Maker, my enemies are abundant.
Many are those who rise up against me.
But my faith sustains me; I shall not fear the legion,
Should they set themselves against me.
In the long hours of the night
When hope has abandoned me,
I will see the stars and know
Your Light remains.
-Canticle of Trials 1:1-1:2
Leon flexed his hands where they gripped the fencepost, little localized aches flaring to life in his joints until he eased them again. Today, the largest practice area was filled with a constantly-rotating stream of both templars and regulars, as they pooled their knowledge of shieldwork and other defensive techniques for a joint drill. He didn't want mages throwing live bolts at anyoneânot yetâbut it couldn't hurt for the ordinary soldiers to be a little more prepared for it.
No doubt they'd already been taught most of this; the Lions knew it, and the Lions did the drilling. But it was one thing to hear it from a mercenary, however well-practiced, and another to hear it from someone whose job it was to fend off the magical with the mundane. Likewise, though, most of the templars had never sat in a trench or had to hack their way through all that many armored and well-armed targets, unless they had the dubious distinction of being among those who got most up-close and personal with the Reds. It would be nice if they could all take away something new, but even if all they got was a few more hours at something they already understood, wellâpractice made perfect.
"They've improved again," he noted, speaking to the young elf on his left. Corvin stood almost against the fence, arms crossed, observing as Donnelly, Hissrad, and the templar Leanna moved among the formation, occasionally pausing to correct an angle or the placement of someone's foot. Much as with the Templars, Leon found the continued steady improvement of the regulars to be impressive, and a sign that he'd chosen the correct officers. And certainly, not all the regulars could boast any martial training prior to the Breach, so in that sense it was quite something.
Corvin nodded, fighting down a grin that made it halfway onto his face regardless. "Of course. Can't let the templars and the scouts do everything. Encouraging a little rivalry is a good motivator, I've found."
âI know the feeling." Khari spoke up from Corvin's other side, where she was bent slightly, forearms resting on the post as she studied the movements of the soldiers, who'd paired off in striker-defender teams to try some of the moves a little more live, so to speak. She had to project a bit to be heard over the clanging of practice weapons on practice shields. âD'you ever have problems with them getting restless? We go months at a time without rotating the roster so new people get sent out to the field bases, right?"
The Irregulars at least had a semi-steady flow of work to do, and the scouts as well. But it was rare that the Inquisition mobilized all of their standing forces for anything, and it was most often the mages and the regulars that remained in Skyhold while other parties ventured forth.
"Well, sure we do. Anyone gets restless after a while. But fortunately, most of these ladies and gents aren't really the sort that intend to make a life of fighting. Or weren't, before this. If you take out all the ex-mercs and soldiers, most of them know they need to keep working if they want to keep surviving. Tends to take the edge off the impatience. What's left are professional enough to deal with it, and when it gets really bad, they know they can ask me to rotate them out somewhere with less snow for a while." Corvin shrugged. "The average fighter isn't as keen for it as you or me, Khari. Most of them are here for the cause and the wage, and as long as both seem to be on track, they're fine not getting almost-dead on a regular basis."
Leon felt a small tug at the corner of his mouth. "You make it sound as though you're prone to that restlessness though, Captain."
Corvin huffed. "You bet I am, Commander. But I can recognize when what I'm doing is important. I promise I only complain on my off hours, and not to the troops." His smile flashed teeth for half a second before receding again. "Still, uh... if you ever need an extra guy on the field, I ain't gonna say no."
"That's how you do it," said SĂ©verine, coming to join them as she set her shield down, bottom rim at her feet, hand resting on the top. "Complain all you want, so long as it goes up the chain. Never down." Her breathing was still elevated, a result of running through a few drills herself when she didn't feel the need to watch over her templars. She did still have trouble sometimes stepping back and commanding, but she was good at it when she did.
She glanced at Corvin. "Have you heard from Lia, by chance? I haven't seen her since... well." Since her father came back with the others from Minrathous was the obvious finish to the sentence.
He hummed, mouth pulling downwards. "'Heard from' is a bit too strong a term, but yes. She had some kind of argument with her dad after he got back. Been mostly sticking to a solo watch in the mountains since, but I saw her earlier. Supply runâshe might still be around. I figured it might be better not to bother her, but if you need her for somethingâ" He halted, glancing over his shoulder, then turning fully around.
