“Before we traveled to the isles, you stated that a single witch couldn’t open a portal for an entire army on her own and that it would require multiple.”
Her jaw ticked as she crossed her arms again, but this time, her stance was anything but relaxed. “Aye.”
“Well, I now count three witches in the war chamber.”
“To conjure a portal wide enough for your army to pass through would require an immense amount of magic, Heir of the Realm,” Madalae stated, her annoyance evident.
“Are you declaring that you’re not powerful enough to do so?” I challenged while cocking my head to the side.
Jace’s chuckle echoed down the tether, and I had to suppress my smirk.
Two crimson stares glared at me. “No,” they said in tandem, tones full of disgust.
My eyes darted over to Avery, who had to turn away from them to hide her giggle.
“It is a lot of power to hold for that amount of time and could exhaust our bodies when needed in battle,” Empri continued. “Mortals are not as agile as fae.”
“We have horses for most soldiers,” Jace interjected.
“Elianna, I haven’t opened a true portal in centuries. And where would you even have us open the rift in the realm? Where do you plan to meet the queen’s armies?”
My heart pounded in my chest as I braced myself to say the final part of my plan, knowing chaos would erupt the moment it reached their ears.
“Right at the foot of the Islan gates.”
Chapter fifty-five
Elianna
“Are you out ofyour gods-damn mind?!” Veli's screech set off a chain reaction, with everyone talking over each other in a flurry of arguments.
“Lia…” Jace spoke softly, concern radiating from him. “The city of Isla?”
“Just trust me, okay?” I spoke into his mind, keeping the mask of menace on my face, but it didn’t ease any of his concern.
We watched as everyone bickered and argued over how my idea was a death sentence, not only for our soldiers, but for Isla’s citizens as well.
“This is madness.” His voice was a whisper in my head.
“And it’s why I loathe politics,”I answered.
I cleared my throat and interlocked my fingers, resting them on the table. Their arguments slowly transformed into soft murmurs until finally, silence filled the chamber.
“This would ensure that they’re caught off guard, without the opportunity to gather more soldiers in other cities and barracks as they marched towards us, potentially discovering more of our hidden villages and towns.”
“It also ensures death to your citizens,” Veli hissed.
I flinched, Idina’s words echoing in my mind of dooming my people—but I had a plan. My gaze slowly moved toward her, our eyes locking in a silent battle, both of us unwilling to back down.
“Have you ever considered I have also thought of that? It will also give you the practice needed for the portal gateway.”
My gaze moved around the chamber, and I could tell by their faces that none of them agreed with me.
“I understand the hesitance that you’re all feeling. However, I have thought this through, and I believe it could work if you’re all willing to listen.”
Their faces softened slightly, but the air remained tense.
“You once allowed many to escape by casting a whisper spell that entered the minds of my supporters,” I started, and she gave a curt nod in response. “If we open a small, hidden portal within Isla, we could evacuate people through it, allowing them to escape and also minimizing casualties.”
