Only one member of the Conclave accompanied the host. Rachel had last seen Commander Naman when he’d lost a duel against Galloran in the Seven Vales. He still had a high forehead and wide lips, but he looked so young!

Rachel, Ferrin, and Tark were included in the meeting when the scouts reported the state of the western pass. Rachel noticed that Ferrin seemed uncomfortable. He normally seemed in control, no matter the circumstances, but today he was quiet and distracted. Was it a reaction to the presence of the seedmen?

“What do you mean the gates stand open?” Naman asked, pacing rather than sitting. He wore a cloak over his armor and carried a slender, intricately carved mace. Rachel watched him with interest, wondering how many of her doubts he would share.

“The wall is deserted,” the chief scout said. “The pass is undefended.”

“We found no guardsmen at either side of the pass,” a second scout confirmed. “The defenses at the wall have been dismantled. The barracks lie empty. We sent men up the mountainsides and found nothing. We are searching for a force on the far side of the pass, but as of yet we have uncovered no sign of life. Plessit, the first village beyond the pass, stands abandoned.”

“Very well,” Naman said. “Thank you for your report.” He turned to face Galloran, who sat blindfolded. “What do you make of this, King Galloran?”

“I do not like accepting such a blatant invitation,” Galloran answered. “The empty pass is clearly bait for a colossal trap. Maldor is not even trying to conceal his intentions. He knows what prophecy we heard and has elected to taunt us. By shamelessly luring us to proceed, he is testing whether we will see this through.”

“The sieges of Inkala, Kadara, and Highport have all been called off,” Naman said. “The imperial armies are racing west at an unprecedented pace.”

“I have heard the reports,” Galloran said. “The emperor waited to recall them until he felt sure we were committed.”

“Are we committed?” Naman asked. “The full might of Maldor’s armies will reach Felrook not many days after us. We can’t hold the eastern gap against them—it is a wide plain without a wall.”

Rachel tried to keep her expression neutral. Was it wrong that she was happy to see Naman testing Galloran? He was the perfect person to do it—not only was he one of the biggest skeptics in Lyrian, but he also knew a lot about battle strategy. She understood Galloran’s faith in the prophecy, but she didn’t want it to make him ignore common sense in his preparations. Naman would make sure that didn’t happen.

“The drinling host should reach the eastern gap on the morrow,” Galloran said. “Not that they could plug the gap any more realistically than we could. But the drinlings will be in position to fall upon Felrook with us.”

Naman snorted. “Perhaps you should rephrase that—they will be in position to gaze across Lake Fellion alongside us.”

“Perhaps,” Galloran agreed.

“The emperor has not bothered to mask his strategy,” Naman said. “Why not thwart him? Our march has served to break the sieges in Kadara. The cities can now resupply, and their forces can regroup. By withdrawing now, we accomplish much at little cost. We waste his movement of troops and extend the war in the east for years.”

Rachel had also considered this possibility. She watched Galloran with interest.

“He has no need to hide his strategies,” Galloran repeated. “He knows our only hope of beating him is to proceed and take Felrook. The prophecy demands that we march on Felrook, and it warns that Felrook must fall. If we turn back before reaching our goal, the prophecy will never be fulfilled. The war would be officially over. We would return home to await our demise.”

“Instead, we will go like livestock to the slaughterhouse,” Naman said. “Once we are through the pass, Maldor will take it back, no matter how many defenders we leave. We will be trapped, then killed, and then the war will really be over.”

“Not if we take Felrook before Maldor’s armies arrive from the east,” Galloran said.

“How do you propose we do that?” Naman asked.

“First, we take the keeps,” Galloran said. “As you know, three keeps surround Felrook. They are not protected by water. They allow Maldor to send out sorties against attacking troops. But if they fall, they would provide stout shelter for a besieging army.”

“The gatecrashers?” Naman asked.

“The gatecrashers will give us a major advantage against the keeps,” Galloran agreed. “Our displacer knows secret ways into two of the fortresses. We may be able to take a couple of them with guile.”

Rachel glanced at Ferrin. He noticed her attention and gave an uneasy smile.

“So we take the three keeps and the walls protecting the ferry,” Naman said. “Call it four keeps, since the ferry is essentially a fortress as well. What then? Those walls will not house our entire host. They will provide scant protection against the horde that will descend on us from the east.”

“Once we hold the keeps, we begin to study the problem of Felrook,” Galloran said. “We engineer a way to attack the stronghold.”

“You mean we wait for the other part of the prophecy,” Naman said. “We hope that your companions slay the Maumet, find a dead prophet, and gain some inscrutable secret that will save us.”

“Essentially, yes,” Galloran said.

“This is folly,” Naman protested. “It is not too late to turn back.”

“We have had news from Lord Jason,” Galloran said. “Ferrin?”

Ferrin stood. “My ear is with Jason. He informed me this morning that they have destroyed the Maumet and escaped Windbreak Island.” Expressions of relief and excitement greeted the news. After a moment Galloran held up his hands, allowing Ferrin to continue. “They have the location of Darian the Seer in their possession. They have been heavily pursued. A lurker fell upon them, which they killed.” This announcement created another stir. Ferrin glanced briefly at Rachel. She wondered how they would have defeated a torivor without Galloran.

“Let him proceed,” Naman said.

“They spent several days caught in a calm; then other torivors, glimpsed in the distance, led a small fleet to them and chased them about the Inland Sea. They are finally preparing to disembark and journey over land to the last abode of Darian the Seer. They chose to share this information because they decided that if the emperor knew their movements, we deserved an update as well. A displacer cannot leak secrets that are already known. They hoped we would find their progress encouraging.” Ferrin sat.