A Whisper of Night

19.1 || ASTNORDEN 💫

"We'll cut off supply lines from Skeynheld to Baej City and Nedana. Gafeldon will still be supplied, but we shouldn't worry about that - "

" - no! Keeping supply lines open would help us."

Astna leaned backwards, letting her eyes flutter shut as the bickering of her council blurred into a cacophony of voices. She was exhausted, her head pounding after days without sleep. Although they had mapped out their plan of attack half a week ago, her generals still hadn't decided what to do about the supply lines and the restlessness of the people in the provinces they had conquered.

Astna herself had quite a few more issues than that: Rasla was still missing, for one, and Lorelei had stopped talking to her.

The River Princess had returned with Ellac with a hollow look in her eyes. Immediately afterwards, she had retired to her room - as far as Astna knew, she wasn't even making dresses - and it had fallen to Ellac to clumsily patch together the story of what had transpired in Lersteln with the Priests.

"Generals," she said, her voice slicing through the humdrum. The men at her table fell silent, one or two glaring at each other grudgingly. "Although I appreciate your foresight, I'll have to call this council to an end. The conquest is in a few hours, and I wish you all to rest."

Lord Nurtanden opened his mouth to speak, but she stood, shaking her head.

"Good night," she said.

A grumble or two followed her out of the tent. She took a deep breath of the air as she strode outside - the farther they moved away from the provinces they'd taken, the less the smoke bothered her.

The provinces they'd taken....

Astna groaned slightly as she entered her own tent, sinking onto her bed. Her chamber was blissfully cool after the wine-heated drunkedness of her council. I should ban wine from them next time. But who could begrudge them something to drink, when they've done so much already?

The provinces they'd taken....

Astna had left a few of her generals - whom her lords and ladies had testified for - as governors and mayors for the cities she had conquered. Although Skoslant Province was relatively peaceful - almost uncannily so - protests were still inflaming Masseig's cities. The amount of aid Astna gave them didn't seem to matter, nor how she was risking starving her troops for the sake of the people she'd conquered.

Don't think about such things, she told herself firmly. They won't help you now.

"Your Majesty!"

She shot upright, her eyes wide. "What - who - "

Someone barged into her tent, the flap swinging shut behind them. "I'm so sorry, your Majesty - it's me - "

Astna left her bed, her eyes wide. "Who..."

It took her a moment to recognize Jala, her handmaid and confidant.

"Oh," she said softly. "Oh my goodness...Jala, how did you get here?"

Jala looked up. Under the shadows, her face looked grotesque, her hair a matted mess. She looked nothing like the beautiful, clever maid Astna had left a month ago.

A month ago...has it really been that long?

"Valchtnalla," Jala said, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry - I didn't dare send a letter or tell you directly - they wouldn't let me leave the castle, they didn't trust me - it was Minister Handel - the Minister of Coin - he never stopped preaching that your brother was the true ruler - he's turned the province against you, your Majesty. He's - "