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Iryana sagged deep into her chair.

“It was the right call,” Uncle Dinhal said.

“She’ll still hate me for it.” Iryana sighed. “And don’t tell me I have to make the right choices, not the easy ones. I hear it from the First enough as it is.”

Uncle Dinhal held up his hands in mock surrender. “I wasn’t going to.”

She tried to return to reading the newest plan but struggled to focus. It was a relief when she heard a roar of voices from the hall talking about a party from the 18th arriving. She hoped they’d sent their engineer or at least some plans. Perhaps a response from Pyetar.

Iryana set her work aside and headed into the main hall with her uncle as the door swung open and a highly bundled form walked in. He pulled off the large fur hat and scarf wrapped around his face.

Pyetar had come.

“You’re here?” she breathed, catching his attention.

His eyes traced over her, and his expression softened. “Given the severity, I thought I would respond to your missive in person.”

She nodded. “Better than going back and forth for weeks.” It was practical, but her heart raced for entirely impractical reasons.

“And I brought my engineer; he ran into your blacksmith on the way up here, and I left them talking.”

“Good, I’ll need them working closely.” The villagers, even the blacksmith who had been with them since the beginning, had far fewer qualms with the soldiers compared to her family.

Then she remembered they weren’t alone and looked around at the staring clan members. Their faces were painted with suspicion and distaste. It soured Iryana’s stomach to see.

“I can’t stay long,” Pyetar said stiffly, his gaze slipping off her to look around the room, too. She watched as his posture changed, tensing and straightening, as if he’d forgotten he needed to remind everyone he was a threat. Even his face drained of emotion as he donned his mask.

“Let’s talk in here.” She gestured to the side hall, wanting to get him away from the rest of her family and the version of himself that he felt he had to be in front of them.

She shut the door once they were inside and leaned against it, watching as Pyetar pulled off the rest of his snow-covered layers and set them on a chair by the fire. He looked different.

“So… a dragon,” Pyetar broke the silence.

“A dragon.”

“Do you think it’s Noshtiz’s?”

“I have no idea, but things are happening. Changing. I think this war is going to be sooner than we thought.”

Pyetar nodded gravely. “I don’t think there’s any denying it. The dakii packs are growing quickly, and they’ve completely abandoned any of their usual paths. We’ve sighted them running through the woods, almost frantically, as if searching for something. The snow is barely slowing them down.”

“Are they looking for Noshtiz? His creatures?” It was so fantastical to be talking of the gods so casually, but these were the times they lived in.

“If Thelbiz is to be believed.” Pyetar rubbed his temples. “We’ve had more attacks against the fort, and I’ve had to send soldiers to the metal temples because the dakii have started testing their defenses. We might have to pull the Keepers soon. The temples are too small to defend properly.”

“Do you think the metal-forged attract them?”

He hesitated. “That’s my suspicion.”

The brigades were in more danger than the rest of them then, but the clans still had plenty of metal-forged. If they were already going after the fortress and the temples so strongly, the post was in danger.

“I just wish this weren’t happening in the depths of winter.” She walked over to her chair and collapsed into it, mind swirling with what this would all mean. “It’s so hard to prepare properly.”

Pyetar pulled down a chair and sat across from her. “I have word from the other brigades, and finally something from the King Commander. Everyone has heard about this dragon now, and I think that has helped those who weren’t ready to believe us. But many will probably still demand to see the mark Thelbiz gave you as proof.”

“Alright, let’s go over it.”

Edvar and Kladara were in the hall when Iryana and Pyetar came out. They sat at one of the tables near the fireplace, eyes narrowed and glued to Pyetar. She ignored their stares as she awkwardly said goodbye.