But the downside… The downside towered over every hope she sketched.
Spreading her men thin meant weakening them. Even if they encountered the enemy, what then? What if the enemy's numbers dwarfed theirs? What if they were devoured before dawn? What if placing them as bait condemned them all?
She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Her soldiers were trained, but they were not elite.
Her knights were capable but they were few and her mages, valuable, irreplaceable, she refused to sacrifice until she understood the enemy.
And in the worst case…
She might be sending her men to die blind, unprepared, unaware of what kind of monster awaited them.
She pressed a hand against her forehead, closing her eyes.
She straightened, spine stiffening with resolve.
If she waited for the viscount's response, every town in her domain might fall.
If she acted now, she risked losing the remainder of her forces.
Both choices were wrong, both choices could doom her.