"Stel? What's wrong?"
The Lady Inquisitor had indeed appeared; she was making a beeline for their small group, a piece of parchment clutched too tightly in one hand. She wasn't quite running, but it was a near thing, a few jogging steps occasionally creeping into her otherwise brisk walk. She made a clear effort to smile, first at Corvin and then at the rest of them, but it slipped off her face almost immediately. "It's Kirkwall," she breathed. "We have to helpâKirkwall's under siege."
She handed the parchment to Leon, who immediately opened it, holding it far enough away from himself that the others could all read it as well.
Estella,
Kirkwall is under attack from within. The templars have been fractured. Knight-Commander Cullen is dead, and I know not what has become of Ash. Red Templars have all quarters of the city besieged, and we can't hold them for long. I've sent word to Lucien, but your army is our best hope.
Please hurry.
"Lady Sophia?" he asked, glancing back up at Estella. She nodded quick confirmation. It made sense, but Leon wasn't familiar enough with her handwriting to know for sure.
"Shit." Corvin's face had blanched. "Mom. Nera."
"Dead..." It was SĂ©verine who said the word, barely more than a whisper, reaching halfway out like she wanted to grab the parchment but then withdrawing her hand away. "I don'tâhow could they... no." She shook her head, paused, and then shook it more fervently. "No. No, he can't be dead." She turned her eyes on Estella, looking hurt. "You're sure this is... no, this must be a trick. Trying to draw our forces away."
"The Dumar seal was on it, SĂ©verine." Estella said it softly. "Even if she's somehow mistaken, or even if this letter was forged by someone else, something is happening in Kirkwall. We can't afford to hedge our bets."
She was rightâLeon had no doubt of it. He also suspected that the loss was personal for SĂ©verine in a way it wouldn't be for almost anyone else. Unfortunately, there wasn't currently any time to give that the consideration it deserved. "We have to act as if it's genuine," he said. "Khariâget Romulus, Ithilian, Amalia, and find Lia. Bring them all to the War Room. Captain Pavell, break up the drills and get everyone ready to move. Estella, please find Captain Auroraâand Rilien, if he's not already aware." Leon paused and took a breath, waiting for the others to acknowledge and disperse before he turned his eyes back to SĂ©verine.
"I don't need the whole explanation," he said quietly. "But I do need to know whether you're going to be able to command our templars here. Even if you discover that what the letter says is true." There were all kinds of emotional entanglement that would make that difficult or impossible. He didn't care to assume what kind it was, and he had no desire to know if she didn't wish to share. But more important still was that they go into this situationâwhatever it turned out to beâwith clear heads and steady hearts.
Whatever it was she felt, she quite visibly buried it on the spot, somewhere deep inside her. She'd watched the others go in silence, unable to dredge up anything to keep them in place. She drew up straighter, letting a breath pass in and out before she attempted to speak. "I'll be able, Commander." The threat of her not commanding, if indeed that was how she chose to take it, seemed to be more than enough to keep her focused. "I'll get my templars in order, and meet you in the War Room."
Though it didn't ease his reservations about this entirely, Leon nodded anyway. He believed in her ability, and if she said she could handle it, he'd believe that, too. Pausing for a moment to make sure both SĂ©verine and Corvin were able to break up the drills efficiently, he headed up towards his office first, digging in his files until he found what he was looking forâa map of Kirkwall he'd had Donnelly draw up for him. It was considerably better than the standard sort, marking out a number of hidden Darktown passages and the like. The work of someone who'd been both local to the city and accustomed to moving around in all parts of it.
With this, he made his way to the War Room, finding that Rilien, Sparrow, Estella, and Aurora were already present. Khari must still be out retrieving the others. Leon spared them all a nod and made himself busy arranging the map. Maps, plural, really, considering that there were separate sheets for each major district of Kirkwall. He doubted there would be too much they'd be able to plan at this point, but it would be worth getting everyone's initial thoughts, anyway. Going in with a few flexible preliminary options was still preferable to going in blind.
Sparrow squared off at the opposite side of the table, particularly focused on the maps dedicated to the lower parts of Kirkwall. Lowtown, Darktown. Once Rilienâs home, as far as Leon knew. She prodded her finger in the middle of the parchment, talking in low tones, swinging her head from Rilien to Aurora. Ashton was mentioned, quite a few times.The scarred womanâs expression was grimmer than usual, though it was unsurprising considering the topic at hand. Rilien took this as calmly as he took everything, hands folded into his sleeves, but the tension in the air was thick nevertheless. Aurora too appeared calm on the surface, though the rhythmic tapping of fingers along the arm held crossed belied the emotions she felt beneath.
