“That’s comforting,” Rachel said.
“I did not expect deception from her. Esmira had an impeccable reputation. But I was aware of the potentially devastating consequences that could arise from even the smallest untruth. We were in a predicament where any degree of wishful thinking could have led us down a futile and deadly path. During my interview and when she issued the prophecy, I scrutinized both her demeanor and her mind. I am satisfied that the prophecy is authentic.”
“Could Maldor have deceived her?” Rachel asked. “Could he have used torivors to plant a false prophecy?”
“The Temple of Mianamon is heavily shielded against mental intrusion,” Galloran explained. “And perhaps no place in Lyrian is better insulated than the chamber where she gave us the prophecy. I sensed no torivors in our vicinity at any time after I won the duel at the Last Inn. Furthermore, even had torivors been granted access to Esmira, they would not have been able to confuse an oracle of her quality.”
Rachel sighed. The responses made sense. But she still couldn’t relax. “If she was so powerful, couldn’t the oracle have guarded her mind against you knowing she was lying?”
“Possibly,” Galloran admitted, “though I don’t believe she would have been so foolish as to trust a bargain with Maldor.”
“What if he meant it?” Rachel persisted. “What if Maldor doesn’t care about the jungle? What if he promised to leave it alone if she helped him? What if she looked into the future and saw that he would really do it? What if she saw that the rest of Lyrian was lost either way, but that deceiving us would at least save the children of Certius?”
“You have really thought this through,” Galloran said.
“Is there a chance I’m right?”
Galloran paused before answering. “I suppose there is a chance.”
“Doesn’t it fit what Maldor would do? Doesn’t it seem like what he did with the Word?”
“It does. I just don’t believe Esmira would stoop to dealing with Maldor under any circumstances. And I don’t believe the emperor would offer to spare the jungle. Not in sincerity. His objective is total domination. He is certainly in position to achieve it. He did not need her help to defeat us.”
“He didn’t need the Word, either,” Rachel argued. “He just likes to experiment with better ways to control everybody. He likes finding easier ways to win. He likes getting his enemies to destroy themselves.”
“I see how this must have been eating at you,” Galloran said. “You describe a plausible scenario.”
“I’m worried that he’s controlling us,” Rachel said. “What if he’s using your faith in the prophecy against you?”
“It’s possible,” Galloran conceded. “But what if our faith is the only attribute that can save us? What if your fear of Maldor is making you imagine a conspiracy where none exists?”
“That’s the problem,” Rachel said. “I’m not sure I’m right. But a fake prophecy makes lots of sense. If I knew I was right, I’d make everyone listen. But I’m not sure. Not a hundred percent. I can’t be sure. I have no proof. There probably wouldn’t be any proof.”
“If it is any consolation, I cannot be absolutely sure either,” Galloran said. “We can seldom be utterly certain about any choice.”
“I could live with having only a small chance of victory,” Rachel said. “I could handle the fact that we would probably lose. If our decision were between a small chance and no chance, I agree, we take the small chance. But I’m having a hard time dealing with the possibility that our small chance of winning might be based on a lie.”
“If the prophecy proved to be erroneous, do we have a better road to travel?”
“We could live longer,” Rachel said. “Who knows what other options we might discover? If the prophecy is a lie, there might be some other way to beat Maldor that we haven’t noticed. Some hidden vulnerability. There might not be just this one crazy path the oracle showed us. Like with the Word, the prophecy could be a distraction from better ways to reach our goal.”
“I’m not sure what vulnerability that could be,” Galloran said. “Many of us, including the wise among the Amar Kabal, have sought such a weakness for decades. Maldor just keeps getting stronger. In truth, I was concerned that the oracle would see no road to victory. But she did. And so I am trying to walk it.”
Rachel did not respond. She had tried for days to imagine a possible vulnerability but had come up with nothing. This moment was no different.
“I could send you home,” Galloran said, breaking the silence.
“What?”
“We’re marching to Felrook with an army. We have Ferrin. Whatever perils await us, I’m sure we could smash the defenses protecting the portal to your world.”
“But wouldn’t that mess up the prophecy?” Rachel asked. “We have to stand united. That doesn’t sound united.”
“If you aren’t committed to this course of action, we won’t be united. In that case, I would rather see somebody survive. I never meant to force you to help us.”
Rachel thought about it. Galloran was right. He could probably send her home. She hadn’t considered the option. But what about Jason? What about everyone? Was she really willing to give up? Did she really think the prophecy was false? She had worried that Galloran had been deluded, but he had clearly thought this through at least as deeply as she had. Were her misgivings just a product of her nervousness?
“I feel lost,” Rachel finally said.
“Doubts can be that way,” Galloran said. “Once they take hold, they can seem very real.”
“What if they are real?” Rachel fretted.
“If there were no chance they could be real, the doubts would hold no power.”
“Don’t you have doubts? What do you do? Ignore them? How do you deal with them?”
Galloran rubbed his mouth and chin. “When I have doubts about a decision, I search for a better alternative. In this situation I see none. The only alternatives are different versions of waiting to be conquered. My next step is to examine the reasons I have to believe. I am confident that Esmira was a true oracle. I am confident that she would not have dealt with Maldor. I did everything in my power to verify the truthfulness of her words and came away satisfied. If I find my reasons satisfactory, I cast aside my doubts and proceed. Show me proof that my doubts are real, and I would feel differently. Show me a better alternative, and I would reevaluate my position.”