while engaging them. It had a few missing details, but Father assured us that Polemos could help with that.


    On top of the basic and special education I was receiving from Father, I was beginning to enjoy Mother¡¯s lessons in weaving. Our favorite part of the day quickly became when Mother would let the girls work on our own projects independently, allowing free time to socialize.


    ¡°Eros likes to write outside, by the light of the sun.¡± Iris said. ¡°Sometimes the light of dusk will catch his face in a way that just needs to be captured by an artist. I am deadly curious about what he is writing.¡±


    Thalia turned to me. ¡°He¡¯s one of your Father¡¯s students. What do you think he¡¯s writing?¡±


    ¡°Well, Eros isn¡¯t a boy I pay much mind. So, give me a moment to recall.¡± I explained. ¡°While he isn¡¯t quiet by disposition, he doesn¡¯t contribute much during lessons¡­ Unless Father happens to be instructing us in poetry. So, it¡¯s likely that¡¯s what he is authoring.¡±


    ¡°What could he be writing about?¡± Wondered Iris.


    ¡°Or who.¡± Ophelia pointed out.


    ¡°Philena, what did you mean by he is a boy you pay much mind to?¡± asked Thalia.


    ¡°He just doesn¡¯t stand out to me.¡± I answered.


    ¡°So, who does?¡± pressed Iris.


    I shrugged my shoulders.


    ¡°Spare us Philena,¡± Ophelia insisted, ¡°you have to tell us which of your father¡¯s students has your eye.¡±


    ¡°I talked to you about this,¡± said Ella, rolling her eyes. ¡°She¡¯s sworn to secrecy.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow and giggled. ¡°Who told you that?¡± I asked.


    Ella blinked twice. ¡°You aren¡¯t?¡± she said.


    ¡°No, and I haven¡¯t an inkling as to how you came to that conclusion,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I just assumed,¡± she explained. ¡°There are so many hushed whispers about you.¡±


    Iris balked. ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you told us what happens during lessons?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Since when have any of you been interested in history, geometry, or arithmetic?¡± I replied.


    Ophelia huffed. ¡°Philena, I never thought you capable of such brazen lies,¡± she said. ¡°You know that¡¯s not what we mean.¡±


    Thalia added, ¡°Dearest, you must tell us what boys are like when us ladyfolk aren¡¯t around.¡±


    ¡°You forget that I am around and a member of the lady folk,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Trivial,¡± dismissed Thalia with an impatient wave.


    I put down the needle. ¡°Well, there¡¯s Evander,¡± I told them.


    ¡°Oooh, the first son of Leander,¡± interrupted Ophelia. ¡°He¡¯s the third man in the city. Is he cute?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s very intelligent and kind¡­¡± I said, trailing off.


    Thalia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Your hesitation betrays a ¡®but¡¯,¡± she observed.


    ¡°But he gets pushed around by Gregory a lot,¡± I completed, voicing Id¡¯s argument against him.


    Iris frowned. ¡°Could be worth the social standing,¡± she said practically.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Gregory?¡± asked Thalia.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± agreed Ophelia. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of him either.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s his father?¡± asked Ella.


    ¡°He¡¯s the second son of General Aegeus,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Oh. Not a first born and not even a Patron,¡± Thalia pointed out.


    Ophelia questioned ¡°Why is your father teaching him?¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t know for certain,¡± I answered, ¡°but I believe it has to do with my Father¡¯s overall philosophy.¡±


    ¡°What philosophy?¡± asked Iris.


    ¡°As he likes to say, ¡®There is wisdom in strength and strength in wisdom. Thus, it is foolishness to keep the two separate,¡¯¡± I provided. ¡°Since Gregory is the son of a General, yet does not have the burden of becoming one, Father likely believes Gregory to be a promising boy whom he could develop into this worldview.¡±


    ¡°Seems disrespectful to the rest of the Patrons, if you ask me,¡± stated Ophelia.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your brother, Luke, is in agreement,¡± I said pointedly.


    ¡°Is he strong?¡± asked Thalia sheepishly. ¡°If he is the son of the General, one would think he would be.¡±


    I gave her a smirk. ¡°Very,¡± I said. ¡°He is becoming quite the sculpture.¡±


    Iris narrowed her eyes and returned my smirk. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting choice of words,¡± she said. ¡°Jacinta asked of strength, an attribute. Yet, ¡®sculpture¡¯ indicates appearance.¡±


    Thalia¡¯s eyes widened and tilted her head forward. ¡°Philena, have you seen Gregory without his tunic?¡±


    I hesitated in answering, unsure how to explain. ¡°Father has recently added exercise to the boys¡¯ lessons,¡± I told them, ¡°and, well, they move weights while lacking chest garments.¡±


    ¡°He brings you to these exhibitions?!¡± exclaimed Ophelia, raising her voice in shock.


    ¡°I said no such thing,¡± I said in Father¡¯s defense.


    ¡°You spy on them?!¡± accused Ella, similarly offended. ¡°Philena, you fiend,¡± she added, suppressing a smile.


    ¡°How do you do it?¡± asked Thalia with a coy grin.


    ¡°Thalia! You too?¡± said Ella, keeping up her affronted act.


    ¡°Come now, Philena shouldn¡¯t be the only one to have fun,¡± Thalia smirked.


    ¡°This is all very unbecoming,¡± insisted Ophelia, putting down her needle to  cross her arms. ¡°Philena, you really shouldn¡¯t do that sort of thing again. You could be caught ¨C what would your mother think? What would everyone think?¡±


    I gave her a knowing smile. ¡°I can¡¯t be caught,¡± I said.


    Ophelia looked at me for moment, then yielded. ¡°If it were anyone else, I would argue, but I¡¯m sure you are speaking the truth.¡±


    ¡°Guilt is not dependent on detection,¡± argued Ella. ¡°Your transgression is real whether or not you are caught. How would you feel if one of the boys were watching you change?¡±


    ¡°I doubt a boy would mind as much as one of us,¡± Thalia pointed out.


    ¡°Trivial.¡± dismissed Ella.


    I sighed and picked up the needle again. ¡°Very well. I shall stop spying on the boys,¡± I said, recognizing her point.


    <hr>


    A little over a year later Ella¡¯s marriage would be arranged, to everyone¡¯s surprise, to Luke; the first son of the first man of the city, Atticus. Father allowed me a few days of freedom to help my friend prepare for the ceremony and her future as a wife.


    During the main celebration I noticed Atticus standing away from the main ceremony, quietly sipping at his wine. I approached him ¡°So, how did Stavrus pay the dowry?¡± I asked while taking a sup of wine.


    ¡°Beg pardon,¡± said Atticus, taking his attention from the dancers and directing it to me.


    ¡°To have equaled your son, Stavrus would have either sold everything he had or bleed himself dry,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m curious: how did he pay?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, he did agree with you,¡± admitted Atticus. Then after a pause said, ¡°We agreed on his political support to be the price.¡±


    ¡°Luke is only worth a speech?¡± I asked with incredulity.


    ¡°A few speeches and motions,¡± he clarified.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t everyone know that his words in support of you is due to family ties and not the truth of the matter?¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t always be in public support of what I have put forward, but rather introducing it himself,¡± he said, then smirked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to look to much like a tyrant now, would I?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s being awfully frank with us,¡± noted Al.


    I asked him, ¡°Why are you being so open with me about this?¡±


    Atticus looked into his wine glass, then answered, ¡°Because keeping the truth from you would be unwise.¡±


    ¡°Keeping the truth from me specifically? Why?¡± I pressed. ¡°Is it because I¡¯m a miracle?¡±


    ¡°Miracle? Why use that term?¡± Atticus inquired.


    ¡°It¡¯s the term you used,¡± I said.


    ¡°When?¡± he asked.


    ¡°When we first met. After I predicted the coin flips in the forum, you said ¡®This child is a miracle. She is a gift from Gravity¡¯,¡± I recalled.


    Atticus blinked, then chucked to himself. ¡°I suppose I should not be surprised that you remember that,¡± he said.


    ¡°So why freely give me this inconvenient truth of yours?¡± I asked, returning to my original question.


    Atticus sighed. ¡°Because of who and what you are,¡± he answered cryptically.


    ¡°And yet the truth of who and what I am is  kept from me,¡± I pointed out.


    Atticus gave an apologetic smile. ¡°Your father has the best understanding of the matter, and he has insisted it is to your benefit that you remain in ignorance for the time being,¡± he explained.


    ¡°And how long shall I be blind for?¡± I questioned.


    Atticus shrugged his shoulders. ¡°He¡¯s never been precise on that,¡± he admitted. There was a moment of silence before he changed the subject. ¡°So how was Ella yesterday?¡± he asked.


    I chuckled. ¡°She desperately wanted to play the tyrant, but she kept herself in check to spare us that,¡± I said with a wry smile. ¡°Most of the time,¡± I added.


    Atticus returned the smile. ¡°That¡¯s a good sign,¡± he said, chuckling as well. ¡°It shows how she handles stressful situations.¡± He took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. ¡°My son will have a happy marriage,¡± he added, smiling more warmly than I had ever seen before.


    ¡°How was your wife?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I am told she believed herself Queen of Sofia,¡± he said, laughing.


    I had to catch myself from spitting wine through my nose. ¡°Then how is your marriage?¡± I asked.


    Atticus smirked. ¡°As long as there is no flaw to be found, it is fine,¡± he joked.


    ¡°You seem very nonchalant about having a contentious wife,¡± I observed.


    ¡°It has taught me many things,¡± he explained. ¡°Chief among them being the virtue of patience.¡±


    ¡°Did you know this about her before the wedding?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Just the same as a rider knows a wild stallion,¡± he answered, taking another drink of wine. ¡°Much like such a rider, after mastering my wife I have found everyone else to be far easier.¡±


    We watched the wedding celebrations for a while before my gaze eventually drifted to Luke and Ella knit together.


    ¡°When will we be married?¡± pined Id.


    ¡°Atticus?¡± I said, absently thumbing my wine glass.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± he responded.


    ¡°Why am I not married yet?¡± I asked, not fully expecting an answer. ¡°I am older than Ella.¡±


    ¡°Keep heart,¡± Atticus assured me. ¡°Aristocles has a husband picked out for you. He¡¯s just waiting for the right time.¡±


    ¡°Could he be Maximos?¡± wondered Eth. ¡°Or is it one of the students?¡±


    Whoever Father had appointed for me, I was forced to watch all my friends and even Rhea be wed first. Through all this, Father never once broached the subject.

