Dala sat in his offices, going over his battle plan. Based on all the information he'd recieved, he decided that he'd best contact his sister directly without going through his other sister Natania. So he pulled out his Trump of Mercury and waited until the card grew cold.

"Sister? Are you there? It's Dala, and I have some news you might want to be aware of."

The card grew cold, but it was a while before Mercury's image came into focus. The Admiral was dressed as befit her office, and was clearly on a ship in the middle of some sort of exercise, although it did not appear to be in Ebon waters. She smiled at her brother, "what news? I have some of my own for you, although I had not planned to discuss it until I have a solid date."

Dala smiled. "Well, I've spoken with Grobian and he gave me a list of the defenses of Y'Nobe.I thought that you should know about a powerful defense the Y'Nobeans have. It's called the Ward of the Whirlpool. It's a type of magic that creates a whirlpool on command. I thought that you should know so that you can take steps to protect the fleet. Also, the defense plans mention something about "rip currents"." Dala's brows creased in puzzlement. "I know enough to know that it relates to the seas but naval knowledge is not my forte so I thought you should know right away. Finally, the Y'Nobeans have cryomancers capable of creating ice and can summon sea creatures such as whales and moray eels to their service."

He leaned forward a bit, the rank medals on his uniform gleaming in the candlelight in his chamber. "Does any of this help you?"

The Princess stood in thought for a few moments before responding, "well, Grobian approached me a while back and asked if I was interested in Asterion's battle plans. I told him I had no reason to trust that anything he told me would be accurate, and of course that Asterion's plans would be of little consequence in the end. It has never been my opinion that a naval attack on Y'Nobe has much chance of success. So if Asterion is wasting all of his resources on defenses against such, they are wasted indeed." She favored her brother with an amused look.

"I have decided that the best course of action right now is to take care of the missing half of the Y'Nobian fleet, which Asterion sent out to sea along with much of his army. It poses a constant threat to Ebony, and with it's loss, I think Asterion will be forced to the bargaining table."

Cymneo's daughter ran her hand through her wavy brown hair as she considered her next statement. "I think I have located the fleet, and I've got Donovan working on some improvements to our ships. I've notified Mother about my plans, and while the Y'Nobian magic will have little effect out at sea, I may need her help to counteract the ice or for other weather-related assistance. I've already taken steps to combat anything they can summon," she mused.

"As soon as I have a date for the attack, I'll let you know. I'll pull all of the deep-water vessels and the Shadow navies and use those for the attack. There should be plenty of coastal craft to support any operations with the army and to provide general defense against the Y'Nobians," Mercury concluded.

Dala nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm. Yes, I think your strategy has merit. If we're to beat Y'Nobe, then I agree that we should make absolutely certain that they can't rearm and continue this fight into the future. I don't know about you, but our father fought the first Battle of Y'Nobe, we're fighting the second, and I don't want our children to have to fight the third.

For a fleeting instant an amused look crossed Mercury face, but then it was gone.

I'd like to coordinate my attack with yours and keep Y'Nobeans occupied with two disasters at once. Grobian's plans indicate that most of Asterion's defenses are concentrated on the Stairs, probably to keep me at bay. He once said that he knew that I would attack if Mother commanded it and he was right. I'd like to keep the plans of battle between the two of us and Donovan for the moment. Less chance of word slipping out that way. I have some ideas for an assault on the Stairs, and I think that if I attack the Stairs while you attack the Y'Nobe Fleet, we might cause a panic in their ranks. I'd also suggest that we defeat the summoners and cryomancers as priority targets. Once they can't freeze our troops or summon the creatures of the deep to their aid, their morale should crumble further."

The Admiral shrugged noncommittally, "if you think that best. The reason I am attacking them at sea is to avoid the defenses twith which they are protecting Y'Nobe. With half of their army gone, perhaps they will see reason and further fighting will not be necessary. However, if you trust Grobian's information and you can avoid the Stair and fighting under water, then perhaps you can succeed without much naval support. I am afraid that my knowledge of their forces and tactics relating to land forces is insufficient to allow me to provide competant advice on that subject."

Dala nodded. "I hope that they'll see reason once half their forces are gone. I don't relish the idea of outright carnage. Will you need Natania's help as an envoy? If not, I can think of a use for her in combat. I am told that the breeding of the giant eagles from Telso goes well. Could your forces use some aerial support when they strike the Y'Nobean troops?"

"I suspect that Natania would appreciate more action and less administration," Mercury replied with a chuckle. "Anyway, I am not sure that she ever really got her sea legs. Feel free to continue to use Jonas as necessary if any naval issues arise. As to the eagles, my problems are going to be under the waves, not above them, so I suspect they will not be of much use during the battle itself. However, one or two could be quite useful for tracking the enemy's whereabouts if you can spare them."