“Why do they call it the ‘Basement’, anyway?” I asked. “I can see where It’s kind of snappy, I guess, but it doesn’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of your enemies or lend itself well to passionate exhortations.”

Elis grinned. He leaned back against the stone balustrade of the platform we stood on, blinking against the sunlight shining directly into his eyes. “That’s more or less what I told them the first time I talked to a Basement leader, actually. I think it’s because of what passes for their founders’ senses of humor. Besides, it’s an illustration for their ideology, in a way. It started out as an organization exclusively for and by people in the low tiers, who provide the — under-appreciated and disadvantaged — base of the Dominion’s society, economy, and civilization.”

“I can understand that,” I acknowledged.

“Plus, I think they were just as happy not to be taken too seriously, at first. At least by the government’s security and intelligence organs. Something like ‘People’s Liberation Front’ might have invited a more strident response, you know?”

I chuckled. “You definitely have a point there! I can just imagine how some people in my own government might react if they heard something like that.”

“Just don’t let anyone in the Basement hear you say that!” Elis shook his head and grinned. “Most of them would prefer to keep on not thinking about how the Empire might give people reasons for developing something like that, too.”

I found that thought a lot less amusing. Frowning slightly, I nodded. “But we do provide a lot less cause for and should have a lot lower risk of rebellion.”

“That you do,” he agreed, suddenly serious as well. “Mind you, I think a lot of that has to do with economic development and such factors, but that’s probably the way these things go. And from what I hear, things have improved a lot in the Empire just in the last few years.”

“Not as much as if the war hadn’t happened.” I sighed softly and shook my head. “Still, I do hope and believe you’re right.”

“In that case, let’s get back on topic,” he replied in a lighter tone. “Any other trivia you want to know about the Basement?”

“Not really,” I replied, smiling faintly, but I quickly turned serious once more. “So, you’re confident you’ve cleared it of any moles Jideia might have set?”

“Within limits,” he replied in a cautious tone. “I didn’t get to some of their cells, especially the more deeply embedded people. But within the structure I did have access to, I’m reasonably sure everyone is sincerely working for their organization and its ideals. There might be some differences of opinion about just what those are, of course, but nothing that would foment a serious split. Of course, I don’t know which of them the Dominion might have identified and put under observation. We’ve been careful not to expose me, as much as we can, but I wouldn’t count on them not noticing our little housecleaning initiative.”

I nodded. That was about what I’d figured, and I couldn’t help but notice how close he seemed to be, and to consider himself linked to, the Basement. That was definitely something I needed to keep in mind, but I knew I could hardly keep him from getting invested in them. Nor should I, when it came down to it.

“Keep me informed, please,” I said. “And thank you for everything.”

“My pleasure.” He smiled. “These people are doing good work, Inaris, and under dangerous circumstances. I’m glad to see you recognize that.”

I nodded. I certainly couldn’t disagree with that, even if I didn’t agree with all of the Basement’s methods. Not that I was really in a position to judge them for it.

I said goodbye to Elis and watched him leave. He headed in the direction of the outbuilding the Basement had taken over, I noticed. They’d acted according to the same pattern in all of the bigger cities we’d taken, although I imagined they’d probably switch things around to keep from being too predictable.

Then I shook my head and turned back. I spun a bit of qi around my hands, forming it into the desired shape, then watched as the flick of light absconded and flew through the air. Then I started watching the courtyard of the fortress on Aliatin’s outskirts, glancing at the rush of people and the city beyond.

I didn’t have to wait long. A minute later, a red-robed figure approached quickly, landing lightly on the stones two meters from me. I gave myself another moment, then turned around to see Wei Jun on one knee waiting for my attention.

“Rise, General Wei,” I said.

He stood smoothly. “How can I be of service, Your Highness?”

“I asked you to drop by to touch base on where we are with the army’s reorganization and its general state.”

He nodded. “The reorganization is going well. It’s really more of an administrative matter than a military shift. Frankly, none of us are used to armies with large groups of weaker cultivators like the Lighters. But we’re getting a handle on it, and I’m confident that the new company structure will hold and prove its worth.”

I looked at him thoughtfully. I’d gotten all of that from the reports I’d read, but I’d still wanted to talk to him about it in person. He stood straight, almost at attention, with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture clearly that of someone used to it who was giving a briefing. But his eyes were shuttered behind his calm and attentive expression.

“So you’re confident we’re ready to resume the offensive?” I asked.

“If possible, Your Highness, I’d prefer at least a week to iron out remaining details, but if we had to, we could move out tomorrow.”

“Well, we’re not in that much of a hurry. Not that I really need to tell you that, General.”

He nodded again, but stayed silent.

I cocked my head a little, watching him. I didn’t quite feel as badly towards him as Wei Yong. Partly because he hadn’t been involved in trying to kill his own daughter - even if I knew that was unfair, since neither of them had known about it - and partly because he had been the first to surrender. But that didn’t mean I was ready to forgive and forget.

“I appreciate the work you’ve been doing, great-uncle. I don’t think I’ve told you that before.”

His eyes flickered slightly, but that was the only sign of surprise at my words he showed. “Thank you, my lady.”

“Of course,” I continued, holding his gaze, “that doesn’t mean I can forget that you were actively and willingly involved in the plan to kill my Mother and myself. Even if I recognize that you are making amends.”

He bowed his head. “Of course, Your Highness. I understand.”

I held his gaze for a moment longer, then smiled. “Good.” I took a step back, putting some more distance between us, and looked out over the city. “Don’t mistake me, I don’t have any doubts about your loyalty when it comes to this war. And you are, after all, going to be in command of this offensive.”

“I appreciate your trust, my lady.” He hesitated for a moment, then continued, “As well as the … restraint you have shown.”

