Captain Thorne stepped forward, spreading new maps on the table. "Daemon's fortress is here, in the northern mountains as we suspected. It's heavily fortified, built into the mountainside with both physical and magical defenses. The scouts estimate he has approximately three hundred fighting men, a mix of old family descendants and mercenaries he's recruited over the years."
"Three hundred," I repeated. "That's more than we expected."
"It gets worse. He's been summoning shadow beasts systematically, binding them to his will. The scouts counted at least fifty creatures, possibly more hidden deeper in the fortress." Captain Thorne's expression was grim. "And there's something else. Darian arrived at the fortress two days ago. He's been welcomed and given a position of authority. Whatever Daemon is planning, Darian is now integral to it."
I looked at Theron, who stood near his father. His face was carefully controlled, but I saw pain in his eyes at this confirmation of his twin's full betrayal.
"What else?" Kael asked.
"Daemon is preparing to move. Supplies being packed, forces being organized, shadow beasts being readied for transport. The scouts estimate he'll march within three days."
"Three days?" King Aldric's voice was sharp. "That's eight days before the Council of Lords. Why would he move early?"
"Because he knows we've broken his network," I said, understanding flooding through me. "He knows we arrested his agents, knows we're preparing defenses. So he's accelerating his timeline, attacking before we're fully ready." I looked at the maps, at the route between Daemon's fortress and the castle. "How long would it take his forces to reach us?"
"Moving cautiously with that many men and beasts? Five days. Moving quickly and accepting losses? Three." Captain Thorne traced the route. "If he left tomorrow, he could be at our gates the same day as the Council."
"No, he won't wait that long." I studied the terrain between fortress and castle. "He'll strike before the Council arrives. Before we have reinforcements from the High Lords' personal guards. He'll hit us while we're vulnerable."
"That gives us six days at most to prepare," Kael said. "Six days to shore up defenses, position forces, and prepare for a siege."
"Not a siege. An assault." I pointed to the map. "Daemon isn't patient enough for siege warfare. He'll hit hard and fast, trying to overwhelm us before we can organize effective resistance. Shadow beasts to create chaos, his soldiers to exploit that chaos, and his shade working directly against Kael."
"You're talking about a battle inside the castle itself," one of the military advisors said. "The casualties would be catastrophic."
"Better to fight and lose people than to surrender and lose everything." I looked around the room. "We need to evacuate non-essential personnel. Servants, children, anyone who can't fight. Send them to the city or surrounding estates. Reduce the number of potential victims if Daemon's forces breach the walls."
"That will cause panic," another advisor protested. "The court will see it as admission we can't protect them."
"The court can see it however they want. I care about keeping people alive." I turned to King Aldric. "Your Majesty, I recommend beginning evacuations immediately. Priority to families with children, elderly servants, and anyone without combat training. Make it voluntary for now, but strongly encourage compliance."
The King studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Do it. Captain Thorne, coordinate the evacuations. Make it orderly, make it quiet, but make it happen. And anyone who refuses to leave signs a document absolving the crown of responsibility for their safety."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What about the High Lords?" Theron asked. "They're supposed to arrive for the Council in eight days. Do we warn them? Ask them to come early with their forces?"
"We warn them," Kael decided. "Send fast riders today. Explain the situation, request they bring full military retinues if they can, and suggest they arrive as soon as possible rather than waiting for the scheduled Council date. Frame it as a unified defense against a mutual threat."
"Some will come. Others will use it as excuse to stay away, claiming they need to protect their own territories." King Aldric's voice was bitter. "Corvain will come—he's committed to our alliance. Bloodmoon will come because she hates Daemon for the manipulation of old families. But others will wait to see who wins before committing forces."
"Then we work with what we have," I said. "Estimate our current strength, Captain. If Daemon attacks with three hundred soldiers and fifty shadow beasts, what are we facing?"
"We have approximately two hundred castle guards, plus whatever forces the King can muster from the surrounding area quickly. Call it three hundred total, assuming we can gather them in time." Captain Thorne's expression was grave. "So we're looking at roughly equal numbers, but they have shadow beasts and we don't. That tips the advantage significantly in their favor."
"Unless we have our own shadow magic," Kael said quietly.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"You can't," I said immediately, understanding what he was suggesting. "Creating shadow beasts would kill you. You said so yourself."
"Creating dozens might kill me. Creating a few shouldn't. And it would give us a way to counter Daemon's beasts without requiring our soldiers to fight creatures they have no training against." Kael's expression was determined. "It's a risk, but it's calculated. Better than sending ordinary men against shadow magic with no defense."
"Absolutely not. We'll find another way."
"What other way? We don't have magical weapons. We don't have experts in shadow combat. We have me, and my curse, and the ability to level the playing field if I'm willing to take the risk."
"The risk being your death!" My voice rose despite my attempt to stay calm. "We've been fighting this whole time to keep you alive, and now you want to deliberately use magic that could kill you?"
"I want to give our people a chance to survive. That's more important than my personal safety."
"Not to me it's not!"
The room had gone very quiet, everyone watching our argument with varying degrees of discomfort. I realized I was trembling, tears threatening at the corners of my eyes.
King Aldric cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should discuss other defensive strategies before making final decisions about magical combat. Princess, you mentioned evacuations and positioning forces. Let's focus on conventional preparations first."
He was giving us an out, a way to table this argument until we weren't standing in front of the entire command staff. I took a breath, forcing myself back under control.
"Yes. Conventional preparations." I turned back to the maps, deliberately not looking at Kael. "We need to identify choke points in the castle. Places where small numbers of defenders can hold against larger attacking forces. Narrow corridors, reinforced doors, positions with height advantage."
For the next two hours, we planned defensive positions. Where to station archers, where to place barricades, which sections of the castle to prioritize holding versus which to potentially abandon and retake later. It was meticulous, exhausting work that required considering hundreds of variables.
Through it all, I was aware of Kael beside me, his presence both comforting and frustrating. I understood his logic about using his curse to create defensive shadow beasts. It made tactical sense. But the thought of him deliberately risking his life like that made me sick with fear.
We'd come so far, survived so much. I couldn't lose him now. Not when we were finally building something worth protecting together.
The planning session finally ended with assignments distributed and timelines established. Six days to prepare for battle. Six days to turn a castle full of courtiers and servants into a fortress capable of withstanding assault.
Six days that felt simultaneously too long and nowhere near long enough.
As people filed out, King Aldric gestured for Kael and me to remain. When the room was empty except for the three of us, he spoke carefully.
"Kael, I understand your instinct to use your curse to protect the kingdom. But your wife is right—the risk is too great. You're my heir. If you die, the succession is thrown into chaos even if we somehow win the battle."
"With respect, Father, we won't win the battle without evening the magical odds. Daemon's shadow beasts will tear through conventional forces like paper. We need a counter, and I'm the only one who can provide it."
"Then we find another way. Elena and the old families must know something about combating shadow magic. Ancient techniques, protective rituals, something." The King looked at me. "Princess, work with Elena. See if there's an alternative to Kael risking his life."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I'll start immediately."