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Kyer didn’t shy away from her focus. “Nothing gets past you.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

He cocked a bushy brow. “I’m looking at it.”

Lilith’s face paled—a black cloud of dread poured from her aura. She exhaled like it hurt to breathe. “You don’t expect me—”

“I sure do.”

“Those trees take decades to mature. You’ll be denying not only Reatian’s their properties—”

Kyer rolled his head back, presenting an annoyance he didn’t truly emit. “If I remember right, you already agreed to it.”

Lilith sucked in the air to argue, then glanced to the window, knuckles white on the table. She pressed her lips and leaned back.

“Calm down, Lils,” Sterling said, voice hard. “We’re saving seeds and saplings.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that the soil they need will be nothing but dust.”

Cara, the village at the base of the Failish Mountains, planted itself in Jarek’s mind. Soaked with ash and emitting a stench as noxious as the sight. A memory he was thankful he couldn’t remember the start of. Neither could he picture the nervous woman before him being the cause of it all.

“Not the time, Lilith,” Kyer said. “Mia’s agreed to it. Markoth can sustain themselves without Reave’s assistance, but their people or trees won’t survive if Reatia bleeds the land dry of souls. We cut off their main export to Failen, and that leaves them floundering more than they already are.”

Lilith shook her head. “That just takes away our leverage. What’s to stop them from retaliating after we take away what they want?”

For the first time, Kyer faltered at her question. Not because he didn’t have an answer, but because he knew she wouldn’t like it.

Kyer had updated Jarek about what exactly was going on in Reave not long after their arrival. When she learned Lilith took Luka from Reave, Brialis, or who they assumed at the time was Brialis, came down on Perex to search the city for them both.

What inspired Kyer to act on this now was an intra-city war taking place within Reave. A costly and time-consuming effort for Reatia to control. Lithance was a necessity in the long run, but all of their immediate attention was focused on containing the conflict within their own walls.

Kyer was hesitant to tell Lilith. No one could guess how she would react. Jarek was hell bent on making sure she didn’t take off again, but the emotional toll of learning she caused an entire war to start might lose her in a different way.

“You have to trust me, kid,” Kyer said. “They may push back a little, but once we—you—buckle down and show that we’re serious, they’ll back off. Markoth will have the spirit to fight and hold them off with our help.”

She leveled a glare at Kyer. “You want to do this now? Right before winter?”

Kyer tilted his head. “I don’t understand.”

“You’ve made it clear you’re aware of ghostsoil’s capabilities and weaknesses. Markoth’s weapons don’t hold a candle to Reatia’s. It would be better to hold off until warmer weather.”

“I believe this is the best timing.”

She sighed. “Then I’d like my efforts to at least be worth it for these people if I’m going to eradicate their entire way of life right before the most dangerous time of year. Surely I’m not staying until spring? Not even I can turn metal to ash. What’s the plan to keep them safe through winter?”

“After the orchards are destroyed, our men will stay behind, and they will be stocked with ghosted firearms.”

Lilith’s brows shot up, a disbelieving smile pushing up one of her cheeks. “Rimore has issues with simple mechanical weapons, but using the dreaded, soul-withering metal is perfectly acceptable?”

Sterling threw up his hands and replanted his chair’s feet on the ground. “Ghostsoil is only forbidden in their territory. And Amalia isn’t here to witness it, is she? As far as I’m concerned, it’s all in good faith.”

Lilith’s humor only continued to brighten with the bubbling of a single laugh. She leaned back and crossed her arms. “Where are these guns? I don’t remember seeing any smuggled out of Berkton on horseback.”

“I’m working on getting them here.” Kyer glanced to the doorway and back to her. “Satisfied?”

Lilith only cut a glare into him.

“Then I think we’re good for now.” Kyer stood, and Mia followed suit. “I’ll keep you apprised of next steps, although I suspect this will be done in the next month.”