Gallen accompanied me back to his home, beaming. I was realizing that he had grown to like me, but I couldn’t bring myself to share his enthusiasm.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” Gallen asked, noticing my grim mood.

“Yes, of course,” I answered, grateful. “Thank you for standing up for me.”

“But Luther doesn’t believe that Thornland is going to attack,” Gallen continued. “I know you believe that, Tatiana, but we just signed a truce with them. Without the documents to prove it, Luther will have a hard time believing someone he’s just met.”

I could tell that Gallen wasn’t taking me seriously either… How could I explain what I saw, what I lived? How could I make them understand that Thornland was preparing for a war? A war that would kill Luther… He had treated me with such kindness. Unlike Franco, his decisions were rational, principled. So I needed a rational plan to convince him.

“I am grateful to be a part of Voke,” I told Gallen, forcing a smile.

For the remainder of the walk back, I noted every turn, earmarking each tent in my memory. I was going to find my way to Luther’s office later, when I found a moment to slip under Gallen’s supervision. He had to give me another chance.

The rest of the day unfolded quietly. Ligones bathed in the lazy afternoon sunshine, the kind that Thornland only enjoys in the late summer months. Gallen, Gaia and I shared a lunch of goat cheese and honey, and they laughed as a loaf of spiced bread brought hot tears to my eyes.

After lunch, Gaia and Gallen left to attend their court functions. I searched their home for a piece of paper and a pencil. I sat on the floor by the central firepits, attempting to draw what I could remember of the maps I had seen on the stolen documents.

Over and over and over again, I combed the corners of my mind, picturing the curve of the Eastern river and the triangles of Voke’s mountains. Were there encampments in the south? Which “X” marked locations of their winter resources?

Working for Duke Franco had sharpened my memory. Beyond my role as an interpreter, he relied on me to be his eyes and ears. But in my haste to flee Thornland, I had only grazed over the content of the documents I had stolen, taking for granted the fact that I would still have them in my possession in Voke.

Frustrated, I tore up my attempts at drawing the maps. It wouldn’t work. I hadn’t paid attention to them for long enough to reproduce them. If I wanted to convince Luther that he needed to reinforce the dam, I would have to come up with another strategy.

Desperate, I racked my memory for any information that I could bring to Luther to prove that the humans were planning an attack. I had recently overheard King Hughes and Franco discussing a plan to build a military encampment on Thornland’s north-west border, nestled within the rocky folds of the mountains. That location would enable them to strike Voke quickly, once they declared war. But I didn’t know whether they had already established themselves there. Sharing this with Luther was risky… but it was all I had left.

When Gaia and Gallen retired to their bedroom for the evening, I pretended to do the same. Less than ten minutes later, I slid outside of my room. I wore the scarf Gallen had given me the night before to hide most of my face. Gallen and Gaia were soft, gentle people, and I hated to betray their trust.

If I don’t do this, war will tear them apart, I reminded myself.

Navigating the citadel at night proved harder than I thought: I had noted tent colors, but in the indigo thickness of the evening, they were all different shades of moonlight grey. After avoiding a few inebriated demons stumbling home, I managed to locate the tan panel of leather that marked the entrance to Luther’s office.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress and pushed it open. The room was dim and empty. My heart sank in my chest. It hadn’t occurred to me that Luther might not be in his office so late into the night.

I paused for an instant, my mind racing. A strange, rustling sound drew my attention to a far corner of the tent. Luther was standing there, staring at me. He wore green linen pants and the collar of his brown shirt was open, revealing a black curl of ink on his chest. He was holding pruners, ivy twisting around him.

Now I really look like I’m snooping, I thought.

“I was looking for you,” I started.

“And here I am,” Luther smiled, moving closer to me with the swiftness of a bobcat.

He didn’t seem at all threatened by my intrusion. The sheer power of his confidence was intimidating. Unlike Franco, he didn’t need to constantly prove his strength. It flowed through him.

I forced myself to stand up straight. “You made it very clear that you didn’t want me meddling in Voke’s political affairs.”

“I did,” Luther answered. “Yet here you are.”

“Yes. I’m hoping you will take the threat of a war seriously.”

Luther was standing so close to me I could feel the warmth emanating from him. He narrowed his eyes and signaled for me to continue.

“There is something I remembered. King Hughes is moving troops close to Voke’s border, in Calas.”

“Tatiana, kingdoms constantly move their armies from one location to the next. My high-council keeps track of them, so I can worry about other matters.”

I grounded my feet. “Yes, but Thornland and Voke signed a treaty after the Eleven Years’ war. It stipulated that neither Thornland, nor Voke were allowed army encampments less than a hundred miles from each other’s borders. Calas is ten miles away from Voke’s north-west border. I’m assuming that your high-council informed you of that?”

Luther repressed a smile, studying me with his clever, discerning eyes.

“Tell me. What would you have me do about it?” he finally said.

He was testing me. But I was confident in my abilities.

“Ride with me to Lexovi, Calas’ sister city. Its elevation will give us a vantage point on Calas. We’ll be able to spy across the border. If I’m right, we’ll see an army assembling there, readying themselves to attack Voke in a year. I’m hoping this will convince you to reinforce the Eastern river dam, and to protect Voke against another human invasion.”

Luther paused for a moment, considering my offer.

“I see you don’t shy away from a challenge, Tatiana,” he told me, almost amused by the situation. “I like that. You’ve got yourself a deal,” he added, extending his hand out to me.

We clasped arms in the manner of demons. I sighed in relief. If Luther had been a prouder man, he would have never let me challenge his decision. He let go of my arm, and I realized that I had been staring into his intense eyes, lost in thought. I regained composure.

“Meet me in the stables at the break of dawn tomorrow. Lexovi’s a half-day’s ride away. If you are right, I will listen to your advice. If nothing else, I suppose we’ll have learned to know each other better,” he smiled.

He released my hand, and I felt my face flush that familiar crimson red.