“How was it?” asked Sun, staring down at me, her towering form backlit by the sunlight.

I lay on the soft grass in a state of stupefaction. The full weight of my body felt like an anchor, securing me in the awful prison of two-legged humanity. I looked skywards longingly.

“That good?” she pressed, offering a hand.

“Better.” I sighed. “I just can’t describe how free you feel.”

“I can imagine, but we’ve got business in the port,” she replied, grabbing my unenthusiastically returned palm and hoisting me bodily to my feet.

My human feet.

With toes instead of mighty talons.

Pack it in! I told myself. You’re a man, not a bird. Deal with it.

I did, however miserably. An achievement lit up my HUD and I opened it.

Achievement Unlocked – Fly Like An Eagle!

Description – We’re not talking about a fantastic 70’s song here, we’re talking about honest to goodness flight. You’ve tasted the freedom that comes from making gravity your bitch. Try not to get too used to it, though. Vomiting partly digested entrails into your squalling young’s mouths is a lot harder than warming up a bottle of extracted breast milk in a microwave.

Reward – Was flight not enough? Fine, take another 5 health potions. Ungrateful twat.

“Charming,” I muttered as I pocketed the reward.

We’d chosen a copse of trees that bordered the foot of the rockface. A small waterfall carried a stream of mountain runoff that kept the otherwise dry, sandy soil moist. Bolt and Duke weren’t bothered by their period of hibernation and set to work on the water and some nearby flowers. We led them reluctantly along the bank until the stream opened onto a modest lake that must’ve drained into the sea beneath the ground.

“What’s the plan?” Sun asked as we surveyed the area from the shadows.

Rows upon rows of military tents had been erected outside the rather lacklustre port defences; too many to count. On second thought, I realised I was being a bit of an armchair general. The port was only really exposed on the ocean side, with the Dawnstar forces heavily concentrated on the land within. It made sense that the biggest bulk of the fortification would be spent securing the docks from incursion. Considering how long they had been holding out against the barbarians, it proved the point.

“I guess we just go and knock. The crows should have carried the message by now, right?”

Sun nodded. “Indeed.”

“Then let’s go and say hi,” I replied, mounting Bolt and giving him a firm scratch of his withers for good measure.

“After you, sire,” Sun teased.

“Cut that shit out or it’s back to the depths for you, missy.” I chuckled, feeling a little more my old self in the saddle.

The stiff sea winds washing over the sprawling town carried the heavy tang of smoke. Buffeting the tents, the gusts caused the canvas to flutter and crack against their moorings. The lack of inner port wall wasn’t met with a similar lack of caution amongst the soldiers stationed outside the perimeter of the camp itself. Every trail between the sleeping quarters was guarded by a pair of nervous looking soldiers. Some bore the signs of recent battle, their bandages tainted with fresh blood. Their attire was the same red tabard over chainmail that the soldiers all wore back in Pitchhollow.

“It must be bad if they need the wounded to stand guard,” I said as we approached the beleaguered men.

Before we could climb down and explain ourselves, the world-weary faces of the soldiers transformed. Miserable, downturned lips broke out into wide smiles.

“You really came!” barked one, almost on the verge of tears.

“This way! This way! I’ll take you to the commander!” snapped the other, waving at us eagerly, nearly dropping his spear in the process.

“You know who we are?” I asked, cautiously climbing from Bolt’s back.

“You’re Mark, and the lady is Sunlith,” he replied. “I’m Cuthwin.”

“Good to meet you,” I replied as his friend took the reins from us. I’d have preferred to keep them stowed away safely, but the poor things needed air and a good graze. “Look after them.”

“Yes, sire,” said the guard with a stiff bow.

“I’m no sire, and you don’t need to bow,” I called back over my shoulder. “How did you know it was us?” I asked as we made our way towards the centre of the camp. Moans of pain and loud snoring accompanied our every step.

“Forgive me, but the lady is hard to miss. Some of the men here remember her from when we passed through Pitchhollow. A tall, tattooed lady who looks as fierce as she is beautiful.”

I caught Cuthwin’s not-so-secretive glance and very obvious blush.

“Call me beautiful again and I’ll cut you,” Sun warned.

“Yes, well…” Cuthwin coughed awkwardly. “We never believed you would actually show,” he explained, dodging between tents and racks filled with weapons and armour. Bruised and bloodied men regarded us with awe from their cookfires.

I was a little taken aback at how enthused the soldier was to have us here. He must’ve seen the size of the army floating nearby? Judging by his bruises, he’d fought them. “We’re only two people. I’m not sure how much help we can be.”

“After what you’ve already accomplished? I expect you can be a great help.”

“What have you heard? It sounds like you’ve been sold a pup,” I warned.