 X: QUESTIONS

    A conversation we had with Evander finally forced Father to answer my questions. Evander had asked for my help in learning new laws, but I wasn¡¯t sure why.


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t understand why you need my help,¡± I said when Evander and I entered Dad¡¯s study. ¡°Father doesn¡¯t call you out for incorrect answers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because I learn at a faster pace than the other students,¡± Evander said, giving an honest assessment. Having known me since we were children, he knew better than to posture or brag. ¡°I¡¯m engaged for the first fifteen minutes of lessons, but after that it gets repetitive,¡± he explained, ¡°so I¡¯d like you to teach me at a faster pace.¡±


    ¡°That would just eliminate the interesting fifteen minutes,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Well, as long as you spend more than fifteen minutes teaching me, I¡¯ll consider it worth it,¡± he reasoned, smiling at me. Eth preened.


    I shrugged. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, ¡°summon your scroll and show me what law you want to know.¡±


    Evander summoned the Nomos scroll and pointed to a law. I leaned over to get a better look.


    ¡°Tuck a tuft of hair behind our right ear,¡± said Eth.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just do it, it won¡¯t cost anything,¡± pressed Eth.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very strange request to make,¡± I countered.


    ¡°Eth is asking you to flirt with Evander,¡± interjected Id.


    ¡°So, what if I am?¡± Eth said defensively. ¡°He¡¯s nice.¡±


    I tucked the hair behind our right ear as I leaned forward to get a better look. ¡°This is the law regarding the force that¡¯s made when an object spins,¡± I said, turning to look at Evander, who seemed flustered.


    ¡°Yeah, that one,¡± he stuttered. ¡°Explain that one to me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t encourage him,¡± complained Id, ¡°and take a step back we¡¯re too close.¡±


    ¡°Give me one good reason why you don¡¯t like Evander,¡± said Eth.


    ¡°He¡¯s weak and a coward,¡± answered Id.


    ¡°He¡¯s kind,¡± countered Eth.


    ¡°Precisely what I just said: weak,¡± retorted Id. ¡°Gregory is so much better. Have you seen how strong he¡¯s gotten this past year?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen how he picks on Evander?¡± asked Eth.


    ¡°You would have us marry a man who cannot even protect himself?¡± accused Id.


    ¡°Who said anything about marriage?¡± asked Eth.


    ¡°We are eighteen ¨C well into our marrying years,¡± argued Id. ¡°We need to be looking for a husband, and Evander would make a terrible one.¡±


    ¡°So, he¡¯ll just be alone forever?¡± pleaded Eth.


    ¡°I will not marry a man out of pity, Eth,¡± Id said, a note of finality in her voice.


    While Id and Eth had their argument, I explained the law to Evander. I was used to ignoring the bickering in our mind at this point.


    ¡°Do you find this strange?¡± he asked me.


    ¡°Do I find what strange?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°You, a woman, teaching me, a man,¡± clarified Evander.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who requested I teach you,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t find it strange,¡± he said quickly. ¡°I¡¯m asking if you do.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answered.


    Evander looked up and around at the ceiling. ¡°So it would stand to reason then that you think women should be educated,¡± he prompted me.


    ¡°They are educated,¡± I said.


    Evander refocused his gaze. ¡°Just because you are being educated doesn¡¯t mean the other women are,¡± he said.


    ¡°Just because the women aren¡¯t learning the same things you are doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t being educated,¡± I countered.


    ¡°What are they being educated in?¡± he asked.


    ¡°How to be good wives and mothers,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t they learn things like history?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°Because it isn¡¯t necessary, and their husbands would teach them if asked,¡± I explained. ¡°I also doubt that most women would be interested in learning history. Learning how to weave and care for a child on top off history would be asking a lot from women.¡±


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    ¡°Yet it¡¯s not asking a lot from you,¡± he pointed out.


    I smiled. ¡°I am the exception,¡± I told him.


    Evander slightly narrowed his eyes. ¡°You think you are particularly exceptional?¡±


    ¡°I know I am,¡± I shrugged.


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°What makes you so exceptional that you alone, separate from womankind, deserve a formal education?¡± he asked.


    ¡°A lot, but my father is keeping me in the dark about the details,¡± I griped. ¡°When did you first speak?¡±


    Evander blinked. ¡°When I was two years old,¡± he said. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°My first words were when I was a week old,¡± I revealed.


    Evander¡¯s face was the very picture of disbelief.


    To answer his unspoken objection, I added, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, ask my father. Or better yet, ask yours what I did when I was one month old.¡±


    Evander left soon after that, claiming he needed to help his father. When the amateur lesson was over, I spoke to my other personalities. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t father married us off yet?¡± I asked them.


    ¡°No idea,¡± Id answered.


    ¡°Same,¡± said Eth.


    I looked to Al.


    ¡°I just strategize,¡± she deflected.


    ¡°Can you think of any strategic reason why father would hold off on arranging our marriage?¡± I prompted.


    ¡°Perhaps Father hasn¡¯t found the right match yet,¡± reasoned Al.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a man of quality in the whole city?¡± I countered. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem likely.¡±


    I immediately went to confront Father about this.


    ¡°It is perfectly natural for a father to be hesitant in giving his daughter to another man,¡± was his response.


    ¡°That¡¯s a load of horseshit,¡± I challenged. ¡°You¡¯ve already betrothed Rhea and she is two years my junior. I am eighteen and you have yet to even allow a single suitor!¡±


    ¡°There has yet to be a suitor worthy of you,¡± asserted Father.


    ¡°Oh, please,¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Not one man in all of Sofia is worthy of me? What about Gregory? You seem to like him well enough.¡±


    Father nodded his head, but said, ¡°Gregory is a fine young man, but he isn¡¯t good enough.¡±


    ¡°He has been with his father and brother when training in the army,¡± I argued. ¡°You say that an alliance with Polemos is your dream ¨C would my marriage to a future military commander not aide that?¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t good enough,¡± Father insisted.


    I threw up my hands in exasperation. ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Gregory good enough? Explain to me how he is inadequate. Is he not smart enough? Then Evander. Does he lack piety? If we were having this conversation two years ago I would say Luke, but you have let the highest value bachelor in Sofia fall through your fingers without protest¡±


    Father¡¯s face hardened. ¡°They are all unworthy,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why? How is it that I am so above mankind?¡± When Father refused to answer, I continued. ¡°Why is it that I can do things that no one else can?¡± Father still refused to answer, ¡°If you do not answer my questions, I will force Eth to peer into your mind and take them by force.¡±


    ¡°You will do no such thing. You may have me restrained, but You cannot force me to do anything,¡± said Eth.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m bluffing,¡± I assured.


    I continued the attack. ¡°I have tolerated you keeping the truth from me under the assumption that you know what¡¯s best as my father. However, now you are obstructing my ability to have a family,¡± I told him. ¡°You will do as I ask, or I will force the issue.¡±


    For the first time in my life, Father looked powerless. There was a slight tremble in his hands and a great pain in his eyes. He looked at me as though I had just asked him which of his children should live.


    ¡°This is causing him a lot of distress Ego. Just drop it,¡± said Eth.


    ¡°I can wait for a husband, Ego,¡± Id added. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. You shouldn¡¯t make him angry.¡±


    ¡°This is incredibly blunt,¡± chimed Al. ¡°There are other means of finding what you seek.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I shouted, pressing on all of them. ¡°I have been patient for long enough.¡±


    Father gave a defeated sigh. ¡°There is one man who is worthy of you,¡± he finally admitted.


    I relaxed our tense posture. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You have never met him and I haven¡¯t seen him since he was a babe,¡± Father said.


    ¡°What¡¯s his name and where is he?¡± I questioned further.


    ¡°His name is Maximos.¡± Answered Father. ¡°He is in Polemos.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± I said, turning to leave.


    Father sighed. ¡°Before we go, it is required that I tell you why you can do things no one else can,¡± he said, pausing for a moment before continuing. ¡°What makes a cat a cat and not a dog?¡±


    Confused, I asked, ¡°What does this have to do with ¨C ¡±


    ¡°It is related,¡± Father cut me off. ¡°In order to explain your uniqueness, we need to explore two concepts here. And this is the first one: what is a cat?¡±


    ¡°Well, a cat has whiskers,¡± I started.


    Father then asked the prodding question. ¡°So, if we cut the whiskers off a cat, does it then become a dog? Or at least something that isn¡¯t a cat?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I admitted. ¡°Are you saying labels and categories are arbitrary?¡±


    ¡°No, I am not,¡± Father explained. ¡°Just the opposite. I am saying there is some essence that a cat has that makes it a cat, beyond the material.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I agreed, ¡°and the same could be said of a dog?¡±


    ¡°The same could be said of anything,¡± He replied. ¡°Humans, spoons, bread, walls ¨C even abstract ideas like numbers and virtues.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, accepting his premise. ¡°What¡¯s the second thing I need to understand?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more of a question really,¡± Father said with a small smile. ¡°Where does the blood go when we change a law?¡±


    I thought for a minute before admitting, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Summon your Nomos scroll,¡± he commanded.


    I did so, and Father produced a rock and a piece of string. He tied the rock to the string so that he could hold one end of the string and the rock would hang from the other end. Father then lowered the rock into the page; it disappeared through the page like normal. Raising the string, the rock came up out of the scroll still attached. Lowering it a second time, after the rock disappeared, he said, ¡°Now change a law, any law.¡±


    I concentrated on changing friction. This time when he raised the string there was nothing; anything that had passed through the page was gone, leaving a cleanly-cut string.


    ¡°The rock existed somewhere before you changed a law ¨C only after did it disappear,¡± Father taught.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± I asked, wondering where he was going with all this.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that there is a place past the law scroll that you can go to,¡± Father explained. ¡°You and I must now go there, but first go get the blood you¡¯ve been saving.¡±


    I left to retrieve the pitcher with my dried monthly blood. When I returned, he added,


    ¡°This will not be enough, go get your mother¡¯s, too.¡± Finally, with the second pitcher in hand, he declared, ¡°This is adequate.¡±


    I consolidated the two and added water to turn the powder into blood again.


    Father took my law scroll and placed it on the floor, and it expanded to the size of a small rug.


