Lyra felt the weight of command settle on her shoulders like a physical thing. Eight hundred seventy-three defenders against what she predicted would be two thousand attackers. The mathematics were brutal.
But they had advantages too. Fortified positions. Prepared defenses. Knowledge of the terrain. And Seraphina's specialists held in reserve as a trump card that Elric didn't know existed.
"Listen carefully," Lyra addressed everyone through the network. "My prediction is that Elric commits approximately two thousand soldiers today in a maximum-effort assault. Siege towers, artillery, alchemical weapons—everything he has."
"How do you know?" someone asked.
"I don't know. I'm predicting based on tactical analysis of his constraints." Lyra's mental voice was honest about the uncertainty. "I could be wrong. He might send another light probe. But I don't think so. Everything points to him going all-in today."
"And if he does?"
