“You still can’t keep them all here,” Raesinia said. “Someone is going to notice. You and Mrs. Felda could get spiked for harboring enemies of the state.”

“I had some ideas,” Cora said. “We might be able to get them out of the city—”

“And then what?”

“I haven’t gotten that far,” Cora said. “What do you want me to do? Tell them to clear out?”

“I . . .” Raesinia looked around the room, then shook her head. “No, of course not. You were right. But I don’t know what we’re going to do now.”

Marcus cleared his throat. “I might be able to offer some assistance.”

The two young women looked up at him in surprise, as if they’d forgotten he was there.

“Supply trains leave for the Army of the East every couple of days,” he said. “I may be able to arrange to start sending people with them.”

Cora frowned. “Would the soldiers stay quiet about it?”

“They will if Janus orders them to. I’ll speak to him about it. It may take a while to move everybody, though.”

“I think we’ve got time,” Cora said. “Everyone knows Mrs. Felda keeps a charity here, so nobody asks questions when we have food brought in. And the Patriot Guard hardly ever come into Oldtown anyway.”

Raesinia nodded. “It could work. Thank you, Marcus. And I’m sorry I blew up at you, Cora.”

“It’s all right.” Cora sighed and ran her hands through her hair, further mussing it. “I’ve been a bit frantic myself. You have no idea what the war is doing to the markets.”

The markets? Marcus shot Raesinia an inquisitive look.

“Cora is a genius at anything involving money or commerce,” Raesinia explained.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Cora said, blushing furiously. “I just keep my eyes open.”

Looking down at the frazzled teenager, Marcus had a hard time believing it. “So she’s the one you wanted to talk to?”

“Right,” Raesinia said. “I’d nearly forgotten about that. Cora, we need your help with something. How many major powder mills are there within easy overland shipment range of Vordan City?”

“Five,” Cora said immediately. “The di Bartolo in the south, the Neffoy east of the Thieves Island, the—”

“How many of them can manufacture flash powder?” Raesinia said.

Cora blinked. “Flash powder?”

“It’s a sort of very fine gunpowder,” Marcus explained. “It takes special equipment to make.”

“There must not be much trade in it,” Cora said. “I don’t recall off the top of my head. Hold on.”