"Until now." I gesture to Emir, who steps forward with fresh maps. "The Fae forces have already crossed our borders. They'll engage along the western front while our shadow legions strike from the north and east."
"The Fae," Lady Asena says slowly, her earlier hostility tempered by cautious interest. "You secured an alliance with the Fae while you were... trapped."
"Queen Morwenna and I came to an understanding," I reply. "She provides warriors. I provide concessions. The details are less important than the result."
"Yet, they have completely ignored every tactical suggestion I've made," Emir adds dryly. "Their captain laughed when I mentioned coordinated formations. Apparently we 'mayfly generals think in straight lines.' We'll need to... adjust our expectations of Fae cooperation."
"So we have unreliable allies to compensate for an unreliable lord," Lord Kaya observes with acid sweetness.
I smile, cold and sharp. "We have allies who will fight. Whether they take orders is secondary to whether they kill Light Court soldiers. And they will. Enthusiastically."
"A three-pronged attack," Lord Kaya observes, studying the maps despite his resentment. "With only two loyal provinces, we don't have the forces for three fronts."
"We do with Fae reinforcements," I counter. "The eastern front will be entirely Fae warriors—let them fight their own way there. Our shadow legions hold the north and west."
"But the Light Court's fortress is impenetrable," Lady Asena points out. "Even with Fae reinforcements?—"
"It's impenetrable because of their essence-linked crystal network," I interrupt, tracing a line across the map. "Destroy their communication relays, and their entire defensive system collapses."
"How did you discover this?" she asks, leaning forward.
"Let's just say our time in the Veil was... informative," I reply with a dark smile. "Queen Morwenna's intelligence on the Light Court's defenses is particularly thorough. Their defensesdepend on coordination. Disrupt that coordination, and even their strongest wards fall."
Lord Kaya crosses his arms. "And you expect us to believe you spent two months gathering intelligence instead of?—"
"Instead of what, Lord Kaya?" My voice drops to something dangerous. "Say it. Finish that thought."
He pales slightly but holds his ground. "Instead of prioritizing your personal affairs over the realm."
"Mypersonal affairs," I repeat softly, "prevented a curse from tearing holes between our realm and the Veil. The reality tears spreading in the north? Those would have been everywhere. Consuming everything. But please, continue to question my priorities."
The two lords exchange uncertain glances. They want to stay angry, but the mention of the reality tears gives them pause.
I gesture to the map where Emir has marked three key points. "Seven elite shadow assassins will target these relay points simultaneously. Without their communication network, the Light Court's battalions will be isolated—unable to coordinate their magical defenses or share intelligence."
"Seven assassins," Lady Asena says quietly. "From two provinces. We'll be sending nearly every elite operative we have left."
"Yes," I acknowledge. "This is everything we have. Everything you have. I'm asking you to gamble it all on this one strike."
"And if it fails?" Lord Kaya asks.
"Then the Shadow Court falls, and you can tell yourself you were right not to trust me," I reply bluntly. "But if it succeeds, we take back everything we lost and more."
"Finesse strikes rather than brute force," Lady Asena observes. "But Light Court wards would detect shadow magic instantly."
"Which is why we won't be using conventional shadow techniques," Emir explains, unveiling seven onyx daggers, each carved with runes that glow faintly blue. "Queen Morwenna sent these with her vanguard yesterday—shadow keys that bypass magical detection. A... supplementary gift to our alliance, she called it."
I study the daggers with interest. Leave it to the Fae Queen to provide tools we didn't know we needed. "She created these herself?"
"According to her messenger, yes. Apparently she's been experimenting with shadow magic for centuries." Emir's expression is carefully neutral. "The queen seems to have taken a rather personal interest in ensuring our mission succeeds."
"Or in ensuring we're properly indebted to her," I observe dryly. "Either way, they serve our purpose."
Understanding dawns on both lords' faces as they grasp the elegance of the plan. Finesse over power. Disruption rather than destruction.
"Once the relay points are disabled, our main forces attack from three sides simultaneously," Emir concludes. "The Light Court will be exposed, their coordination shattered, caught between Fae warriors and shadow legions."
"It's bold," Lady Asena admits grudgingly. "But Lord Taren is no fool. He'll have contingencies."
