General Rowan "Steelarm" lost the count of his rows. Frustrated, he dropped the knitting onto the war table and stood up.

A small breeze entered into the war room, lifting the corner of some of the reports that lay stacked on the table. He moved his needles on top of them to make sure they didn't blow across the room. The castle was always drafty and it just added to his annoyance.

Sensing his agitation, his commanders sat up straighter in their chairs.

"We're talking in circles," Rowan said. "We can weather the demons' siege if we can break the blockade of Stonereach. If we try and break the blockade of Stonereach, the demons easily take the capital."

"Sir, why can't we ask the elves to assist? They have ships don't they?"

"The Midnight Grove is the only reason we can provide supplies from Stonereach. Circles," he sighed. "Luke, can you provide an update on the approach?"

Luke, the "hero" of their army looked far too young to Rowan, but he was one of the strongest. The baby faced and dirty blond haired man snapped off his response. "We made them bleed, sir!"

"Numbers, son. What are they looking like?"

"It's difficult to tell in the trees, but a hundred thousand?"

That was well over double what they could field even with the majority of their soldiers having combined in the capital after the torching of Mosswood.

"Sir?" Rowan's head popped up looking to another commander who'd spoken up - another that was far too young.

"Speak, Cedrick."

"We received word from Thornridge. The company that was sieging them was attacked by some third party. Their best guess was that some of the villagers from the southern towns and cities formed a militias."

Rowan's eyebrows raised. "Did they wipe out the company?"

"Inconclusive. The demon company disappeared shortly after the attack and Thornridge hasn't seen sign of either the enemy or the impromptu allies."

"Some good news at least. The Little Thorn stays safe for now. I'd give a lot of gold to have more soldiers over by our breadbasket."

There was some general assent from his commanders. All good commanders thought with their stomachs because that's how wars were won.

He had a good bunch here despite their youth.

"Any other information that we're missing?" Silence answered him. "Then dismissed until tomorrow. I need ideas before the demons are entrenched or we won't survive next winter."

All of the commanders started to leave. A few of them clapping Luke on the back as they did. His fall and winter campaigns had been more successful than they had any right to be, but other than a morale boost, it hadn't amounted to much.

"Cedrick," Rowan said, stopping the other young Commander from leaving. "Grab me a paperweight."

Without questioning, he grabbed one from the other end of the table and replaced his needles with it. Rowan took the needles, did a quick count of his rows, and then undid an extra two.

"What is your opinion on this villager militia?"

His brows furrowed. "I suppose they are heroes if they somehow stopped that company? I'm not sure what you're asking, sir."

"Are there any chances that they are from the Thousand Islands?"

"Oh, I see." Cedrick was smart man, but as he saw the young commander rub his chin, Rowan couldn't help but see a child copying his parents. "From the description I received, it's unlikely, but if they did actually defeat one of the demons' companies, they must be. How else would they achieve that without help?"

"My thoughts exactly."

"Even if that is the case, what could we do? Ayla and Targen could fly to them, but without them we wouldn't be able to coordinate with the Elves or the other cities."

"You're right. If it was an option, I'd have sent one of them already. In fact unless we get better ideas, we might have to risk it, but if the Thousand Islands have an army on the main continent..."

Cedrick gently hit his fist into his palm. "We might not need fliers! Which means... we could send Luke? He's already shown his men are very competent sneaking around our enemies."

General Rowan shook his head but smiled, letting Cedrick follow that thought process.

"Not Luke? He is strong and the troops look up to him. We keep him behind for... morale reasons?"

"A warm fire, a full belly, and a reason to hope is what gets folks through a siege." Rowan finished the row he was on and then started the next. He held it up. "Or a nice blanket."

"Right," Cedrick said, clearly thinking Rowan was eclectic. Everyone ignored the basic needs. "Then who would we send? Someone less important, but still trustworthy enough to..."

Rowan's smile grew wider.

"Me? You want to send me?"

"Does that sound like the best strategy to you?"

Cedrick sighed, slumping down in a chair. Rowan was sure that part of his exhaustion was Rowan's instructive approach. The young rarely appreciated a good life lesson.

"We'd have to a few squads from Luke. They'll have experience that mine won't."

"Well reasoned."

"And we'd need to leave immediately if we have any hope of making a difference. Who knows how long it would take before the Thousand Islands could get their ships to break the blockade."

General Rowan was pleased with his young commander. He didn't even have to lead him to the appropriate strategy. Protect the supply line and they could last indefinitely against the demons' horde.

Starve them out instead.

Young Cedrick didn't look pleased. "What troubles you, son?"

He ran a hand through his dark hair. "It's just... an army is marching on my home. My family lives here. My friends live here. Am I really just supposed to leave? By the time I'm done, the war might be finished... in the worst way possible."

