He retrieves it from his pocket—it looks crumpled, like it's been read and folded and reread several times—and reads it aloud, without looking at Conquest.

"Fled and destroyed her property out of fear. Good. And what else can you tell me? I decline to believe you have no guesses."

"My lord, I don't want to have guesses and I don't want her to be hurt."

Conquest stands. He was always tall and broad, but as he rises he swells from large to giant. The color fades out of the surrounding hills and washes inward, emphasizing him. His domain's sun sinks and gets whiter, brighter, hotter. The air gets simultaneously colder.

"Your wants are immaterial." An echo underlines every word. "The former Astrologer is an enemy of mine. If you would protect her from me, then you will remain here until you cease resisting."

This manifestation is dumb as a bag of bricks, yo.

"Why?"

"Because I want your best guess at where the thief hides. Because you can give me that. And because those who side with an enemy have forfeited their right to safety."

"What are you gonna do with her?" he asks in a small voice.

"I will keep her, or I will kill her, or I will undo her. Certainly I will subjugate her. If she lives it will be in service to me. I have no doubts about my ability to compel cooperation." His disproportionately small black eyes look directly at Sadde when he says the last part.

The colour doesn't drain from his face for the same reason he is unable to blush. "Please don't kill her. Please."

"You will obey. Forcing you will be a simple matter. Or is she watching you closely enough that she will know to flee and you can buy her time? If not, I have no need to bargain."

"She's not—she knows me, it would be stupid to hide anywhere I could actually find her—"

"I agree that your best effort is all I can extract from you."

"What are you going to do with me afterwards?"

"You have not rebelled against my throne. After you assist me in finding the thief, I will have no other rightful claim on you."

"...okay."

"The converse is that if you fail, I can force you again and less gently. With that in mind, you will take five minutes to think of where she will likeliest be, and then you will lead me there directly."

"—wait hold up fail at what?"

"At finding her, of course. Eventually you will either succeed or swear that you have done all you can."

"...okay. Let me think."

"Think," he orders.

There is no wind, but everything from the rocks to the sun distorts and returns to normal as Conquest breathes. The only object to remain completely fixed is Conquest's oversized musket, its bayonet standing as still as its stock. His entire domain is revolving around the fact that he could, if necessary, be fighting at any moment.

Conquest is as dumb as a bag of bricks and understands about as much about incentives as a chimpanzee with Alzheimer's. He makes a show of thinking.

Incentives are for people who can't just use force. Conquest stands and lets Sadde think.

He makes a show of it, but he already knows what he's going to do.

Conquest either falls for it or has no objection to theatrics. He waits a few minutes. "Having considered it, will you try to deny me my right?"

He sighs. "I don't have much of a choice, do I? I don't wanna die or be trapped here and I think she'd disappear in a way I wouldn't be able to find even if I tried."