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There in his place of power, surrounded by the syreatness, the duke see his back "Janson, what is the status of our defenses?"

"Little different than it enty , but if nothing else, we learned this week they will not attack until dawn We have archers on the wall, and er is the South Gate There are coates, but the eneines to strike there"

"Will it hold?" Pether asked

Janson shrugged "Unclear, Your Grace The enemy did not haul boulders all this way, and they are unlikely to quickly find stone of sufficient size to break the gate It should withstand ed again "It has never been tested, Your Grace If it falls, the courtyard will be the last hope of stopping the charge before the enemy can spread out into the city"

"If it fails, we’re lost," Pether said "After the losses at Docktoe don’t have enough Wooden Soldiers to man the wall and hold that yard if twenty thousand Krasians co in from the levies, but we don’t even have weapons for the to hold back trained cavalry with carpentry tools"

"Nothing is lost," Lorain said, her voice hard "Captain Bruz will take the Mountain Spears to the courtyard There are only three avenues for eneate to take Each a choke point we can hold with limited men"

Pether turned to Leesha "And the Hollow, mistress? Do you think we can expect help froave Briar hora to speed his journey to the Holloith news of Gorja’s attack, but even if Gared got right on his horse, it will be days yet before he can arrive with any sizable force"

She shrugged "I suppose it’s possible the Hollowers caught sign of the Krasians on the ers on it"

"And your Warded Man?" Pether asked "If ever he were the Deliverer, noould be the tiain Leesha shook her head "You’ve better odds with the Hollow, Your Grace If the Warded Man is still alive, he’s off chasing demons and left politics behind"

"What about you,at Gorja and his warriors"

"And nearlythat again save as a last resort with a spear pointed at ht in any event I ate, however"

Everyone looked up at this "How?" Pether asked

"With wards, and hora," Leesha said, "if we can shroud the gate in darkness"

Pether looked to Janson Thehtly

Janson nodded i bolts of cloth, Your Grace"

"See to it" Pether looked around "Any other ideas? Anyone with ain the air like a weight, and Leesha took a deep breath "There is one thing …"