Master Grenfell scowled. “This is the source you won’t tell us about, Matthew?”

From his seat at Triss’ side, Matthew nodded. “Don’t ask again. It would put my person in a great deal of danger if anyone found out about this.”

Liv poured herself a cup of tea, thinking over what she knew about Matthew’s time at Coral Bay. Despite the fact that her adopted brother was heir to the Duchy of Whitehill, he’d remained at college anyway, to stay with Beatrice. After she’d sworn the guild oath and then become a journeyman, he’d travelled with her around Lucania for two years as a culling mage before returning to Whitehill for their wedding.

When she tried to calculate just how many people, from how many different baronies, Matthew could have befriended during those six years, Liv was quickly overwhelmed by the possibilities. He’d always been charismatic; when they were younger, she’d been annoyed by how often he was the center of attention while she lingered on the fringes of the tavern crowds, ignored.

The truth was that Matthew probably had friends scattered all across the kingdom, and any one of them could be quietly sending him information. Actually, now that she thought about it, Liv realized that they only had his word there was a single spy. Matthew had always been tactically clever, despite his lack of talent for spellcraft, and he understood the use of a feint. She wouldn’t put it past him to have a dozen spies in a dozen noble households, and pass all the information off as coming from a single person out of caution.

“Where it’s coming from isn’t important,” Liv said, breaking back into the conversation once she’d gathered her thoughts. “If Matthew says the Talbots have sided against us, I believe him.” She met her brother’s gaze and inclined her head. They were going to have a private conversation later, someplace she could be certain they wouldn’t be overheard, but she set aside those thoughts for the moment.

“As to Cade -” Liv paused, took a sip of her tea, and tried to sort out her feelings. “That may be my fault. I was the one who broke it off with him, and he left Coral Bay shortly after. His father was always a bit doubtful about the match. And I imagine they’ve had to deal with some uncomfortable questions since Benedict and Genevieve began telling everyone I’m a murderer. I’m not, by the way.” She turned to Professor Every. “Jurian fought Genevieve to give me a chance to get away. I only killed Anson Fane on the way out because he attacked me.”

“Anyone with half a brain knows that,” Every scoffed. “A journeyman killing an archmage? It’s a ridiculous story. Nevermind we all saw the second floor of Blackstone Hall collapse, and it wasn’t ice that did it.”

“Still, you were with the boy for a long time,” Julianne said, reaching across the table to place her hand over Liv’s. “And he did stand by you in Freeport. It would be only natural if you had some unpleasant feelings about this.”

Liv looked down at her cup of tea. Her own shadow, reflecting off the water, drew her thoughts to her memories of a younger Cade, and a younger Liv. The first time she’d seen him on the shore behind Acton House, with the sand between her toes. Dancing during the masque at the royal palace. The taste of wine in their mouths as they kissed in the darkness at High Hall.

“I don’t want to fight him if I can avoid it,” Liv said, finally. “I’d rather not hurt him at all. Just because he wasn’t the right person for me, doesn’t mean I didn’t care for him.” She looked up, and then scanned the faces of the people sitting around the high table, meeting each set of eyes in turn. “But I also won’t be angry if someone else here ends up having to. I’d rather have you all alive than one of you dead because you held back. He chose to stand against us, when he knew we don’t deserve what Benedict is doing. Now, what houses are lined up against us?”

Grenfell opened a blank book - to Liv’s eye, it looked to have come from Gaunt’s, on The Hill. The aging mage traced a finger down one page while he recited names. “House Arundell should be no surprise,” Liv’s former teacher began. “Genevieve’s brother Reginald is the baron, and he’s apparently levied peasants from his lands in addition to calling his knights. Their cadet house, the Fanes, have been levying their farmers as well. Given that you killed the house’s second son, and the strength of their ties to Arundell, predictable.”

“Vefta,” Sidonie noted. “Both of them. Our Elden allies probably don’t have every house’s word memorized.” She nodded to Keri and to Liv’s great-uncle Eilis in turn.”

“Thank you, Master Grenfell, Lady Corbett,” Eilis said. He considered for a moment, and then posed a question. “My lack of familiarity with Lucanian magical practices is going to present difficulties, I can already tell. The soldiers of both these houses will all have practiced Vefta as a primary word, before any secondary training?”

Rose laughed. “My apologies. You’re working off Elden society - Lucania is nothing like that. Only the direct descendents of the house will have magic. None of the knights, and certainly none of the levies.”

“The knights will likely have enchantments, however,” Beatrice clarified. “In the case of Arundell’s Lightning Guard, enchanted horseshoes to accelerate their charge, and sigil’d swords that make their thrusts and cuts faster than the human eye can track. Most human eyes, anyway.”

Eilis blinked. “Wait. You are telling me that the majority of those who will be fighting this war have no magic at all? Not even veteran soldiers?”

“That is correct,” Henry stated.

Liv watched as Keri and Eilis exchanged glances, and then began to smile.

“Just how many of the Elden troops will use magic?” Henry asked. “I understand that it’s more common in the north, but I also wouldn’t expect the best troops to be spared...”

