Page 153 of Veinblood
“How many soldiers does he have?”
“Maybe a thousand still with him, my Lord. His most loyal followers. Most Authority soldiers have abandoned their posts rather than follow him to what they recognize as a final stand. Only one commander remains with him.”
Varam studies the map. “Blackvault was designed for defense, and with a thousand loyal men behind those walls …”
I join him, and study the map, considering options that all lead to the same conclusion.
A small team might breach the walls in a similar way to whatwe did at Greyhold, but there is no way they could overcome a thousand defenders. A direct assault would require more fighters than we can gather quickly, and would cost lives we can't afford to lose. Siege warfare would take months we don't have.
Which leaves only one option that can bypass their defenses entirely. An approach that relies on abilities the Authority has never fully understood, even after years of trying to destroy them.
“I can move a war party directly to their gates.”
Silence falls, and then Varam shakes his head. “You’re talking about using shadows to transport people.”
I nod. “Two hundred Veinwardens, fifty Veinbloods. We can't take everyone. We need people to stay here and hold Ashenvale, just in case someone decides they want to take it back.”
“Two hundred and fifty people?” He slams a fist down onto the table. "Sacha, that’sinsane. The most you’ve ever moved is forty-nine people, andthatwas considered extraordinary. Moving just the three of us from Greenvale to here exhausted you, and now you want to transport hundreds?”
The worry in his voice echoes my own concerns, but desperation breeds necessity. “The circumstances were different for both those times. The first we needed to move fast because we were under immediate threat. The second, Ellie’s emotions were affecting my control. This time I can plan the approach carefully, choose the best conditions, and prepare properly for the strain.”
“Planning doesn’t change the limits of your power. Moving two hundred and fifty people could kill you,andanyone withyou." His words hold the force of someone who's seen me push beyond safe boundaries before. “The void doesn't care about good intentions when you exceed what's possible.”
“We’ve run out of options. Every day we delay gives Sereven more time to prepare, to call in whatever favors he still has, and to plan defenses that could make Blackvault truly impregnable.”
The truth of limited alternatives hangs between us. Typical warfare favors the defender, especially when that defender controls ground specifically designed to break attacking armies. But using my shadows will bypass walls and chokepoints, and deliver force directly where it can be most effective.
“His forces are significantly reduced but still dangerous. A thousand troops behind those walls can hold off a much larger army if they're properly prepared and motivated to die for their cause.”
“And theywillbe prepared," Ellie says softly from her chair in the corner. “He will know you’re going to come for him.”
I straighten. “Then we give him the confrontation he wants. But on our terms, not his.”
The words sound far more confident than I feel. Shadow magic on this scale represents uncharted territory, and will push my abilities beyond anything I’ve ever attempted before. But the alternative is watching more of my people die in prolonged siege warfare while Sereven plans whatever final horror he's been saving for this moment.
Varam sighs, then unrolls another map across the table. “Ifyou're determined to attempt this, we need to plan every aspect carefully. Timing, positioning, what to do when things go wrong.”
When, not if.
But his acceptance of my plan speaks to years of following me into situations where survival depended on exceeding what should have been possible. But it also acknowledges that some gambles must be taken when all other options lead to certain failure.
The afternoon disappears while we plan, examining approaches and defenses until the fortress's layout becomes as ingrained as Ashenvale's hallways. Each detail matters when the difference between victory and disaster might depend on reaching the right position before defenders can organize effective resistance.
By evening, we have a basic plan agreed. Two hundred Veinwardens and fifty Veinbloods will be transported directly to Blackvault, their target to strike at the fortress's heart. Overwhelming force applied where enemies expect to be safe, collapsing their defensive advantages through surprise and superior positioning.
The plan's audacity both thrills and concerns me. Success will end the war in one single decisive stroke. Failure is going to cost the lives of Meridian's best fighters and leave the remaining Veinbloods and Veinwardens defenseless against whatever Authority forces remain.
But as I study the maps one final time, staring down at the image of the place where many Veinbloods died, one certainty emerges above all doubts.
My brother chose this ground because he wants our confrontation to happen where he destroyed so many lives. He wants the Shadowvein Lord to die in the same place where the Authority perfected their methods of breaking my people.
But instead, if I can do this, Blackvault will become the place where the Authority's reign of terror finally ends, and Meridian begins the long journey back toward freedom … or where I die, trying to end it.
Chapter Forty-Two
ELLIE
“In the final accounting, we are measured not by what we conquered but by what we preserved.”
