Chapter 497: Morning and Next Phase (2)
"We don’t have long." Her voice carried the rasp of someone who had slept too little. "The Varzadians sent riders after the night assault. Reinforcements will be marching hard."
"Hours, not days." Josephine joined them, arms overhead in a languid stretch that popped three joints in her back. She grinned at Lyan’s quick glance, then dropped her arms, emerald eyes sharpening. "They’ll expect we dig in, repair walls, beg for Prince William to catch up."
"Which means we do the opposite." Lyan’s tone settled into that calm command he saved for maps and imminent danger. "Fortress Eboncliff. Hit fast, hold faster."
Belle padded up, still shrugging into her emerald cloak. Her hair, loosened for sleep, now framed her face in soft waves. She caught Lyan’s eye and offered a single nod. "I’ll need two scout pairs and six smoke pots. Enemy patrols are thin west of the limestone outcrop—easy to mislead."
"Take them." Lyan gestured toward the supply row where freshly sharpened spears rested against crates. "Paint the outcrop with their torch-marks. If they double back, I want them chasing ghosts."
Belle’s smile curved sly. "Leave the ghosts to me, Commander."
Alicia approached next, a small notebook tucked under one arm. Her silver eyes were clear despite the faint shadows beneath them. "I can maintain three major illusions at once without collapsing," she reported, fingers flicking through mental figures. "But large-scale mirage work—that’s Belle’s domain. My psychokinesis can shift loose stones, maybe topple a gate brace, nothing bright."
Lyan dipped his head. "Understood. We’ll marry both talents. Your kinetic push for structure sabotage, Belle’s veil for numbers."
Alicia looked relieved. "I’ll trace ley lines as we move. Less strain that way."
Josephine stepped closer, rolling a shoulder as if testing its range. "My riders?" The question was a spark inside green eyes.
"You’ll harry everything that moves between this fort and Eboncliff," Lyan answered. "Small strikes. Burn a cart. Kill one horse, let the driver flee. They must believe a legion shadows every tree."