"What is it?" I asked wondering what secrets Thaddeus had yet neglected to tell me of.
"Ships." Sebastian responded quietly.
"Ships?" What could be so important about ships?
Seeming to read my mind Sebastian said, "There not just ordinary ships Roric. There ships that can travel between worlds and the Zoarinians know where there located now. How they arrived at that knowledge I do not know. Worse than that is that they now have the military ability to smash through the great wall at Kingdom Pass anytime they wish to. This long buildup on their part has only been a precaution. They want to be sure that they have enough trained forces to completely take and level every fortification and settlement that exists in the Valley Lands. They mean to claim the ships for themselves and utterly destroy us so that we will never give them a moment's trouble ever again."
"What can we do then?" I asked.
Sebastian gazed sadly out one of the windows of the study bedroom, "There's not much that we can do except to avoid doing one thing. The Valley Lands for hundreds of years have relied on the wall at Kingdom Pass to keep them safe and they will do so again, which is exactly what they cannot do! If our forces commit to holding Kingdom Pass at all costs it will become a Valley Lander bloodbath of epic proportions. A strategy that involves a different set of rules than simply relying on an outdated defense is critically needed or I fear all will be lost. You must convince them of this Roric! The siege engines they have created will level Kingdom Pass to the ground within hours, but what's worse than that is that they have found several of the passes over the mountains and have entered into a secret military alliance with the Attorgrons. Kingdom Pass will be attacked from two sides, something it was never designed to be able to withstand. The situation is grim and the correct plan of action unclear, but at least we know what not to do and we must act on that accordingly and hope for the best for what follows that it will go in our favor. It is up to you to convey that to the Valley Lander high council."
"Why can't you come and instruct them as to what is best to be done? Surely they would listen to you before they would to me!"
"Not necessarily Roric. While I may come from a respected blood line and have been quite useful over the years to my country I am and will always be viewed as the illegitimate son of a greater man than I could ever hope to be. In the eyes of many I'm fit for nothing better to do for my country than being a spy. You however have what they want. You have the respect that your family name gives you, the honorable actions of a hero to your credit, and the physical abilities and presence of character that say you're likely to win any fight you find yourself in. They'll love you and you'll be surprised at how eagerly they convey all the responsibility that they can onto your shoulders to get free of it themselves. You'll see what I mean. Very few people, when it comes down to life and death situations that correlate to every decision that is to be made, actually are willing to step up to the task and do what is needed when it is needed."