Evelina dropped the letter onto her lap, her breath hitching. "The entire tribe?" she whispered. "Lucius, you madman... you're bringing around five hundred people to a border zone?"
"Is there a problem, My Lady?" Harry asked, looking up from his bowl. "Lord Lucius seemed very... determined. He said the North needed a shield."
Evelina sighed, rubbing her temples. "Determined is an understatement, Harry. He's asking me to rebuild a town in fifteen days. Does he think I can conjure houses out of thin air?"
"Well," Harry said with a small, shy smile. "He did tell me you were the most brilliant person he'd ever met. He said if anyone could, it was you."
Evelina felt her face flush. "He's a flatterer when he wants something. But tell me, how is Clara feeling now?"
Evelina moved to Clara's side, taking her wrist. She peered into the girl's eyes and checked the color of her gums.
"Harry, how long has she been like this?"
