Free Embrace the Fire by Tamara Shoemaker

heavy door groaned open, and a sentry peered at him from the dark corridor outside. “Your Grace?”
    “Bring Lanier to the Council chambers and gather Xander and the rest of my Council together.”
    The sentry bowed and closed the door. Sebastian turned to the lantern by his bed. Turning up the wick, he studied the wound left by the ember. White, purple, and gray frost splintered from the heart of it, tracing along the lines of his palms.
    A different kind of pain throbbed in his fingertips and his arms—pain that had nothing to do with the burn of the ember—as he snatched the tunic and vest from his screen and clothed himself. He should have killed that cursed boy when he had been given the chance.
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    S ebastian swept into the Council chambers, nodding brusquely to the group of twelve that rose when he entered. Lanier stood beside Sebastian's accustomed chair.
    “Be seated.”
    They sat as Sebastian took his place. Lanier remained standing, his hands clutched behind his back. Sebastian made a concentrated effort to keep his voice even while he fought the pain that burned his arms. “Nicholas Erlane has departed in his ship, escorted by two of our bateaus, given free passage according to our rules of parley. But his navy still controls the Channel of Lise, threatening invasion now that the peace talks have failed.” Sebastian gave a tight smile. “This is the moment we must seize. War is upon us. Commander Lanier, you will leave for the Forgotten Plains today to take leadership of our amassed land forces. Our own ships are gathered in the waters west of the Three Maids, safe from enemy attack. They are ready to sail at a moment's notice. Though our water power does not compare to Erlane's, we will have surprise on our side.”
    “Aye, Your Grace.”
    “Lanier, you say Commander Jerrus will fall back into the Rues with a contingent of soldiers once you've arrived. Can you offer me the strategy?”
    Lanier sketched a bow as he spoke. “Your Grace, Nicholas Erlane's forces are, frankly speaking, large enough to overwhelm us, but we will allow his ships to land. If he lands even half of his ships, we will face difficult numbers. Commander Jerrus plans to withdraw and take the long way as the Lismarian troops advance onto the shore, so we can flank the forces by the sea and close off their escape routes. The Lismarian ships will be vulnerable to Dragon attack by air once they have landed, and we will attack them in harbor, destroying their ability to escape.”
    “You mean, if they should attempt to withdraw across the Channel of Lise?”
    “Aye, Your Grace. Already, I've dispatched twelve armored bateaus, six to sail up and around West Ashwynd to close the mouth of the Channel of Lise to the north to block any escape efforts, and six will sail through the Camaran Sea to the south and close the southern exit of the Channel of Lise. The remainder of our fleet will move to the southern waters for reinforcement, as the Channel exit is wider there than in the north and will take more coverage.”
    Sebastian held out his hand toward one of the Council members on his left. The man placed a scroll into his hand. Sebastian unfurled it, glancing over the markings that mapped out the southeastern portion of his country. “And where are you placing the creature groups?”
    Lanier moved closer, pointing at the Rifted River that split the Plains. “Rather than releasing the whole force of our Creatures in one place, we're splitting them into three groups per kind. Here, here, and here is where we're placing the Dragons.” His fingernail clicked neatly on points to the north, south, and along the southern coastline. “We'll mix the Dragons with some of the lesser fighters, the Dryads and the Valkyries.”
    A thought crossed Sebastian's mind. “With whom will you be placing the Pixies?”
    “Elves and Cerberuses.”
    The dark-haired youth who had won the Pixie's bracket of the spring Tournament and now stood at the head of