The rain pattered against the windows of the Little Whiskers Daycare. The party decorations were gone, replaced by maps spread across the kitchen table.
Cassian stood at the head of the table, looking grim. Caspian and Primrose sat opposite him.
"The Jade Valley is not a battlefield you can charge into," Cassian explained, tracing a winding river on the map. "In the North, Rurik survives by being the strongest. In the South, Rajah survives by being the loudest. But in the East? You survive by being silent."
"We aren't going there to conquer it," Primrose said, her Sun-Fire tail flickering nervously. "We are going to find the antidote for the Hollow Husk. We need to fix Jax."
"And to do that," Cassian sighed, "we must enter the Viper's Nest. My cousin, Duchess Venetia, will not hand over her secrets willingly. She will smile, offer you tea, and wait for you to make a mistake."
"I am good at tea," Caspian offered helpfully. "And mistakes."
The door to the kitchen creaked open.
