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Lynnette noticed that the Queen never mentioned anything about Hector’s whereabouts or the fact that she was giving him the Gray Warren. Whenever someone asked where he was now, she would plainly refuse to answer, saying instead that he was well and would no doubt return to keeping people safe very soon. Hector would probably appreciate that, Lynnette thought.

The omissions didn’t stop there, however. There were several things that the Queen never told the press. She said nothing of her own powers as a servant, attributing all her success in the past conflict to her subordinates. She never even brought up the existence of reapers in the first place--nor that of aberrations, Abolish, or the Vanguard. No doubt, the Queen felt these things would not only complicate the public narrative but also prove dangerous.

As for the origins of the Darksteel Soldier’s superhuman abilities, that was actually not much of an issue for the press. Everyone already knew that powerful individuals existed in the world, so the Queen could get away with saying that Hector was simply born with his gifts. Even before Hector and Abolish had started making waves in Atreya, everyone had heard the ominous stories from abroad about terrible wars among the international superpowers, about their soldiers of insurmountable strength. It was always a kind of muted, distant tale, one that people told each other with an awful sense of hopeful doubt and weary helplessness. It was an unassailable constant, one that people simply learned to live with. Because there was no other choice. The world was big and frightening. There was no changing that.

Lynnette knew that she couldn’t claim to be much different, herself. And after everything that had happened over these past few months, it seemed obvious to her that Atreya was still in immense danger. The immediate threat might have been gone, but the country was still in a state of flux, and the bigger perils out there now seemed even more imposing.

And behind closed doors, Lynnette could tell that Her Highness thought so, too.