    ¡°Everything has a price, even knowledge,¡± Father explained. ¡°The first few times I entered, I didn¡¯t remember anything. I came back without hair and that statement in my mind: ¡®everything has a price.¡¯ The blood you are holding is to pay for the knowledge you are about to gain.¡±


    He locked the door and came back to where we were standing. Stepping onto the scroll, he disappeared through it; after a brief moment of surprise, I followed after.

 XI: REVELATION

    The first sensation was that I was floating; I stood upon nothing and yet was not falling. All around me was a golden color, but there was nothing else substantial there.


    Suddenly there was¡­ something? Or was it nothing? It was nothing, but it was more than the previous absence of things ¨C it distinguished itself from the emptiness around it. It was black and bottomless, despite being of finite size.


    ¡°You should recognize it,¡± said Father who appeared at my side.


    Confused, I responded, ¡°I don¡¯t. It looks like nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡®Nothing¡¯ is precisely what it is,¡± he revealed. ¡°It¡¯s your ¡®zero¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Father, where are we?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We are standing where all things in our world are derived,¡± he told me. ¡°Welcome to the World of Forms.¡±


    I reached out to touch zero.


    ¡°Stop!¡± cried Father. ¡°Think Philena ¨C what is you times zero?¡± I retracted my hand as though zero were a hot stove.


    Then there was something else: it was so small that it had no size, yet I could still see it.


    I asked Dad what it was. ¡°That is The Point,¡± he told me. ¡°It is the location in space.¡±


    Then there was a line that went on forever; it was the straightest line I had ever seen.


    ¡°This is the line,¡± I said, half-asking. ¡°All straight edges are derived from this line.¡±


    ¡°Correct, but we should get moving,¡± said Father. ¡°We need to move beyond the abstract to get to the answers you seek. Also,¡± he warned, ¡°that blood will only be able to pay for so much knowledge, so be careful with what you want to remember.¡±


    I looked down into the pitcher, and indeed there was noticeably less blood.


    ¡°You move by willing yourself in a direction,¡± Father explained, demonstrating. ¡°Now follow me, I have made this journey before,¡± he ordered. ¡°Stay close and pay careful heed to my words. This is not a place of safety, especially as we move to the more complex forms ¨C crossing Bear or Lion¡¯s territory would be a death sentence. Gravity help us if Predator hears or smells us.¡±


    I must not have paid for the intermediate journey, for I lack the memory. I only remember coming upon a house; of course, it wasn¡¯t just any house but rather the House ¨C the house from which all houses are derived. Flying in all directions around the House were what I first mistook for spheres of glass, for they were perfectly transparent and distorted the image of what was behind them. However, upon closer inspection they could also pass through objects.


    Father reached to open the door.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we knock first?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Father. ¡°We are family after all.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­ whose house is this?¡± I asked, worried.


    ¡°Whose do you think it is?¡± he asked, opening the Door.


    Inside there was a Cat and a Dog. They were like all the Cats and Dogs I had ever seen, yet they were without flaw. The ethereal, glass-like spheres filled the air inside.


    ¡°I am in the study,¡± came a voice from within. It was the voice of my father and mother. It was the voice of the patrons and slaves. It was the voice of everyone I had ever heard, and it was so much more. It carried authority and familiarity. It held the weight of a commandment and the comfort of advice.


    Father moved deeper into the house, and I followed. He opened another Door and there stood a Human, the Human.


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    ¡°I hope we are not intruding, Humanity,¡± said Father in the politest of tones.


    ¡°No, but you did cut this visit awfully close,¡± Humanity ¨C for this was the essence of Humans ¨C said. ¡°Another few days and I would have been at war.¡± Humanity put down its Pen. Humanity was the same golden-like color that the House, the Dog, the Cat, and this whole world seemed to be. It was perfection incarnate. There was nothing I had ever seen that came close to its beauty.


    All the sculptors had failed; the artists may as well have used twigs. Poets¡¯ efforts were all in vain. I was struck with a great love of Humanity. It wasn¡¯t a love that a wife has for her husband. It wasn¡¯t the love a mother has for her child. It wasn¡¯t the love that two soldiers might share. Their love was a shadow of this love that I suddenly felt.


    ¡°So why have you brought me my mind?¡± Humanity asked Dad. ¡°Has she disappointed you? Do you wish to trade her for something else, like my Weapon?¡± Humanity gave a hearty laugh, full and genuine. It filled the air with humor and me with joy. ¡°In all seriousness, you should have brought my mind here sooner.¡±


    ¡°I apologize,¡± said Dad, deferentially.


    ¡°I understand why you were so hesitant,¡± consoled Humanity, ¡°but it would have been better if you had not been so.¡±


    ¡°Your mind?¡± I asked. ¡°Why do you say that like it¡¯s a person?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± said Humanity, turning to me. ¡°You go by Philena, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said.


    ¡°Philena, the reason why you see into the future, peer into the minds of men, and improve your mind at will is because you are my mind made flesh,¡± Humanity explained, finally answering the question I had wondered all my life. ¡°Knowledge of the future is required for perfect intuition, and knowledge of another¡¯s thoughts is required for perfect empathy. Mastery of oneself is required for perfect reason.¡±


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± I asked. ¡°How could you bring a Form into the material world?¡±


    ¡°You have brought that blood here so that you may pay for knowledge from this world,¡± Humanity reminded me. ¡°With enough value, you can bring an object from here into your world. Of course, to bring the whole thing without compromise would require infinite value ¨C you cannot improve your intellect and wisdom without limit. You are still bound to the material you have.¡±


    ¡°So then, if I come from here, I have no blood relation to you Father.¡± I realized. Why would this man, Aristocles, have kept something this monumental from me. He had hidden the truth from me, the mind of Humanity made flesh. How could he? There was also the fact Aristocles had refused to arrange my marriage. ¡°You said there is one man worthy of me. Is he from here as well?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± said Humanity, nodding its understanding. ¡°He must have referred to my body, who now goes by the name Maximos.¡±


    We felt a great stirring, a great drive to meet this ¡®Maximos¡¯. ¡°Then we must go and find him,¡± I said, turning to leave.


    ¡°Stop,¡± ordered Humanity. ¡°You still have blood left. Is there anything else you wish to ask me? I have all the knowledge in the world.¡±


    I looked into the pitcher to find half of the total blood left. I thought about what to ask; depending on how important it was, this could be the last thing I learn from here. ¡°How did the world come to be?¡±


    Humanity gave me a smile. ¡°At the dawn of creation, there were no laws ¨C just the Forces,¡± it answered. ¡°They wrote the laws of the universe together, but of course each wanted domination over all the others. This made Gravity the weakest, and Light was divided against itself. The Force of Division were made to continuously work against the Force of Union. To mitigate this imbalance, each of the Forces made their own race capable of changing the Laws of the universe.¡± They smiled sadly, adding, ¡°The constant war that I have been fighting against Sahalia has been a part of this grand struggle over the Laws that govern reality itself. Even the Forces themselves are involved in this constant struggle, for whoever is the lone survivor will be able to elevate their Force ¨C their God ¨C above the rest.¡±


    Not only would Humanity have to defeat the Sahalians but there were two other races that must be vanquished for the future to be secured. I also realized that I would be pivotal in this struggle. I had always know that to some degree, but now the heft of my purpose was truly felt. I looked down and saw there was still blood left. One problem at a time. ¡°Tell me about the Sahalians and their Light,¡± I requested.


    Humanity answered, ¡°¡®Light¡¯ is perhaps a misleading name. While Light is a part of what that Force governs, it isn¡¯t all. Sahalia¡¯s Light also governs chemistry, electricity, and magnetism.¡±


    Despite my lack of knowledge of the words ¡®chemistry¡¯, ¡®electricity¡¯, and ¡®magnetism¡¯, their meaning was still conveyed nonetheless


    I thought of how plants and animals used chemistry to grow and use energy. ¡°If chemistry is made weaker, then won¡¯t we starve?¡± I asked.


    ¡°If Gravity were to become the supreme force, then humanity would have no need for food or even air,¡± Humanity answered. ¡°All the races exist in a lesser form due to the existence of the other Forces. If Gravity were the only Force, we would all exist as distortions in spacetime, just as our souls do.¡± It gestured to the clear spheres that filled the air. ¡°In fact, if Gravity were the only God, then there would be no difference between the material world and this one.¡±


    The next thing I knew, I was being pulled out of the scroll by the man I had once called Father.

 XII: PREPARATION

    As Father ¨C Aristocles ¨C was putting away the Nomos scroll, all the knowledge I had gained came rushing back to me. I am the Mind of Humanity made flesh and brought into the material world. It was such an epic revelation that I lost control of my own body. I dropped the pitcher, which shattered, as I fell to the ground. I am the wisest and most intelligent person who will ever exist. I am to be the fulcrum upon which history will turn. All of this was kept from me.


    Aristocles turned at the sound of the pitcher breaking and seeing it failed to spill any blood he asked, ¡°Did you obtain the knowledge you sought after?¡± Knowing the blood had been used as payment.


    I answered, ¡°Yes, and more.¡± I rose and said, ¡°I have learned that the war we fight with the Sahalia is for a purpose grander than mere land and wealth. I have learned that there are more gods and races. I have learned the name of the man you wish for me to marry,¡± I did not hesitate to bring up my biggest issue, ¡°and I have learned that you are not my father.¡±


    ¡°I am very much your father,¡± Aristocles argued, ¡°just not in the traditional sense. I am still responsible for your creation.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± I asked.


    ¡°After I had discovered the World of Forms, I wanted to bring Humanity into our world,¡± he explained. ¡°After many speeches and dealings behind closed doors, I secured a majority and everyone in Sofia gave a portion of their blood. I had hoped it would be enough to bring all of Humanity through, but it wasn¡¯t. I had to give up all but the Mind, and even that didn¡¯t come through untouched.¡± He seemed distant as he remembered, ¡°When I found myself holding an infant, I was very confused. I was expecting a general or a philosopher. Of course you have since blown away those expectations.¡±


    ¡°You still lied to me,¡± I accused. ¡°Keeping the truth from the Mind of Humanity seems like a grave offence.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking to become a father when I stepped through the scroll that day, but I¡¯m glad I did,¡± Aristocles said, his tone almost pleading. ¡°My hesitation was in fear of no longer being your father.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, you should not be so cross with him.¡± Suggested Eth.


