Jaspid interrupted him. “What of the third pass, Matt?”

It was the westernmost road through the mountains.

The First Captain allowed himself to look away for a moment. “We have no defense there, Highness. We trusted Master Ungabwey’s engines and skill.”

With an inward wrench, King Bifalt put crushed men and women out of his mind. He had to consider Belleger. The loss of the caravan meant—

To steady himself while his heart shivered, he asked Matt, “What do you know of it, sir? The third pass?”

Squads of General Klamath’s men had been following the tracks of the raiders since mid-autumn, studying the trails among the mountains. The King had heard their reports; but he wanted something more recent.

Now there was a hint of frenzy in the First Captain’s eyes. He, too, was imagining the consequences of the calamity.

“Little enough, Majesty. Our men were ordered to avoid being seen. They could not trace the extent of the passage. But they believe that way is the enemy’s best road. It is wide enough for a host of cavalry with its train of supplies.

“Master Ungabwey planned to attempt it last because it is farthest from the Last Repository.”

Matt’s gaze said what he did not. Farthest from the library—and closest to the Open Hand.

Gusts tossed the curtains. The air grew colder. At the door, Lome accepted a jug of wine. As if he were alone in the chamber, he took the wine to the hearth, sat back down in his chair, and began to drink from the jug’s neck. Between swigs, he muttered to himself in disgust.

Prince Jaspid grimaced at his younger brother, but he stayed where he was, radiating impatience. At a word from his King, he might have left the Fist and rushed south to contest the enemy’s passage alone.

For a long moment, King Bifalt said nothing. Rile’s assault on the Bay of Lights had already begun. But no one knew how immense his forces might be. The people beyond the Realm’s Edge were probably his allies. King Bifalt might find himself attacked on two fronts. He would be compelled to split his army.

And he did not have enough men. Or Magisters.

He believed that Rile would aim to destroy the Open Hand and much of Belleger before he turned his attention to the library. He would not leave an army at his back. From the bay, he would come at the city directly. And his allies from the south—surely, they were his allies?—would emerge from the mountains and drive north to join the attack on the city.

Bifalt understood the glint of frenzy in Matt’s gaze. The First Captain had already asked himself the question that made the King wince. How could the combined forces of Belleger and Amika fight two foes at once?