"No." The woman beside Fi shook her head. "But I have a feeling you'll tell us your plan. We know you, Sophia. You don't do anything without thinking ten steps ahead."
Granna nodded, a smile on her face. Tressa knew her great-grandmother well and apparently these people did too. Granna thought years ahead of everyone else. But how much would she share with these people?
"Destrian will fly home. By the time he gets there, his fear will fade. It will be replaced by anger. He will call in his top advisors, as I have done here, and they will discuss retribution for killing their queen." Granna set her hands on the table. "Then they will realize they cannot fight us alone. They will send a messenger to the Red, asking for their help. The Red will agree because of their displeasure at our little mission in Malum to save Tressa and her friends. Together, they will descend upon us."
"It makes sense," the man to Granna's left said.
Tressa didn't know his name, or the names of anyone else at the table other than Fi and now Sarah. She had promised Fi she would listen, and not speak, as long as they let her sit there. But if no one else was going to speak, she would say her peace.
"I'm not sure the Red will help them," Tressa said, raising her hand. "When we were in Malum, we fought with a horde of Red dragons, but they were led by a man named Fenn." She didn't feel like sharing her parentage with the rest of them. "We defeated him, but no other Red dragons came to fight with him. They allowed your dragons to extract us. Unless I'm wrong?" She wrung her hands nervously in her lap where no one could see.
"She is right," another man said, his black mustache dipping past his chin. "We had no resistance from the Red that night. It is possible the horde we faced in Malum was a rogue group. Maybe the Red won't join with the Yellow."
Others nodded in agreement. Tressa hadn't wanted to contradict her great-grandmother, but she could see the tide quickly turning in her direction. After all, she had been there. They knew she had killed Stacia, the Queen of the Blue, and been involved in the killing of the Red dragon in Malum. She had more experience than Granna.
"I have seen it, Jenfar," Granna said simply to the man with the drooping mustache. “The Red will vanquish us if we do not strike first.”
"Then it is true," Fi said. She looked around the table, her gaze settling on Tressa. "Not to put your theory to shame, Tressa. It was a well-reasoned argument. But Sophia's visions have never been false. What should we do next?" she asked Granna.
Tressa wanted to tell them Granna's visions had been wrong at least once. Granna thought she’d see Tressa leave Hutton’s Bridge, but she died before that vision came true. Tressa looked at the others in the room. They believed in Granna's authority. She could see it in the way their eyes focused on Granna with utter trust.
"We fly out in three days. Take that time to prepare. Say your goodbyes. Some of us will not return. Choose your riders carefully. Ensure they are trained for battle and prepared to face carnage. I don't want anyone who might be afraid." Granna counted off the objectives on her fingers, as if she'd already had a list in mind. And perhaps she had.
"Why wait three days?" the mustached man asked. "Why not fly out to the Yellow now and destroy them while we have the chance? They will not be prepared."
“We must be prepared as well,” Granna said. She took a moment to look at each person in the face. “I do not want to lose any of you. Go now. Get sleep. Eat. Prepare for war.”
***
Three days later, Tressa pulled on the armor Fi had supplied for her.
"How long am I to remain prisoner here?" Avital asked from the corner of the room.
Two guards stood outside her chambers. She had asked to speak with Avital, and this was the only way she could get some privacy with him.
"As soon as the war is over, you'll be freed. No one here will harm you. They just don't want you turning on them either. And I think it's clear I no longer need your protection." Tressa adjusted the armor over her chest. It was surprisingly lightweight, which was good for the dragons. Too much weight would slow them down.
"This is not what I agreed to," Avital said. "I am a warrior, and I should be with my people."
"I understand that," Tressa said. "But I also owe much to your brother. I won't send you home only to face slaughter."
Avital punched a fist into his open hand. "It is how I want to die. Fighting is in my blood. I live to serve the Yellow. Not cower in the prisons of the Black."
"I know that. I do,” Tressa said. “But what would I tell Jarrett if you died in battle when I knew full well I could prevent it? No, I won't risk it." She took a deep breath and walked over to Avital, laying her hand on his. "You are like family to me, regardless of our differences."