Elara's POV
The war room was covered in maps.
Every surface had one. The table, the walls, the sideboards. Corvus had been running the palace and the intelligence was already worse than the rider's letter had suggested.
Thorn did not simply approach. He had been approaching for weeks. Moving forces quietly through the border territories. Using the diplomatic channels his letters had opened as cover. The expression of concern about Dravara's stability was not just rhetoric. It was preparation. He was building the justification for intervention while simultaneously positioning his army to strike.
He was three days out. Maybe less.
Corvus stood at the head of the table. His voice was flat. Methodical. He did not use emotion when he delivered bad news. He just delivered it.
"Three border villages have already been hit," he said. "Not destroyed. Occupied."
"Occupied?" I asked.