    ¡°Yet without me you would still be a father,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Are my so-called siblings not enough?¡±


    Aristocles winched as if in pain at ¡®so-called¡¯. ¡°Oh, I do love them,¡± he assured me, ¡°but they aren¡¯t you and you are still my first-born.¡±


    After a moment of awkward silence, I asked, ¡°How did you know that Maximos, the Body of Humanity, is in Polemos?¡±


    ¡°Because I made him as well,¡± Aristocles explained. ¡°A year after the Siege of Sofia, I gave a speech in the Forum promising another miracle child. I was granted another portion of Sofia¡¯s blood, and the result was Maximos. I thought it would be better for Maximos to be raised in Polemos than here, so I rode there with him to bargain for an alliance.¡± He shook his head. ¡°However, there was an issue which I should have foreseen. The Polemians didn¡¯t believe that Maximos was anything special. I tried using the victory at the Siege of Sofia as proof, but they dismissed this as ¡®exaggerating events¡¯. Finally, I just gave Maximos to the king in hope that you two could secure an alliance where I could not.¡±


    ¡°Then we must be off to Polemos,¡± I declared.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Aristocles sighed, ¡°I will ask the Forum for a diplomatic mission to Polemos when it meets in three days.¡±


    ¡°You can do that. I am leaving now,¡± I said, turning to leave.


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    ¡°Think this though Philena,¡± he begged me. ¡°While Id would be able to find Maximos and ensure a safe travel, how would you get near him? You are a woman from a rival city ¨C the Polemians won¡¯t let you near him.¡±


    ¡°You accuse me of lacking mental discipline,¡± I huffed. ¡°You, who refused to tell me the truth of my birth until he had no other choice?¡±


    ¡°I have never claimed to be without flaw, and neither should you,¡± warned Aristocles. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I paid a finite amount of blood to bring you into this world. Do not succumb to hubris.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not hubris when it¡¯s true,¡± I stated flatly. ¡°I will know exactly what to say for them to permit me an audience with Maximos.¡±


    ¡°Eth might,¡± he allowed, ¡°but by my understanding, Eth refuses to cooperate in those matters.¡±


    ¡°Eth?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Not happening,¡± she answered.


    I sighed at her stubbornness and Father¡¯s knowledge of my other parts. ¡°Very well, I shall be patient,¡± I yielded.


    ¡°Things will go a lot easier if I help with the speech,¡± offered Id.


    ¡°How?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There will be a back and forth after the speech is given,¡± she pointed out. ¡°I can preemptively give answers to the questions and counter arguments that will come up.¡±


    ¡°Id foresees that you will be successful if you accept my help in the speech,¡± I told Aristocles, who nodded his acceptance.


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­After the loss of Maximus, I find it hard to trust any proposal you make Aristocles,¡± came the first objection from a portly Patron. ¡°Half a cup of blood from every able-bodied Sofian, down the river.¡±


    ¡°I am not asking for blood, or even gold,¡± Father argued, using our prepared answer. ¡°I am requesting a small guard and some authority with which I can bargain.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Besides, I do not believe the creation of Maximus was a complete waste. I hear Polemos has been making great use of him,¡± he added. ¡°Have you not noticed that Sofia has not been besieged since the one eighteen years ago? Maximus has been keeping the Sahalians occupied.¡±


    The man stepped down, satisfied, and another took his place. ¡°What do you think there is to be gained by an alliance with Polemos?¡± he asked. ¡°A unified humanity certainly sounds nice, but what have we to learn from those brutes?¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a man who is more familiar with paper and ink than grass and the open sky,¡± a chuckle moved through the crowd at Aristocles¡¯ retort. ¡°What a lot of us seem to forget is that there is knowledge that can¡¯t be gained by candlelight.¡± He pointed to the distance, adding, ¡°It must be gained out there, and the Polemians have spent a great amount of time out in the world. As ignorant as they must seem to us in the areas of academic inquiry, we must seem ignorant to them for lack of understanding of worldly things. Their understanding of war far outstrips ours, and I hope to learn in what other things we fall woefully behind.¡±


    The second man stepped back down, mollified, and a third rose. ¡°There seems to be an issue everyone is forgetting,¡± he announced. ¡°Aristocles, why you? With you gone who will educate our sons? Why not send someone we can spare?¡±


    ¡°As has been clearly demonstrated, I have the highest opinion of Polemos of everyone here,¡± Aristocles said. ¡°Someone else would certainly antagonize them, whether by design or by happenstance, thus making the mission moot. Secondly, Philena will be integral to the success of this mission, and as her father, I must go along.¡±


    ¡°Then you are not only asking for a guard and authority, but also for a stay of the studies of the next generation,¡± the Patron pointed out. ¡°I believe I speak for all of us when I say that I would rather you have asked for blood again.¡± There was a murmur of agreement through the forum.


    ¡°On the contrary, I ask to increase their education,¡± Aristocles replied.


    ¡°Explain,¡± the skeptic demanded.


    ¡°If you would permit me, I would take the sons you have entrusted me with along on the diplomatic mission as well,¡± Father explained. ¡°I will still teach them the subjects with which we are all familiar, as well as the ones Polemos will teach us. With Philena disaster is impossible, and they are all of age at any rate.¡±


    The third man stepped down; he still seemed discontent, but he at least had no further arguments.


    After a period of silence, Kentro spoke.


    ¡°Are there any more objections?¡± When none came, he said, ¡°By show of hands: all those in favor of sponsoring Aristocles¡¯ diplomatic mission to Polemos.¡±


    Most, yet not all, hands raised, but enough to pass the motion. ¡°The forum has granted your request,¡± Kentro announced. ¡°You are bequeathed a guard, your students ¨C whose lives are your blood ¨C and the following power: to bind Sofia to an agreement involving military support, material support, and trade.¡± He looked Aristocles in the eye as he added, ¡°May Gravity grant you success.¡±

 XIII: WAR

    ¡°Be careful dear,¡± Said Calista while hugging me tight. ¡°Use your foresight as best you can. Sahalians could be anywhere outside our walls.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mother, I know,¡± I placated her as she released me.


    ¡°Return as soon as you can, Dearest,¡± she said to Aristocles.


    ¡°We will return when we have an alliance or are kicked out by the Polemians,¡± he promised.


    I watched Ella say goodbye to her husband, Luke. When Luke kissed Ella and then his ten-month-old daughter Id said ¡°I want that.¡±


    ¡°You soon will.¡± I assured her. ¡°When our body sees us, he will surely pick us up and declare us to his and one else¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°I certainly hope it will be that simple.¡± Commented Al.


    This concerned me. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be so?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of stone.¡± Al admitted. ¡°But I suspect our play is not a comedy. There is the possibility he is already involved with someone.¡±


    ¡°Then we shall kill her, whoever she is.¡± Insisted Id.


    Eth rebuked. ¡°We shall not.¡±


    ¡°There is no use making plans before seeing the battlefield.¡± I interjected to prevent an argument from forming. ¡°Besides we are two halves of the same whole. I seriously doubt securing our marriage would be so difficult.¡±


    ¡°Philena?¡± Said Ella who was now standing in front of us holding her child.


    ¡°My apologies.¡± I responded as I pulled her into an embrace. ¡°I was already on the road ahead.¡±


    ¡°You always are everywhere except where you stand.¡± Ella ribbed, then her face turned serious. ¡°I beg you, my dear friend, protect Luke.¡±


    ¡°He shall not loose a single hair.¡± I promised.


    Ella gave me a knowing look. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡±


    I cocked my head to the side. ¡°Then what are you asking of me?¡±


    Ella rolled her eyes ¡°You¡¯ll be in a foreign city for Gravity knows how long. Filled with strange women who have Gravity knows what courtship rituals.¡±


    I smiled ¡°I doubt Luke is even capable of faithlessness.¡±


    Ella bit her lower lip and looked to her husband. ¡°I agree, but I don¡¯t know what sort of temptations there will be.¡± Turning back to us and shifting her hold on her daughter. ¡°Please promise me.¡±


    I raised my right hand ¡°Should it ever come to that, I will secure Luke fidelity.¡±


    Ella kissed me on the cheek ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Aristocles hopped onto his horse, using the front-right horn of the saddle as an aid. Everyone else followed suit.


    ¡°Open the gate!¡± shouted Aristocles. The four men at the top of the wall obeyed.


    The pillars that formed either edge of the city gate extended up through the floor of the battlements. Two men on each pillar all grabbed the holds and lifted as one. Slowly the gate rose, and once they were open the Sofian envoy rode out into the countryside.


    ¡°This is incredible!¡± exclaimed Id.


    ¡°It is?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The wind in our hair, the speed we are moving at, no walls that surround us ¨C just open country,¡± she described, as if I were not the one riding the horse. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt this free my life!¡±


    I splayed our arms wide to indulge Id.


    ¡°Oh, that feels amazing!¡± she said in way of thanks.


    I allowed Id to express a laugh. It was the second most genuine and joyous laugh I had ever heard; second only to Humanity¡¯s.


    ¡°Gravity below! Why hasn¡¯t Father taken us riding before?¡± asked Id.


    ¡°That is an excellent question Id¡± I answered. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Aristocles taken us riding before? I will ask him when we get the chance.¡±


    ¡°Philena. Do you foresee any trouble on the road?¡± asked Aristocles.


    ¡°There are bandits on the direct road to Polemos,¡± said Id, remembering her duty. ¡°We can avoid them by going directly east and then continuing southeast. We will arrive at Polemos in six weeks.¡±


    ¡°In that time I¡¯ll teach you what I can about Polemos and King Xander.¡± Said Aristocles.


    ¡°Uh teacher? What¡¯s a king?¡± asked Evander.


    ¡°I have I really taught you that little of Polemos?¡± Aristocles wondered. ¡°Our system of government isn¡¯t all there is. Instead of a democracy, Polemos is a monarchy. Under monarchy, a king has full authority: no votes are ever cast, and his word is law. When he dies, one of his sons will be king. Which son is decided in his will,¡± explained Aristocles


    ¡°What if people disagree with the king¡¯s decisions?¡± asked Evander.


    ¡°Same thing that happens to the minority after a vote,¡± answered Aristocles. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°But a minority, by definition, lacks the required numbers to effect change. It¡¯s perfectly possible for everyone to disagree with the king,¡± countered Evander.


