The gates of Greystone creaked open just before midnight.
Lucas, Kaela, and Elira rode through the moonlit path, their cloaks weighed with dust, their expressions carved from steel. The sounds of hammering steel and shouted drills still echoed within the fortress. The fires of the forge burned like defiance in the night. Greystone was awake and ready.
Lucas dismounted, pulling off his helm. Sweat stuck to his brow, but it wasn't fatigue that tightened his jaw.
Angel's voice rang softly in his mind.
{System Notification: You have returned to Greystone. Enemy army detected: Estimated distance – 9 miles. ETA – dawn. Prepare your forces.}
Lucas clenched his fists. "They're coming with the sunrise."
Kaela nodded, scanning the stars as if she could already see them marching. "They think fear will shake us."
Elira's tone was frost-sharp. "Let them try."