“I know not what that means. As to what we’ve heard, I’m ashamed to say it’s mostly hearsay from the sentries. While they were posted outside the commander’s tent, they overheard the message as it was relayed.” Cuthwin stopped and faced me. “Please don’t think ill of us. We aren’t normally given over to eavesdropping. The commander will have our heads if he finds out.”

I more than understood their need to cling on to something, however tentative, like a drowning man clawing at a piece of driftwood. With the encroachment on all sides by the forces of evil, hope was all they had left.

“He won’t hear anything from me, mate. You have my word.”

Cuthwin relaxed. “Thank you, sire.”

“Enough of that. Just call me Mark.”

“As you wish, Mark,” Cuthwin replied. “We’re almost there. I’ll announce your arrival.”

He pointed at the largest of the tents and hurried off towards the door flaps. The guards on duty dropped their spears, forming a cross. “I thought they only did that in the movies,” I whispered to Sun.

“It seems foolish. If I meant the man within harm, using the spears to block me instead of running me through won’t help him. I’d use the distraction to cut them both down.”

“I guess because they know each other?”

Sun shrugged.

“I doubt they would just crisscross the entrance if Daulf was marauding towards it, would they?”

She shrugged again. “The customs here are strange.”

Cuthwin explained the situation to the guards and the same transformation came over them. Our escort ducked through the canvas and was lost from view.

“Your legend is spreading,” Sun said absently.

“Our legend. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you, never forget that.”

The slumbering camp was starting to come to life with excited whispers. People converged on our position from all sides, watching us from the edge of what I now assumed to be the officer’s area. It had a long table with a gazebo style covering. I’m sure there was a proper military name, but I didn’t know what it was. A young boy, probably a page to one of the older warriors, was washing up the wooden bowls in a hammered copper drum. Looking confused at the gathering soldiers, his mouth fell open when he finally saw us standing there. I gave him a cheerful wave and he dropped the plate he was holding.

“Mark, Sunlith, please enter!” called Cuthwin as he emerged from the tent.

We made our way over, feeling increasingly awkward at the growing crowd. Our escort bowed as he passed us. “Good luck!”

“Are you not joining us?” I asked.

“In the command tent?” he balked. “Not likely. My place is on guard. I hope we cross paths again.”

“Me too. Thanks for your help!”

The gawkers made way for him and Cuthwin bustled out of sight. At the flaps, the sentries were holding them open for us. I gave each a grateful nod as we ducked into the shadows. I was expecting the same chilly reception from Randulf’s brother as we’d received at Pitchhollow. Instead, I was pulled into a bearhug by the armoured figure of Theodric.

“Mark of Brite’On!” he roared. “It’s an honour to meet you, friend.” After putting me down, the huge, bearded man made for Sun. Her hand slipped to her axe and the marshal burst out laughing. “Wonderful, wonderful! She is as ferocious as I have been led to believe.”

I’d caught the scent of wine laced breath as the giant had spun me around. The commander seemed less inclined towards me and I noted his mug was filled with water instead of alcohol. Sensible considering the hostile army floating offshore.

“It’s nice to meet you, Marshal,” I said.

“Call me Theo! No need for formality when we are on the same side!”

“Ok. Theo,” I replied, awkwardly. The marshal staggered back to the table and scooped up his goblet as I turned to the other man. “And you are?”

“Commander Trystan Spencer,” he replied. “I lead the men you see all around us.”

“I hope we’re not bothering you both?” I offered.

“Not at all!” gushed Theo, sagging into his chair.

“We can come back later?” I suggested. Discussing important matters with someone so wasted was as fruitless as talking down an abusive drunkard on the door. They might’ve walked in as the nicest person in the world. Cue two dozen rounds and a few sambucas and the nice guy or gal turned into the spawn of Satan. Only the hangover, charge sheet, and bruising from being pinned down would be evidence of their excess. I felt the same level of pointlessness while staring at Theo.

“The marshal has a lot to contend with,” replied Trystan, reading my thoughts. “The loss of life has been quite a burden on him.”

I wondered how many brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles had been lost from the wider Dawnstar dynasty. Several in the western lands for certain. I could understand his need to drink away the pain, but there were far more pressing matters to attend to, so I got straight to it.

“What’s the state of play here? We saw the fires and the ships sailing away.”

“May I ask first if you had any success with the errant sorcerers?”

“We did. Alwyn had them under some kind of spell, but they’re free now. Ilfred is preparing everyone to leave the tower and join the fight at Pitchhollow, the wall, and the islands to the south.”

“Oh, thank the gods,” Trystan groaned. “I feared we had lost their gifts in this war.”

“A few are coming here too.”

“We could certainly use them,” said Theo, pouring a fresh cup.

“Alwyn appears to have allied herself with Gutrender. I think part of my mission is taking her down.” Knowing her power, I still had no clue how I would go about that, or if I would just die a few times and give it up as a stupid idea. The whole point was to try though, so I would give it my best shot.

