Shriek whistling filled the air and the epost scurried into a. Adam and the older Iyrmen taking to the walls, their eyes taking in the sight before them. A gentle rolling dust approached from the horizon.

  “What do you think?” Adam asked.

  “It will be a good fight,” Jurot replied.

  “Tell me, Jurot, what do your Iyrman eyes see.”

  Jurot narrowed his eyes. For a moment, he thought of the statement his brother had just made. Adam had said that specific phrase multiple times. ‘…’ “Birdcats.”

  Adam slowly nodded his head, before turning back. “Birdcats! Get your prayers in now while you , and the’s…” Adam spotted Vonda nearby. “Politely deal with their lives and take little to no pleasure with it.”

  Vonda’s helmet hid her pyful smile, before the young woman raised her shield, Dunes doing the same as the pair began to t a prayer to fill their panions with vitality.

  “You know…” Adam began, gng around the outpost. “Wasn’t there the other outpost here?”

  “Yes,” Jurot replied.

  “What happeo it? I didn’t really see much evidence of it.”

  “The nd may have recimed it,” Jurot replied, avoiding even thinking about the other outpost, which they had created a few years ago, and which had been taken over by the tribesfolk.

  “Yeah, fair,” Adam replied, slowly nodding his head. “Do you wao spell you up?”

  “Which spells do you have prepared?”

  Adam checked his spells. “You know what, not many I cast on you. I fot to s out my spells, and I swore I had certain spells that I don’t…”

  “It is fine.”

  “How did I not even take Mirror Image?” Adam asked, shaking his head. “And Blur? Seriously, it’s like I’m asking to die.”

  “It is more fu is difficult.”

  Adam let out a sigh, shaking his head lightly, though his lips formed a smile. “Iyrmen…”

  The archers stepped onto the walls, preparing themselves. Lady Sara stepped onto the walls too, Korin standing nearby, ready to take her pce the creature’s were closer.

  ‘I shouldn’t use any fate spells, they’ll probably have a heart attack if they know I cast them…’ Adam checked his spells once more. ‘Why do I have terspell? Are birdcats going to start slinging out spells?’

  “Everyone is too rexed,” Amira said, gng between the group. The farmers seemed slightly anxious, though the porters didn’t seem bothered o, quietly making jokes between one another. Only a handful of them were uhe effects of priestly magic, but everyone else was too rexed.

  “We have faced such creatures previously,” Dunes replied, thinking back to a couple of years ago, whe to reveal his abilities as an Expert.

  “It’s still dangerous.”

  Dunes smiled, readjusting his shield, before brushing along its face. He gnced over towards Vonda and Jonn. The half elf was assigo proteg the priest, in the same way Amira was tasked with proteg him. “You haven’t seen it yet.”

  “Seen what?”

  Dunes pulled up his visor, revealing the smirk across his face, before he dropped it once more. He heard Amira huff quietly, the young woman gng around again.

  Brittany held her bow in hand tight, inhaling deeply, before letting out a soft sigh. She stood alongside the others who were ready with ranged ons, the two farmers, Kitool, Faool, and the two mages. The two priests also could have joined, but Adam wao make sure the two were involved with very little bat. Lady Sara stood beside the half elf in puthral, perhaps the safest pce withiire fort.

  “How are you feeling?” Adam pat Brittany’s back gently.

  “I’m… okay.”

  Adam smiled, before reag down to his amulet. “May Lord Sozain watch over me so that he does not watch over you.” Adam pced a hand against her shoulder.

  Trick: Guidance

  The young womahe geingle of magi through her, though the thought of the source of the magic filled her stomach with a chill, for the Half Elf prayed to Lord Sozain, the God of Death.

  “I don’t want to die,” she said, the words cutting through the silence.

  “I was about to say that doesn’t make you special, but I fear we may actually be in the minority, sidering how many Iyrmen are all about us,” Adam joked. “There’s Nirot, whose grandfather is a crazy old man who takes arms from Vianders.”

  Nirot stood a little taller from one of the side walls. This was finally a real ce to prove herself as a granddaughter of Mad Dog Jurot.

  “What about Faool, whose grandaunt, Shaool, is sidered to be one of the top ten stro in the Iyr?” Adam asked.

  Faool remained silent, clutg his staff tight in hand.

  “Even if he’s Jaygak’s cousin, Laygak’s pretty amazing too. His grandaunt is crazy in her ht, ing face to face with the like’s of Lord Asa aing out of the situation more unscathed than even me against his son!”

  Laygak was gd his helmet was on, the young man grinning wide underh it. He uood it was all for the young woman, but he didn’t mind feeling the joy which came from Adam’s overstated praise.

  “There’s Naqokan, whose family is well known for taking the title of Chief so much they should probably ban them for a few geions.”

  “The title of Chief is based o,” Naqokan said. “If my brother is best, he will cim it.”

