17th of Season of Earth, 216th year of the 32nd cycle

  Newt had been holding his breath as he read his ancestor’s confession. His first instinct was to close the book and return it to its place, to pretend things weren’t really that bad. He fought it and instead stored the tome in his spatial pouch.

  What am I supposed to do with this?

  He had a list of potential allies, those whose junior generation the imperials had thrown into the meat-grinder. Three ducal and two royal houses. Then there was the Explorer’s Gate, and about a dozen other grand orders.

  Uniting them would be a feat of diplomacy, but even with all of them combined, they amounted to twenty to thirty percent of the empire’s combatants. Less, considering the imperial faction’s unknown power.

  Should the imperials discover them, it would prove a disaster. The imperials alone might crush them, let alone their lackeys eager to earn recognition and resources.

  Master almost certainly has the list of those attacked by the cultists a hundred and fifty years ago. Those who survived.

  Newt counted them as his most likely allies. If cultists and imperials played the same game, then their families had been the sacrificial pieces. Newt didn’t know about the others, but Maelstrom’s grandfather would never forgive them for orchestrating the death of his son.

  They might have even plotted the entire thing, sending the sacrifices into the jungle to summon the outer god. Even if this letter claims they are on opposing sides, that doesn’t mean they can’t work together on shared goals.

  I hate politics.

  Newt didn’t mind trying to unravel the situation. No, the problem was that any one of his comrades in suffering might betray them if they believed the price was right.

  That includes the dukes. If they could get the thrones they desire in exchange for a bit of self-respect and personal integrity, they might do it.

  And what do we do once the knowledge of this spreads to our allies? Secret known by two men is not a secret, Dandelion said back in the jungle, right before his death. And this is certainly that kind of secret.

  But if Newt kept the information close to his chest and revealed it at the last possible moment, it would result in chaos, not organized resistance.

  No, Ancestor had the right idea, flee the empire.

  The problem was that with the numbers Newt wished to pull away, with the hundreds of thousands or millions involved, it was impossible to blend in, no matter where they went.

  No, that’s not true. There is one place where the imperial hand doesn’t reach.

  The wealds. If Newt could negotiate an alliance with Magmin’s daughter, the next step would be to ask for sanctuary.

  Newt blinked. The power of the wealds was greater than that of humanity. The manabeasts’ problem was lack of centralized power. Those at the top kept each other in check and rarely worked together.

  The only exception were the onslaughts, but even during those, peers slaughtered each other to grow and evolve, and only united when there was a single, undisputed overlord to lead them.

  I’ll have to discuss this with Magmin’s daughter. Wait, they called us invaders; I thought they meant we were invading the weald, but they meant the world.

  Newt bit his lip.

  What if they choose to destroy those of us who come to them? What if they think I’m baiting them into a trap?

  He rubbed his face. “This is getting ridiculous and pointless. I’ll discuss this with Master, and we’ll see what he says. Otherwise, I’ll find two new problems for every solution I come up with.”

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  Newt took a deep breath, let go of thinking about the unsolvable problem, then exhaled.

  ***

  Newt had expected an exalt would take the information better than he did. He was wrong. Possibly because Gatemaster Greenthorn had read the entire book in three heartbeats, and had less time to process it all.

  Whatever the case, the usually calm, emotionless exalt stared blankly ahead with his jaw slack.

  “We need to confirm this.” He closed the book slowly and placed it on his desk.

  “How do we do that, Master?”

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Ask someone older than me. Most royal families have ancestors, ancient exalts still alive who had lost interest in the matters of the world. Maybe they have memories that may corroborate a part of the story.”

  “I can tell you for a fact that the report we have made is genuine. A creature from beyond reality broke into our world, but there is something more I have to tell you, something I didn’t reveal to heresy hunters, nor anyone else.”

  Newt proceeded to tell his master the truth about what had happened with Dandelion, of experiencing death and going back in time.

  “You say Maelstrom has had a similar experience?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “In that case, the Tidebreakers are the logical allies we need to reach out to first. But other than them, I wouldn’t reveal this information to anyone. Not yet, anyway.”

  Newt’s heart started racing. His master was reacting the way he should. He trusted Newt’s information and conclusions, regardless of how nonsensical they seemed. Perhaps, perhaps, it was time to reveal even bigger secrets.

  But if I get it wrong, I’m dead.

  If Gatemaster Greenthorn grew greedy for Magmin’s core, Newt had no way of protecting it, or even walking away with his own life. The old man had proven pragmatic, and Newt didn’t know him well enough to guess what the exalt would do if shown resources he needed to make his own advancement.

  I can tell him a part of the story.

  “Master, there is one more thing I’ve kept secret from you. Do you remember when the wrath of heavens struck me in the Summersweald?”

  The gatemaster nodded, and Newt told him a censored version of his encounter with Magminion and the following meeting with the dragon exalt.

  “And why didn’t you tell me this earlier? I could have protected you. I definitely wouldn’t have let you anywhere near—”

  “The imperial decree asked me by name, Master. You had no way of shielding me from going back home. As for why I didn’t tell you. I thought I could handle it on my own.”

  Gatemaster Greenthorn snorted. “You thought you could handle an exalt dragon on your own?”

  “I’m here, am I not, Master?”

  “Point taken. Why didn’t the dragon kill you?”

  “I think she wishes to fatten me up, but if we can show and explain a clear threat exists, something more dangerous, or possibly more energy efficient than consuming me, she might be open to an alliance. We could perhaps hide in the Summersweald and grow our forces for the inevitable confrontation with the imperials and the cultists.”

  A touch of amusement entered the gatemaster’s eyes.

  “So, your plan is to bring an army into the weald, to make a second empire and when the time comes and we grow strong enough, we attack the empire and take over, exterminating imperials and cultists, the two most powerful warring side, in one sweep?”

  The exalt smiled.

  “Aren’t you a tad too optimistic, Newstar?”

  Newt was silent, considering what to say. He certainly didn’t imagine the smooth sailing his master had described, but the basic idea was more or less the same.

  “If we focus on raising everyone and promoting their talent instead of sacrificing it to evil godlike beings from beyond this world, won’t we reach a point where we are the stronger side?”

  “And the saurians will just let us grow stronger than humanity is here, and all in the heart of their domain?”

  Framed like that, it sounded like a problem. Besides, if saurians were selfish and divided…

  “What if we made a pact with our host to attack others and help her eliminate competition? Then she would want us as strong as we can be. Right?”

  Gatemaster Greenthorn looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped himself. “And how will you make contact with the dragon?”

  Newt had an answer. It was a slightly crazy idea, but it should work.

  “Well, I was thinking of traveling deep into the Summersweald next year for the summer solstice.”

  “Are you insane? Even if you are a dragon reborn, even if that dragon exalt is your family, that pillar of light will draw a lot more than just the two saurians you have in mind.”

  That’s true. And what do you mean dragon reborn?

  “Um, do you have any better ideas, Master?”

  Dandelion mentioned Master was superstitious and prone to jumping to conclusions. Does he think I’m a dragon reincarnated?

  Newt considered it, and, strangely enough, his guess wasn’t all that far from reality.

  “I don’t,” Gatemaster Greenthorn said. “At least not now, but I’ll think about it. Your tribulations will repeat four more times. Perhaps you should wait for the final one. It’s the weakest, and you should endure it without suffering any harm. It will also give me enough time to come up with something and test some ideas. Until then, don’t reveal this to anyone. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, Master.”