She looked at each of them in turn. "Gather your forces. Everything you have. Every creature you can summon. Every dark thing that owes you a favor. We attack in three days."
"Three days?" Corvus asked. "Mistress, that's not much time to...."
"It's enough," Thalia interrupted. "Victoria's deadline with the Blackwoods was temporary. They're holding a fragile truce that will shatter the moment they disagree about Lilith's future. I want to attack while they're still pretending to work together. While they're distracted by their own conflicts. While Lilith is confused and scared and doesn't know who to trust."
She traced her finger across the map, marking the route their forces would take.
"We come from three directions simultaneously," Thalia said. "Split their defenses. Force them to choose what to protect. And while they're busy fighting demons and dark creatures and corrupted magic, I slip through the portal and take Lilith."
"What if she fights you?" the old witch asked.