"And what if the Thousand Islands Kingdom is looking to help us and runs into the demons' main host instead? What if you getting to them is the only way we break the blockade and ensure your family can eat. You're not abandoning them. You're giving us some hope."

Cedrick nodded slowly and then took a deep breath before standing to his full height. "I'll make the preparations and we'll leave tonight."

Rowan gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Thank you, Cedrick. You might just save us."

***

The scars on Galvina's back itched. The number twelve carved into her back had long since healed, but it took up the entire width - even soft silks seemed to scrape against it.

"I'm boooored," Ponde said, draped over the railing of their ship and staring at the human fortress beyond. His number ten was visible on his bicep just past the sleeve of his tunic.

"Shut the fuck up. All you do is dick around and complain." Galvina was also bored, but Ponde was far more annoying about it.

He rolled his eyes. "Let's go kill just a few of them. I only need a few more Classers to level my Vitality again."

"Some of us can die, dipshit. Go fight on your own."

"We will not be fighting." Morok's voice was unwelcome. The bastard had an accent like JR and the other commoners, but tried to dress it up. It was almost more annoying than Ponde's incessant whining.

Most annoying was the freshly scarred eleven on his other cheek.

She scratched roughly at her back. She really needed to get laid. "Nobody's fighting, fucking brown nose."

Ponde didn't seem to agree. "What if we take a quick jaunt down the coast? Maybe we burn their fields at that other place?"

Morok grunted. "You know we can't."

Ponde popped up from where he'd been laid across the ship's railing and looked around at the other demons on the ship who were all studiously ignoring their conversation. He pointed a finger at himself. "What? I do? Why can't we kill them?"

Galvina's mouth dropped open. "Tell me you're joking, you useless dickhole."

That vapid look in his eyes told her that he might not be lying. None of the heirs were stupid with only JR perhaps being the closest, but Ponde's lack of ability to pay attention was ridiculous.

Morok cleared his throat. That one was always putting on airs as a half breed trying to fit in with rest of them.

Trying to act "noble".

The last thing she wanted was to listen to one idiot explain to another idiot why it was stupid to destroy food in a war.

"I'm going to go find someone to fuck," Galvina said, marching right over the bow of the ship.

Before she could hop over, she heard Ponde yell out, "AH! Watch out for otters!"

She ignored him and his sudden laughter and jumped, aiming for the next ship. From the air, the remains of the humans' fleet was visible near their scorched docks.

The demons on the ship she landed on looked over to her at first, but seeing her anger quickly turned away. At least some demons had sense.

Her brother was third among the heirs and he'd failed too, but did he get demoted? No. She was now last of the thirteen and stuck with her other two "siblings."

And those damn Otters.

After she'd called them dangerous and it had amounted to little more than a mouse hunt for Auraco, she'd been laughed at.

Even though one of them was helping that rebel goblin!

Galvina's hands balled into fists. She was better than all of them. None of them were bright enough to see it.

The other demons were watching her out of the corner of their eyes, but she didn't care. She raised her voice to address them.

"Which one of you bastards is looking to get fucked?"

***

"That's... an odd group of allies, isn't it?" Danna heard Plutus say with his usual cheery charm. He god was quite careful about staying out of reach of her after the First One's admonishment.

That didn't stop him from talking though.

Danna, along with most of the gods in camp, sat around the broken column that typically served as the focal point for the spread of corruption of the Old Ones, but now showed Nori's encampment.

She and the First One went out to scout often, but as they checked world after world, it was becoming increasingly apparent that the First One had been correct with her assumption that the Great Filter would be in the spot with the greatest concentration of corruption.

With only her and Gi together being strong enough to withstand it, it made Gi's efforts the most important part of the mission.

So they all watched.

"Anyone want to take bets on who betrays Gi first?" He looked around at the group before stage whispering to Danna where they could all hear. "My gold is on the priests. The churchy ones are always the most backstabby, know what I mean?"

As a goddess of the grave, Matar wasn't prone to large reactions so Plutus didn't get the rise out of her that he wanted.

Danna ignored him and instead dipped into the river of Truth. Her divine gaze swept across the three major fronts of the war then moved on to the Emperor and the human general in charge of Veridia's defense.

From there, she moved backward in time, checking to see if she'd missed anything of importance at each location. Eventually, she saw General Rowan "Steelarm" talking with a young commander about how to coordinate with the Thousand Islands.

That was an opportunity, but this Commander Cedric was heading in the wrong direction.

They'd have to fix that.

Danna brought her consciousness back to the god's camp and stood. "Matar, do you still have enough divinity to reach out to your Champion?"