The War Room of Forgemire was a cathedral of basalt and holographic light. In its center, a massive projection of Tellus shimmered, the borders of the Sixteen Nations flickering like dying embers. For five years, this map had stayed static. Tonight, it was being redrawn in blood.
Kael stood at the head of the circular table, Mikaela at his right. Around them stood the leaders of the nations who had decided that Harold's "God State" was a wall, but Kael's fire was a bridge. These were the Commanders of the Alliance, men and women who held the lives of millions in their hands.
Kael tapped the holographic display, highlighting the jagged, violet scar that had been Osoroshi.
"We took the center," Kael began, his voice echoing. "But look at the geography. Osoroshi sat like a thorn between Forgemire and Kaldaria. By reclaiming it, we've connected our industries. But the Syndicate of Ash has anticipated this."
He swiped the map downward to the southern reaches. "At the bottom of the borders of the Ninth Nation, Evesdale, lies the rogue nation of Mailaysa. It's a coastal nightmare of swamps and guerilla mages. If they release the Pestis-Mana there, the southern currents will carry the blight into our agricultural heartland."
Kael then shifted the focus to the dense, central cluster of the continent. "And here, in the most congested theater of the world, lies Xylonia. It is wedged between the Sixth Nation, Nexaria, and the Third, Throkia. It is almost entirely surrounded by the Fifth Nation, Euryo. Most dangerously, its northern borders touch the Motherland itself. Xylonia is the dagger pointed at Harold's throat."
Finally, he looked to the frigid north. "At the top of the map, the nations of Lyera and Aurya surround the ghost of Galadrielle. Aurya's borders press against the northern tip of Kaldaria. If the Syndicate strikes from there, they cut off our access to the World-Cradle ruins."
One by one, the Commanders stepped into the light of the projection. These were not Harold's sycophants; they were Kael's co-conspirators.