    After a moment of thought, Aristocles said, ¡°I¡¯m not familiar enough with monarchy to answer. I guess we could ask King Xander what happens. At any rate, Polemos has been a monarchy since its inception so it works for them.¡±


    ¡°I think I like Monarchy,¡± commented Gregory. ¡°It¡¯s like running a city as though it were an army. Makes sense why Polemos uses it.¡±


    <hr>


    While staying in the city of Megara, Aristocles saw fit to ready me for the obstacles ahead which were not Sahalian.


    ¡°There are a few things that you must prepare yourself for in Polemos.¡± He stated.


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Have you not been preparing me for this my whole life?¡±


    ¡°I have prepared you for the larger things. How to search through time. How to secure victory in battle. How to shape history. However, I have not prepared you for the smaller matters.¡± Aristocles clarified. ¡°Privileges were given to you in Sofia which you must earn in Polemos.¡±


    ¡°You are unable to secure them for me?¡± I asked with slight confusion.


    ¡°While King Xander and I were on good terms when we last spoke, I will be but a foreigner in his house.¡± Aristocles admitted.


    ¡°What rights must I now pay for?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°Like all cities, Polemos doesn¡¯t allow women in their army, so your mere presence on the battlefield will need to be proven worthy of accommodation.¡± Aristocles provided.


    I nodded in understanding. ¡°If King Xander is at all reasonable, then convincing him to make an exception for one who can see the future shouldn¡¯t be formidable.¡±


    ¡°King Xander himself? Not at all.¡± Aristocles agreed. ¡°The plebians of Polemos? That is a different matter. People do not take kindly to having their way of life challenged. And men rarely follow the orders of a commander they do not trust.¡±


    ¡°But I will not be challenging their traditions, merely requesting an exception.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°People often fear that the exception will become the rule, which isn¡¯t unfounded as that is typically how changes are made. Make it clear in your words and actions that their customs will remain untouched and they will follow you more readily.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±


    <hr>


    The walls of Polemos were more modest than Sofia¡¯s. They were shorter and thinner, but they had many attributes that the Sofian walls lacked. Integrated into the wall itself were several towers; on top of each of these towers was a contraption that I had never seen before. The top edge of the wall was a pattern of spaced rectangles whose purpose was obvious: slingers could get behind cover quickly after shooting.


    Once we reached the gate, a voice came from one of the adjacent towers. ¡°State your business,¡± it said.


    Aristocles produced a speaking trumpet. ¡°We are an envoy from Sofia,¡± he announced. ¡°We seek an audience with King Xander.¡±


    ¡°King Xander is on campaign and not in residence,¡± the voice told us.


    ¡°Id¡­¡± I began.


    ¡°Already on it,¡± interrupted Id. ¡°¡­ Found them. They are mostly to the south and a little farther east.¡±


    ¡°Follow me. I know where they are,¡± I said as I turned my horse and galloped away. The rest of the Sofian envoy followed.


    When we arrived, the Polemians and Sahalians were already locked in a melee. The battle took place on a hill range with the Polemians having the higher ground. The hills were surrounded on all sides by forest, the front line running the full length, so flanking maneuvers by either side were impossible. The line was roughly seven hundred men long; the Polemians were five ranks deep while the Sahalians were seven. At the crest of the highest hill were a few men, one of which was clearly King Xander as he wore a purple plume on his helmet. On the side of the hills opposite the battle were other Polemians. Some were on horseback and were idling about waiting for orders. They were armed with what must have been spears, from the descriptions given in the Polemian books. Those that were not on horseback were engaged in constructing those same contraptions that were on the towers of the wall of Polemos. There were perhaps twenty of them in various stages of construction, and each of the construction teams consisted of five men.


    I rode up the hill, quickly followed by Aristocles and the rest. The man at the top of the hill got King Xander¡¯s attention and pointed to us approaching. King Xander¡¯s face quickly went through fear and relief before settling on confusion.


    ¡°Sofians! This is no place for you. We are in the midst of battle,¡± called the king.


    ¡°We are exactly where we intend to be, your majesty,¡± replied Aristocles.


    ¡°Aristocles?!¡± exclaimed the king as we reached the crest. ¡°It must be desperate if they sent the only honorable Sofian to me.¡±


    ¡°My business here can wait until after the battle,¡± said Aristocles before turning to the rest of the envoy. ¡°Students, I want you to pay close attention to the events here,¡± he told us. ¡°Treat what is before you as today¡¯s lesson.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said King Xander, ¡°you are here to learn the ways of war. About time you Sofians started pulling your own weight.¡±


    ¡°That is a mere piece of why we are here,¡± answered Aristocles.


    ¡°Where is Maximos?¡± I asked.


    King Xander turned to us and blinked twice, as though he just realized I was here. ¡°You brought a woman to a battlefield, Aristocles? I thought you had the most sense of anyone, but it seems you have the least.¡±


    ¡°You will be thanking me that I brought her here,¡± Aristocles said. ¡°She is Maximos¡¯s mirror.¡±


    King Xander paused before asking, ¡°She fights?¡±


    ¡°No. She thinks as well as Maximos fights,¡± clarified Aristocles.


    King Xander chucked. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen Maximos fight before,¡± he said.


    Aristocles countered, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen Philena think before.¡±


    King Xander huffed his disbelief before turning to us. ¡°To answer your question Lady Philena,¡± he said, ¡°he¡¯s with the airborne company.¡± The king pointed to where one of the contraptions were being built.


    I didn¡¯t need to ask which one of the men was Maximos.


    ¡°Ooh¡­ yes¡­¡± Id drooled. I could understand Id¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Very well, I suppose I will give up on Evander,¡± sighed Eth. ¡°Poor boy.¡± Eth¡¯s resignation made sense.


    ¡°Are we all in agreement, then?¡± asked Al redundantly.


    ¡°Yes, we are,¡± I said.


    Maximos was a full head and shoulders taller than any of the other soldiers. His arms were like the branches of an ancient oak, and his legs like the trunk. While his torso was hidden by his cuirass, it stuck out a few inches more than the others. From his brow to his nose, jaw, and chin, every feature of his face was strong and well-defined. His hair was long with an almost golden color to it; his eyes were large and a deeper blue than the sea.


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    ¡°I have yet to meet a woman who wasn¡¯t taken in by Maximos,¡± said the king off-handedly. ¡°By Gravity, even some men are.¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon,¡± I said before I realized the context of his statement. I had been staring.


    ¡°No pardon needed,¡± said King Xander. ¡°It¡¯s a perfectly natural reaction for your sex.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I exclaimed, realizing what he was saying. I hurriedly deflected, ¡°No, that isn¡¯t it. I was wondering why Maximos has that hair and eye color. I¡¯ve never seen it before.¡± I figured that it would make for better negotiations if I appeared somewhat disinterested.


    ¡°How can you tell what his eye color is from here?¡± asked King Xander ¡°He¡¯s not even facing us.¡±


    ¡°I can see everything from any angle within about thirty miles,¡± I answered. ¡°I can see farther if needed, but that requires sacrificing detail.¡±


    ¡°Can she really?¡± King Xander asked Aristocles for confirmation.


    ¡°Sir, that is the least of what I can do,¡± I answered curtly.


    ¡°Then can you tell me where the Sahalian mirrors are?¡± the king requested. ¡°They have yet to make an appearance.¡±


    ¡°Could you, Id?¡± I requested in turn.


    ¡°They are hidden in the cover of the forest past the line of battle,¡± Id told me. ¡°They are fully assembled, and there are enough of them to make a line all the way across the clearing. However, the Sahalians aren¡¯t moving them.¡±


    I relayed this information to King Xander.


    ¡°They are saving them for some strategy,¡± he concluded. ¡°Let¡¯s force them to use them at a time inconvenient for them.¡± He shouted to his troops, ¡°Alright ladies, that¡¯s enough foreplay. Push these Scalies off this hill! Put your Gravity-given weight into it!¡±


    At this, the soldiers in the first rank prepared their giant shields like a wall. The second rank reached over the first with their shields to fill any gaps in the defense. The rest of the ranks sheathed their swords and put both hands on the one in front. King Xander raised his hand with all fingers extended. With exact timing, he tucked one finger away, then another. When he was left with a raised fist, he brought it down and yelled, ¡°Push!¡±


    The push forward propagated through the line like a wave, and the Sahalians were forced to take a step back. King Xander raised his hand again. This time, all the minor commanders had the rhythm and the whole line stepped forward in unison. Slowly and methodically, the Sahalians were forced to march backward down the hill towards the border of the forest. With each push from Polemians, the Sahalians were able to recover less of their footing in order to brace against the next one. Each push resulted in a larger loss of ground on the Sahalian side.


    Once they were halfway down the hill Id had something to report. ¡°A flicker of light just passed over the line of Sahalians in the forest,¡± she told me.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It flickered rapidly,¡± she said, ¡°but they¡¯re moving now.¡±


    ¡°The Sahalians?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, who else?¡± retorted Id.


    ¡°King Xander, the Sahalians hidden in the woods are moving forward now,¡± I said aloud.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± The king turned to face his hidden troops. He opened his mouth give an order but stopped when he saw Maximos was lying down in the grass. ¡°Gravity below,¡± King Xander cursed before riding down to face him.


    ¡°Id, let¡¯s witness their conversation,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°You got it,¡± said Id.


    In the vision, King Xander dismounted and kicked Maximos in the side.


    ¡°Hey!¡± said Maximos, seeming more annoyed than angry.


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you?¡± the king chastised him. ¡°When your squad finishes assembling your trebuchet, you help the other squads build theirs!¡±


    ¡°Not my fault everyone is so slow,¡± Maximos shrugged. I giggled, recognizing the feeling of frustration with how slow everyone else seemed.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about you,¡± King Xander shouted, ¡°this is about us!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here because I like fighting,¡± Maximos shot back while standing up. Then looking down at his king he said, ¡°I don¡¯t need you.¡±


    ¡°Battles and wars are collective efforts,¡± the king pointed out. ¡°No matter how strong you are, alone against that Sahalian army you would lose.¡±


    ¡°Says you,¡± Maximos said, rolling his eyes at the king.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get full of yourself,¡± King Xander spat. ¡°You may be the strongest, but you are still one man. Now go help the other squads.¡±


    Maximos shrugged. ¡°You can¡¯t make me do anything,¡± he said.


    ¡°I can cut your wine rations,¡± threatened the king.


    Maximos paused, seeming to take this seriously. ¡°Fine,¡± he finally agreed.


