Damar stayed silent for a long moment, his tongue flicking out in that way it did when he was deeply calculating. He wasn't just thinking about the threat; he was thinking about the possibility of not missing his children's first winter.
"You want to negotiate with the Pride Alpha," he stated, his voice dropping into that smooth, dangerous velvet.
"Yes. And I want you there. You have the patience of a serpent and the authority of a king. They won't listen to a 'helpless female,' but they'll listen to you, who, if they're going to listen at all. And if they don't want to listen…" I narrowed my eyes. "You might as well whip them until they want to."
Damar looked toward the southern pass again. He thought for a few seconds before speaking, "If we are to do this, we will do it my way. We will intercept them at the gorge, before they see the walls and get ideas about melting them. And Fenric and Noah will stay behind."
I winced. "They're going to hate that."
