Page 246 of Onyx Cage: Volume II

We rounded the corner of the hall, taking the stairs down to the main level of the castle. I waited until we were out of earshot of any soldiers or servants before continuing our conversation.

“And now?” I couldn’t help but ask.

She ran her thumb along my palm, offering me a quiet smile.

“And now, you’re slowly building it back.”

That was enough for now. Though I would certainly show her later just how much of anaalioI could or couldn’t be. The insult didn’t land quite as hard when she was delivering it in a gasp.

I let go of her hand long enough for us to stride into the war room, taking it back under the table once we were seated.

“Have we heard back from any of the spies?” I asked to begin the meeting.

Taras scanned the sheets of parchment in front of him before shaking his head. “Nothing yet.”

Der’mo.

I had gotten one man across the borders, but now even he had gone silent.

Until we knew what had become of our spies, we couldn’t just keep replacing them, especially now that Iiro’s paranoia was likely at an all-time high. We needed to find out if they were still alive, if they had abandoned their loyalties, or if they were simply biding their time, waiting for the most opportune time to send word.

None of those options boded well for us in the interim.

“He has to be plotting something,” Rowan mused, not for the first time. “He knows once the pass opens, Lochlann will be able to get through, and that will not end well for him.”

It had been impossible to send word to her family with the mountain pass closed off and Iiro’s men keeping strict watch over the tunnels. Once we had our first thaw, the birds could get through, and she was right. Lochlann would not stand for a threat to their princess, no matter where she lived.

“Since the pass could open anytime in the next couple of months, he’ll be planning something soon, then,” I added.

My words were met with silence. None of us were eager to race right back into war, especially one we weren’t sure we could win.

“How many forces would we need to take this fight to him?” Rowan asked, her thoughts clearly going in the same direction.

I considered that briefly, wishing I had a different answer. But even though Iiro had sustained as many casualties as we had, attacking him outright when he would be expecting it would be mass suicide.

“More than we have,” I said vaguely, still running the potential numbers in my head. “All the military tactics in the world won’t make up for the fact that he’s holed up in a veritable fortress, and we have no allies to the east anymore. Crane’s forces have been decimated, and our own weakened. Armies on the march aren’t exactly subtle, and I suspect we wouldn’t get further than the border before we were summarily slaughtered.”

“Well, that’s...promising,” my wife muttered under her breath before Taras’s father spoke up.

“All of this is assuming he even attacks again.”

That was less of an assumption than a guarantee.

Rowan shook her head, expression grave while she echoed my thoughts. “Iiro is never going to let this stand.”

Her auburn brows furrowed, her lips pursing in thought.

“You have something in mind,” I guessed.

She nodded, taking a moment before answering. “The Unclanned. They move about unseen.”

I cast a glance around trying to read the reactions of the room. Unlike before, there wasn’t as much anger at the concept of working with the Besklanovvy, but there was general concern.

Taras was the first to give voice to it.

“But a few hundred men wouldn’t be able to overtake the castle, even in a surprise attack,” he said gently.

But my lemmikki would have known that. I studied her face, watching as she quietly calculated her plan.