Bully for Rune if he can learn complicated games and so forth in seconds, but I am not some god to learn so quickly. And does he genuinely think that someone who did could beat someone who had been playing for years. He has eaten into the stock of good opinion I had been building on him by implying so. At least Tobias and Xandra agree with me regarding this. And, surprisingly, Legion too. Perhaps he is not entirely lacking after all.
As for generalship, no. I may have led a few of Alakhan's gang in burglaries, but no more. And those were hardly a military campaign! Quite the reverse in fact, when getting into a fight would have got the patrols there that much more quickly.
And Xandra is right. As much as I might wish to know what everyone else can do, and despite Simon's spilling some beans earlier, if our enemies can extract that information from us - and one way or another I have no doubt they can - then as she says, it is better we do not know for certain. Though of course I am sure we all suspect the others abilities.
Having the man in charge, at least, know who can do what seems like a sensible compromise, though, Too sensible to object to, though I do not know if the others would agree. Too sensible not to do, even if I suspect it will involve more rummaging around in others heads. And mine.
Also, to be honest, I do not see how Rune - or anyone - will be able to judge our skills from our thoughts alone. Because one's thoughts are strong, I must be strong too? How would that work? Perhaps we are simply supposed to tell him, privately. That makes more sense, if so. One more item on the 'we shall see' list, I suppose.
Hmmm. I cannot help but get the impression that Legion thinks of us all as Rune's underlings and as such not worth his while to talk to when our glorious leader is available. Well, of course Rune is clearly the only one of us up there on the same elevated plane as Legion. I do look forward to the day when Legion is disabused of that attitude, and hope I am there to watch it happen. Or have the opportunity to deliver said disabusal.
And no matter how good a general he is, I am not having an arse like Legion giving me orders. Suggestions, perhaps. Orders? No.
I can see that this is another adjustment I shall have to make to being here in Amber. Being tied to a place. Before, in Timashkurabad, if we - I - were in a threatened place, or had to move for some other reason, then we did. No hesitation. No regrets. But here, no matter how ... convenient ... it might be to plan - as Willhelm thinks our enemies are doing - somewhere where time is fast, we might, as he says, return to find them in control of this place. Of the Pattern (though if they are so powerful I cannot help wondering what we could do to stop them if they decided to simply take it regardless of our presence). And so, here we must sit. I cannot say I really like it, though...
I hope we all agree with Rayner that Simon is our best choice to lead Amber's forces. Rayner's argument for his being so is rather compelling. Which makes it rather a pity that we seem to have just lost him. It almost serves him right, disappearing off on his own like that when we have been talking of little else but how dangerous the situation is at present. Almost. But not quite. Despite Simon's various ... faux pas ... today, he is still someone I consider a friend, and it would be a terrible shame for his head to be delivered to us in a box. I hope this group Trump Willhelm has suggested will allow us to retrieve him without further ado.