  “Right? Amokan and Timojih g for the title. Speaking of the Jin family, don’t get me started on Uwajin, whose grandfather make the best drinks, enough for the likes of Lord Stokmar, which is only outmatched by his skill with a greatsword.”

  Uwajin nodded.

  Brittany thought of all the ridiculous stories she had heard in the Iyr. She was born in a vilge he Iyr, so she had grown up hearing of the rumours, but she had dismissed them as true, but greatly exaggerated. It was only when she had travelled with Adam across the nd, meeting figures which made even her nightmares tremble, she realised all the stories of the Iyr were not just true, but vastly uated.

  “Grandaunt is not crazy,” Jaygak said.

  “I don’t mean crazy as in insane, but crazy as in… you know, strong, and more than willing to give up her title as the Family Elder just so she go and fight in a war even though she could dote on my adorable children?” Adam shook his head. “No, I take it back. She has to be crazy to do such a thing!”

  “I’ll tell her you said that.”

  “Go ahead!” Adam huffed.

  Brittany gnced around the party, before a thought came to her mind. “…”

  “Adam?” Jaygak called.

  “Yes?”

  “You fot Bavin.”

  “What do you mean I fot Bavin?” Adam asked, gng back towards the mass of muscle. ‘He’s so quiet, how am I meant to remember him?’ “Everyone knows how strong Bavin is. Do I o state that the grandson of the previous Elder Wrath is strong? Last I checked, the only one who could beat Elder Wrath was Lion King Ashmir, and it’s not like we don’t have his son here, either. I just didn’t want Nirot to feel ie, that’s all.”

  “I would not feel ie,” the young Iyrman replied. “My grandfather only be defeated by the likes of Bovin, who is sidered one of the greatest in several geions. It is our honour.”

  “Did you hear that? Greatest in several geions. Then we have Bavin, who became an Expert before his grandfather, who was sidered the greatest in several geions!” Adam’s ugh filled the air. “Then, when you sider the fact that these amazing warriors of the Iyr came sed to the one assigo protect you, the same young man Jurot and I taught? Doesn’t it mean you’re the one whose the most well defended from any of us?”

  “…” Brittany turned her head to look at Nobby, who wielded his axe and his shield, a shield which had been traded to Adam from Vasera, the Golden Savage, and was magical. It was ohing to have a magical on, but a magical shield? She gripped her bow, made of the famous deadwood.

  “The birdcats will be upon us soon,” Jurot said, before squinting his eyes once more.

  “There are duabears behind,” Kitool added.

  “You hear that everyone?” Adam asked. “We’re eating good tonight!”

  “Dunes,” Amira whispered, leaning in the young priest. “Did he say Lion King Ashmir’s son is among us?”

  Dunes remained silent for a long moment. ‘Did I not tell her?’ “Once we have sin the creatures, eak of the story.” Dunes wondered how, in all the times Jurot, Jaygak, Kitool, and Adam had spoken of the tale to her, they hadn’t heard how Lion King Ashmir was his father.

  Adam gripped Strong Shield tight, holding Wraith loosely in his free hand. “Jurot, Kitool, you two will set the pace of whether you’ll be leaving the walls to hunt them down. Jaygak, Laygak, we’ll be too slow to keep up with them, so we’ll stay.”

  Jaygak nodded, having made no pns to leave the safety of the outpost.

  “Lucy, Mara, you follow Jurot and Kitool out if you want.”

  “I don’t need your permission to fight,” Lucy said, holding her Great Destroyer in hand.

  “Jurot,” Adam said, motioning with his head.

  “Lucy,” the Iyrman said.

  “Fine…”

  Mara stood up taller, crossing her arms in front of her navel. Jurot he demon shifting from his peripheral, slowly turning his head to meet her gaze. The pair gred between one another, ohe right hand woman of the Demon Lord, the other the right hand man of the crazy fool.

  Adam’s heart began to pound in his chest. As the seds passed, he could feel how cold he was being, the sweat on the back of his neck beginning to slip down his back. As a half fae, Adam rarely sweat, but even he couldn’t help but sweat when the darkness invaded his heart.

  “If we want to preserve their fur and all that, I probably shouldn’t Fireball,” Adam joked, clearing his throat.

  “If you don’t Fireball, I won’t be able to use my magic,” Jaygak pined, waving her javelin at him threateningly. “Laygak will feel awkward too.”

  The porters exged a look between one another, while Rick gripped his pike tighter in hand, their eyes trailing up towards the half elf who stood atop the wall.

  Adam inhaled deeply. The distant sounds of the creatures began to fill the air, while the wolves behind started to howl with excitement, drowning out the sounds. Adam’s heart tio pound harshly within his chest.

  Though his head hung loosely, Jurot stood tall, holding his javelin in hand, ready to toss it from one side. Lud Mara waited to assist with their axes in hand, just in case. No one spoke as the rumbling ground and the howling filled the air.

  Then, a voice cut through the air.

  “Nock!” John shouted.

  So it begins.