"Aldric sent word this morning," Kael says. "She's gathering forces at a location he can't pinpoint—somewhere shielded by heavy magic. But he's confirmed she has non-wolf allies. He mentioned... things. Creatures he wouldn't name."
"Helpful," I say dryly.
"He's limited in what he can tell us. The oaths he made."
"I know about the oaths," I waved off the explanation.
"What matters is that Seraphine has reinforcements we can't identify or count. Which means we plan for an overwhelming force."
"That's not encouraging," Martin mutters.
"It's realistic," I counter. "And realism is all we have right now."
I leaned over the map, studying the Black River's layout with cold calculation.
"Here's what we're going to do," I say slowly, piecing together a strategy that tastes like ash but might