Khari's group was next to arrive; she stepped in first, looking a bit grim but otherwise the same as ever. Romulus was first in behind her, not bothering to hide that he was troubled by the news, but unlike many of the others, he had no personal connection to the city. Lia stepped in next, appearing to not even see many of the people in the room. Clearly she was distracted, either by the news or by something else, but she visibly shook it off and peered at the maps on the table.
Ithilian wasn't recovering quickly from the injury he'd sustained in Minrathous; his severed arm was still bandaged, the end of it just visible out of his sleeve. He watched Lia as he entered, stopping next to her, but not daring to say anything while the room was still silent. Amalia looked a good deal more recovered than her counterpart, but then it would have been difficult to tell otherwise, given how many layers she was wearing.
SĂ©verine was the last inside, helmet tucked beneath her arm. She closed the door with probably more force than was warranted, large though it was, and made her way to the front of the assembled group, glancing once over at the maps. She likely knew the city inside and out, as did many of the Kirkwall residents in the room.
"Are the ships ready to transport our forces?" she asked, her face still stripped of any emotion save for a steady urgency. "We'll never make it in time on foot."
âI've sent a bird to Jader." Rilien glanced once at SĂ©verine, then addressed the room at large. âFor what it is worth, I expect we will be reinforced to some degree by Orlais."
âReally?" Khari sounded skeptical, shifting her weight and raising an eyebrow at the spymaster. âLucien's not even crowned yet, and they just had a civil war. You think they'll throw in with another armed conflict so soon?"
The tranquil inclined his head, perhaps in acknowledgment of the point. âAllow me to further specify: I believe that when the Emperor finds himself stymied by nobility inclined to wield outdated treaties and his currently provisional authority against him, he will grow frustrated enough to take matters into his own hands. I expect a few particularly loyal naval and civilian ship captains to transport the majority of the Orlesian Lions and some of Ser Lucien's personal friends to Kirkwall as soon as he can gather them." He shifted his attention to Leon. âI imagine that will factor into our strategy, eventually."
"Entry will not be straightforward," Amalia spoke into the silence that followed Rilien's words. She crossed her arms over her chest. "No doubt by this point the besieging party has raised the boom chains, meaning that access to the harbor will be difficult."
Estella nodded. "And the Wounded Coast is notoriously difficult to land on. All the shipwrecks are what gave it the name. Maybe we can get a small group into the city and make lowering the chains a priority? That would let all the boats land and give us a point to push out from." She sounded like she wasn't quite sure if it were possible, but it wasn't a bad idea if they could find a way to manage it.
Leon turned to the other Kirkwall natives in the room, knowing they could have insight that he lacked. "What do the rest of you think?"
SĂ©verine took the input quite seriously, her expression lined with hard thought. "We may not need to get into the city to get the chains down, if we can get into the Gallows instead." She pointed to the two separate towers on either side of Lowtown, where the chains were connected, as well as operated. "Controls for the chains are here and here, but if we can capture the Gallows, assuming they are in fact occupied, we might be able to just destroy the chains from the other end."
She glanced back, towards the Lord Inquisitor. "Captain Zahra's ship is still equipped with a weapon recovered from a Qunari dreadnought, correct?" Romulus nodded that it was, seeming to follow her idea. SĂ©verine tapped her finger against the outline of the Gallows fortress. "That could make us a way in, then. If the Red Templars are busy fighting elsewhere in the city, they may only have a token force manning the Gallows itself." Still, a token force of Red Templars was nothing to be scoffed at, especially in the tight quarters of a fortress interior.
"We can attempt that first," Leon agreed. "If it works, much the better. If not, we may end up doing as Estella suggests." He turned his eyes back to Amalia. "We've only been of middling effectiveness with the device thus far. Might that be something you could instruct some of our people about?"
She considered that for a moment, then nodded. "I will. I believe there is a former Hissrad among the Lions as well. I will speak to him, and we will do this." She paused. "You may wish to consider configuring additional explosives with lyrium, if you have an engineer. Cannon shells would be ineffective if hurled from a more traditional siege weapon, but it would serve to weaken the wall before using the device on it."
