Everyone but my little sister. The folk around us were all men and women grown – they should’ve been the ones to take the risk. Not a child. But she wouldn’t like being protected while her friends were in danger any more than I would. “It was well done,” I said.

Her eyes met mine. “Why hasn’t Tristan stopped him? Why isn’t he helping us?”

“He’s protecting Trianon.” My voice cracked as I gave the excuse, and I realized for the first time how terrible it sounded. How worthless it made those not in the capital feel, especially my sister, who had met him. Who was family to him. And pragmatically, I saw how swiftly we were losing our chance to convince the people of the Isle to rally to our cause.

“He can’t,” I whispered, and shivered as a cold wind brushed against my neck. “Is there somewhere safe we can talk?”

“Camp’s got a cabin circled with steel,” she said. “You can ride with me.”

I followed her to where her horse was tethered to a branch. She slipped the bit back in the gelding’s mouth, checked the girth, then fiddled with the buckle of her stirrup. “Cécile?”

My skin prickled. “Yes?”

“Is mother all right?”

Chapter 20

Tristan

I shifted one of the pieces on the Guerre board I’d made out of light and illusion, then turned to Fred, who’d insisted on standing and watching while I considered my next move. “Yes?”

“There are refugees outside the gates,” Fred said, his face flushed. “They managed to escape the Duke’s militiamen.”

“Tell them to seek refuge in the mountains.” I shifted several of the Duke’s human players closer to my own.

“They have no supplies. Even if they don’t freeze to death, they’ll surely starve.”

“A certain number of casualties are inevitable.” I took a sip of mulled wine and circled the game, nudging Fred out of my way. He huffed out a breath, one hand balling into a fist.

“What is it that you want?” I asked.

“For you to pay attention to me, for starts,” he snapped.

“I am paying attention to you,” I said. “I’m not so simple-minded that I can’t manage two things at once.” Although it would’ve been my preference that he left so that I could focus on puzzling through our enemy’s strategies, which, in my opinion, was a far better use of my time. I told him as much, and his scowl deepened.

“You need to let them into Trianon.”

I shook my head. “They might claim to have escaped my brother, but it’s just as likely they are lying. They could be spies, or worse, insurgents with orders to stir up what chaos they can.”

“Insurgents? There are children amongst them. Stones and sky, there are babies still in their mothers’ arms!”

“Roland is a child.”

Fred threw the jug of wine across the room, where it splattered against the wall, the air filling with the smell of cinnamon and cloves. Souris promptly ran over to the mess and began licking it up.