“I wish we could help you locate her. The last we heard, she’d gathered the sorcerers to her for a war council,” replied Trystan. “Where she is now is anyone’s guess.”

“I already know where she is.”

“Oh?”

“Ilfred says she’s in Whitespear Mountain or somewhere nearby.”

“Is our cause that hopeless?” Trystan muttered at the news. He had a fair point and I’d assumed the same; she must’ve got a sense of which way the wind was blowing at the outset of the new greenskin invasion, as had the deserters. The main difference between the two disparate groups being that the fallen soldiers only had a limited ability to damage the chances of Kherrash surviving the war. Alwyn was on a whole other level, offering guidance to the enemy that had already seen half of the kingdom fall. “Has she been involved in any of the attacks so far? Did she help when the orcs took the west?”

Trystan sat at the table and shook his head. “No. We’d have heard about it. She hasn’t travelled here to wage war on us either, thank goodness. The ogres have kept us busy enough without spells being thrown into the mix.”

“Randulf explained that they’re testing the defences, but if you don’t mind me saying, that just seems… wrong.”

“I’m feeling the same, but I’d be interested in your opinions.”

“I’ve seen their number, Commander. Even if you could kill three for every one of your men, they would still overrun you in a few hours.”

“Our boys could take ten for every godless heathen out on the water!” Theo shouted, the words slurred to the point of being unintelligible. I didn’t fault his pride, only the swiftness of his descent into paralytic stupor. The drunk debuff was getting perilously close to unconsciousness and the men would be carrying him back to his bed soon. Sun ignored the gibe and continued to take everything in. I suspected being called a heathen was on the lower end of the outright abuse she’d received since making Kherrash her refuge.

Trystan gave Theo a look of weary resignation before turning back to me. “You think they’re toying with us?”

“What else can it be? I don’t fault your men’s bravery, only their odds.”

“To what end would they do this?”

I’d been thinking on that very point ever since spying the unnecessary retreat of their ships from the sky. “Coming from someone who isn’t a soldier and doesn’t know the first thing about war?”

“You might see clearer than I,” Trystan offered.

“Ok, let’s assume that the goblins and orcs aren’t unlimited in their number. When you’ve put their uprisings down in the past, it’s taken decades for them to recover, correct?”

Trystan nodded. “Many years of peace follow, but the dark cloud of Whitespear ever looms over us.”

“And this is the first time the barbarians have joined them?”

“They were never our allies, but they were always neutral. The ogres were the barbarian’s very own version of our greenskins, taking the attention of their armies and keeping the bulk of the warriors far to the east.”

“And now that Daulf has subjugated the ogres, he has brought their combined power to your port.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Sorry, I was just working it through in my mind. If Gutrender has ordered the barbarians to cut the land in two, what reason could Daulf have for not complying? Why would he play games instead of razing Ishalon to the ground and then push inland?”

“Because he doesn’t want to?” offered Sun.

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking!”

Trystan frowned. “I don’t follow.”

“Think of it this way. How many casualties will Gutrender suffer if Daulf joins the fray and attacks the rear of the wall and the citadels to the south?”

Trystan sat more upright as the cogs started to turn. “Fewer by far.”

“And if he lets the greenskins die in their thousands while at the same time the orcs kill thousands of Kherrash soldiers?”

“He can wipe out the remainder of both armies with ease,” finished Trystan.

I held my hands out and shrugged. “It’s what I would do. Why be equals to goblins, or have to fight their full strength when they can peck away at the port and wait to see who the victor is?”

“And then roll right over them? Good lord, we’re in worse trouble than I’d thought. Even if this is the case, and I think it probably is now you’ve stated it so plainly, we can’t possibly split off and join the rest of the army. Their attacks have us completely pinned down here.”

“And if Gutrender should win, you’ll be attacked by what’s left of his forces in these very fields. Daulf will launch his whole army at the shore and hit you in the back when you’re at your weakest. Kherrash will be his.”

Trystan rubbed at his temple, trying to massage away a growing headache. “What can we do? They have the advantage on the sea. Our vessels are tied up guarding the islands to the south. What few ships we had here went down in the first attack. They didn’t even spare the fishing boats.”

I looked at Sun and the now unconscious marshal, then back to the commander. “I don’t know. I need to have a think on it.”

“You must be tired after your journey,” said Trystan, heading for the exit. “I can find you a tent if you wish?”

“Are there any taverns left in the port? I want a drink and some privacy. And after that a quick walk on the docks.”

“They aren’t safe,” Trystan warned.

“Is anywhere in Kherrash these days?” I replied.

“I suppose not. Allow me to find you an escort.”

I nodded gratefully and waited by the snoring marshal. Sun grimaced at the trickle of drool that was spilling onto his shoulder.

“I think we’re in a spot of trouble here,” I said.

“We’ll find a way,” she replied.