“I am clan…and I am also gifted with high magic,” Dancer said. “I was taught that those two things were incompatible. At first I felt like an alien creature, impossibly divided, unable to function.” He half smiled. “I’ve learned since that my dual nature allows me to do things that no one else can. I think the same is true of a wizard-clan alliance. The divisions enforced by the Nǽming have made us weak and vulnerable, unable to take advantage of our different talents. Braided together, we are stronger and more capable than each one separately.

“Prior to the Breaking, Valefolk and wizards cooperated in war,” Dancer continued. “The flatlanders have brought wizards with them, too. But clanfolk and charmcasters have never collaborated before. The southerners won’t expect it.”

“The Demonai are skilled fighters,” Han said. “You are used to working together, using terrain and strategy to your advantage. Wizards aren’t good at that—we don’t get along well enough. Remember what happened when wizards raided one of your villages? They all died.”

Trailblazer smiled lazily. “Jinxflingers are arrogant—they don’t think ahead. They expect that high magic will save them.”

“It might,” Abelard said, “if we had the weaponry we need.”

“There are not enough wizards to break the siege, even with the whole armory at our disposal,” Han said. “We have to be smart about it. We need the help of the Demonai. But I won’t ask them to join with you without a commitment from the council.”

“Couldn’t we discuss this in private?” Mander asked, trying hard not to look at the uplanders in the room.

Han shook his head. “No. If you have anything to say, say it now. Then we’ll vote.”

In the end, the vote was unanimous—all voted in favor. Including Lords Bayar and Mander.

“Now, let’s discuss how we can work together,” Han said. “How can we help each other?”

“We in the clans are not skilled flatland fighters,” Bird said. “There is no cover in the Vale. We can kill southerners, but not quickly enough to break through to free the city. All we can do is nibble at them. We don’t have the numbers to win that way. Too many of us will be slaughtered. Ordinarily, the Highland Army would fill that gap, but there is none.”

“In the past, wizards cloaked soldiers in glamours to allow them to approach their targets unnoticed,” Gryphon said. “We could do something similar with the clan warriors, so they can get close enough to do their jobs.”

“If you can trust us enough to submit to spellcasting,” Mordra added.

Elena’s expression said she had doubts about that.

“Are there jinxes you can use against our enemies, to make them more vulnerable to attack?” Averill asked. He clearly preferred charms directed at southerners.