When we entered the soldiers' camp, we had already decided who would do what. Jory would be in charge of the city defenses, and Hallis would lead the vanguard during the attack. I would lead a squad to attack the Ironborn from the rear. Hallis had become a powerful warrior, showing no trace of his former arrogance. He had a strength of 8.8 and a speed of 7.3. Jory was slightly stronger than him. He had a strength of 9.2 and a speed of 8.3.
"Why don't you want to tell Glover you know so much about the Ironborn? Can you share some with us?" Jory asked.
"In any case, rumors about this will start to spread. I don't want to say anything there because I don't trust Glover and his men. I'm a Warg, and I've seen their power with my own eyes."
"You mean you can control animals like the characters in stories? If you don't want to say it, then don't. Why are you making up stories?"
(A deep sigh)
"Come with me. I'm showing this to the people I'll be fighting alongside tomorrow anyway, so you'll see it too."
Jory, Hallis, myself, and our 300 soldiers walked into the depths of the forest. When we reached a small hill, I stepped forward and faced all the soldiers.
"Many of you know what Warg is, and those who do will tell those who don't... I am a Warg."
As soon as I said that, everyone started talking. I added some magic to my voice and shouted loudly.
"Quiet! I need to introduce my summoned creature to you all, because we'll be fighting side-by-side tomorrow. I don't want any of you to fight with fear. I hope everyone can calm down now. My summoned creature is a Shadowcat. And it's a bit big. She'll come up behind me, so please don't be afraid. She will never attack you unless you attack her."
Just then, I heard the sound of waves.
-Dad, there are some humans hiding nearby.-
It seems Glover is very curious about why the 300 men left the camp.
-Can you drive them back without killing them? I don't have time to deal with them.-
Can we play with them?
Okay, but don't kill or maim, and don't let them see your true face.
While I remained silent, everyone continued to wait for me, somewhat puzzled.
"I'm sorry, I need to think. Where was I? Oh, right. Please don't be afraid."
Sith slowly began to emerge from behind the hill, and the men made a lot of noise. Some were frightened and tried to back away, while others drew their swords. Sith approached me, nuzzled my shoulder with his head, and began to purr loudly. The purring sounded more like the engine of a sports car than a feline.
"Jory and Hallis approached us cautiously, "Jory said.
"You really are a Warg."
"What do you think revealed this?"
"The huge Shadowcat behaved like a kitten."
Hallis said.
"This thing can't be Shadowcat. It's about the size of a horse."
-You're that thing, you idiotic human. Master, can I eat it?-
"No, you can't eat him."
Hallis suddenly jumped up in fright, using Jory as a shield. He said.
"Whoever wants to eat me, that's fine. I'm not tasty. Eat him; he's all meat. I have too much fat."
Jory turned around and tapped him on the head.
"If we don't provoke it, it won't attack us. Aermir, can it understand?"
"Yes, they can, but they don't speak like we do. They can say basic things like 'enemy, food, friend, attack, defense,' but they can't speak like humans."
"Master, why should I act like a stupid animal? I don't want to."
-Sith, I've told you before, a smart man never shows everything he can do; you have to keep an ace up your sleeve.-
Then Lika said.
-But Sith and I have no sleeves.-
I held back my laughter. My familiars are getting smarter every day, but sometimes they have trouble understanding proverbs.
It's a proverb meaning something that serves as an advantage.
-Hmm, that makes sense.-
As I stroked Lika and Sith's heads, Jory asked:
"Is this also a magical pet?"
"Yes, it's a wolf cub."
At this moment, Hallis pointed at Sith and asked.
Is that a saddle on its back?
"Yes, I don't use horses. They're too slow compared to the Sith."
How fast is she?
"Twice as fast as a horse."
After questioning for a long time, I led my men deep into the forest. Jory and Hallis turned back to Glover I had gone to Bear Island. The reason for this evasive answer was that I suspected there might be a traitor among Glover's retainers. Meanwhile, I told Poe not to let any animals in or out of the Citadel, in case they tried to communicate.
Just as I had guessed, a Crow was sent toward the coast. We left the Citadel from the North, so we made a wide arc as we went, eventually reaching the southwestern edge of the forest. Po caught the bird but didn't hurt it.
The message was concise, stating that 300 soldiers would depart to aid Bear Island, leaving only 900 soldiers, and that Stark's reinforcements would arrive within a week. However, one piece of intelligence revealed the traitor's identity: the message claimed that he was stationed at the West Gate and indicated that once the fighting began, he would order the gates opened and lead his soldiers in an attack.
Upon learning this news, a better plan was forming in my mind, one we would use against them. I released the Crow, gave it a tail, and saw where it would fly. I had Bo send a letter to Jory, informing him of the traitor but telling him not to take any action for the time being.