As soon as they were packed, all members of the conspiracy—for it had become a conspiracy in all its members—met in Ty's rooms. They made a great circle around her bed, the boys nearest her. Ty herself had called in the Panther and now paced on the bed, back and forth, paws making no noise on the sheets.
"Right," she said as she finally sat still and reappeared as herself—in her clothes for a change. "Who's done the count? How many are we?"
"We're six pack-members, obviously, but the children were too many for any of us to simply count altogether," Leej reported. "So we split em up by age ranges. I have the eight year olds, because they're a group upon themselves, the biggest age group. Mel has the younger ones of the walking ones—five year olds. They're few enough. Terry has the six and seven year olds. Kehel has the bigger bunch, 'cause he can handle 'em, the nine and ten year olds. Otian has the really young group, the three and four year olds."
"What about my bunch?" Ty asked, blinking. "Surely you don't think me so incapacitated that I can't handle a few kids?"
"Ty," Kehel interrupted, "you can't handle even standing for a few minutes. You can't handle the kids. And don't growl at me. You're going to be leading us, making sure no one is missing. You're the general. There's enough work there without more kids."
"Yeah Ty," Mel agreed. "You've got enough with us, lets not start on the kids. So where are we going?"
"The path we take depends on our number," she replied tartly, taking hold of her side and snarling at Terry as he made to keep her up. "Stallion, I am not made of glass, I can handle this," she muttered, then said louder, "cubs, report! In order, Mel, Terry, Kehel, then you Leej. How many is your load? I suspect it wasn't two thousand, like I was originally told?"
"Of course we're not two thousand. If we were, do you know how much wailing would be coming from Kehel's room? No one would be asleep, and the King's Own at our necks!" Mel sat up straight as the others murmured approval. "I have fifty, Tehea."
"Really?" asked Terry, as if he couldn't believe it.
"No, not really," he said in a fake grumpy voice, though winking at Ty. "I've ninety five."
"I've got a huge load. Wish someone had told me, but done is done," Terry reported. "A hundred and eleven."
Ty just nodded, her eyes having moved silently from Mel to Terry back to Mel during their discussion, then to Terry for his report and now to Kehel.
"I've a hundred and thirty two," he reported promptly.
Ty's eyes widened but she said nothing. She nodded to Leej, who was still gaping at Kehel, then cleared her throat to make him speak.
"One hundred and forty five, and Otian has seventeen," he reported. All the other boys leaned into him, gaping at him. Ty snapped her fingers and began pacing once more, doing numbers in her head.
"Five hundred," she muttered as she paced. "How to make five-hundred and six people disappear and not burst an alarm with the King's Own?"
"Right!" she said, stopping mid-stride and making all inside her rooms jump. "We will regroup. I have no doubt that not all five hundred and six of us are in here. Thus, my cubs and trusted children, those of you old enough to be here, pay attention!
I want five teams of one hundred in ten minutes—but I will not have them randomly! I want one group of fighters, thus of you with muscle and wit, with Terry. All those skilled in stealth and running I want with Leej. Kehel, I want you with all those who are willing to do hard work.
Anyone who can handle a bow and arrow, spear, sword or knife I want with Mel. Everyone else I want with Otian and—hang on a single god's spat moment," Ty said, grinding to a halt and scanning the crowd.
She swung to face her pack. "Where's Otian?"
"He's with the youngsters," Mel told her. "They're sleeping in Kehel's rooms. We couldn't all fit, so the ones taking naps are with Otian."
"Tell Otian he has a dawn appointment with the gallows if he doesn't get his sorry behind to my rooms in ten minutes," Ty growled.