âI will ask SennesĂŹa to devise something." Rilien took the idea in stride, apparently confident that their dwarven mechanist would be capable of it.
"Then it's a plan," Leon declared, casting his eyes around the room. "I suggest you all make your preparations for departure quickly. We leave within the day."
No doubt they'd already been taught most of this; the Lions knew it, and the Lions did the drilling. But it was one thing to hear it from a mercenary, however well-practiced, and another to hear it from someone whose job it was to fend off the magical with the mundane. Likewise, though, most of the templars had never sat in a trench or had to hack their way through all that many armored and well-armed targets, unless they had the dubious distinction of being among those who got most up-close and personal with the Reds. It would be nice if they could all take away something new, but even if all they got was a few more hours at something they already understood, wellâpractice made perfect.
"They've improved again," he noted, speaking to the young elf on his left. Corvin stood almost against the fence, arms crossed, observing as Donnelly, Hissrad, and the templar Leanna moved among the formation, occasionally pausing to correct an angle or the placement of someone's foot. Much as with the Templars, Leon found the continued steady improvement of the regulars to be impressive, and a sign that he'd chosen the correct officers. And certainly, not all the regulars could boast any martial training prior to the Breach, so in that sense it was quite something.
Corvin nodded, fighting down a grin that made it halfway onto his face regardless. "Of course. Can't let the templars and the scouts do everything. Encouraging a little rivalry is a good motivator, I've found."
âI know the feeling." Khari spoke up from Corvin's other side, where she was bent slightly, forearms resting on the post as she studied the movements of the soldiers, who'd paired off in striker-defender teams to try some of the moves a little more live, so to speak. She had to project a bit to be heard over the clanging of practice weapons on practice shields. âD'you ever have problems with them getting restless? We go months at a time without rotating the roster so new people get sent out to the field bases, right?"
The Irregulars at least had a semi-steady flow of work to do, and the scouts as well. But it was rare that the Inquisition mobilized all of their standing forces for anything, and it was most often the mages and the regulars that remained in Skyhold while other parties ventured forth.
"Well, sure we do. Anyone gets restless after a while. But fortunately, most of these ladies and gents aren't really the sort that intend to make a life of fighting. Or weren't, before this. If you take out all the ex-mercs and soldiers, most of them know they need to keep working if they want to keep surviving. Tends to take the edge off the impatience. What's left are professional enough to deal with it, and when it gets really bad, they know they can ask me to rotate them out somewhere with less snow for a while." Corvin shrugged. "The average fighter isn't as keen for it as you or me, Khari. Most of them are here for the cause and the wage, and as long as both seem to be on track, they're fine not getting almost-dead on a regular basis."
Leon felt a small tug at the corner of his mouth. "You make it sound as though you're prone to that restlessness though, Captain."
Corvin huffed. "You bet I am, Commander. But I can recognize when what I'm doing is important. I promise I only complain on my off hours, and not to the troops." His smile flashed teeth for half a second before receding again. "Still, uh... if you ever need an extra guy on the field, I ain't gonna say no."
"That's how you do it," said SĂ©verine, coming to join them as she set her shield down, bottom rim at her feet, hand resting on the top. "Complain all you want, so long as it goes up the chain. Never down." Her breathing was still elevated, a result of running through a few drills herself when she didn't feel the need to watch over her templars. She did still have trouble sometimes stepping back and commanding, but she was good at it when she did.
She glanced at Corvin. "Have you heard from Lia, by chance? I haven't seen her since... well." Since her father came back with the others from Minrathous was the obvious finish to the sentence.
He hummed, mouth pulling downwards. "'Heard from' is a bit too strong a term, but yes. She had some kind of argument with her dad after he got back. Been mostly sticking to a solo watch in the mountains since, but I saw her earlier. Supply runâshe might still be around. I figured it might be better not to bother her, but if you need her for somethingâ" He halted, glancing over his shoulder, then turning fully around.
"Stel? What's wrong?"
The Lady Inquisitor had indeed appeared; she was making a beeline for their small group, a piece of parchment clutched too tightly in one hand. She wasn't quite running, but it was a near thing, a few jogging steps occasionally creeping into her otherwise brisk walk. She made a clear effort to smile, first at Corvin and then at the rest of them, but it slipped off her face almost immediately. "It's Kirkwall," she breathed. "We have to helpâKirkwall's under siege."
