“They’re all waiting on you, Inaris,” Tenira said.

I didn’t turn away from the window, a large glass plane spanning a good chunk of the room, and the view it offered me of the landscape. “I know,” I answered. “I’m letting them wait. For a bit.”

Cloth rustling and the soft sound of footsteps indicated that Tenira was coming closer. She didn’t answer right away, so I turned around and looked at her. The light from the window highlighted the soft blue of her robe, and let the pearls set into it sparkle. She’d put on a bit of makeup that made her eyes look even deeper than usual. By now, I was used to her beauty and didn’t show any outward reaction, even if my heartbeat accelerated just a little.

“You’re a lot more confident with this sort of thing,” she commented. “It’s good to see.”

I smiled wryly. “Thanks. But a part of it is a front.” I shrugged. “Out here, I’m the Imperial authority. And these people aren’t our citizens, they’re vassals, and I’m in the position of their liege now. They’re all more experienced and stronger, so I can’t afford to screw up.”

“Plus some of them are angry at the Empire, or just angry in general and directing it at us.”

“Yeah, that too.” I shook my head. “Let’s go.”

We were still in the same town we’d arrived in two days ago. The Velisha leadership had decided to stay here and establish a new base rather than move closer to the fighting, although they’d managed to reclaim two other towns from the Dominion. Perhaps because of the foreign politicians who’d started arriving. I wasn’t sure if it was just because they’d gotten word of my presence, or if the Velisha had discreetly invited them.

Right now, most of them had gathered in the mansion’s hall. Almost all of them were either the rulers or leaders of a small nation, or closely associated with someone who was. It made this a great opportunity to establish some far-reaching decisions, even if it also raised the difficulty for me.

They all stood and bowed when I entered, Tenira on my heels. I paused for a moment to take stock of the room. Over a dozen people, about two thirds of them men, all at least in the sixth stage and richly dressed according to various cultural norms or fashions.

“Thank you, lords and ladies,” I said. “Please sit. Let us begin.” I smiled as I walked to my own seat. “I look forward to working with you all.”

The few people here from Imperial provinces looked most at ease, I noted. They’d taken the seats close to me, while King Varis faced me at the other end of the large table, flanked by two younger men.

“The Dominion threatens everyone here,” an older woman replied, sharp gaze fixed on me. “Of course, that’s partly because of our association with the Empire, Princess Inaris.” She paused for a moment. “Not that I would imply disloyalty, of course.”

“But as your vassals, we’re promised protection in exchange for bending the knee,” a middle-aged man in golden robes cut in. “I do hope the Empire remembers that.”

I sighed internally. They’re not pulling their punches, are they? And right off the bat. I guess I can see it. Try to get me off balance, prevent me from getting my feet under me in the first place. I narrowed my eyes. Or I’m just being paranoid.

After I’d let the silence build for a few moments, fixing my gaze on them, I smiled slightly, just a curling of my lips that I knew didn’t reach my eyes. “Of course. The Empire honors its agreements. It’s why we helped you in your efforts to become modern nations, improving your economy, standard of living, and martial strength. After your countries — or the disparate tribes you used to be — decided to accept the Empire’s sheltering hand.”

A few of them shifted in their seats just a fraction. Quite a few of these countries would have chosen to submit for fear of being conquered. I doubted anyone here was old enough to remember it, but some were probably afraid that this war might lead the Empire to tighten its metaphorical hand around them.

“Of course the Empire will protect you,” I continued. “As it has always done. But we will not let anyone use this time to sow dissension or maneuver for individual advantage. All of you have sworn oaths of fealty to the Empire, just as your countries are duty-bound to serve it faithfully. I do hope you remember that.”

There was a moment of silence, before many of them bowed their heads. Murmurs of “Of course, Your Highness” filled the room.

I saw Kajare relax slightly beside me. Tenira didn’t let anything show, but she’d been tense ever since we sat down. I wished one of them could help me out, but I knew I couldn’t let them speak for me. Beside the occasional comment, maybe.

“Since we’re on that topic,” I continued. I wanted to wait, but I guess they’re less likely to object now, right? “The Empire will require more from all of you while we shoulder the burden of dealing with this conflict. After all, as has been pointed out, the Dominion and this war are an existential threat to all of us. As such, in the name of my Mother, I want to ensure that our efforts are bundled and integrated well.”

“You’re demanding more from us?” one of the men interjected, leaning forward. “What, more tithe? Or withdrawing defenses and exposing our lands to attack?”

I frowned, feeling a stab of annoyance at the interruption. “No. As I said, we will protect everyone, unless there are clear and compelling strategic reasons why we can’t. And we will not demand more money. In fact, taxes are put on hold for now.”

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“Then what?” the woman from earlier asked, a touch of weariness in her voice.

“People,” I said. “We will be doing an accounting of every cultivator of notable strength in the dominion of an Imperial vassal. You all know that wars are decided by the strongest cultivators. As such, this is a matter of paramount importance to all of our security.” I cleared my throat. “Every cultivator in your lands in the sixth stage of cultivation or above will report to Imperial authorities, so we may best deploy them in the course of this war, whether that means fighting, establishing infrastructure, or other duties. Exceptions will be made for those occupied in critical roles. So I declare, in the name of my Mother, Empress Acura the First.”

For a moment, everyone was silent. They started to exchange glances. Some sank deeper into their seats, while others seemed to swell with bluster. I hadn’t really considered it before, but they would, of course, also be included in that decree.

