Page 134 of Bound By Darkness

“Everything alright?” Thalia asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

“It’s fine,” I muttered as I turned to Iyanna. “As you were saying?”

Iyanna cleared her throat. “I’m going to send an owl in the morning asking for reinforcement from a few acquaintances. We’ll need every fighting hand here to stop the rebels from attacking. As for King Hywell, let’s hope he has not discovered where we are hiding yet.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem with the wards,” Naexi said.

“True. The wards are impenetrable anyway,” Thalia replied.

“Almost impenetrable,” I answered. “Remember the witch who lured you into the tent? It’s the same principle except the larger the ward?—”

“A witch?” Moria questioned aloud, her eyes swinging to Thalia’s.

She gave a meek smile before stating she’d explain it later.

“The larger the ward, the more weak points there are to burst and bend,” Iyanna interrupted. “The rebels are skilled in ancient casting and their leader contains the Book of Spells.”

“Do we need to beconcerned?” Thalia asked.

“Possibly,” Iyanna answered. “It would take an incredibly talented caster to master a single spell from the book.”

“Do you think it lists a spell to undo wards?” Thalia said the unspoken words we were all thinking.

“Probably,” I said, my footsteps light as I stood beside her, my eyes peering over the board. “Which is why we need to plan as if they had mastered the spell.”

It was not wise for me to be in this room with her after Iyanna’s threats. It was hard enough to maintain composure asthatthread strengthened between us. Picking up a few pieces, I shoved her citrusy-wine scent to the back of my mind as I manipulated the board into defensive and offensive zones.

“If I had mastered such a spell, I would attack here.” My finger stamped the page, the tree I’d turned into my secret hiding spot underneath. “It’s high enough to give a wide vantage point of the camp while also leaving enough space to advance in droves.”

Iyanna’s eyes narrowed. “Do speak of this spot besides tapping against my page,” she said as she swatted my hand away.

“Apologies,” I said as I cleared my throat.

“The tree atop the hill,” Naexi filled in for Iyanna. “It’s the most advantageous spot for them to attack. It gives them the high ground, especially if they have as many casters as you theorize.”

Grabbing the pieces I’d moved, Naexi reconfigured them into tiny groups, each one positioned at the main entrances and exits of the camp. “Smaller formations are ideal to prevent the rebels from attacking within.”

My eyes narrowed as I adjusted the pieces again. “Ideally, but in practicality, we need a strong front here.” I tapped the tree once again. “Stopping them here will prevent them from attacking further into the camp.”

“Which is exactly what they’d be expecting. It leaves these three areas”—Naexi pointed to the other entrances—“wide open for them to beat us from the inside out.”

“But if they break the ward, they’d have to funnel into one spot,” I argued.

“Not necessarily,” Thalia added, her hands grabbing four soldiers as she set them around the outskirts of town until they formed a ring. “Would it mess with the wards if multiple casters attempted to dispel it from different angles?”

A click sounded from the desk as Iyanna opened a secret drawer.

Reaching into the compartment, she took out a leather-bound book. Its pages were dusted in yellow and brown as she placed the binding atop the battle plans.

“This contains the spell for the wards around us. I wove my name into this spell to prevent those I deem unworthy from entering.” She placed a hand atop the leather. “However, it came with drawbacks.”

“What drawbacks?” Moria asked, her eyes fluttering over the markings on the book.

“It’s not as strong as your traditional ward. To protect the people inside this camp, the spell needed something to draw power from,” Iyanna stated. “It needed substantial power, and the only way I managed to succeed was by decreasing its durability.”

I stepped forward to peer over the pages as she flipped to the spell’s undoing. It was written in the Language of Old.

My eyes read over the last line. “You decreased the stability of the wards?”

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