She handed the parchment to Leon, who immediately opened it, holding it far enough away from himself that the others could all read it as well.
Estella,
Kirkwall is under attack from within. The templars have been fractured. Knight-Commander Cullen is dead, and I know not what has become of Ash. Red Templars have all quarters of the city besieged, and we can't hold them for long. I've sent word to Lucien, but your army is our best hope.
Please hurry.
"Lady Sophia?" he asked, glancing back up at Estella. She nodded quick confirmation. It made sense, but Leon wasn't familiar enough with her handwriting to know for sure.
"Shit." Corvin's face had blanched. "Mom. Nera."
"Dead..." It was SĂ©verine who said the word, barely more than a whisper, reaching halfway out like she wanted to grab the parchment but then withdrawing her hand away. "I don'tâhow could they... no." She shook her head, paused, and then shook it more fervently. "No. No, he can't be dead." She turned her eyes on Estella, looking hurt. "You're sure this is... no, this must be a trick. Trying to draw our forces away."
"The Dumar seal was on it, SĂ©verine." Estella said it softly. "Even if she's somehow mistaken, or even if this letter was forged by someone else, something is happening in Kirkwall. We can't afford to hedge our bets."
She was rightâLeon had no doubt of it. He also suspected that the loss was personal for SĂ©verine in a way it wouldn't be for almost anyone else. Unfortunately, there wasn't currently any time to give that the consideration it deserved. "We have to act as if it's genuine," he said. "Khariâget Romulus, Ithilian, Amalia, and find Lia. Bring them all to the War Room. Captain Pavell, break up the drills and get everyone ready to move. Estella, please find Captain Auroraâand Rilien, if he's not already aware." Leon paused and took a breath, waiting for the others to acknowledge and disperse before he turned his eyes back to SĂ©verine.
"I don't need the whole explanation," he said quietly. "But I do need to know whether you're going to be able to command our templars here. Even if you discover that what the letter says is true." There were all kinds of emotional entanglement that would make that difficult or impossible. He didn't care to assume what kind it was, and he had no desire to know if she didn't wish to share. But more important still was that they go into this situationâwhatever it turned out to beâwith clear heads and steady hearts.
Whatever it was she felt, she quite visibly buried it on the spot, somewhere deep inside her. She'd watched the others go in silence, unable to dredge up anything to keep them in place. She drew up straighter, letting a breath pass in and out before she attempted to speak. "I'll be able, Commander." The threat of her not commanding, if indeed that was how she chose to take it, seemed to be more than enough to keep her focused. "I'll get my templars in order, and meet you in the War Room."
Though it didn't ease his reservations about this entirely, Leon nodded anyway. He believed in her ability, and if she said she could handle it, he'd believe that, too. Pausing for a moment to make sure both SĂ©verine and Corvin were able to break up the drills efficiently, he headed up towards his office first, digging in his files until he found what he was looking forâa map of Kirkwall he'd had Donnelly draw up for him. It was considerably better than the standard sort, marking out a number of hidden Darktown passages and the like. The work of someone who'd been both local to the city and accustomed to moving around in all parts of it.
With this, he made his way to the War Room, finding that Rilien, Sparrow, Estella, and Aurora were already present. Khari must still be out retrieving the others. Leon spared them all a nod and made himself busy arranging the map. Maps, plural, really, considering that there were separate sheets for each major district of Kirkwall. He doubted there would be too much they'd be able to plan at this point, but it would be worth getting everyone's initial thoughts, anyway. Going in with a few flexible preliminary options was still preferable to going in blind.
Sparrow squared off at the opposite side of the table, particularly focused on the maps dedicated to the lower parts of Kirkwall. Lowtown, Darktown. Once Rilienâs home, as far as Leon knew. She prodded her finger in the middle of the parchment, talking in low tones, swinging her head from Rilien to Aurora. Ashton was mentioned, quite a few times.The scarred womanâs expression was grimmer than usual, though it was unsurprising considering the topic at hand. Rilien took this as calmly as he took everything, hands folded into his sleeves, but the tension in the air was thick nevertheless. Aurora too appeared calm on the surface, though the rhythmic tapping of fingers along the arm held crossed belied the emotions she felt beneath.
