At the palace of Lord Aubrey Flyte, Panzerhulk complains that he has not eaten in weeks. He tells his servant, ravel, that a council of war has been called, and that the war will be won by one army only. He asks ravel to leave at once or prove himself better in combat. The marquis must understand that duels between men are forbidden during a war council. The blood seer is a tool that ancients used to predict the fate of their wars. . he tells ravel that the deployment of the army has been completed, and the count's defenses are defeated