Maps had been spread across the large desk in Ragnar's study, their corners held down small journals.
Ragnar stood in front of the desk, one hand braced against the wood while the other rested behind his back. His gaze remained fixed intently on the part of the map that was labeled out as the capital.
"It will still be hard to march troops into the city without word reaching her first," Casilo said. "Even with the unrest inside the capital right now, the queen is not foolish enough to leave herself exposed. She will have an army of her own waiting for us when we arrive."
"She does not need to be foolish," Ragnar replied calmly. "Only distracted."
Gonan stopped pacing. "And you believe the death of her son will distract her that badly?"
Ragnar finally lifted his eyes from the map. "I know it will."