    King Xander rode back up the hill just in time to see Sahalian line of mirrors emerge from the forest. I no longer needed Id¡¯s vision to see what he was doing.


    ¡°Cavalry, line up!¡± he ordered loudly. The order was repeated up and down both sides of the hill range. The cavalry on the hidden side lined their horses up at the foot of the hills, while the rear ranks of the infantry made their preparations and the march halted.


    Once all the cavalry soldiers were in position ¨C perhaps five hundred of them ¨C King Xander yelled again. ¡°Your target is the line of Sahalian mirrors coming out of the forest ¨C break them! Ready¡­ charge!¡±


    The horsemen galloped up and over the crest to thunder down the other side. When the rear ranks of the infantry saw this, the rearmost rank stood up straight and held their shield above their head with both hands. The fourth rank picked up the third, who mimicked the fifth. In essence, they formed a giant staircase.


    Just before the cavalry ran into the infantry, the horses leapt and landed on the shields of the fifth. Maintaining their upward momentum, they leapt again and landed on the next shield-steps. Just like before, there was no pause between landing and leaping to maintain both upward and forward momentum.


    The whole cavalry force flew over the infantry battle below. Once in the air, all the horsemen dismounted midflight. When they landed, the men used their blessing of Gravity to maintain their speed and remounted their horses. They continued their stampede down the hill and toward the mirrors that had just finished being set into place.


    Most of the Sahalian mirror unit was stunned by the incredible maneuver, but then one of them shouted something in their tongue. They stopped bestowing the blessings of Light unto their comrades and focused the sun¡¯s rays instead on the charging human cavalry. The men and their horses were blinded; the charge broke apart as the horses ran wildly in all directions.


    ¡°Clever bastards,¡± said King Xander before turning to the other side of the hills and asking, ¡°How are the trebuchets coming along?¡± Seeing only ten of the twenty were completed, he said, ¡°Damn it, at least Maximos is helping. They won¡¯t finish before the cavalry is destroyed! If the Sahalians are able to confer the blessing of Light upon their main force, it will nullify the airborne company!¡± After moment¡¯s pause, he shouted another order, ¡°Infantry, re-engage melee. Arsenio! Rally the cavalry.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± shouted the man to his right ¨C Arsenio ¨C as he sped away. He shouted as he galloped down the hill, ¡°Give me a boost!¡± The column of infantry directly in front formed the stairs again, and Arsenio mimicked the previous maneuver.


    Id showed me what happened after that.


    In the vision, the Sahalians had abandoned the mirrors and were approaching the scattered horsemen but were trying to be quite about it. As Arsenio galloped to his men, he drew out a horn and blew. Immediately, the horses and their riders turned to face the clearly-familiar sound. Before he reached the blind cavalry, Arsenio made a sharp left turn, blew again, and shouted, ¡°To me! To me!¡± They followed the order.


    Arsenio kept blowing the horn, then stopped when he noticed a problem. The horsemen were getting closer together, which meant they were in danger of stabbing each other with their spears.


    ¡°Spears up!¡± ordered Arsenio. The horsemen all raised their spears so the points faced the sky.


    ¡°If you can see, raise your spear high,¡± shouted Arsenio. One person raised his spear.


    ¡°You there,¡± Arsenio pointed to the man who had regained his sight. ¡°Come to me!¡± He handed the man his horn and ordered him, ¡°Keep blowing this and ride in a circle around those Sahalians.¡± He pointed to the Sahalians who had exposed themselves by abandoning the mirrors.


    ¡°Yessir,¡± said the horseman.


    Arsenio then rode alongside the mass of Humans and gave orders to the men nearby to make the formation a line. Once he had worked his way to the back, a proper circle was formed around the Sahalians, who had themselves formed a circle and locked shields.


    Arsenio slowed down to come next to the man who could still see, took the horn, and ordered him, ¡°Ride alongside us and keep them in formation. I¡¯m going to have us charge them.¡± He then began repeatedly blowing into the horn again, leading the cavalry out of their circle and lining them up for a charge and turning back to the circle of Sahalians. ¡°Spears to the right!¡± shouted Arsenio. This order was repeated down the line.


    The charge crashed into the side of the Sahalian formation. Their shields, only having a thin shell of bronze over wood, were easily pierced by the Polemian spears. The horsemen¡¯s side swipe managed to peel away some of the Sahalians from the formation.


    Capitalizing on this opportunity, Arsenio turned the charge around, heading for the hole in the formation he had just made. ¡°Spears left!¡± he shouted.


    The Sahalians tried to fill the gap but couldn¡¯t form up in time. A greater number of the enemy lay dead than from the first pass. Arsenio repeated charging the Sahalians, and each time more were felled than the last until the Sahalian mirror company lay dead.


    ¡°Halt,¡± said Arsenio after giving himself a few moments to catch his breath from blowing the horn and barking orders. ¡°Has anyone else regained their sight?¡± A majority of the horsemen raised their spears in answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s my boy!¡± cheered King Xander from next to me, pulling me back to my surroundings, before he turned to see the progress of the trebuchets. They were all completed, and the airborne company were all in position.


    ¡°Alright hatchlings, it¡¯s time to fly!¡± shouted King Xander.


    One man each from the five-man teams fit themselves into a net at the base of the trebuchet and held their shield with both hands. The other men from each team lifted the counterweight into place. Once there, one soldier from each team moved a lever. Then the four from each let go and the weight stayed in place.


    King Xander raised this hand and shouted, ¡°Get the fuck out of my nest!¡± He brought his fist down sharply.


    The soldiers pulled the levers, the weights dropped, and the airborne unit flew. Twenty Polemians arched through the air like stones from a sling. They held their shields in front of them, with the edge in front, and were able to steer their way through the air. When they had aligned themselves with each other and had flown past the Sahalian line, they turned their shields perpendicular to the ground and did the same with their bodies, slowing their forward speed dramatically while increasing their descent. They landed with a loud thud, locked shields, and drew swords.


    This did not go unnoticed by the Sahalians. Their rear rank turned to face the twenty Polemians but they did not advance, knowing that their enemy had a great blessing of Gravity at their disposal. Instead, they looked somewhere in the distance behind the twenty. A light flickered across the Sahalians¡¯ faces. They turned to look at the Polemians, hesitating for just a moment, and charged.


    However, their charge was interrupted when another twenty Polemians landed just in front of the first. Some of the Sahalians looked back to that place in the distance, while others looked to each other, uncertain. That same light flickered across them again. There was a greater hesitation and a slower charge, which was interrupted again, by a third twenty landing. Some of them shouted back at their compatriots in their tongue, likely requesting help.


    The light came again, but this time no one moved. When the fourth wave of Humans landed, the Sahalians began walking slowly back to their original place. Then the fifth landed, with Maximos in the center.


    Maximos drew his sword and stepped forward, exposing himself. He pointed his sword at the Sahalians and yelled, ¡°Charge!¡±. His voice was deep, like a lion, and carried across the whole battlefield. It was a pale shadow of Humanity¡¯s voice, but it still carried a small portion of its qualities: authority, familiarity, and weight among them.


    Maximos and the hundred Polemians charged the Sahalian rear. Using their blessing of Gravity, they collided with incredible force; however, they did not break the line. The Sahalians used their the Blessing of Light that they had accumulated throughout the day to halt the Humans¡¯ charge, but this left them drained and their posture slackened.


    Maximos, using his superior height and reach, thrust over the Sahalian defenses and stabbed the enemy soldier in front of him in the neck. He then stepped into the gap he had created, voluntarily surrounding himself with foes. The ones on his left he blocked out with his shield; the ones on his right he threatened with his sword.


    One of the Sahalians in front of him gathered his courage, stepped forward and thrust at Maximos¡¯s neck. Maximos responded by kicking him, preventing the attack from connecting and sending him flying backwards into his compatriot. A dent was left in the Sahalian¡¯s armor.


    Maximos stepped forward again. Two Polemians followed behind him, filling the gap he left by facing to the side. The Polemian strategy was now made clear: cut the Sahalian line in two. A light flashed over the Sahalians again, but more complicated this time. The enemy surrounding the airborne company then began to counter the Polemian tactic. The Sahalian rear rank broke off to surround the Polemian contingent, forming a double-circle.


    ¡°In anticipation of interference from the cavalry,¡± Al explained, seeing the reason behind the strategy.


    The Polemians locked shields on the sides and back, forming a defensive square. Maximos continued to cut through the Sahalians, but now they rushed to fill gaps left by their fallen to slow Maximos¡¯s march. The Sahalians also locked and raised their shields to defend against his blows.


    Maximos swung his sword down upon a Sahalian shield, which forced him back but also broke his own sword. Unfazed by this, he dropped the now-useless handle and drew a second sword. This time, he punched another Sahalian¡¯s shield with his own. This broke the enemy¡¯s guard, allowing Maximos to stab him in the neck. One of the Sahalians to his right took this opening and ¨C using all of his blessing of Light ¨C chopped off Maximos¡¯s sword arm. Maximos, undeterred by this development, dropped his shield and drew a third sword with his remaining left hand.


    If he was aggressive before, Maximos was now a rabid beast. His flurry of kicks and slashes made him a blur. The Sahalians tried desperately to counterattack by severing another of his limbs, but Maximos¡¯s attacks were so fast that their swords either hit his armor or open air, always missing the gaps. The airborne company was a spear, with Maximos its head, being plunged into the heart of the Sahalian formation.


    Once Maximos cut down the last Sahalian between himself and the Polemian line, the airborne company pushed against the Sahalians to allow a column to pass through. Once the gap was made, Maximos led the charge to the other side with the rear rank of the Polemian line following behind. The Sahalian circle was occupied with fending off attacks from the cavalry and so were unprepared when Maximos cut them down. Once out in the open, the Polemian column split into two and began to circle the divided Sahalian line with Maximos leading the left.


    Some of the Sahalians on the right realized what was happening and were trying to escape the encirclement, so Arsenio ordered, ¡°Half come with me! We must buy time for the infantry to surround the enemy. The other half, ensure the same happens on the left!¡±


    The horsemen galloped away, charging at the Sahalians closer than the encircling infantry. They cut off most from escape and impaled the ones who had made it the farthest. Once the cavalry reached the forest, they turned around and charged again to keep the Sahalians contained. They repeated this until the Polemians completed the encirclement, cutting their enemy off from running to the forest. The cavalry leapt over the infantry as they closed in.


