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"But you came to us You’re the one who needed a deal"

She shook her head "No, I didn’t need one I merely wanted one, and Mr Fowler made it easy for me I don’t require your clemency any more than I require your affection or respect My time and my money are my own, and I’ve never needed per now"

"So why, then? What ga at?" he asked, deterame I always play, and I alin" She leaned back in the Secretary of State’s oversized chair It made her look small, almost childlike

Grant reminded himself that it was an illusion "What are you so afraid of?" he asked her

"Afraid?"

"Only the frightened are so hungry for power"

"Oh," she said, appearing to consider this "I see You think I’ainst the coae The economics of warfare are a perfect fit"

"For a woman?"

Her eyebrows tensed into so very close to a frown "For me It’s not my fault you fellows are so reluctant to let us play Worried you’ll be beaten by a lady, I expect"

"That’s got nothing to do with it" The protest sounded a bit weak, even in his own head "I’ bested by you, or anyone else"

"You ought to be You won’t be president er, Mr Grant What power you have, you’ve squandered You’ve passed it off to men who are weaker than you, but quicker and cleverer And you’re reaping the rewards already Their cried prettily, wickedly "Perhaps you’re comfortable with that For all I know, it’s the most useful truth you learned in the army--how the man on top is the one who takes the blame Tell me, do you think that’s why you were allowed to becoranted it by the voters"

"Whatever you prefer to tell yourself, sir But if you think for ato do with your appointment, then you know less about how the world works than I thought"

Gruffly, he laughed "The world is a battlefield, Miss Haymes And I clawed my way to commander in chief because I am the best at what I do"

"You were shoved into the role by people ished to norance"

"You don’t know anything aboutas I have"

She sighed, as if this whole conversation had gone beyond the tedious and he wasabout one another, and this is all one great ether"

"Don’t say that like you planned it, because we both know you didn’t" He aluess or infer a great nus about her; he knew her kind But he didn’t want to tip that hand, or give her anything else to refute

"Of course I did You sent your secretary after Deshed, but he’s too greedy, too excited that you were offering hiht be up to so"

He still didn’t believe her "But it occurred to you"

"It’s a sioodie, as they say Magicians do it all the time: Distract the audience with one hand, so they ic tricks, do you?"

"Very ician when I was a child My father told ician That was the first tiht?"

"Oh, no He was entirely wrong I hated him because I was too weak to prove it at the tirant that I have indeed become a Mistress of Illusion, after a fashion"

Grant didn’t like where this was going "And what audience have you spellbound lately? What illusions did you perform while they were distracted?"

She pursed her shapely lips in a s else instead … some unkind, happy trait that e, Mr President, not a battlefield I believe the Bard would have my back on that one And if I told you how the trick worked, I’d be a terrible ician who perforht then," she said crossly--but lightly, as if her irritation was feigned She wanted to be asked She wanted to answer "By way of throwing you a bone … you agreed to my amnesty because you believed I needed it Poppycock! Utter illusion, from start to finish"

"Is that so? Then what do you really need?"