I smiled slightly. “Well, however that may be, I have been told you are our most talented general. Or field commander, at least. And I have a feeling we’re going to continue to need our best in the months to come. Especially given what we’re seeing from the south.”

Wei frowned. “May I ask what you mean, Your Highness? We haven’t actually seen much enemy movement. I was under the impression the situation with the Dominion was reasonably quiet.”

“Right. But that’s sort of what I mean.” I pulled a face and leaned with my back against the balustrade, facing him. “If it was me, great-uncle, I’d be thinking very hard about my situation, and about asking the Empire for terms of surrender. We hold all the cards here, or close enough. We almost certainly have more elites, we definitely have more raw numbers and better technology, eighth-stagers are out of play, and we’ve been gobbling up parts of the Storm Continent with no sign of stopping.”

His eyes widened slightly, and his frown turned thoughtful. “I see what you’re saying, my lady. They may just need time to reach that decision, though.”

“The longer they wait, the more they lose.” I shook my head. “No, I think they would have at least sent an envoy by now if they were going to. Their obvious strategy is to sue for peace, consolidate their strength, and perhaps come back for revenge, if they can, later. The more territory they lose, the harder it is for them to keep up, or even to keep what they have stable.”

General Wei nodded. “But they aren’t doing such a thing.”

“No, they aren’t, and that suggests that their decisions aren’t being made just by strategists. That there might be … influence, at least, from other sources.” I smiled with a hint of bitterness. “This isn’t just a political war, General — it’s a religious war, in a sense. And for too many of the people involved, it’s also personal.”

He looked at me thoughtfully. “Including you, Your Highness?”

Again, my smile was more of a grimace. “Yes. Of course I take what Jideia has been doing personally. Probably at least as much as he does.”

“So, if the Zarian did attempt to negotiate a surrender, would you let them?”

I looked at him in silence for a few seconds. Finally, I admitted, “I’m not sure.” I shook my head. “It would depend on the situation, I suppose. Personal or not, I wouldn’t let my feelings get in the way, but I do want to settle this.”

He nodded wordlessly, and we stood in silence for a moment.

“Well.” I pushed off from the stone. “I’m sure you see why I wanted us to discuss this. I want you to be on the same page in this matter. And I need to caution you, especially, not to let your guard down. They’re up to something. The Storm is, at least. It might not hit you or the army - in fact, it probably won’t - but stay sharp. And keep an eye out.”

He half-bowed. “Of course, my lady. I will do my utmost.”

He looked like he was expecting me to dismiss him, and he probably wanted to get back to work. I kept him waiting for a bit longer, though, and he was clearly too polite to just leave. I used the time to take a closer look at his aura. He was hiding most of his qi signature, but just the little bit I did see made it clear he’d advanced a bit since the time I first met him. He was actually most of the way through the seventh stage, if I didn’t miss my guess, and would most likely reach the point of attempting a breakthrough to the eighth stage in a few more years.

It would probably be a good thing if he succeeded in that, and the earlier, the better. We needed every eighth-stager of reasonably sure loyalty we could get, especially since we still had the issue of what to do about the Dominion’s eighth-stagers.

“I have some time tomorrow at noon,” I said. “Meet me back here, and we’ll talk about cultivation.”

His eyes widened slightly. He clearly knew what this meant. Then he bowed his head. “Thank you, Your Highness. I will be there.”

I nodded and waved a hand in dismissal. “I’m sure you have a lot of work to do, General.”

Wei Jun bowed again, then quickly left, returning to the building. I sensed him heading to where the military command post had been set up. After a moment, I turned back and leaned against the stone balustrade again. I could sense Aston and the other guards some distance away, giving me a bit of privacy. The wind was picking up and dark clouds creeping closer from the western horizon. I knew from recent experience that thunderstorms came quickly in this area and season, and it would probably start raining soon. That would be a good thing for the local crops, even if the army could do without. Flying airships in bad weather was always riskier.

‘You’re retaining and strengthening his loyalty,’ Mior said. ‘You really are assembling a good following.’

I turned my head to where the spirit was just coalescing into more material existence a few meters away in the shadow of the stone balustrade’s corner. They looked the same as always, and while I’d picked up their presence during the last few sentences of my conversation, they might have been there even a little earlier than that.

‘Who knows, I may be more charismatic than I thought,’ I replied. ‘But people’s loyalty is a very useful thing to have in any case.’

‘You won’t get an argument from me on that, Little Light.’    Mior strolled closer, then leaned against the stone beside me. ‘It’s not why I’m here, though.’

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and instead calmly offered the required question. ‘Why are you here?’

‘I don’t really know, myself.’ Mior shook their head, their face a little more defined and a little more sober than usual. ‘Jideia has reduced his efforts in quite a few areas. I think he’s gathering power. His focus certainly is on the Dominion.’

I frowned. ‘What do you think he’s up to?’

‘I don’t have any idea. But whatever it is, I doubt that you’re going to like it.’

I sighed. That just figured.

‘It’s not all doom and gloom, Little Light.’ Mior smiled slightly. ‘None of the other Greater Spirits seem exactly inclined to jump on Jideia’s wagon. And by the way, I’ve heard that your ancestor, the phoenix, has left his mountains and is heading southwest.’

‘Do you know what he wants?’

‘No, but you’ll probably meet him again. And he’s not the only ally you have who’s not a human.’

‘Well, since we have spirit-children to fight now, that’s probably a good thing.’

‘Of course.’ Mior laughed. ‘I do hope no one ever promised you your life would be easy, Inaris.’

“Now that’s reassuring,” I muttered, but without any heat. It wasn’t like the spirit wasn’t right.