When everyone is seated, Selenia begins the meeting and explains what news the High Ladies of Noirbré and Barriaen received today. The Table shows enthusiasm, of course, and against myself, I smile as well.

"The reinforcements ask for further instruction as they come closer to the city, and I intend to release a message their way by the end of the day. As such, I hope to gain new perspectives and multiple insights from my Table Arbitrate and Honorary Court members." She spreads her hands. "I open the matter for discussion."

"My Queen," I say. She looks at me. "If I may, I have information to impart."

She gestures. "By all means, Prince Astraeus."

I wince lightly at the name and hope to stars that no one at the Table is close enough to tell. I face the room. "I received a vision." In the tiered seats, people lean forward, but the Table is a little more composed. "Please understand that the visions always warn of some tragedy to come, that we may attempt to avoid it or prepare for its effects." Not that someone successfully stopping a vision has ever been written of.

People nod, tense, and I continue. "I saw our reinforcements charging the Kadranians from behind. But the blood of Jacqueline did not reveal to me what, exactly, would befall our people."

No one speaks, the mood immediately darkened by my comments.

After a moment, Irrianet says, "What, so the reinforcements are not allowed to attack the Kadranians? I think that defeats the point of reinforcements."

I shake my head. "The Kadranians were attacking the wall when the reinforcements fell upon them. Any other situation should allow us to circumvent the vision." With such a proclamation, I realize some hope myself. So long as the savages aren't already at battle when the others arrive, the vision won't come true, and whatever catastrophe is coming won't.

After a long moment, Selenia says, "Honorary Court—do we know when your forces will arrive?" I hold back a smile that she refused to pick one to address.

Riszev's aunt speaks up, accent thick and awkward. With all of Retra's harsh v's, s's, and throaty k's, she sounds like a lisping cat. "After engagement last night, I send bird to our army. They come when they get it."

Selenia nods. "Then the message should arrive by morning. After that, it will take roughly seventeen days for the army to travel from the border to the edge of the city."

Aselle leans forward. "Are you suggesting that we ask the reinforcements to wait until the Retran army is here?"

The Queen smiles at her, but the expression is disconcertingly cold. "I'm just gathering as much information for us as possible. Why, Lady Aselle?" Her head cocks. "Do you have a solution for us that isn't going to end like your last proposition?"

Aselle draws back as if struck. The air tightens, and no one moves, as if afraid that any motion might snap the atmosphere.

Selenia turns to the High Lady of Barriaen and asks for the numbers in her army—soldiers, wizards, weapons. The woman gives her answers, and then it's the High Lady Isaeda's turn. What with the Academy of Wizardry in Noirbré's capital and the dense blackwood forest by it, their army has more spells than swords. That means with the two armies combined, there are nearly as many wizards as soldiers, which has both good and bad points. Even good battle casters are better fit behind the beefy sword-and-shields. With that many magicians, though, some will inevitably be hand-to-hand with the Kadranians.

One thing we did learn from our ground attack on them is that they're not very organized. Yes, we struck by surprise, but even once it had to be obvious what was happening, they never grouped into battle lines or pulled into any sort of formation. They are simply wild and destructive. Handfuls were good about not moving far from each other, but that made it easy for our men to slip between the groups and break them up. Even when they invaded the castle, that's how it was, or else I wouldn't have been able to dodge my way to the wall and close it.

Belatedly, I realize that Temmarelle is whining something. "—and we'll just deal with whatever the outcome is."

I frown. It almost sounds like she's suggesting we do exactly what I just said we shouldn't.

Riszev's lilting voice is soft but carries. "So you are willing to chance your soldiers' lives just because it is the 'obvious solution'?"

Temmarelle flushes. "That's not what I was saying."

I catch Selenia's gaze, and she waves that I may speak. "I think the reinforcements could pull off a ground attack, similar to last time. This time, though, we're a bigger force, and we can come in at an angle that will make it harder for them to position themselves behind us."

Lieutenant L'salí from the Inner Court crosses her arms. "They shouldn't have been able to get behind us last time at all."

"Well, somehow they did." I wonder if the traitor found a way to leak our battle plans and worry she might do the same today. Just worrying doesn't allow for a way to prevent it, though. "But on the ground, they're not organized. We could pierce through their conglomerate and break them into chunks we can surround." A pressure builds at my temple.

The other Lieutenant says, "Even with a larger force, we won't have enough men to surround multiple pieces of their army. We would need to have more men than they do. If that's what you're wanting to do, then we must wait for either the Retrans or the southerners to arrive."

"They are coming," the High Lady of Agrí interjects.

"What we need," Irrianet says, "is for them to be here now, for these reinforcements to help us now. The Kadranians could break our defenses at any moment, wipe us all out. Whatever the risk, it's one worth taking."

"Why?" Riszev leans forward. "Because it is not a risk to you? Where are you going to be while your soldiers die on the wall?"

"Excuse me?"

"What risks are you taking for them? You do not talk like generals but like frightened peasants."

