“Swashbuckler,” Myka repeated with a grin towards Ysaryn. “It’s a silly word. Means…ehm—come on help me out,” she said, frowning while gesturing with one hand, before turning to her comrades, who just chuckled and shook their heads. “It’s like a romantic adventurer. Off on righteous adventures against some villain, sword in hand. Like you lot. Or Kire, actually. Only, she’s both the swashbuckler and the damsel in need.” Myka chuckled. “I can’t even say ‘in distress’ and ‘Kire’ in the same sentence.” 

	“Does it count if she looks for the distress? She does run towards trouble a lot,” Gavin commented, a bit more at ease, now that they were away from the prying eyes of the noble-born Amrians. It was one thing being Itallo’s errand boy, meeting rich merchants and self-made lords in a port city like Cordon, but quite another to be confronted with all of [i]this[/i]. An empire so big that it enclosed kingdoms. In another world. He crossed his arms, likewise cold. 
	Myka chuckled. “Fair point. Maybe she needs rescuing from herself sometimes. But anyway, you two explain the plan again, as I have no idea how in the gods I am going to relay all that to my crew without botching it. I can hardly believe it, myself—wouldn’t, actually, if I wasn’t around for that big gate incident.” 
	The women listened carefully and seriously as the two ‘sorcerers’ repeated the plans. “See? Sounds deceptively simple, no?” Myka said afterward, smirking, before turning serious again. “Ladies, you know the risks. A lot is riding on this, but if we pull it off, it would leave the armies with no other opposition than your standard combat hazards. Like Narda said in the meeting, I have no wish to encounter some monster exploding in my face.” She turned to the other two. “You’re the decoy, then?” she asked Ruli. “We’ve been studying maps of the Capital in preparation for the siege. But do you know where to go?” 

Later, two guards approached the group, politely informing them that Her Majesty and the war council had gone out to the grounds and would be demonstrating the flash bomb. “Ahh. I’m a little excited for this one,” Myka said. “Come on.” She and the [i]Wenches[/i] walked back with them towards the castle grounds again. The council was already there. Jan was whispering to Kire with a frown, Ed looked stoic and a little worn, while Kire whispered back to Jan with curt, impatient replies. Narda cleared her throat, seeing the rest of the group approaching them. 
	Kire looked their way, then, realizing she still had the impatient look on her face, softened her expression. “Yes. Daryll, go ahead.” 
	Nodding, Daryll produced the bomb again. “Stand back.” Just as they had done back at his house in the mountains, he tested out the flash bomb, with success. Gavin sighed in relief; while he was confident in their work, he had still been nervous leading up to the demonstration. The hissing was still there, and he could see a couple of the officers were itching to make some comment. 
	“Looks near enough to the portals to me,” Kire said. “And in the thick of battle, nobody will be looking too closely to check, anyway.” 
	Myka whistled. “That’s impressive. Could you make some extra for us?” she added cheekily. Narda laughed softly at that. 

Kire stepped forward, turning to the rest of the council members. “We can adjourn now, unless you want to bring up other matters. You’ll need time to relay all the information to your battalions, and to rest. Jan, Ulrich, tomorrow morning, we’ll talk about the terms of the engagement.” The council bowed to her, and she dismissed them with a wave, the Wyverns staying behind. “Gods, that was bloody tedious,” she muttered, once they were gone. 

	“I thought you were close to breaking the table in half at some point,” Ed put in, rubbing his temples. “But—honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed you.” He looked at Myka. “Things got quite heated in there.”
	“An understatement,” Jan said with a scoff. “While I do not regret the alliances we have solidified during this whole campaign, some of them are, by the gods, vultures in human form.” 
	Kire looked like she wanted to comment further, but instead drew a deep breath and sighed. “You know what I need? A fucking drink. I’m going back to Elva’s to give her an account. No, I’m not actually going to drink,” she added, cutting Jan off. “I need a clear head tomorrow. Anyway, everyone coming?”
	Jan shook her head. “Ulrich and I have a few matters to settle first.” 
	“Mm. Maybe set his youngest sons straight, eh?” Kire muttered. 
	“I’ll handle his sons,” Jan said. The Paladin smirked. If there was anybody who could put them in place, she knew it would be Jan. 
	“I’m coming back with you,” Ed said. “Elva will eviscerate me if I don’t say goodbye before we go off to war again.” 
	“See you lot tomorrow, then,” Narda grunted. “We have our own preparations to finish.” Myka raised a hand in farewell. 

The moment they were back at the manor, Kire loosened her hair and shrugged off her mantle. “Food. Wine. Just one cup. Take it to my room. Thank you,” she said as soon as a servant approached them. Ed, too, looked like he wanted to gulp down a barrel of ale, running his hands through his hair. 
	“That was a long day. But I’m only saying that because the actual fighting hasn’t actually started,” he said, shaking his head. “Where’s the mistress of the manor?” Another servant informed them that the lady had gone out on her healer’s duties but will be back soon. 
	“I don’t know about you but I am going to change out of these ridiculous clothes,” Daryll declared, going off outside towards his house. 
	“Mm. Same. I’ll nap and come down later when Elva’s back,” Kire declared, already on the way up the stairs. Ed watched her, concerned, his hands on his hips, before turning to the others, putting on a smile for them, even though Kire’s own exhaustion at the long meeting was reflected in his own eyes. “That was a lot to take in for everyone. Sorry you had to be cut out of the latter half,” he said, “but it was a lot of sensitive information being exchanged, and I don’t think Kire wanted you to be around such uncomfortable talk. You go on and get your rest, too. We still have time before Elva comes back and we have a proper dinner.” 

Come sundown, Elva had come back, and had been informed of their return. Gavin had spent the downtime back at Daryll’s, too restless to sleep. He and the Wyvern scholar talk in the library, where Gavin asked questions about Amria, politics—about which Daryll only gave him short explanations—and the contents of his library. Kire, meanwhile, after changing out of the formal royal attire, ate and drank before going to sleep. She was the last to come downstairs to the dining hall, where the presence of the younger cousins at least helped lift her mood somewhat. She was quiet though, and distracted, as they ate, her mind miles away, dwelling on the battle they were about to face. 

Afterwards, with only the adults present, Kire and Ed gave Elva a summary of what had been discussed, and a very barebones version of the debate about the executions. “I feel I should be relieved I wasn’t around for that,” Elva confessed, lighting her pipe. 
	“[i]I[/i] wished I wasn’t around for that,” Kire said, only half-joking. She turned to Ruli, Gavin, and Daryll. “How far along are the preparations? Is everything ready, or will you be burning the midnight oil for this one?”