“So, that’s the plan, basically,” Len said.

She’d gathered up her most trusted advisers and minions, basically Kila and the Trio, for a bit of a brainstorming session. Well, she called it a brainstorming session, but her mind was pretty much made up already.

“Look, I get it. It’s a gamble. Hell, it could be an outright trap that leaves me completely helpless, but that’s not the vibe I’m getting here. I think he’s genuinely desperate and that means we’ve got an opportunity to wrap a lot of this up in one go.”

“Well, it’ll certainly wrap things up one way or another. Have you given any thought to what happens to all of us if things fall apart on you?” Kila was quick to point out the thing Len hadn’t mentioned.

“Well, not really. Fact of the matter is that if I fail, you’re all pretty much screwed. Thing is, we’re pretty much screwed without this too. It’ll only be so long before Claymar decides he wants to take us out. Do you really think that even with the full number of troops that Astrid’s sending our way we’ll be able to do anything against a properly trained force?”

No one had a response to that.

“Hell, without this, a lot of people are going to die who don’t need to. I get that you’re not THAT concerned about human casualties, but do you really expect me to believe that you’re okay with senseless slaughter? I’m pretty sure I’ve picked my friends better than that.”

“It’s not that I’m cheering for it,” said Moe, “but we should take care of our business here. The humans made their own mess, let them clean it up.”

“I really don’t think they can. If the situation’s as bad as Balar says, their leader has screwed the pooch so badly that they might be on the verge of collapse. If that happens, Claymar will have no trouble mopping the floor with them and deciding to take us into his force just for the hell of it. I don’t get the feeling that Astrid will be able to keep us safe from that. And I don’t much care for the idea of being under the direct command of some unknown and power-hungry upstart. Do you?”

“Bad things do tend to happen when that particular combination of traits takes the field,” Curly allowed.

“What makes you think you can win?” asked Larry, probably the most open to the idea of the assembled.

“Hey, I won my first Proving on my own. It’s better when I have you guys to fight for me, of course, but don’t think for a second that I’m not a match for what they might throw at me.”

“Len,” said Kila, worry plain on her face. “From what you’ve described, it’s hard to imagine that even if Balar’s on the level you’ll be able to just walk out if you lose. You’ll have to piss off the leader of the clan enough that they put everything on the line to see you publicly humiliated. That’s the kind of provocation that ends with your head on a pike if you lose, not a walk of shame out the gate.”

“It sure is. Doesn’t change anything. This is our best chance here. I have to take it.”

“I don’t like it,” said Keseryn, barging in. “Why put your head on the line for these people? Do you just have a death wish?”

“No, by all means, Kes, come join this tactical meeting of the leaders of the Hovel.”

“Oh please. ‘Leaders’? It’s a pack of chumps you’ve got believing you can walk on water. You’re marching into a deathtrap for a bunch of people you don’t know.”

“I get how it could seem like that, but I’m walking into that deathtrap for ME. I’m more than happy if others happen to be saved along the way, but I need this.”

“You need this? Are you listening to yourself? Sounds like you’re every bit as power-hungry as whoever this Claymar guy is supposed to be. You just want power for its own sake?”

“No, dammit!” Len snapped, harsher than she’d meant. “If it’s not me, it’ll be someone else, and I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but those other someones are not doing a great job lately. Hundreds of years of war without end, countless lives lost, and here I am in the middle of all this without a goddamned clue how to navigate my way through it since I got here.”

“Len,” said Kila, both as a comfort and a caution.

“There’s just so much to keep track of,” said Len tiredly. “It’s a damn house of cards waiting for a gust of wind. We NEED this stronghold to be ours.”

“There has to be another way,” Keseryn whispered, fear starting to creep into her voice.

“There isn’t, Kes. I know you’re worried for me, thank you, but It’s the right play.”

“You’re right,” said a gruff voice from outside the tent.

Len was getting ready to bitch out this new arrival and question whether the concept of privacy meant anything to the people of the Hovel, but stopped short when she realized who the voice belonged to. Valkar, the sole genuine warrior of the hovel, the man who’d sacrificed an arm in their last encounter to save one of her comrades, was now standing at her entrance. He looked like death warmed over, but there was still steel in his voice.

“Reporting for duty, commander.”

“Valkar, you lunatic, you should be in bed!”

The Orc offered his customary grunt at that suggestion.

“If I’m strong enough to be awake, I’m strong enough to be here for this,” he replied. “Go over this plan of yours again, I missed most of it. I’ve only been outside since the little one stormed in here.”

Mood improved, Len went over the basics of the challenge she was going to try and provoke out of the Head of the Kelvachians.