“All of them,” Keri said.

“All of them?” Henry repeated, as if his mind had ground to a halt, though Liv noticed that Matthew was quietly smirking. Henry hadn’t fought Calevis’ troops at the Foundry Rift, she recalled.

Keri nodded. “We imprint every one of our warriors with the word of power of our family,” he explained. “After a few decades of practice and service, it’s fairly common for a veteran soldier to pick up a second word, as well.”

Julianne grinned, and Liv thought her adopted mother looked like a cat who’d just been fed fresh kitchen scraps. “When Lord Eilis told us they were bringing two-hundred warriors, what he meant was two hundred mages.”

“That isn’t all,” Liv broke in. “We’ll have soldiers from House Bælris, House Keria, House Syvä - less than we’d like, because so many of our fighters are in Varuna holding waystones, but it should be...” she trailed off, and looked to Keri for the answer.

“I spoke to your father a bit while you were dealing with the Painted Desert Ruins,” he answered. “Valtteri thought we could spare somewhere between three-hundred and fifty, and four hundred.”

“That’s impossible,” Professor Every said. “That’s half the entire mages guild.”

“When you don’t restrict magic by law,” Liv pointed out, “people learn it. We’re going to have more mages than they are. What other houses do they have, Master Grenfell?”

This text was taken from NovelBin. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“I’ll list them quickly, before we’re distracted again,” her old teacher said. “Erskine; they’re sworn directly to the crown, and we already know Baron Galleron is in the field. The Lord Commander of the army, as they’re calling him, is from House Howe, and they’ve thrown their support in. The Talbots, we already spoke about. The Wards and the Sherards both have recent marriage alliances with the royal family, and they’re both committed. House Seton was a bit of a surprise -”

“No, Arianell was one of the people attached to Genevieve during the Conclave at Coral Bay, and she tried to kill me on my way out,” Liv interrupted. “That makes perfect sense. They’d already taken a side by that point. I’m sorry Master, continue.”

“Most troubling is that both of the remaining dukes have brought the full resources of Courland and Carinthia into the mix,” Grenfell explained. “And the Falkenraths are allowing the army to muster in Courland, just south of the pass. It won’t take them long to get here once the snows clear.”

“They can’t afford not to support the crown,” Julianne said. “Both families come from younger sons of House Loredon, a few generations back. This is expected of them, and there would be serious repercussions if they didn’t back Benedict’s play. But that’s only eleven houses in total. With us and the Crosbies, that means the overwhelming majority of the Lucanian barons are sitting this out entirely.”

“Benedict gave them the excuse himself,” Henry observed. “In return for his centralized army, they no longer have an obligation to answer the call to arms, and they’re taking full advantage of it until they can tell which way things are going to go. If we can hold the southern pass, his support for the war will dry up.”

“That also means that if they have a victory to point to in court,” Matthew pointed out, “we can expect more of the barons to fall in line. They’ll want to win favor with the crown by coming in on the winning side, before the fighting is over.”

“It seems a reasonable time for me to inform everyone to expect a contingent of Corbett troops by waystone sometime in the next few days,” Sidonie broke in. Everyone turned to look at her, and she smiled, then adjusted her spectacles. “I wasn’t just learning about rifts in Al’Fenthia, Liv. I was also practicing with Cei. Master Grenfell was kind enough to send along that book of spells, remember? I enchanted a new dreamstone and arranged with Saana tär Taavetti to have it shipped to my father, so that I could speak with him. It won’t be much - he’s had to be very quiet about it, so that no one notices and reports to Benedict. But he’s coming with his knights.”

“I’ll send a bird to the waystone to make certain they’re welcomed and brought straight to us here, as soon as they arrive,” Henry said. “Though we’re quickly straining the limits of this castle.”

“I had a thought about that, actually,” Liv said. “My father’s house is standing empty at the moment. I’m certain he wouldn’t mind if we used it to house people - especially if you could spare Basil to head over there and organize everything?”

“Two stewards in one home is too much, anyway,” Duchess Julianne said. “Even if they are thick as thieves. I’ll send him over once we’re finished here. Henry, Mathew, what are our next steps?”

“With the Elden houses - and the Corbett’s - on their way, we have to continue to focus construction on the southern pass,” Henry said. “We need barracks so that the troops we station there aren’t freezing in the snow. As much as I want to reinforce the waygate, Liv’s stopgap is going to have to be enough for now.”

“I want to hunt down Galleron Erskine,” Liv spoke up. “We can’t expect our people to support us if he’s burning farms and hanging farmers all across the valley.”

“While that is true,” Baron Henry admitted, “it isn’t the best use of your time, Liv.”

“I think saving people’s lives is fairly important,” she shot back.

“Of course it is. That’s not what I mean. Matthew?” Henry turned to his son.

Matthew leaned back in his chair, raising his one remaining hand to rub at the shoulder where he’d lost an arm beneath Bald Peak. Liv wondered if he even realized he was doing it. “A lot of leadership is delegation, Liv. You’ve already put Wren on it. Trust her, and give her the support she needs to succeed. You know how to hunt and track, but you aren’t the only one around who can do that, are you?”

