Page 77 of Silver & Smoke
‘Watch your tongue, Lord Briar,’ Darian interjected. ‘Prince Zavier may be a guest here, but he isourguest. The guest ofPrincessElwren and myself. He will be treated with respect.’
Lord Briar flushed and bowed his head. ‘Yes, my lord.’
‘Is a coronation truly a priority right now?’ Thea asked as she picked at her fingernails with her dagger. ‘What difference does it make if Wren has a crown or not until we win this war?’
‘While I agree with the sentiment,’ Darian said, ‘many noble houses of the midrealms will only answer to the summons of a king or queen. Without the proper title, oaths can remain unfulfilled, and people will be too unsure of the succession to pick a side.’
‘The side without the tyrant surely suffices,’ Thea retorted.
‘You’d think,’ Wilder snorted.
While Wren agreed with her sister and new brother-in-law, their observations were hardly helpful in this scenario. There was more than one reason this tactic was being pushed...
She turned to Kipp. ‘I’m guessing there is another reason for us taking back the capital?’
‘Naturally,’ Kipp replied. ‘The ruins of the capital are one of the most strategic military positions in all of Delmira. It’s one of Silas’s most advantageous strongholds. The clifftops are an excellent vantage point for incoming attack, the ruins themselves provide ample coverage, and my personal favourite... the tavern—’
A unified groan from all who knew Kipp sounded across the tent.
‘Rude,’ he chastised them, before looking to the noblemen, likely spying their bulging coin purses in their pockets. ‘The tavern, the Flying Stag, is linked to an underground network, just like its sister locations throughout the midrealms, which means—’
‘We can smuggle supplies and reinforcements in, right under their noses,’ Cal said with a shake of his head. ‘I don’t know why I’m surprised.’
‘Nor do I,’ Kipp mused. ‘You’ve known me long enough by now, Callahan – I’m brilliant.’
‘That’s one word for it,’ Cal muttered, folding his arms over his chest.
‘And why weren’t these networks made known to us before?’Lord Briar called. ‘We spenta weektraipsing over enemy ground in full view, when we could have—’
‘Alerted them to the card up our sleeve?’ Kipp interjected. ‘I wasn’t going to riskthat, my good man. And there are spies all over—’
The nobleman went red as he blustered, ‘Are you calling me a spy?’
Kipp raised a brow. ‘Areyou a spy?’
‘Kipp!’ Wren snapped. ‘Not helping.’
But the strategist simply shrugged. ‘In my professional opinion—’
‘Andwhat, exactly, qualifies you to give your so-called professional opinion?’ Lord Ethel, another nobleman, cut in aggressively. Clearly a nerve had been struck.
Kipp surveyed him with a cool, unaffected expression. ‘Only that I was the lead strategist in the shadow war. That as a result of my careful planning and input, countless lives were saved. Including yours.’ He glanced at Wren. ‘Am I missing something?’
‘That’s the gist of it,’ Wren agreed, trying to suppress the smug note in her voice. ‘Continue, please.’
She didn’t think she’d ever seen a man turn as red as Ethel.
Kipp didn’t gloat as she expected; instead, he turned to the rest of the table. ‘As I was saying, I believe that laying siege to this particular post is the best option. We rally as many allies as we can here, gather as much intelligence on Silas and the People’s Vanguard as possible, and have Princess Elwren and her potion-inclined allies work on our alchemical defence. Then, we march on Dorinth. From the outskirts, I suggest we set up a decoy camp and draw the enemy out, then take the high ground for ourselves.’
Across from Wren, Cal folded his arms over his chest and looked to Zavier. ‘You know Silas best... What do you think? Will he anticipate this?’
Zavier tapped his fingers against the table. ‘He seems to know more than we think... His presence at Drevenor proves that, as did the stunt at Harenth with the townsfolk. But my gut feelingis that he would be surprised if our forces instigated an attack. I assume he thinks we’ll be working from a defensive standpoint, that we’re scared of him and his dark alchemy.’
‘Aren’t we?’ one of the noblemen said.
‘No,’ Wren replied firmly. ‘We have been here before and come out the other side. We will do so again.’
‘But that’s what I’m saying,’ Zavier continued. ‘Silas’s followers are not driven by loyalty or love, or even a common cause... They are motivated by fear. Perhaps there is something we can do to show them that? To crack the foundations of his support?’