“They’re right,” he said as she finished her third explanation of the plan for the day. “You’d have to be insane to try this. The odds of succeeding are tiny, and the risk is massive. Unfortunately, you’re right too. It’s probably the best chance we have to turn things to our favor.”

“You’re seriously going to let her try this?” Kila asked, astonished.

“Not sure how ‘let’ has anything to do with this situation. She’s the commander, she gets to make these calls. That being said,” he leveled a severe glare at her, “don’t expect me to pick up the pieces if you die out there. If you don’t come back, I’m taking my retirement.”

Len didn’t bother to point out that ‘retirement’ at the Hovel basically meant wandering off into the tundra and dying alone.

“That’s a bit of a change. Thought you were fully prepared to let me march off to death a couple weeks ago.”

“That was a couple of weeks ago. Now I’ve seen what someone with a little competence can do with this place, and I’m more aware than ever that that’s not me. I wouldn’t stand a chance of keeping up with what you’ve done here. Also, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve lost a bit of weight recently,” he waved the stump of his arm for effect. “It’s going to be a while before I’m anywhere near what I was, which I again point out: wasn’t enough.”

Len blushed at the reminder of what he’d done. He didn’t seem bothered by it, at least not enough to be upset at the meeting, but it was hard to accept that he’d lost that arm on her behalf. Still, it was humbling to see how fully he was willing to accept her leadership. This wasn’t the same casual acceptance of her presence with the expectation of failure, he believed in her now. That was somehow more terrifying.

“Thanks, Valkar. Seriously. Well, there you have it folks. I’m doing this. I get your concerns, I do, but my decision is made. Don’t worry, I’m going to be coming back. And when I do, we’re gonna have a hell of a lot more work to take care of.”

“Have you really thought about what you’ll do even if you pull it off?” Curly asked. “You’re not planning on just moving the humans into the Hovel, are you?”

“Well, no. Look, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now I’ve just got to win this.”

“This isn’t like you, Len,” said Moe, a touch nervously. “You’re the one who ALWAYS thinks through all the angles. You’ve given us half a plan, a suicidal one at that, and you don’t even know what you’ll do if you actually win?”

“Well forgive me for not seeing twenty moves ahead after getting brand new information less than an hour ago.”

“That’s the entire point!” snapped Keseryn. “You’re rushing into this based off of information that you just got.”

Len took in a breath, held it, then let it out explosively.

“Fine. You want more, give me a second.”

They weren’t wrong. Even if she did win this, she’d have no means of running both locations directly. More than that, she’d have serious control issues if she ended up just leaving it to someone else. If she did that, she might as well just give up authority entirely, and that wouldn’t be enough. Slowly, the necessary chain of events began to take shape in her mind and she had her answer.

“WHEN I win this,” she said with emphasis, “I’ll have to take over responsibilities of leadership with the humans. Maybe not for long, but it does sound like I’ll have a lot of work to do. Kila, I’ll want you to be-”

“Oh no, Len,” said the smith, raising a hand. “I’m here to take care of your forge. I’ll build whatever you like, provide whatever it is you want on that front, but I’m not leadership material. You want to run off to a new and exciting chieftain position, you’re gonna need some other unfortunate to take over for you here.”

Len winced slightly at the direct refusal, but took it in stride.

“Fine. Valkar, you said you didn’t want the job anymore, does that stand if I abandon you guys in a less direct manner than grizzly death?”

The Orc nodded.

“All right, then. Congrats, Moe and Larry, you’ll be co-chairs of the camp. If we’re being honest with ourselves, you’re already handling most of the work, I just give you the broad strokes. I can keep doing that, just with a bit more lag in between orders. We can look into changing that up as time goes by, but that IS a problem for later. If- WHEN I pull this off, we’ll have access to significantly more resources, and we’ll be able to do a lot more with the place. I’ll step back from the daily maintenance here, and throw myself into the work of cleaning up whatever mess this asshole’s made. Also, Kes, you’ll be coming with me.”

“What?!” the girl blurted.

“I think you could do with a bit better demonstration of exactly what I’m capable of. Also, and this is just a selfish reason, I think you’ll be good bait to piss this Head guy off further.”

“You realize I’m Banished, right. Not allowed in their territory period.”

“Well, Balar’s just going to have to make an exception. Might as well get them used to Banished being in their presence, because when I win, that’s the first bit of nonsense that’s going to be disappearing. I’m all for kicking out genuine threats, but this policy of theirs has gone too far.”

Keseryn didn’t seem to know quite what to make of that declaration, but accepted it nonetheless.

“You’re crazy, you know that, Len?”

“It’s been mentioned, on occasion,” Len grinned.