6

“I do, and as a warrior you must realize that an enemy does not wait to strike until it is convenient,” Elias said.

Barion narrowed his eyes. “I do, and I wonder if you are giving this Fae Queen more credit than she is due. If Draunar could keep her locked up without trouble for so long, what makes you think she is so powerful now?”

“Because she is no longer trapped,” I said. “She has her power back, and she’s angry.”

The table fell briefly silent as everyone’s gazes fell on me.

I swallowed, some of my confidence melting away under so many severe and curious looks. “We should be ready,” I said. “If we’re not, she’ll take advantage of our weaknesses.”

Giles clicked his tongue and sat back in his chair. “And what if this does nothing but stoke fear in our communities? Like Barion says, Daybreak has been weakened by the Duke, and the effects of an attempted coup ripple through the other packs as well.”

Elias narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Anxiety wrapped its cold fingers around my heart. The last thing we needed now was to be fighting each other. This dinner was supposed to be a way for the courts to come together and gain strength, not to start snapping at each others’ throats. I glanced at Fina, and she cringed slightly and gave me a small shrug. I knew what she meant — she had hesitations, but she hadn’t meant for it to escalate into an argument like this.

We needed to be fighting the Fae, not each other.

“I don’t think it’s wise for us to try to take the Fae on alone,” I said. “The jaguars of Askon suggested we speak with the eagles of Cruora--”

“The eagles?” Giles balked. “You can’t be serious.”

“Of course, I’m serious,” I said. “I wouldn’t joke about something like this. From the conversations I had with Queen Enet--”

“The Askonians are out of touch,” Giles interrupted. “They’ve spent too much time up in the branches of their little treehouses sipping their kava tea. You can’t be seriously considering taking their advice for potential wartime preparation?”

I met his eyes steadily. “The resurgence of Fae magic suggests the resurgence of magic at large,” I said. “The jaguars are the only earth shifters who have historically maintained access to their magic beyond shifting —”

Giles sucked his teeth and barely suppressed a roll of his eyes.

“—and if we expect to stand against the Fae such knowledge is undoubtedly helpful,” I continued. “Queen Enet suggested we approach the eagles because there’s whispers of them still having use of alchemy.”

“Whispers?” Marget said. “You mean rumors?”

“Rumors start from truth,” I said. Marget’s disbelieving tone made my stomach twist uncomfortably. “We won’t know the extent of the truth until we ask.”

“Alchemy is a myth,” Giles said. “Elias, you can’t tell me you’re taking this nonsense seriously. The Fae are a threat, but this is no way to begin addressing it. Wasting resources on expeditions because a little girl’s dreams will only lead to more frustration within the packs.”

“Now, Giles,” Isalde said in a soft, cool voice, “we both know alchemy’s no myth. Nor is the magic of the jaguars. We should hear the Queen out.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Marget said, “but now is not the time to be chasing rumors. If Nightfall wants to defend Frasia from the Fae, we need to focus our attention at home, not at other kingdoms. This kind of research can wait.”

“Obviously,” Giles said. “Queen Reyna, pardon my straightforwardness, but if this truly is the lead-up to wartime, I believe those of us who have been more experienced in matters of war should be leading these discussions.”

My words stuck in my throat. Giles’ dismissive tone made me feel small and silly. He reminded me of my father in a way, ignoring my ideas and silencing me so the men could get back to their courtly discussions. The surge of that old pain tangled my thoughts and made me feel like a teenager again. I couldn’t seem to do anything that impressed them.

“This supposed straightforwardness veers dangerously close to disrespect,” Elias said in a voice low like a growl. “Watch your tone.”

Giles said nothing, but met Elias’ gaze steadily as he leaned back in his chair.

I cleared my throat, embarrassed. “I understand your hesitations,” I said. My voice only wavered slightly. “But if we’re worried about provoking the Fae at the portals, wouldn’t it be a safer use of resources to investigate this rumor?”

“I’d consider it a waste of time,” Giles said.

“But less risk,” Fina said. She shot me a tiny smile, and I ducked my chin in acknowledgement.

“I agree,” Isalde said.

“If it’s a small convoy,” Marget said, “it shouldn’t cause too much strain on Frasian resources. We can still focus our attentions at home while the convoy travels to Cruora.”

“Then what will our attentions be focused on?” Giles said. “Shall we nail that down?”

The conversation turned to the various troubles and desires of the packs of Frasia. As it did so, the mood of the conversation shifted away from the heated arguments and more to the familiar problem-solving I was used to. The logistics were familiar. I was used to navigating these issues, at least more than I was trying to advocate for my own ideas in the face of argument and distrust.

Despite Giles’ argument, my instincts were still correct. Queen Enet was right to tell me to go to Cruora — I knew there was something there, something that would help us stand against the Fae. All I needed was a few wolves who believed me, and then the convoy would be on its way.

When the dinner wrapped up, the courts had come to a few rough agreements about the next months. Giles had even agreed to have a convoy travel to Cruora, as long as he wasn’t involved at all. I tried to hide my excitement as the dinner wrapped up and we held our glasses up for a toast.