“They make this in the mountains at home,” he said. “A sort of apple liquor. It’s an acquired taste.” He drained the bottle in a few gulps and made a face. “I don’t know why one would bother, to be honest. But Augustin always insisted we have some along, for medicinal purposes.”

Then, fast as a snake, he spun and hurled the bottle at the trunk on the other side of the tent. It struck the leather-bound side and shattered with a satisfying crunch, spraying fragments of glittering glass into the air.

For the first time Winter could remember, there was fury in Janus’ face. His eyes burned. His lips curled back from clenched teeth, an animal’s snarl.

“It’s too soon,” he said. “Too fucking soon. Blind, blind, how could I have been so blind! That clever goddamned bastard.”

“De Ferre, sir?” Winter said.

Janus barked a laugh. “De Ferre couldn’t plot his way out of a sack of puppies. I mean our eminent President of the Directory for the National Defense, who is now also in his person the Minister of War.”

“Do you have any idea what happened, sir?” Fitz said. “News from Vordan takes days to get here, but—”

“That’s the point. That’s exactly the point.” Janus took a deep breath. “I received word, by private means, that there had been major changes back home. Maurisk has seized power for himself.”

“What?” Winter said. “But—”

“It was bound to happen,” Janus said dismissively. “He’s not the sort of man to be easily satisfied. I had a number of scenarios ready. But I thought I would have more time. If de Ferre set out the moment of the coup, he’d still be riding through the pass, a hundred miles away.”

“Which means he set out beforehand,” Fitz said.

“Exactly. Maurisk gave him postdated orders and sent him out before he made his move. Probably to wait somewhere nearby for a prearranged signal. An obvious move, in retrospect.” Janus turned to Winter, with a fleeting smile. “If we extricate ourselves from this situation, please remind me of this the next time someone claims I am infallible.”

“So Maurisk stole a march on you,” Winter said. “But that would only be a few days, wouldn’t it?”

“A few days can make all the difference. In a few days’ time, the army would have been on the march. Even de Ferre would have hesitated to interfere. Now, though. If he sits here assaulting the walls, everything I’ve done this season will be for nothing!”

“We could work with the colonels to plan the assault,” Fitz said. “Make suggestions to de Ferre through them.”