Juno left the broken branch visible.
The official who had asked about withdrawal put his finger on it. Around the table, the human and dungeon representatives stood close enough to read the diagram without passing it from one authority to another. The ceasefire had protected this conversation. It had not made anyone a contributor.
“If one site withdraws while the next is under strain,” the official said, “what fills this?”
“At present, I haven’t solved that sudden gap.”
“Then they cannot withdraw at that moment.”
Juno looked up.
“They must be able to stop giving.”
“You’ve drawn a network. A network depends on its other parts.”
