Chapter 84
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR
B y the time my cousin returned from his visit with Lynx, he was bearing more news than I expected—news that would have been positive, in any other circumstances.
After escorting him and his wife back to their suites, Rowan stayed with Mila while Taras and I headed to my study.
As soon as we closed the door behind us, Taras marched directly toward the liquor cart. He took a long swig directly from the bottle before taking it over to one of the chairs in front of the fireplace.
I blinked slowly, grabbing the two glasses he’d chosen to leave behind before taking the chair opposite him.
“Do you—” He cut me off with a shake of his head before I could finish asking him if he wanted to talk.
Which was just as well, since I didn’t know what I would say—or what to say, for that matter.
In a different world, where we weren’t facing down a war that threatened to destroy everyone we cared about, I would be happy for him. Taras would be an excellent father. And I was determined to do whatever I could to give him that chance.
With a sigh, he set the bottle on the table between us before pulling several letters from his pocket.
“Arès sends his regards,” he said before resting them on the table as well. “And the last known coordinates of Iiro’s troops.”
I quickly picked up the letters, scanning through them one by one. My stomach sank as I noted the sheer number of soldiers at his disposal. The last letter was dated two weeks ago.
“Are there more?” I asked, flipping back through them to see if there was something I missed.
Taras shook his head.
“It was a good thing we went,” he added after a moment. “From what Arès and Luca say, none of their spies have been in contact since that information was sent.”
He gestured toward the one from two weeks ago.
“They aren’t sure if that means he’s intercepted any correspondence, or if…”
“If he found and disposed of their spies,” I added grimly.
While I had written to both Wolf and Crane asking for their support, I had been careful to keep any details of our plans out of my letters.
And with Lynx, it was safer for everyone to let Iiro believe that Mila was simply visiting her family with her new husband—rather than our need to hold a strategy meeting in person. I needed the support of the other two clans for defense, but Arès was inclined to go on the offensive with me, information that was far more dangerous.
Taras continued to fill me in on the finer details of their talks, mainly the number of soldiers Lynx could lend to our cause, what their weapons reserve consisted of, and how much time it would take to prepare their troops.
“But he’ll be ready when we need him?” I asked, and once again, Taras nodded.
“He has already begun calling in his men from the coast. It’s slow going, but Luca doesn’t want to alert any spies Iiro might have within Lynx. I would guess they could be ready within the month.”
I filled both of our glasses this time, downing mine in one shot, and my cousin followed suit.
“I would like to say it won’t be necessary,” I began.
“But that would be a lie,” Taras finished, refilling our glasses once again.
I dipped my chin once, resting my head against the back of my chair.
“We’re doing everything we can, Van. We’re ready.”
I couldn’t bring myself to agree. Not when I couldn’t shake the feeling that Iiro still had something up his sleeve.
There was a part of me that was tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop. A part of me that wanted to bring this war to his doorstep instead of waiting for it to land on mine.
But there were too many variables and not enough guarantees I could make to my allies or to my family.
So I was stuck with nothing to do but wait.
As it turned out, waiting was not a problem I faced.
Dawn hadn’t even broken when we found ourselves in the war room, pouring over maps and missives from our allies.
Crane had fallen. Iiro’s forces had overtaken their defenses unexpectedly and with surprising ease, and now they were on their way here.
I stared down at the map of Socair etched onto the massive table. It was the command table my father had used well before I was born. One his father had used during the clan wars half a century ago.
And now we were studying it, moving small, meticulously carved figurines around like they were nothing more than chess pieces to represent our armies.
The game of war.
That is what Iiro had been playing all along. Subtly hedging his bets and stacking the odds while moving us into just the right place so he could strike.
“We can assume he has forces from Eagle and Viper,” I said, adjusting their corresponding pieces into place where they were most likely to support Iiro’s troops.
“Ram?” Lord Bolshoi asked. His tone was brisk, near panicked, but that made sense considering his family lived close to the border.
He shot Lord Vysotsky a pointed glance and the latter shook his head.
“We haven’t heard from our spies,” Vysotsky said with a nod toward me.
Since my father’s death, I had placed Mattias in charge of communications with our official spy network. As an established lord with a loyal history to our clan, I knew that even those loyal to the former duchy would continue to work with him.
“And now we know why,” I replied thoughtfully, gesturing toward the red ram-shaped pieces. “Mikhail is a coward, so if he’s joining Iiro’s forces, it won’t be until the last minute. He won’t pit them directly against Bear. That will buy us time.”
“And Elk?” Rowan asked, picking up one of the navy pawns.
I could hear it in her tone, see it in her features. She didn’t want to believe that Korhonan would use his army against us.
Storms, I didn’t believe it either, but this time my doubt wasn’t because of my history with Theodore. It was because I didn’t believe for a second that Iiro had actually relinquished his power there.
“Iiro is likely in charge of Elk forces,” I said evenly.
She nodded, her expression going a little more somber.
“And what about our allies?” she pressed.
I sighed, sliding several of the yellow pieces back to the center of Crane’s borders.
“Crane’s forces are clearly depleted, but they will step in once they aren’t walking into a slaughter,” I said, considering our other options. “Lynx is...less militant than some of the other clans, but their size will be an attribute. Still, it will take them time to mobilize.”
A glance at my cousin had him dipping his chin in confirmation.
Rowan examined the map, her focus on the gray pieces now.
“Wolf?” she asked.
“Their forces aren’t as well positioned to help.” Especially since Iiro was coming in from the west, attempting to avoid them entirely. “But they will be crucial in holding the eastern line at the border. And Bison is still anyone’s guess.”
They hadn’t signed off on the new monarchy, but they hadn’t yet chosen to stand against it, either.
I took another moment to study the map before moving more of our black Bear pawns to intercept Iiro’s forces.
“We’ll send a sizable contingent to the Ram border to intimidate them into staying out of this fight,” I said, moving more pawns into place, accordingly, holding on to a single piece. “The troops we sent to the south should be sufficient for now, but we’ll mobilize a cavalry to bolster them and leave the western forces where they are to guard the border and the estate.”
It was the best I could do, but I didn’t like how sparse the color black was on the map or how the clans were still clustered together by comparison.
“When do we leave?” My cousin’s question cut through my thoughts, effectively silencing them.
He stared at me with an icy determination, but there was something in the rigid set of his shoulders that told me he already knew my answer.
I trusted Taras more than any of my other soldiers, trusted him to lead our men if I couldn’t. To care for our clan in my absence. To protect our people and to make the best decisions for them.
But more than that, more than every tactical reason I could think of, I couldn’t bring myself to put him on the front lines knowing he was going to be a father.
“We don’t,” I said flatly, my thumb digging into the groove of the Bear pawn. “I do.”
Bitterness flashed in his eyes as I continued.
“I need you here to guard the estate.”
His lips parted to argue, but he quickly closed them again, a gesture for which I was grateful, considering my role as Duke was still on shaky ground.
My eyes darted over to my wife, who was also doing an admiral job of not arguing. But her expression told me that wasn’t going to stand unless I quickly corrected myself.
“Lady Rowan will accompany me,” I said, looking away from the shock and relief in her gaze.
Every fiber of my being rebelled against the thought of dragging her closer to danger, closer to Iiro’s clutches. But I couldn’t let her go—not yet.
Not when she had become my entire reason for breathing, not when she was the only thing left tethering me to this world.
And I could feel it, like a blade pressing against my throat. Our time was running out, slipping through my grasp no matter how tightly I tried to hold on.
“Gather the soldiers,” I ordered, resting my Bear pawn right in the center of the fray. “We leave at dawn.”