Khari's group was next to arrive; she stepped in first, looking a bit grim but otherwise the same as ever. Romulus was first in behind her, not bothering to hide that he was troubled by the news, but unlike many of the others, he had no personal connection to the city. Lia stepped in next, appearing to not even see many of the people in the room. Clearly she was distracted, either by the news or by something else, but she visibly shook it off and peered at the maps on the table.
Ithilian wasn't recovering quickly from the injury he'd sustained in Minrathous; his severed arm was still bandaged, the end of it just visible out of his sleeve. He watched Lia as he entered, stopping next to her, but not daring to say anything while the room was still silent. Amalia looked a good deal more recovered than her counterpart, but then it would have been difficult to tell otherwise, given how many layers she was wearing.
SĂ©verine was the last inside, helmet tucked beneath her arm. She closed the door with probably more force than was warranted, large though it was, and made her way to the front of the assembled group, glancing once over at the maps. She likely knew the city inside and out, as did many of the Kirkwall residents in the room.
"Are the ships ready to transport our forces?" she asked, her face still stripped of any emotion save for a steady urgency. "We'll never make it in time on foot."
âI've sent a bird to Jader." Rilien glanced once at SĂ©verine, then addressed the room at large. âFor what it is worth, I expect we will be reinforced to some degree by Orlais."
âReally?" Khari sounded skeptical, shifting her weight and raising an eyebrow at the spymaster. âLucien's not even crowned yet, and they just had a civil war. You think they'll throw in with another armed conflict so soon?"
The tranquil inclined his head, perhaps in acknowledgment of the point. âAllow me to further specify: I believe that when the Emperor finds himself stymied by nobility inclined to wield outdated treaties and his currently provisional authority against him, he will grow frustrated enough to take matters into his own hands. I expect a few particularly loyal naval and civilian ship captains to transport the majority of the Orlesian Lions and some of Ser Lucien's personal friends to Kirkwall as soon as he can gather them." He shifted his attention to Leon. âI imagine that will factor into our strategy, eventually."
"Entry will not be straightforward," Amalia spoke into the silence that followed Rilien's words. She crossed her arms over her chest. "No doubt by this point the besieging party has raised the boom chains, meaning that access to the harbor will be difficult."
Estella nodded. "And the Wounded Coast is notoriously difficult to land on. All the shipwrecks are what gave it the name. Maybe we can get a small group into the city and make lowering the chains a priority? That would let all the boats land and give us a point to push out from." She sounded like she wasn't quite sure if it were possible, but it wasn't a bad idea if they could find a way to manage it.
Leon turned to the other Kirkwall natives in the room, knowing they could have insight that he lacked. "What do the rest of you think?"
SĂ©verine took the input quite seriously, her expression lined with hard thought. "We may not need to get into the city to get the chains down, if we can get into the Gallows instead." She pointed to the two separate towers on either side of Lowtown, where the chains were connected, as well as operated. "Controls for the chains are here and here, but if we can capture the Gallows, assuming they are in fact occupied, we might be able to just destroy the chains from the other end."
She glanced back, towards the Lord Inquisitor. "Captain Zahra's ship is still equipped with a weapon recovered from a Qunari dreadnought, correct?" Romulus nodded that it was, seeming to follow her idea. SĂ©verine tapped her finger against the outline of the Gallows fortress. "That could make us a way in, then. If the Red Templars are busy fighting elsewhere in the city, they may only have a token force manning the Gallows itself." Still, a token force of Red Templars was nothing to be scoffed at, especially in the tight quarters of a fortress interior.
"We can attempt that first," Leon agreed. "If it works, much the better. If not, we may end up doing as Estella suggests." He turned his eyes back to Amalia. "We've only been of middling effectiveness with the device thus far. Might that be something you could instruct some of our people about?"
She considered that for a moment, then nodded. "I will. I believe there is a former Hissrad among the Lions as well. I will speak to him, and we will do this." She paused. "You may wish to consider configuring additional explosives with lyrium, if you have an engineer. Cannon shells would be ineffective if hurled from a more traditional siege weapon, but it would serve to weaken the wall before using the device on it."
âI will ask SennesĂŹa to devise something." Rilien took the idea in stride, apparently confident that their dwarven mechanist would be capable of it.
"Then it's a plan," Leon declared, casting his eyes around the room. "I suggest you all make your preparations for departure quickly. We leave within the day."