“Whatever il Tornja has done,” she continued finally, “the man is a genius, beyond brilliant. The best general in ten generations. The soldiers will follow him anywhere, do anything for him.” She shook her head. “You think I’d leave him alive if he was just another power-hungry soldier? He murdered our father, Valyn, cut him down in cold blood. When I thought that Uinian was responsible, I saw the bastard burned to char in his own temple, and I would do it again, but we can’t. The Urghul are here. They have the numbers. They have the horses. They have the jump on us, and all we have is Ran il Tornja. I hate him, Valyn. Only the Lady of Light knows how much I hate him, but we need him. If we don’t have him, the Urghul win.”

Valyn stared. Whatever else she had done, Adare clearly believed what she was saying. Unfortunately, people held mistaken beliefs all the time. “There are other generals,” he said softly, trying to make her understand.

“Not like him,” Adare replied, voice hardening. She gestured beyond the walls of the tent. “Did you see the dam, what he’s doing with the dam?”

Valyn shook his head. “I don’t give a shit what he’s doing with the ’Kent-kissing dam. . . .”

“And that,” she said, “is why we need him. Because people like you and me don’t think the way he does. He’s been leading men, fighting battles for . . .” She hesitated, something that might have been fear passing across her face. “. . . a long time, Valyn. I can’t let you kill him. After we’ve stopped the Urghul, all right, but not before. Not now.”

“You can’t stop me, Adare.”

She nodded. “I can shout.”

“I can kill you.”

“You’re really threatening to murder your own unarmed sister?”

“I’m going to see this through.”

Adare blanched at something in his expression, but she held her ground. “If you kill me, you’ll fail. The Aedolians will find my body, they’ll know it was you, and they’ll double the guard around the kenarang. Triple it.”

Valyn hesitated. She had him there. Despite his bold declarations, getting to il Tornja was already going to be nearly impossible. Without the element of surprise, he’d have no chance.

“Listen,” Adare said, setting a hand on his arm for the first time. “Just wait. Let the army get north. Let us fight the battle with il Tornja. Then I’ll help you take him down.”

“Just a few minutes ago,” Valyn said, narrowing his eyes, “you were defending the man.”

“Just a few minutes ago,” Adare replied evenly, “I didn’t know the full depth of his treachery, didn’t know that he’d come after you and Kaden. I love Annur, but I loved our father, too. We need the kenarang now. We can use him. But we won’t always need him.”