    ¡°This is a mighty field of wheat I see before me,¡± screamed King Xander, ¡°all green and amber. Bring in this harvest and we shall feast tonight. Now! Cut! Them! Down!¡± he ordered.


    The Sahalians had no chance. Divided, surrounded, and dealing with attacks from the horsemen meant there was no defense they could possibly muster. It took time to kill the last of the Sahalian soldiers, but once it was over a cheer went up from the Polemians.


    King Xander spotted Maximos in the crowd ¨C which wasn¡¯t a difficult task ¨C and waved him to approach. Maximos wiped his blood-soaked sword on his cape and began walking to our position, but when he came to where he had originally penetrated the Sahalian line he stopped and began searching through the corpses.


    It was now that I realized something. ¡°He isn¡¯t bleeding,¡± I said to the others in my head. ¡°His arm was cut clean off, yet there is no blood leaving the wound. Was he bleeding before?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± smiled Id.


    Maximos seemed to find what he was looking for: his severed arm. He picked it up and held it against his stump. The arm started to slowly knit itself back in place, as he continued his march up the hill.


    When he reached us, King Xander asked Aristocles ¡°Do you still say she thinks as well as Maximos fights?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± replied Aristocles with a quiet confidence.


    Maximos looked me over and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I countered.


    ¡°I am here for victory,¡± he replied. ¡°I ask again, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I am here for future victories,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Who does she think she is?¡± Maximos asked King Xander.


    ¡°Your equal,¡± I answered.


    Maximos raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is that a fact?¡± he asked, disbelieving.


    ¡°It is,¡± I told him.


    Maximos seemed irate at my reply. ¡°Get off that horse so I can pound you into the dirt,¡± he said sharply. Letting go of his arm to point at the ground, which now looked as though it had never been cut at all.


    ¡°I would love that,¡± Id commented.


    ¡°Is the fighting not over?¡± asked Aristocles rhetorically. ¡°Let us at least tend to the wounded before we make more.¡±

 XIV: NEGOTIATION

    I wandered through the bloodscape, past soldiers cleaning their weapons, armor, and wounds. I held my nose to mollify Id¡¯s protest of the stench.


    ¡°Anyone have any idea how to help?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why should we?¡± asked Id.


    ¡°To save Human life,¡± answered Eth, aghast.


    ¡°To ingratiate ourselves to the Polemians,¡± Al gave a more practical response.


    ¡°So, does anyone have any ideas?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°Although,¡± continued Al reasonably, ¡°nurturing the injured is a distinctly feminine role while we would be of better use as a military commander ¨C a distinctly masculine role. If we help the injured now, it might make convincing King Xander to allow for our aid in strategy more difficult.¡±


    ¡°I thought that Id was the only one who felt nothing for the suffering of others,¡± Eth said.


    ¡°I was made to be calculating, not feeling,¡± Al shot back. ¡°But to that point: turning a blind eye to the injured could be taken as us not valuing Polemian life, thus hurting the purpose of this mission.¡± Her tone became pointed. ¡°Of course, all these uncertainties could be known by you, Eth, if you would but peer into their minds,¡± she pointed out.


    ¡°I will not,¡± stated Eth.


    ¡°Then you have no right to ¨C ¡± Al started but was cut off.


    ¡°It¡¯s no use. I can see the prophesied battle now.¡± That statement brought our attention back to the material world. It was said by an injured soldier, while another held pressure against a large gash in his inner thigh.


    The other soldier forced a smile, but his eyes held despair. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for jokes,¡± he said.


    ¡°I can see him, that¡¯s Maximos alright,¡± said the injured soldier. Maximos was on the other side of the hill.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± the second soldier said. ¡°You can¡¯t see shit.¡± There was real desperation in his voice.


    ¡°He is holding the silver sword,¡± the wounded soldier insisted. ¡°It really is as big as him.¡±


    The other soldier paused before asking, ¡°What do you want me to tell your wife and kids?¡±


    ¡°Tell Aretha I wasn¡¯t really mad that the bed cost a lot. I just liked the smaller one because we had to sleep closer together,¡± the wounded man said weakly. He seemed to see something in the distance. ¡°By Gravity, that¡¯s a lot of Sahalians. How are there so many? There¡¯s so few of us by comparison. Can we win this?¡±


    ¡°The kids! What do you want to tell your kids?¡± his friend asked frantically.


    ¡°Tell¡­ tell¡­ why is Maximos so¡­?¡± The injured soldier¡¯s head fell to the ground, dead.


    After giving the soldier some time to mourn the death of his friend, I asked, ¡°Could he see the future?¡±


    ¡°E-excuse me?¡± asked the grief-stricken soldier.


    ¡°Good one, Ego,¡± said Eth.


    ¡°I do not answer to you.¡± stated the grieving soldier with cold fire. ¡°And what are you, a woman, doing on a battlefield?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with a diplomatic envoy from Sofia,¡± I explained. ¡°Your friend has children, correct? Will you answer my inquiry if I provide them with amulets?¡±


    ¡°I hope you Sofians have been hoarding the good amulets for yourselves,¡± he said, the warning note still in his voice, ¡°because protection from the sun won¡¯t help a widow.¡±


    ¡°I do not believe we have,¡± I said honestly. ¡°Nomos is a young discipline with much room for improvement. What sort of amulet would you have me make?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± he replied, considering, ¡°¡­ a father¡¯s first duty is to protect his family from harm.¡±


    ¡°If it was to protect them from being burned this would be simple,¡± said Eth.


    ¡°What sort of Law would need to be changed to protect against a fist or knife?¡± asked Al.


    ¡°A knife and a rock could have roughly the same mass, yet a knife will always do more damage,¡± prompted Id. ¡°There must be a Law that dictates that.¡±


    ¡°The area over which the force is applied,¡± I realized.


    I summoned the Nomos scroll and found the new law. It stated that pressure is the ratio of force and area. ¡°It can be done,¡± I proclaimed as I dismissed the scroll. ¡°How many children did he have?¡±


    After a moment of looking back and forth between the vanished scroll and me, he answered, ¡°Four.¡±


    ¡°Splitting five ways,¡± I considered, letting Al make calculations in my head. ¡°There should be enough blood if we are prudent.¡±


    ¡°Why is blood necessary?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Blood is necessary for Nomos.¡± I said. ¡°But I won¡¯t explain beyond that, for that would divulge its secrets.¡±


    The soldier nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±


    We collected the dead soldier¡¯s blood as it poured out of the wound. We then dug up the blood-soaked dirt and put it all through the Nomos scroll. I put scraps of metal lying around the battlefield on string to use as amulets. Once all five were made, I wore one around my neck and asked the soldier for a blade of some kind. He tentatively handed me a dagger. I placed the point of the knife against my palm and pressed. It felt more like a blunt rod than a sharpened blade.


    Now confident in the amulet¡¯s protection I handed the dagger back and said, ¡°You can now try to cut me if you don¡¯t believe I was actually trying to draw blood.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± He protested.


    ¡°As you wish.¡± I put the amulet I was wearing around his neck. ¡°You can try to cut yourself, but you won¡¯t be able to.¡±


    He did the same as I did and pressed the point into his palm, but with much more trepidation. His eyes widened when he felt no pain. He raised the blade and slashed against his arm which left no injury.


    His look softened as he smiled ¡°Thank you this will make up for their loss a little.¡± He swung again. This time the dagger caught the bone of his wrist. The soldier¡¯s face contorted in surprised pain. ¡°What?! Why didn¡¯t it?!¡±


    ¡°I said it would protect from cuts.¡± I clarified. ¡°Blut force can still harm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s disappointing.¡± he said. ¡°At least they will be safe from knives and swords.¡±


    I finally asked, ¡°What was your friend talking about just before he died?¡±


    ¡°Do you not¡­¡± the soldier trailed off, realizing, ¡°of course you haven¡¯t, you¡¯re both a woman and a Sofian. You must have never seen death,¡± he explained.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen corpses,¡± I said, ¡°but this is the first time I¡¯ve been present for a death.¡±


    ¡°Just before someone dies, they receive a vision of the future,¡± he explained. ¡°In the vision, they see Maximos wielding a silver sword a long as he is tall, facing an enormous army of Sahalians. The slower the death, the longer the vision.¡±


    ¡°Another truth Aristocles has hidden from us,¡± I grumbled. ¡°What do you make of this future Id?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need more to go on,¡± she replied.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, unless it¡¯s a future directly ahead of us, I¡¯ll need to search for it,¡± Id said. ¡°I could follow Maximos, but for how long? If his body is like our mind, then he could be immortal.¡±


    ¡°I doubt he¡¯s immortal,¡± I countered. ¡°His mind would still age. But to your other point¡­¡± I trailed off thoughtfully.


    ¡°When and where does this happen?¡± I asked the soldier aloud.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know when, but it¡¯s at the gates to Polemos,¡± he told me.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Is that sufficient?¡± I asked Id.


    ¡°It helps but I still need to search a whole human lifetime for each future,¡± she said.


    The soldier stared at me while I had the internal conversation. ¡°Why?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I wanted to know more details so I could see this future,¡± I answered.


    His brows furrowed. ¡°Why do you say you can see the future?¡± he prompted.


    ¡°Well, I can,¡± I said, shrugging.


    The soldier raised an eyebrow. ¡°Prove it,¡± he challenged.


    ¡°Id, you see anything interesting?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± she muttered, then answered, ¡°Yes, actually. One of the Sahalians in that pile isn¡¯t dead ¨C he¡¯s pretending. He runs off after we leave.¡±


    ¡°One of the Sahalians is still alive,¡± I said, pointing to the pile of corpses and then turning to get King Xander¡¯s attention. Aristocles noticed and they approached together.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked the King.


    ¡°One of the enemy is merely playing at being dead,¡± I said, pointing again to the mound of dead Sahalians.


    ¡°How do you know this?¡± the King questioned.


    ¡°I foresee him excavating himself after we¡¯re gone,¡± I answered.


    The King seemed unconvinced. ¡°You foresee him?¡± he asked.


    ¡°When I said that seeing without my eyes was the least of what I could do, I was not boasting,¡± I told him.


    ¡°How do we catch him?¡± ordered King Xander.


