Every step I take feels like it takes three times longer than it should, and as I go about my various tasks, my pace keeps increasing. I stop in to Illesiarr to make sure he doesn't need any more assistants. Once again, both of us are far too busy to pause for catch-up, and I fear I'm finally beginning to understand why my parents were always so distant. At least, I tell myself that's it. Too loyal to their country to waste time with their already cared-for children is a much prettier story than the alternatives. I offer Illesiarr a weak smile and leave, hurrying out as quickly as I came in.

I can't believe my sister already called another Auditorium meeting. Perhaps both me and Reyan lecturing her wasn't the best way to convince her to listen to us, but I don't think even with that in mind, I could have kept silent. I don't intend to stay silent this meeting, either. I push into one of the strategy rooms, where Reyan agreed to meet... for breakfast.

He stands on the other side of the round table, a meat pastry in hand. I've only ever seen the citizens out in the city eating pastries with their hands, but now's not the time to bother about it. He and I might have our differences, but with Sela acting like soldiers are toy pawns, he's my best ally at the moment. That's a worrying thought.

I close the door, saying, "Thank you for agreeing to meet."

He hms, gesturing with his pastry at mine sitting on a napkin on my side of the table.

I pick it up in the napkin, keeping my expression neutral. He didn't bring utensils, but the point of etiquette is to be polite. I swallow the indignity with my first bite of pastry.

"What is this about?" he says.

"You and I both want Sela—"

"Selenia," Reyan corrects.

I pause, caught off-guard. The name tastes wrong in my mouth. "Selenia, to agree to whatever strategy is going to demand the least loss of life. I figured we had better be presenting the same one, then."

He chews thoughtfully. "Alright. What do you have in mind?"

"I've gained the favor of a few of the Ladies. Inner Lady Janeaulí and High Ladies Misanette and Emavinne, though they sided with the majority last time, have expressed willingness to follow our lead."

He snorts.

All three agreed to help with the coronation, but Janeaulí, the one who questioned me about the ravens, took a little more convincing than the others. She's a good win, though, and normally well-respected at the Table.

I continue. "I think, too, that Solitaena will stand with us, considering her behavior at the last meeting and the dinner. I know Janeaulí doesn't get a vote, but she might be able to sway someone else to our cause. Even if she only convinces one, then we'd have six out of the twelve votes."

His hand raises flippantly. "What's it matter? It's Aselle that has our sister's ear."

"For now. But if we can avoid making ourselves seem any more like Sela's enemy, then she won't automatically discount the people that agree with us. And if we can convince her that a strong chunk of the court thinks our way is wiser, then she might actually listen to what we have to say and realize it is sense."

Reyan rocks on his heels. After a second, his fingers tap twice on the table. "You really are one of them, aren't you?"

Coming from nearly any other tone, I would find the phrase insulting. As is, since it's coming from Ren, I know it's not admiration, and I'm just left confused. "What do you mean?"

"You think like them. Play their games." He takes a bite of his pastry, and I frown. "Which is good, I suppose, if we're going to beat them."

My head shakes, but a smile edges my lips. That almost sounded like a compliment, brother. "Let's figure out what we want them to argue for."

We spend the next hour batting ideas back and forth. Considering that we're being sieged, there isn't much we can do. Any aggressive action is practically a death wish for the troops involved. That pretty much just leaves defensive measures—which we can only wait on. I'm waiting to be coronated, we're waiting for the other cities' armies to arrive. To be able to present something that sounds proactive, we search for some sort of troop rearrangement to offer.

We keep coming up blank until he mentions that the telekinetics are in the way almost as much as they're helpful.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"My men have to be careful not to step on them. If a soldier gets pushed back a step because a Kadranian made it onto the wall, he doesn't want to have to watch out for squishy wizards behind him."

I can't help but laugh despite the dark picture it paints. Sobering, I say, "There's not really anywhere else to put them, though, is there?"

"I hope you would have told me by now if they could fly." He raises his eyebrows.

I flash a grin, knowing he knows flight is an incredibly complicated task to perform, even for a seasoned air elementalist. Well, hoping he knows, at least. "No, they can't just hover over the wall." That sparks an idea, and I lean forward on the table. "But don't the guard towers have observation rooms at the top?"

His brows draw together. "Yeah."

"How high above the top of the wall would you say they are?"

"Maybe twelve feet."

I push off the table, grinning. "I'd say that's close enough."

"Aster, what are you going on about?" His eyes narrow.

"We move the stronger telekinetics up to the observation room. They'll still be able to see to cast, and they'll be close enough to still do some good damage. Honestly, they might have a better working view than the ones left on the wall!" I set my hands on the table again. "But that'll clear a good ten or fifteen, depending on how many we can fit in the towers and them still have a good view. Which should be most of them."

"By Antium, why haven't we been doing that all along?" He slaps the table, a grin spreading over his usually taciturn face. "Let's go give the men their new orders." He starts around the table.

"Wait, wait." I step in his way.

"What?" He tries to sidestep, but I block him.

"We need to include this as part of our proposal. If the whole thing gets shot down, we can do this anyway, but we need it in order to bolster how 'wait and hope' sounds as a plan."

He scowls.

"It's only an hour longer."

He shakes his head. "Fine." This time when he moves around, I let him pass, and we head our separate ways.

When I get to the Mage Room, I write Janeaulí a tri-folded, sealed message. I hand it off to Leavi, who offers a smile and hurries away. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that she doesn't know all the dark details I do.

Esteemed Lady Janeaulí,

Thank you again for working with High Lady Misanette on the coronation. I'll be relieved to finally put into place the wall defense. The sooner the senseless loss of lives ends, the easier I know we'll all rest.

On that note, I hope you'll see the sense in the defensive measures the Captain and I intend to present in the Auditorium. Not only will careful action preserve resources and lives, but we've also realized a heretofore unheard of defensive tactic that will make it easier to drive them from our walls when they attack. If you know of like-minded individuals, please do not fear reproof for sharing the contents of this message. Holding steady is a wiser hope than throwing men to the enemy, and I should like for all that can to share in that hope.

But a servant of the Lady Jacqueline and her people,

Crown Prince Aster Jacques

It's a risky thing to send. She agreed to help with the coronation; she didn't promise to side with me on every issue. But if she does like it, then maybe she'll talk it up to some of the others before the meeting. I suppose I'll see what happens.

I manage to make it to the Auditorium Arbitrate before most of the Ladies this time and take my spot standing beside my sister. I forgot to remind Reyan that we need to seem as polite as possible while remaining firm. Hopefully he won't spout something off. Then again, with Reyan, there's not much chance of that.

I bite my lip as I wait.

After the normal reports go by, Selenia consoles the Auditorium on our soldier's latest loss. Reyan's fist clenches, and though I'm glad he holds his tongue, I'm thinking the same thing. These pretty words don't belong to the Ladies who sat here safely; they belong to the soldiers whose friends died beside them. Then she opens up to the Table Arbitrate for ideas.

Reyan glowers, but my face stays calm. We knew this would happen, and this time, we're prepared.

The Table, mostly led by Aselle, bats around a handful of ideas for offensive action: leading a charge into the Park, using illusionists to create a distraction, pouring pitch down the wall and lighting it. I keep my peace, listening and compiling my response. When one Lady offhandedly suggests sending a soldier as an assassin, Reyan looks about ready to charge down the dais, but I catch his eye. Wait, I mouth, though I'd like nothing more than to charge with him.

He scowls and goes back to staring the Ladies to death.

Once the Table's debates have wound down, I say to Selenia, "If I may, my Queen?"