“You’re drafting our strongest warriors?” King Varis asked, as if he had trouble believing it. Everyone else turned to him.

“Those already fighting for their nation or people will of course remain where they are and continue doing that,” I said. “It is those who have so far not contributed to the war effort who will be primarily affected.”

“This is scandalous,” one of the men hissed. “Our countries will bear the brunt of this war’s cost, while the Empire is the one truly under attack by the Zarian?”

Tenira scoffed. “Similar arrangements will be made in the Empire’s provinces. Of course you’re not asked to bear the burden alone, but you are required to contribute, just as everyone will.”

Many of them looked to the representatives from the closer Imperial territories, who nodded in confirmation. They didn’t look happy about this, but didn’t speak up about it. That seemed to take some of the wind out of the complainers’ sails.

I heaved a quiet sigh. We’re going to need elites to ensure this draft is working properly. Just another burden. But with how much even a single seventh stager can accomplish, we can’t afford not to make use of them. It’ll more than make up for the trouble in the long term. That’s what Mother had concluded in our dream meeting, too.

“The Kingdom of Terbekteri is also escalating our recruitment efforts,” Kajare added. “It’s obviously necessary.”

They exchanged glances once again. I took note of who seemed to dislike the mention of Terbekteri, mostly those from two groups closer to the northwest and their provinces.

“Speaking of,” the Velisha king said. “We haven’t noticed much activity from the Kingdom’s territories on the continent.”

Kajare shrugged slightly. “This war was something of a surprise. It takes time for Terbekteri to mobilize, and to integrate our forces with the Empire and establish networks of communication and common strategies.”

“But we will need their help,” I said. “And I’ve been assured they will give it. In fact, with the situation the way it is here, the Dominion’s movements, I am quite sure of it.”

“How’s that? The Dominion isn’t moving in their direction at all.”

I raised my eyebrows a little. “Oh, they are. That’s part of what I’ve been intending to discuss with you before we got sidetracked.” I spread a map on the table. “We have reason to believe that the Dominion has a significant troop presence in this area, here. Poised to attack in several possible directions. This could also be key if we decide to strike ourselves.”

That information seemed to energize the meeting participants. They leaned closer to get a better look at the map, passed it among themselves, and started talking about it. There seemed to be several conversations going on at once, discussing various aspects. I leaned back, content to let them work things out for now. While I needed to present a front of confidence and superiority, I didn’t really have all the answers. That was the point of this discussion, for me.

It quickly became apparent that they were of two minds about this information. One group proposed going on the offensive, hitting the Zarian with a surprise attack and routing their hidden army. They claimed that the advantage of surprise would be on our side, and this was our opportunity to dislodge the Dominion’s grip on the middle of the continent. The other group was more cautious. They wanted to shore up our defenses, concentrate on uniting our forces and wait for the next major attack of the Zarian to beat them back. Well, a subgroup advocated for advancing slowly, but they were quickly torn to pieces by everyone else.

“Let us stop bickering like children in school,” king Varis said loudly, silencing the discussions. He fixed his gaze on me. “What do our Imperial patrons say?”

I straightened up. To my surprise, Varis had been vocal in supporting the idea of taking action now. I’d expected him to play defensively, concerned about losing even more to the Dominion and trying to guard what he had. Perhaps he was just hoping that a successful attack would let him regain what the Dominion had conquered.

“I found your discussions enlightening,” I said. “Many of you have raised good points, and this is certainly no easy decision.”

I exchanged quick looks with Tenira and Kajare, who gave me a slight nod. I’d gone over much of the same discussion with Mother. In the end, she’d left the decision to me, since I was here and had a better sense of what we had to work with in terms of the vassals. I looked at them. While they’d been a little combative, no one showed serious signs of trying to go against the Empire. And enough of them supported the offensive that it wouldn’t come across as me forcing them into it with no regard for their well-being. At least, I hope so.

“We will take advantage of this before it is too late,” I decided. “We should strike before the Dominion actually deploys those soldiers, especially if we don’t know where. With the reinforcements from the Empire and some of our new innovations, we should be able to push them back before they’re too entrenched.”

I watched the reactions from the assembled people. Some nodded, some grimaced, some seemed like they’d expected this.

“That means taking a big risk,” the woman said, although she didn’t look displeased. “The Dominion might be prepared for us.”

“But they should not be prepared for a two-pronged assault,” Kajare put in. He smiled grimly. “Terbekteri has been very quiet up until now, as some of you pointed out. A dedicated offensive in conjunction with them should give us good chances to pierce their defenses. We will come at them from the direction they’re weaker. Once their hidden card is destroyed, they’ll be that much more vulnerable and off-balance, and we can start regaining some of the lands they’ve occupied.”

“And does Terbekteri agree with that?” Varis asked, raising an eyebrow.

I exchanged another look with Kajare as his smile faded. That was the crux of the problem. We needed their support for this.

“I’m confident they will,” I finally answered. “My husband and I will personally travel to the Kingdom’s holdings to align our strategies.” And convince them to go along with this.

I noted that some of them looked skeptical, and concealed a sigh. If we can’t get their agreement, we don’t need to proceed with this plan. But it would be a loss of face. One I can’t really afford.

“Well, Princess Inaris,” Varis shrugged. “I wish you luck.”

I forced a smile as the others expressed similar sentiments. Not the sort of circumstances I would have chosen to meet Kajare’s family, if some of them are there. But what can you do?