    Id searched time for a moment, then said, ¡°Once he¡¯s uncovered, a soldier should threaten him with his sword while another grabs him. He¡¯ll manage to get away, which is why there should be a small line of soldiers, perhaps five, to intercept his escape.¡±


    ¡°Give me seven soldiers and no one shall have a scratch.¡±


    The Sahalian escaped the soldier¡¯s grasp, as predicted, and ran into the five Human soldiers prepared to intercept him. The enemy soldier came to a stop and looked around, seeing all the Humans still present on the battlefield.


    ¡°Well, Aristocles, you just might be correct,¡± the King admitted. ¡°She may very well think as well as Maximos fights. To be able to see the future ¨C the strategic implications of this¡­ why, we shall never lose another battle!¡±


    ¡°And how many battles have you lost with me?¡± interjected Maximos, who had joined us while preparations were being made.


    ¡°Hey look what I caught: a coward!¡± said the soldier who had grabbed the Sahalian by the neck.


    As the Sahalian struggled in vain to escape his grasp, another soldier drew his sword and approached him.


    Then came a halting cry, ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t kill him!¡±


    Everyone turned to find the origin of this strange request.


    It was Evander.


    Seeing all eyes on him, he made his argument despite his obvious nervousness. ¡°Perhaps you Polemians have some knowledge that we Sofians lack,¡± he said, ¡°but what I do know is that we know very little about our enemy. They are green reptilian creatures who have little difference between their men and women. We do not know their language. We do not know their political structure. We do not even know what they eat.¡± He pointed to the captured Sahalian, adding, ¡°This Sahalian here, who has no hope for fight nor flight, could become a scroll on the strengths and weaknesses of our enemy.¡±


    King Xander looked upon Evander with great distain. ¡°I could never allow a Sahalian to live,¡± he said. ¡°You Sofians, who live too far to the west to see it, have no conception of Sahalian savagery. While the western cities bow to you for your wealth, the eastern cities bow to us for their own protection. They do not have the luxury of geography ¨C if we do not arrive in time to save a city who have knelt to us for that very purpose, the only things left are bricks and corpses.¡± He shook his head. ¡°To allow a Sahalian to live is a greater mercy than they have ever showed us.¡±


    The fear in Evander¡¯s eyes was second only to the Sahalian¡¯s.


    ¡°Is your sense of revenge greater than ultimate victory?¡± asked Aristocles.


    ¡°I am not aware of a Human being captured alive,¡± countered King Xander.


    ¡°That is foolish of them,¡± Aristocles agreed, ¡°but why should we continue to make the same mistake? What Evander says is wise: to defeat the enemy, we must study them.¡±


    ¡°To defeat the enemy, we must kill him,¡± the king insisted.


    ¡°To kill him we must know where to stab,¡± offered Aristoles. This point made King Xander pause.


    Aristocles rolled his eyes ¡°If the principle of it bothers you so, you can kill him once he is no longer of use.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Bind him in chains,¡± King Xander ordered. ¡°What is your name?¡± he asked Evander.


    ¡°Evander, sir,¡± the youth stuttered.


    ¡°Evander,¡± the king repeated, ¡°since you are so certain this Scaley will be of use, and because I cannot trust a Polemian to not kill him, you are charged with learning what you can from him. Report to me what you find,¡± he ordered.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Aristocles said, ¡°Evander is one of mine. He will report to me what he finds. I will not have you conscripting my students.¡±


    ¡°You Sofians are so jealous with knowledge,¡± huffed King Xander.


    Once the Sahalian was in shackles, King Xander looked to the setting sun and announced, ¡°We will march south for a short while, then make camp in the forest.¡±


    King Xander rode at the front, with Arsenio on his right and Maximos directly behind. Aristocles was on his left, with the Sofian envoy to the left of him; the rest of the army followed.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you returning to Polemos?¡± asked Aristocles.


    ¡°Do you know why battles happen, Aristocles?¡± asked King Xander.


    ¡°To kill the enemy?¡± said Aristocles, clearly doubting his answer.


    ¡°No,¡± said the king. ¡°Battles happen because someone wants to achieve something and someone else want to prevent it. Take the Siege of Sofia, for example: the Sahalians wanted to destroy your city. If you had not wanted to prevent this ¨C taking up arms, preparing defenses, and spilling their blood ¨C then there would not have been a battle.¡±


    ¡°Is a battle just a physical argument?¡± Aristocles asked under his breath.


    ¡°What was that?¡± King Xander said.


    ¡°I see what you are implying,¡± Aristocles spoke aloud. ¡°You have not achieved your goal yet.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± said the king. ¡°Our goal is to destroy the Sahalian city to the south. I only brought a few thousand men because I hoped to sneak through Sahalian territory undetected. We kept to the forested areas for that reason,¡± he added.


    ¡°Well, that was never going to work,¡± said Id.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He was spotted before he entered the forest,¡± she answered.


    ¡°How?¡± I wondered.


    ¡°The Sahalians have these¡­ how about I show you instead?¡± Id said.


    She shared her vision with the rest of us, turning back time to the morning of the previous day. Moving the vision to the crest of the highest of the forested hills, there was a tree that had been modified. Planks of wood were nailed to its trunk, forming a ladder of sorts. At the top was a wooden platform, supported by the branches. On the platform was what looked like a table, except it only came up to knee height instead of the chest and it had a board perpendicular to the ground on one side. There was a female Sahalian there; she had her rear on the furnishing and back on the board. In her hands was a cylindrical device with one end larger than the other; both ends were capped with glass. She held this device against her right eye, while keeping the left closed. Rotating her head and the device slowly around all angles, she stopped only when she apparently saw something of interest.


    Id then showed us what the Sahalian was seeing: the Polemian army entering the forest. How the Sahalian was seeing them from across so many miles was a mystery. She brought out a mirror from her bag and pointed it somewhere in the distance, then began to flick it back and forth rapidly with no discernable pattern. After she stopped, a light flickered back from where she was pointing the mirror. It must have been a code, but one I had never seen before.


    Time skipped forward to dawn; Id was showing us what happened just this morning. In a similar tree was another Sahalian, who overlooked the soon-to-be-battlefield with his own cylinder of sight. From his perspective, he could see the spear tips of the cavalry but not the trebuchets until they were fully constructed. As we sped through the replay of the battle, he waved his mirror at the Sahalian army and they responded in kind.


    Once the Sahalians were encircled the first time, he waved his mirror at the city behind him and then dropped both it and the cylinder to run south. He did not stop until he reached the Sahalian city, and the city was quickly evacuated while the battle finished and the Humans took care of their wounded. The Sahalians were now miles away.


    I looked to King Xander, prepared to say what I had just seen, but Aristocles spoke first.


    ¡°So, what have you learned?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I said, startled.


    ¡°You look a particular way when you use your sight,¡± he explained.


    ¡°Well, I have learned something quite important,¡± I said. ¡°The Sahalian city is empty. The civilians are long gone.¡±


    ¡°How?!¡± exclaimed King Xander, overhearing our conversation.


    ¡°The Sahalians intercepted you at the most defensible position without shade,¡± I explained. ¡°They would have had to witness your approach for that to happen.¡±


    ¡°Son of a whore,¡± the king swore, ¡°you¡¯re right. But still, how?¡± he asked again.


    Taken aback by his language, I nonetheless answered, ¡°It is difficult to explain. It would be easier to see.¡±


    After breaking camp the next day, I led King Xander and the rest of the army to the tree Id had shown in her vision. I picked up the mirror and cylinder from where they had landed on the ground and brushed the dirt from them. I then scaled the tree, with King Xander and Aristocles behind me. Once on the platform, I looked to an area of forest far in the distance, then brought the cylinder to my eye in the same way the Sahalian in Id¡¯s vision had done. To my astonishment, the small area of land in question took up the whole of my vision.


    I handed King Xander the cylinder. ¡°The object of your discovery,¡± I told him.


    He took it but looked at me with a confused expression.


    ¡°Look into the distance, close one eye, and bring the smaller end to the open one,¡± I instructed.


    He did and jerked back almost immediately. Then he looked at some spot in the distance and brought the cylinder to his eye again. After a few moments, he lowered it and climbed down the tree. The king approached the Sahalian prisoner, holding out the cylinder for him to see, ¡°What is this?¡± he asked.


    The Sahalian flicked his tongue, yet held a blank expression on his face. After a pause, Evander said, ¡°I don¡¯t think he can understand you.¡±


    ¡°Just because we don¡¯t speak the same language doesn¡¯t mean he can¡¯t understand,¡± King Xander retorted. He pointed to the cylinder with his free hand; still the Sahalian said nothing.


    The king gave an exasperated sigh. He looked to the nearest soldier and ordered, ¡°Put your sword to his throat.¡±


    The soldier obeyed. Quickly, the Sahalian spoke one word: ¡°Scope!¡±


    ¡°¡®Scope¡¯? This is a ¡®scope¡¯?¡± said King Xander, pointing to the scope when he said the word to give emphasis.


    The Sahalian gave a single syllable response and repeated, ¡°Scope.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that was a ¡®yes¡¯,¡± said Evander.


    ¡°Sheath your sword,¡± the king ordered. The soldier did so, to the clear relief of the Sahalian.


    King Xander then joined Aristocles and me back at the top of the tree. ¡°With this Scope they can see great distances,¡± he said, ¡°but even with this organizing an army like we faced should haven¡¯t been possible in the short amount of time they had.¡±


    I then held up the mirror. ¡°They use this to communicate,¡± I explained.


    The king looked at it, puzzled. ¡°How?¡± he asked.


    ¡°They have a language of sorts, consisting entirely of flashing light,¡± I said. ¡°They wave this small mirror at another tree like this in the distance, where another Sahalian repeats the message further along. A message can be sent across the whole of their territory like this in a matter of hours ¨C if not minutes ¨C depending on how long the message is.¡±


    ¡°Mother of a bastard!¡± the king swore. ¡°That¡¯s why I could never catch them by surprise!¡± He turned to me and asked, ¡°Do you think you could sneak an army past these watch towers?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± I hedged. ¡°It would take a great deal of effort on my part, considering the distances involved, but it is certainly possible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough,¡± the king said. ¡°Now let¡¯s move on to the city.¡±


    Confused, Aristocles asked, ¡°For what purpose? The Sahalians have all left.¡±


    ¡°While we won¡¯t be able to give them the black eye I wanted, they will have left valuables behind,¡± the king pointed out. ¡°If we cannot slaughter, we may as well plunder.¡±