Nobility is a measure of your character. It isn’t about status but about actions. If you have to tell people you are noble, you aren’t. A noble person has an aura that quells arrogance and compels others to follow without ever having to say a word.

~Dagda, the All-Father, Chief of the Gods

Before they left, the Stone Breakers created escape routes that would let out by the loch. The loch provided a natural barrier to the east because it blocked the pass. The only way across other than both was two bridges that cut across at the narrowest points.

That isn’t the say boats couldn’t be used, but swimming was a death sentence. There were things in the depths that were better left alone. Regardless, if something went wrong, they’d evacuate the city across the bridges and then destroy them. If that happened, Crow knew it’d result in an ‘every person for themselves’ scenario, and madness would ensue. He planned on having his people out well before that happened. They’d fight until things were no longer tenable.

Days passed in an almost leisurely fashion, but everyone knew it was the calm that preceded the storm. Crow spent a lot of time in the city’s workshops that were catered explicitly toward producing arrows. Using his knowledge and the legacy that Barnes left him, he created arrows he felt would help in the coming conflicts.

Today, he stood on the walls and, ironically, felt more disturbed by what he saw than facing the living dead. A beast tide came out of the surrounding forest, a lot of which they cut back to expand their line of sight from the wall.

Arrows rained down on those creatures, and while Crow didn’t pity them, he did feel a certain melancholy. It took him a few hours of battling to realize his issue with this situation. These beasts were intelligent, some even more so than humans, and it was humanity’s mistake that this was all happening. Some of these beasts were noble and upright, so slaughtering them felt wrong.

Crow wasn’t delusional. He knew it was man vs. beast in normal circumstances, but this wasn’t normal and felt too much like genocide. Worse, if this went on, they’d deplete their resources well before the dead showed up. Not to mention they were leaving a veritable army out there from the dead to raise up.

“Ahote!” Crow shouted down the line. Most of his people were on the wall with him, trying to stop the tide before them. The others around them also seemed to defer to Crow when he commanded things. Commander Drock didn’t officially give him a title. Still, most knew Crow had the ability, and the commander deliberately didn’t move an officer to this section of the wall. The bare-chested Beastlord trotted over in an unhurried manner but didn’t dare walk out of respect to Crow.

The Beastlords were a valuable resource to Rosdoe because quite a few had companions that could fly. So they were used as scouts to check the surrounding areas and see where the hordes of dead were. Ahote seemed to know quite a few of them, but he still stuck by Crow’s side. Crow felt the real reason was he was commanded by his people to do so. It was a way to strengthen the bond between their people now that the Beastlords and Druids were sharing a continent.

“Yeah?”

“Do you—are you okay with what’s happening?” Crow asked and pointed at the beast tide.

“No, but what can we do? I haven’t said anything because we don’t have a better option.”

“That’s all I wanted to hear. If I have a solution, do you think you could communicate with those beasts and convince them to follow you?”

“You are going to let them in?”

“Hell, no. They’d turn on us in a heartbeat. But…” Crow explained the rest of his idea.

“I can try, but then how do I get back?”

“If one of your people can’t fly over to you and bring you back, then I will come to get you. I won’t leave my allies to die,” Crow directly told him. He knew Ahote was taking a risk doing this, a big one. He was counting on the beast’s intelligence and their will to survive.

“Alright, I can try,” Ahote said and hopped down inside the wall so he could summon Nuk.

“Wait for my command. I need to inform Commander Drock first because we don’t want you to be accidentally killed by Rosdoe’s people or schemes. I hate to say it, but you should be more cautious of the people on the wall than the beasts. Don’t let a stray arrow hit your back.”

Ahote nodded. While he wasn’t as knowledgeable about city life and his people rarely betrayed each other, he wasn’t a fool either. Crow’s veiled words caused a chill to creep up his spine.

Sending up a signal, Drock’s men arrived within seconds. Crow outlined his plan and what he hoped to do. Once the men heard it, they were first shocked at its audacity but then nodded, thinking if it was possible, it really was the best course of action.

“Okay, if he agrees, look for three red signals, and five minutes after that, a single blue flare will be the cease-fire call. So you got five minutes to convince the beasts and then start moving them. If they approach the wall within a certain distance, we’ll continue to kill them.”

“Got it!” Crow nodded. The soldiers ran off while Crow outlined the plan once more and told Nuk what was needed. The beast couldn’t communicate with Crow, but its large head nodded in understanding. It stepped forward, but Crow was at a loss as to why.

“Hold out your hand,” Ahote explained. “It is his way of showing respect, and it’s a rare honor.”

Crow did as instructed, and Nuk pressed his head against his hand. There was a surge of warmth between the touch, and Crow was a little startled but didn’t pull away or feel any fear.

Seeing Crow’s strange look, Ahote smiled. “Spirit marking. The warmth you felt is because he gave you his mark. It’s a good thing. Those who recognize the Failinis lineage, which is considered royalty among beasts, will sense the mark and possibly aid you.”

Crow placed a fist on his chest and bowed to Nuk in return. “My father once said that nobility is more than the blood in our veins. The actions we take and the character we bear only matter if, in the end, she wakes up in bed beside you.”

Seeing his solemn attitude, the people around him took Crow’s words seriously. Still, the moment the last line came out, Mara burst out laughing. Followed by the guffaws of many soldiers. The levity improved the mood of the people significantly, and even Nuk seemed to understand and appeared amused.

“Your father is an interesting man,” Ahote chuckled.

“He is unique,” Aine said from beside him. “However, if Cia, my aunt, ever heard that story, she’d murder him.”

“It’s true,” Crow laughed. “Which is why I plan on starting many rumors about how big of a pervert he is.”

“So evil,” Nin giggled. “How can I help?”

At that moment, the three red flares went off.

“Alright, it’s on you now, Ahote. Remember, if it isn’t working, don’t force it. You are more important,” Crow said adamantly. Ahote and he gripped arms, and then the Beastlord hopped on Nuk. “Clear a path.”

At Crow’s command, people moved out of the way between Ahote and the wall. Seconds later, Nuk charged forward with Ahote mounted on him and leaped over the wall.