“What are you saying?” North asked.

“The information you brought us, if any of the commanders will believe the word of an unranked wizard, will, perhaps, force some of the other countries to consider coming to our aid. But this war will be fought regardless of your hedge rubbish,” Hecate said. “Our plans have been in place for weeks now. You are the only one who does not want to see this through at last and rid ourselves of the threat from Auster once and for all.”

“And what about the queen?” North said. “What does the queen have to say about your plans?”

“The queen needs to sit up in her chambers and mind what I say,” Hecate said, “as her husband should have done.”

“So you’ll let them invade the country,” I said, my voice trembling, “and destroy all of the villages, the towns, the homes and families—”

“Control your pet, Wayland,” Oliver said. “No one speaks to the Sorceress Imperial in that tone.”

“If you must know,” Hecate said. “We’ve already been presented with this information by Cliffton’s proxy, who arrived three days ago. He received the same answer you did. There is simply nothing else to discuss on this matter.”

“No!” I said. “We didn’t come all this way for you to tell us you never intended to seek peace in the first place! What kind of leader purposely sends the people of her country to their deaths? Don’t you understand what we went through to give you this information? Can you even imagine what my family has been going through every day since you failed to stop the Salvalites from invading?”

Hecate clucked her tongue, studying me with cold eyes.

“Mirabil, was it?”

I nodded, swallowing hard.

“That’s the name of the elder from Cliffton, is it not?”

“He’s my father,” I said, crossing my arms.

“Have you ever stopped to consider what use Cliffton is to this country?” she asked. “So far west it might as well be in Saldorra—no commerce, nothing but sand. You came here for purely selfish reasons, to save a village whose loss would be a necessary sacrifice.”

“That’s out of line, even for you,” North said coldly. I was too furious to speak. “What will it do to those people when they discover they’re considered by the wizards to be nothing more than a wall of bodies, an inconvenience for an enemy army to cut through? Don’t you feel any compassion for them at all?”

Hecate’s gaze on her son never wavered.

“This is our chance to assert some control over the leadership of this country,” she said. “Finally, after years of subservience to human kings, there’s a chance for us to exert our own policies.”

“Oh? And how do you plan to enforce this policy when the Guard is overwhelmed by Auster?” North asked. “Are you going to send dozens, maybe even hundreds of wizards to their deaths just so you can speak up at the Elder’s Council?”

“Better to die than to live under an Auster king!” Oliver shot back. “You don’t understand because you have loyalty only to yourself!”

“I have loyalty to the people of Palmarta, and I’m loyal enough not to fight a war to satisfy the greed of the wizard leaders!” North yelled. “What’s the matter with you? Magister would be disgusted by what you’ve become!”

“Take that back!” Oliver shouted, his hand on the hilt of his talisman.

Hecate stood, slamming both hands on the surface of her desk. The two wizards broke apart at once. “Commander Swift, go tell the palace officials that Miss Mirabil and my son will be staying there for the next few nights under my jurisdiction.”

“Absolutely not!” both wizards shouted at once.

Hecate pointed toward the door, the air around her heating dangerously with magic. Oliver shot an irate glare in North’s direction before storming away and slamming the door behind him. North whirled back around to face his mother, his cloaks billowing out behind him.

“We’re leaving the city tonight,” North said stubbornly. “I’ve given you my information. I’d rather go back and defend the sacrifices than stay here and watch you get yourselves killed.”

North took a step back just as Hecate reached for him.

“Don’t,” he told her, and her hand fell away. “Just…don’t.”

“You have no choice,” she said firmly. “They’re closing the gates and restricting access, in order to set up the city’s defense. I have other plans for you and your friend.”

North didn’t say a word—just picked up the wooden chair beside him and threw it against the ground. My lips parted in surprise.

“How very mature of you,” Hecate said calmly. She sat down again, folding her hands atop the desk.

“I’m not ranked, so you have no control over my magic,” North seethed. “You won’t use either of us!”

“You should have thought about that before coming into the city,” she said. “If you won’t listen to me as the Sorceress Imperial, then you will listen to me as your mother.”

“You haven’t been my mother in twelve years,” North said. “Not since Father died.”

She didn’t even flinch. “You have no idea how difficult this has been for me, Wayland. This title and position weren’t handed to me. I had to fight my way up every single day to bring honor and power back to our family. Funny how living with your magister all those years has caused you to forget that.”