“Thank you all for coming,” Clía said, greeting them. Her tone was one befitting a royal banquet rather than a cluttered storage room.
Draoi Griffin smiled at her. “It’s nice to see you again, Fionnáin. I must admit, I was beginning to miss your presence in the halls.”
Clía smiled back. “I’m sorry to have disappeared so unexpectedly, but I only followed Kordislaen’s orders. Although I do admit, I didn’t follow them well.”
“Yes, his ‘orders.’” Griffin nodded. “He failed to inform us of his decision until it was already done. I would have fought to keep you here.”
“Well, now I’m asking you to fight for something else,” she said, deftly maneuvering the conversation. Ronan understood her motive. The other two warriors didn’t know her well, and there was no reason for them to want her to stay. She couldn’t risk losing the help of Head Commander Brecc or the good opinion of Commander Duinn. This was no time to get sidetracked.
Griffin leaned forward. “Care to explain a little more?”
Clía jumped right in. “Kordislaen is a spy. He’s working for Tinelann, and there’s reason to believe they will target Caisleán Cósta.”
When she looked at Ronan, he saw complete faith in her eyes. She knew he would find the information they needed. Was that what Niamh whispered to her when he first arrived in the room? Or was that simply Clía’s own belief in him?
“How do you expect us to believe you?” asked Duinn, her voice coiled, ready to spring.
“I don’t. I expect you to believe him.” She nodded to Ronan. He stiffened. “He’s seen their camp. He knows their plans.”
Duinn’s expression was cold. “Captain, is this true?”
“Yes, sir.” Ronan rolled his shoulders back. “I was there. They’re planning to stage a full attack here, and after we’re defeated, use this keep as their base in their war against Scáilca. I got sight of his numbers and his weapons, and I know how the attack will be organized. And he wasn’t working alone. He has allies in Caisleán, ready to watch it fall.” He could only hope none of those allies were in this room with him, but he had to trust Clía and Niamh’s choices in whom to alert. Nevertheless, he silently prayed for the gods’ benevolence.
“When?” Brecc asked.
Ronan looked at the gathered group. “As early as tomorrow.”
Silence fell over them.
Griffin was the first to break it. “Tell us everything.”
***
“IFTINELANN IS THE THREAT YOU SAY IT IS, WHAT DO YOUsuggest we do?” Griffin asked, after nearly an hour of questioning, looking between Clía, Niamh, and Ronan.
“We need to gather the troops,” Clía replied. “Arm everyone who can fight, but let the rest evacuate to the nearest town. We can’t guarantee their safety here. Perhaps send some warriors to escort them, but not many. With our numbers, we have no one to spare.”
Brecc nodded. “I’ll arrange that.”
“Are we really leaving the planning to these inexperienced children?” Duinn asked, incredulous.
Clía stood taller. “No one is asking you to—we only wanted to share our knowledge and help however we can. Although I think it might be good to remember that thesechildreninclude two Inismian nobles, two royals, and the youngest captain Scáilca has seen, who happens to also be Kordislaen’s own protégé. We’re not without our uses.”
A tense silence filled the room. Ronan couldn’t help the pride and relief that filled him as Clía didn’t back down from Duinn’s stare.
Finally, Duinn spoke. “We’ll accept your help.”
Domhnall, who had remained quiet throughout the meeting, took this moment to speak. “We’ll need to secure all of the hidden escape routes. Are there ways to do that efficiently?”
Griffin shook his head. “We may be able to barricade them, but if they know about the secret entrances, it’ll be a challenge to secure each one. The only other option would be to collapse them, but then you risk damaging the upper parts of the castle.”
“Then have warriors barricade them, but have them be prepared to collapse the tunnels if need be. We can’t let them have the castle,” Ronan said. “If we can’t hold them off, this keep will give them an advantage in a war. No matter the cost, they will not take Caisleán Cósta.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
They slept in shifts that night.
There were no issues mobilizing troops to prepare for battle after swaying the three current leaders of Caisleán to their side. Still, time wasnoton their side, so sleep would be scarce.
