"Problems that seem simple at first glance often turn out to be trickier at second or third."

"Yep."

"The war of Night and Day has been going on since this world was made, and I am very, very tired of it. But ending it will not be a simple task."

"Is it just a matter of the army not being likely to cooperate? You don't seem to have standard chains of command, admittedly, but they're your army, you could probably shuffle them around some."

She tilts her head thoughtfully and regards May from across the very long room.

"No," she says, after a pause. "It is not just that."

"What else?"

Another considering pause.

"What theories does the evidence suggest?"

"I'm not really sure how best to extrapolate from the characteristics of a magical dualist Canadian-kidnapping flatland and I'm also not sure why you're asking me."

"I'm interested in your perspective," she says. "New perspectives are often very valuable."

"Is that why even though outworlders show up every few centuries or so everyone still knows to bring them to you earliest convenience?"

"It's among the reasons, yes. I also find that sometimes they have trouble adjusting. Everyone else in my Kingdom is as well provided for as I can manage; I would like to be able to offer guests as much, and I can't do that if I don't know they're here."

"You keep implying I'm here temporarily; is that so?"

"It's sometimes possible for outworlders to return to Earth."

"Sometimes?"

"I would not be confident in saying it's always possible. More outworlders land in the Kingdom of Day than here, and the news of those that reaches north is often scant. And some of my own visitors chose to stay."

Nod. "- why do you want to have this conversation privately?"

"Because it's possible I might discuss matters with you that my subjects should not hear."

"Why?"

"Outworlders have a capacity to affect this world beyond any person from within it," she says. "If you tried, you could win this war for whichever side you chose. It would not be easy, but it would be possible in a way that it ordinarily is not. But it seems that instead you would prefer a ceasefire. As it happens, so would I."

"...oh good. Uh, how do I have that capacity, what-all can I do?"

"It's not easy to explain," she says. "And in some ways it can be harder to use once you know how it works, unless you happen to be very good at directing your own mind."

"How does the kidnapping vortex pick people."

"If there are worlds other than Earth, it doesn't seem to draw from them; it never chooses anyone less than eight years old or more than sixteen; and it has a moderately strong preference for the northern hemisphere. Besides that, I haven't detected any firm patterns. Why do you ask?"

"'Cause I'm really good at that."

"As far as I know, that is probably a coincidence. But it is promising to hear," she says. "The clearest example I have is how visitors can use their power to leave, because I've helped them do it many times. Do you want the explanation, even though if you are wrong about how easily you can adjust, you might find it much more difficult to go home once you've heard it?"