“Daniya! By the magic gods, we thought you weren’t coming. You weren’t followed, were you?"

“Of course, she wasn’t! Daniya is the most agile and deft assassin, er spy, er...whatever she is. She’s spent the past ten years devotedly training and serving the Crown. And she would never jeopardize years of planning by giving away her heritage to anybody. Right, Chief?”

“Silence, both of you. What have you found out, my child? How do we defeat them?”

“We don’t. She cannot win the war on her own, and thus the queen plans on throwing herself and her kingdom on the mercy of the Magic Folk. A small convoy will be arriving in our forests in several days. Agree to support her. Once we have freed those of us whom she has enslaved, we betray her and let the warring nation finish her kingdom. But we tread very carefully. Because I discovered something else. Lila’s alive, Father. They have my daughter.”