Page 139 of Of Masks and Fury

I stored the information. Said nothing.

“We could use that,” Coralee said, her eyes sparking with interest.

“The tunnels may be sealed or collapsed now, but if they’re not…” Naveah shrugged, her expression thoughtful. “If they exist, this could be a way in and out, assuming the prisoners are healthy enough to crawl through them.”

“Stay with me after the others leave,” I told her. “We’ll discuss this in detail.”

I’d speak with her alone. The less information the others had, the less chance something could be reported back to Caldrith or whoever was controlling the Skathes.

I looked around the table. “So we’ll free the prisoners. We’ll offer them sanctuary. Meanwhile, we’ll prepare for war.”

“War.” Coralee’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re certain Cyril will carry through with this?”

“I saw the preparations myself. Three battalions. Supply trains. Battle plans.” The fury I’d been containing ground through my voice.

Coralee scoffed, her ermine chittering. “Let him come. We have fierce companions. Magic. They murder anyone who possesses it. What does he think he can truly accomplish against us?”

“They have numbers,” I said. “Caldrith’s population is much larger than ours. What magic can’t overcome, sheer force of will might. Don’t underestimate the power of a kingdom united by fear and hatred.”

The sobering truth settled over the room like a shroud.

“We need a solid strategy,” Malcolm said, his training instincts taking over. “Defense points, supply lines, and troop rotations. If they’re coming, we need to be ready.”

“Agreed.” I delegated tasks swiftly. Grayson would coordinate scouts with the generals and the Beast Council. Coralee would inventory supplies, though she hesitated on rationing, her eyes narrowing as she nodded. Malcolm would map defense points, and Naveah would ensure we had enough weapons for the upcoming battle.

“If Cyril is marching with three battalions, it could reach our doorstep,” Malcolm said. “The question is whether we meet him at the border or fall back to more defensible positions. The wasteland won’t be easy for an army to cross. It takes a special skill, one we’vehoned over the years. My family lives near the passes. They’d be hit first.”

“We’ll pull those in the villages back. Hide them. The terrain favors us.” I mentally mapped the northern approaches. “We have narrow passes, high ground, and natural choke points. If we position our magic users strategically, we could hold them indefinitely.”

A smile slipped past Coralee’s usually stoic exterior. “We’ll force them to attack uphill through passages our dragons can strafe. Make every clek they advance cost them dearly.”

“They’ll have numbers,” Grayson said. “If they’re willing to throw bodies at us, even our magic-wielders and companions will find this a challenge.” He paused, his gaze sharpening. “Could Kira’s delay relate to these controllers?”

I worried about that myself. Silverstream was too close to the Skathe line.

“Let’s see what we discover,” I said, answering him about Kira. “As for the advance on the north, we’ll make them regret it. We’ll show them exactly why kingdoms don’t wage war against Syllavar.”

Motion caught my attention through Gavelle’s eyes. I let my consciousness slip sideways again, looking through my companion’s vision.

Nia strode through the library, her expression stormy. She went straight for the table where Isi sat. Kerralyn’s head snapped up, her face going pale. Nia stomped right over and stood beside Kerralyn, glaring.

Their heated conversation was too distant for Gavelle to hear clearly, but Nia’s gestures were sharp and accusatory. Kerralyn rose from her chair, her posture defensive. Isi and Lexie got up and shifted closer, flanking Kerralyn. Derren pulled his blade, though he kept it low by his side.

Whatever Nia said next made Kerralyn’s expression crumple. Then harden. She shook her head, and Nia’s face flushed with anger. The woman gave Isi and Lexie a snarl before she spun on her heel and stormed from the library.

Isi squeezed Kerralyn’s shoulder. The younger woman sank back into her chair, and Isi returned to the table, settling beside Lexie.

My hands had gone flat on the council table.

I pulled my attention back to the room, where Malcolm was mid-sentence about defensive positions, and I hadn’t heard a word of it. My jaw ached from clenching. Derren had drawn a blade in my library, where my future queen sat researching while I sat too many corridors away, unable to move without alerting every advisor at this table that something was wrong.

This was what divided command felt like. Half my mind running war strategy with people I didn’t fully trust, the other half watching through borrowed eyes while the woman I loved got flanked by someone with fury on their face.

I’d seen Nia train warriors twice her size into the ground. I’d watched her reduce grown men to nothing with words alone. Whatever she’d said to make Kerralyn’s face crumple like that hadn’t been a reprimand about missed practice sessions.

Isi and Lexie had moved without hesitation to flank Kerralyn. Our friends closing ranks.

Good. But it shouldn’t have been necessary.