Irrianet bristles. "Our job isn't to step in front of swords. Our responsibility is—"

"In leading your people to their safety, no matter your comfort. If it is anything else, then your honor has died." Her words ring through the Auditorium.

Irrianet's expression is as relaxed as ever, but her eyes burn with carefully controlled fire. It's good that Riszev and I are already engaged. Otherwise, Irrianet's glare might set aflame the papers before we could sign them. I glance at my sister.

Her face is also darkly impassive. "Princesse Consort."

Riszev turns to her.

"Thank you for your opinion." Selenia's gaze pins my betrothed. After letting the silence drag, she adds, "In the future, please try to include more actionable suggestions."

Riszev's lips tighten.

The Queen regards the rest of the Table. "Does anyone have a suggestion that has not already been mentioned?"

Solitaena is the first one to recover, offering that the reinforcements should create small attacks and then pull out before the Kadranians have time to react. They could destroy supplies and set fires to tents, like how the last ground attack started, but not stick around to see the damage. They would be best off to split up and hide around the city, sending in a group or two when they came to do an attack. Not only would it be safer for them but, hopefully, cause more damage than one great salvo that dissolves into disaster.

Selenia thanks everyone for their input and says that she'll notify the High Ladies whose armies are near what her decision is before the end of the day. And then she dismisses everyone. Just like that, it's over.

Once the spectators, Table, and Honorary Court leave, Selenia stands, turning to us. Reyan and I rise as well, and I massage my forehead. That wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but it was far more contentious than I liked.

"What do the two of you think?"

Reyan nods at her appreciatively. "I think that Solitaena's idea is the best I've heard since the war began. Even if Aster's vision wasn't in play."

"Astraeus," she corrects sharply.

He scowls, and she turns to me.

"I also think it was sound. Do you want assistance from either of us in writing up the orders to send to the reinforcements?"

She agrees and takes us back to her study. When we finish penning it, I realize that I forgot to eat lunch. It's still about an hour out from dinner, but I feel better than I did earlier. I head downstairs to the kitchens; it's ridiculous to go to my room only to ask Ollem to come back down and bring up food.

The maids in the front are in a flurry, talking in frustrated, almost panicked, tones. They freeze when they see me enter.

"What?" I ask.

The headmaid, Maedame Maeline, comes forward, curtsying. "Milord."

My eyebrows rise expectantly. It's never a good thing when someone starts hedging. "What?" I say again, more briskly.

The round-faced woman takes a deep breath, looking at the side, then the floor, then back up at me. "The night maids have twice failed to wake when an intruder came and—" Here she pauses, losing the minor confidence she had built by speaking. "And stole food."

My eyes drift close. "Please tell me you're mistaken."

"I'm afraid not, milord. We're not sure who the culprit is."

My eyes open again. "They couldn't have taken too much. Right? Show me."

The other maids cringe, but Maeline just bites her lip and shoos away the girls. She opens the door.

Empty shelves, several more than were already accounted for, great me blankly, and my nostrils flare. What idiot thought stealing was a good idea? What idiots are the maids to have let them through twice? I whirl on the headmaid, anger like fire in my veins.

"How much food is left?" I demand.

Maeline ducks her head, and her words are barely above a whisper. "Less than half a month's supply, milord." That won't even last us until the Retrans arrive.

Rage boils, and my voice drops to a growl. "How—"

She flinches. An image of Agraund pulling his casting knife flashes to mind. A stone crawls into my throat.

She failed. But yelling at her doesn't change that. My eyes close, and I draw in a long, slow breath. Anger and despair still taunt my mind, but I force them down.

"We'll figure it out," I settle on.

"We tried to lay a trap last night, to catch the thief, but he never showed."

Irritation flicks up that since a crime has been committed, she assumes the masculine. "Interview all the serving maids, Maedame Maeline, especially those that have any sort of night shift. Get the other headmaids to help you if you need. Interview each other." The most dangerous people in any location are the ones that already have access to it.

She curtsies and steps back, looking ready to leave.

"And," I stress, "find a new place for that key. Tie it to your wrist if you have to."

She curtsies again. "Yes, milord."

I nod and close the door. After retreating to my office, I send notes to Selenia and Reyan about what happened. I suggest in Sela's that she institute stricter rations on the castle. Obviously, the people on the wall should be unaffected, but everyone else?

I'm going to have to stop practicing at night in order to cut down on consumption for breakfast. My stomach growls. I ignore it.

I step back into the main part of the Mage Room and get everyone's attention. "I don't know if the Queen is going to demand less food intake, but I will strongly encourage it." My gaze brooks no argument. "Don't cast unless you have to. Don't eat what you don't have to. I'm not telling you to starve yourself, but don't take anything you don't have to." I look around. "Are we understood?"

They nod. Their looks say they know something must have happened, but there's no reason to make that concrete.

"Good." I head for the barracks of the other wizards and deliver similar speeches, though in these I remind them not to panic. If everyone cuts back a little, we should be fine.

When I get back to my bedroom, Ollem asks if he should go get me dinner.

No, Ollem. You shouldn't.