“It just doesn’t make sense, why would you want to scare one of your own soldiers?” John questioned.

Jane sighed at her brother. How many times do I have to bloody say it?

“Nearly every Delrusian believes that the Queen is dead, rather than simply gone. That rumour spread like wildfire – there’s nothing I can do about it.”

The knight gave her an odd look. “Can’t we just tell them abo-”

The General interrupted her brother. “Tell them about the system? And users? About how Angus can make tea out of thin air? Or how things pass through you like you’re not even there? Would you have believed any of this was possible, before?”

“Well, not really.” John started. “But what’s that got to do with terrorising that poor soldier?”

Jane forced her irritation down. Calm, Jane. Stay calm – John’s just a bit slow. He’ll get it this time! Be positive!

“For people to work together, there has to be a major… cause, a motivator, an issue. The problem that united my forces, was the Queen. She was our common enemy, hated by all. Now that she’s gone, it won’t be long before problems start cropping up. At first, it’ll be something small, like squabbling, and it will eventually progress to full-blown infighting and collapse.”

Her brother squinted at her. “And you made us terrify that man because…?”

“I need to give Delruse a new motivator, before it collapses, John! What we did to my soldier was to make us seem… more mysterious. If they think that we can do the impossible, who would even want to overthrow us? And who better to protect you, than the unexplainably strong? They already think of me as just, fair and honourable – if we reinforce that opinion with mystique and just a touch of fear, we can unite Delruse!”

After a moment, John nodded. “I think I understand now. Thank you, for explaining.”

“Good.” She smiled. It’s so obvious that you don’t. “Now, let’s go deal with these nobles, shall we?”