Belaria regarded the young warrior with a cold stare, her thoughts unreadable. After a moment, she said "War is never about glory. War is about survival. My purpose here is to give my people the chance to survive." Then she turned toward the soldiers lined up inside the walls, raised her hands and closed her eyes. A low hum emanated from the ground and built into a rumble, churning the earth wherever there was empty space. Dirt and clay moved, gathering and building, and within a minute there was an unmoving clay soldier for every man there. Without opening her eyes, Belaria brought her hands together and pushed them forward, sending streams of red light at each of them. As they were touched one by one, they took a step forward and drew their weapons, a red glow in their eyes. Once every soldier was animated, Belaria gathered the red threads and tied the ends together. As the knot was completed the trailing threads faded away, leaving only the knot in her hands. Handing it to Henry, she said "The soldiers will obey anyone who holds that knot. when their purpose as warriors has been served, you may repurpose them, as they will last as long as the clay." As soon as her hands left the knot, she stumbled, almost falling over as Belaria's magic waned. Caroline quickly took control of her body again, standing up as soon as she could. Spark appeared beside her, unsure of how to help, and finally just settled down beside her as she sat against the wall.