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"It is not a question of viability," said Abbas. His eyes shifted around the empty restaurant, and he looked at Worwal for a moment before continuing in a slightly lower voice. "I must work on the Forge that Lord Goffe has recently found. If I can get it up and running, it could be exactly the boon we need to turn the tide of this war back in our favor."

Her posture stiffened a bit as she listened. "You truly believe this Forge to be so important?"

"I do."

"More important than seeking out aid from Intar?" she said.

At that, the Lord Saqqaf paused and rolled his neck to one side for a moment. He exhaled heavily. "I am sure that one or more of the other Hahls will attempt to acquire Intar's help. I will leave that task to them. However, knowing what I do of Intarian politics, I have little reason to believe that such efforts will bear fruit. It is worth checking, of course, but I am rather confident that Intar will attempt to maintain their neutrality, even now."

The Queen blinked. "Surely not. Abolish is all but knocking on their door."

"Their congress is paralyzed by divisive rhetoric. They will not take action until their land is directly attacked." The man paused for a light shake of his head. "Hmph. Perhaps not even then. They may just expect the Vanguard to take care of everything for them, as usual."

The Queen looked concerned, her frown deepening, but she made no response.

"As for the Vanguard," Abbas went on, "I think it best that my kin and I try to decouple ourselves from them as soon as possible. They may still be useful as allies, but it is clear to me now that we have grown too reliant on them over the years. And too trusting."