“My lady.” Gergon shrugged, spreading his hands. “You have always demanded truth. So my father said, and his father’s father before him. We are speaking of the concerted might of over half of Pelmar, augmented by Vedasian knights, the Host of the Ellylon and Midlander troops under the command of the last scion of Altorus. If we cannot hold the forest—and we cannot, without the Were—they will come against the wall. And they will ransack the forest and build ladders and siege engines, and they will breach the wall.”

“No.” Lilias set her jaw, ignoring the ache in her head. “They will not breach it, Ward Commander. I have Shaped this wall myself from the raw stone of Beshtanag, and it will hold against their siege engines. I shall will it so.”

Gergon sighed. “Then they’ll come over the top, my lady. They’ve no shortage of men, nor of wood for ladders and towers, unless you can close the very forest itself to them.”

“No.” She shook her head, gazing at the dark carpet of pines. “Not for so many. It is harder to shift forest than stone, and we must leave an avenue open for Lord Satoris’ troops. Order more stone brought, and I will raise the wall higher. A foot or more.”

“As you wish.” He bowed, his eyes wary. “It will delay them, by a few hours. Our enemies will still have ample resources if it comes to it.”

“All right. Three days,” she repeated, gesturing at the grey expanse of loose scree at the mountain’s base. “Let us say it is so, Gergon. And then, if it came to it, we would engage them here?”

“Will it come to it, my lady?”

She met his honest gaze. “No. But we must plan as if it would. So what happens, if we engage them here?”

“It’s poor footing.” Gergon sucked his teeth, considering. “Knights a-horse would be at a disadvantage, here. They’ll come in with infantry. I’d place archers there,” he said, pointing to overhangs, “there and there, to cover our retreat.”

“Retreat?” Lilias raised her brows.

“Aye.” Her Ward Commander nodded his grizzled head. “Once the wall is surmounted, my lady, we’ve nothing to fall back upon but Beshtanag itself.”

“They will come, Gergon.” Lilias held his gaze. “It won’t come to it.”

“As you say, my lady.” He glanced at the Soumanië on her brow, and some of the tension left his stocky frame. He nodded again, smiling. “As you say! I’ll have the lads in the quarry work overtime. You’ll have as much stone as you need, and more.”

“I will hold the wall, Gergon.”

“You will.” He nodded at her brow, smiled. “Yes, you will, my lady.”