Liv opened her mouth, stopped herself, and then actually thought through what he was saying. “Emma and Kale Forester.”

Henry nodded. “Exactly. When Wren returns, we’ll pull together what scouts and hunters we can find to go on the hunt with her. I know you’ve been at college, and then fighting your way through rifts. They’ve trained you to lead a small group of mages in direct combat, and that’s good. It’s going to serve you well. But now that you’re back here, you’re also second in line to inherit the duchy, during a time of war. You need to begin learning how to think like it.”

“Let me go with Wren,” Keri said. “I’ve spent the last two decades hunting the Cult of Ractia all across the north, and my soldiers are trained to root out people who don’t want to be found. There’s no one else around better suited to kicking in the doors of cellars or raiding mountain caves.”

“Lord Inkeris, then, along with his chosen men, and our own Foresters, will accompany Wren to put an end to the raiding,” Duchess Julianne said, and it was decided.

“I’ll go south to take command at the pass,” Henry said. “It was one thing when we were just building, but all of the allied forces that come to join us are going to end up camping there until the assault comes. I’ve got to be there to turn all of those individual commanders into a functioning unit.”

“I will accompany you, if you will have me, Baron Henry,” Liv’s great-uncle said. “I want to get a look at the wall your people have built, and the terrain. We can speak more of how to integrate our forces, as well.”

“You would be welcome, Lord Eilis,” Henry said, inclining his head to the Elden man in a sign of respect. “Matthew, that leaves you in command here at Whitehill.”

Matthew glanced at his mother, and it was Julianne who answered his silent question. “I know politics and magic. Logistics and strategy are a different matter entirely, and you’ve been learning from your father since we realized this was coming. I’ll be relying on you to organize the incoming forces as they march from the waystone. On top of all that, you should remain here with your wife.”

Triss pushed her chair back and left the hall.

“How is she?” Liv asked Matthew, who shook his head.

“We’ll speak about it when we’re done here,” her brother promised.

Liv sighed. “What should I be doing, then?” she asked. “I’m not just going to sit here and wait for flood season.”

“You should be doing something that no one else can do,” Henry said.

“You have imprinted more words of power than anyone else at this table,” Master Grenfell explained. “And we have to expect that at some point, we’re going to have to deal with an archmage. The most valuable thing you can do right now, Liv, is to let Professor Every and I teach you. Neither one of us is an Archmage ourselves, but we know more about how to get there than you do.”

“I’m a journeyman,” Liv protested. “I don’t feel like I’ve mastered my Authority yet - not enough to face down Ractia, anyway. I’m not going to become an archmage in a matter of months.” There had to be something useful she could do beyond just going back to a classroom.

"And it isn't your responsibility," Julianne broke in. "It's mine. Leave her to me." Grenfell and Every exchanged an uncomfortable look.

In the silence that followed, Liv reached down into the pocket of her dress, beneath the leather skirting of her armor. She wrapped her fingers around a band of silver, pulled it out, and then set the crown from the Tomb of Celris down on the high table.

“This,” she said. “This is the key of Celris. With this I can take control of Bald Peak rift, and the waystone. I can make certain that Ractia can’t cause us an eruption at the least convenient time, and I can lock access to the waystone out for everyone but our allies.”

She turned to Rose. “And if you’re willing to help me, you can build actual, lasting fortifications there, just in case someone does manage to sneak through and try to take the waystone or the mines.”

“I’ve only had Stai for a few days,” Rosamund pointed out.

“All the more reason to let you practice,” Liv said. “You heard Baron Henry. All of his builders are going to be occupied at the pass, but we can’t leave the waystone undefended, and my ice will melt come spring no matter what.”

“Good,” Henry said. “Now you’re thinking strategically. Take a few days to rest and recover, both of you, and then head up to Bald Peak and see what you can do.”

“Will you come with us, Sidonie?” Liv asked.

“At least to get you started,” her friend replied, after a moment. “But I have a few ideas to discuss with Master Grenfell and Professor Every, as well, so I may ride back once I’ve helped you get a beginning.”

“I’ll go along with you,” Lia Every declared.

Grenfell nodded. “I need to remain here,” he explained, “where my dream-stones are, so that I can pass on intelligence to Lady Julianne and Matthew as soon as I have it. But someone does need to teach you what we know, Liv, and Lia can do it as well as I can.”

Julianne stood up. “We’re finished for the moment, then,” she declared. “Everyone has their immediate tasks to handle. I’ll send a messenger to the Foresters, and we’ll have Basil over to Valtteri’s manor to begin preparing guest rooms there. Matthew, help your father and Lord Eilis get ready for the trip south. Lord Inkeris, I expect you’ll want to meet the Foresters, as you’ll be working with them.”

“Get to work,” the Duchess of Whitehill told them. “We have until the pass is clear to get ready for war, and I don’t want a wasted moment.”