she said calmly. "My lord husband spent years trying to warn the Realm that this day was coming. When no one listened, he did the only thing he could do. He readied his home to receive refugees and fortified it heavily."
Aquitaine tilted his head. "How heavily could he possibly have strengthened it on a Count's income?"
Amara reached into her belt pouch, drew out a folded piece of paper, and opened a map of the Calderon Valley. "Here is the western entrance, along the causeway. Half-height siege walls have been built across the entire five-mile stretch of land, from the flint escarpments to the Sea of Ice, with standard Legion camp-style fortresses every half mile. A second regulation siege wall belts the valley at its midway point, with fortresses and gates each mile. At the eastern end of the valley, Garrison itself has been surrounded by more double-sized siege walls, enclosing a citadel built to about a quarter of the scale of the one in Alera Imperia."
Aquitaine stared at her. He blinked once. Slowly.
Lady Placida dropped her head back and let out a peal of sudden laughter. She pressed her hands to her stomach, though she couldn't have felt it through her armor, and continued laughing. "Oh. Oh, I never thought I'd get to see the look on your face when you found out, Attis..."
Aquitaine eyed the merry High Lady and turned to Amara. "One wonders why the good Count has not seen fit to inform High Lord Riva or the Crown of his new architectural ambitions."
"Does one?" Amara asked.
Aquitaine opened his mouth. "Ah. Of course. So that Octavian would have a stronghold should he need to use one against me." His eyes shifted to Lady Placida. "I assume that the Count has enjoyed the benefit of some support from Placida."
Lord Placida was eyeing his wife with a rather alarmed expression. "I would like to think you would have, ah, informed me if that was the case, dear."
"Not Placida," she said calmly. "The Dianic League. After Invidia's defection, most of us felt foolish enough to take steps to correct our misplaced trust in her leadership."
"Ah," her husband said, and nodded, pacified. "The League, quite. None of my business, then."
Amara cleared her throat. "The point, Your Highness, is that there is indeed one more place where we might make a stand - a better place than here, it could be argued. The geography there will favor a defender heavily."
Aquitaine closed his eyes for a moment. He was very still. Then he opened his mouth, took a deep breath, and nodded. His eyes flicked open, burning with sudden energy. "Very well," he said. "We are about to be assaulted by furies of considerable strength and variety. The fact that they happen to be feral is really rather immaterial. We have neither the time nor the resources to pacify or destroy them. We'll bait them instead. Keep them focused on the Legions instead of upon the Rivan populace." He considered the gathered group pensively. "We'll divide the labor by city, I think. High Lord and Lady Placida, if you would, please summon your liegemen and divide yourselves among both Placidan Legions. Make sure the Legions maintain their integrity."
Aria nodded sharply, once, then she and her husband dismounted and launched themselves skyward.
"Raucus," Aquitaine continued, "you'll take your Citizens to the Antillan Legions, and Phrygius will cover his own troops - and yes, I know the two of you have the most Legions in the field at the moment and that your furycrafters will be spread thin. Lord Cereus, if you would, please gather together the Citizens from Ceres, Forcia, Kalare, and Alera Imperia and divide them to assist the northern Legions."
Phrygius and Antillus both nodded and turned their horses, kicking them into a run as they raced in separate directions, toward their own Legions. Cereus gave Amara a grim nod and launched himself skyward.
Aquitaine gave a series of calm, specific instructions to the Lords remaining, and the men departed in rapid succession.
"Captain Miles," he said, at the last.
"Sir," Miles said.
Sir, Amara noted. Not sire.
"The Crown Legion will proceed to the northeast gates of Riva to escort and safeguard the civilians," Aquitaine said.
"We're ready to continue the fight, sir."
"No, Captain. After last year, your Legion was down to four-fifths of its strength before today's battle was joined. You have your orders."
Sir Miles grimaced but saluted. "Yes, sir."
"And you, Countess Calderon." Aquitaine sighed. "Please be so kind as to carry word to your own liege, Lord Rivus,