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I shuddered. He wasn’t wrong. Every able-bodied person in Duteliera looked like they’d been called to arms. They stood along the wall, some keeping watch, others marching to different locations. There were some at the base of the wall, digging what appeared to be a moat, moving fast like they were afraid they’d run out of time to get the watery trench in place. Still more were hurrying carts past the gates, barrels of supplies stacked precariously high and guarded by people who were watching from every angle for signs of an oncoming attack.
Which is when they spotted us on the hill.
Shouts went up, the thin sounds carrying over the distance even if the words were unintelligible. To a person, the citizens reacted like the occupants of a kicked-over anthill, scattering from their work and scrambling to retreat through the gate like they thought we would fly at them so quickly, they wouldn’t have time to get inside.
Just like the handful of farmers we’d seen days ago, all of whom fled from us even though we were miles away.
“What the hell is going on in Aneira?” Lars murmured, clearly as baffled as I felt.
I couldn’t respond. I’d never known my people to react like this, even in the war. I was sure the first few years after my mother died had been filled with fear, though I’d been nothing but a baby and thus I couldn’t remember it. But by the time I was a young child, my people traveled easily through Aneira, trusting that my father and our soldiers had the war confined beyond our border with Erenelle and well in hand.
The last of the citizens disappeared behind the city walls and the gates slammed shut. Every guard aimed their weapon toward us, though we were so far away, there was no chance they could hit us with their bows and arrows, much less their swords.
“I suppose there’s nothing for it but to approach, yes?” Casimir suggested.
“Princess stays to the rear of us,” Dex replied, not taking his eyes from the city. “We keep our weapons sheathed, but Byron, you take point with me in case they try something with magic. Casimir, you stay close to Gwyneira. Get her out of here fast if anything goes wrong.” He paused, his eyes flicking back to us for the first time. “Can Ruhl not look like that, by chance?”
Casimir glanced at Ruhl questioningly. “I’ve never seen him take such a?—”
The shadow wolf made a sound that I swore was a grumble, and then a shudder went through his body. The smoke drifting up from him faded away, and the shifting clouds that only ever looked sort of like fur suddenly became a solid pelt. Even the glowing light of his eyes dimmed until his gaze only appeared like shimmering emeralds and not like brilliant green stars.
Dex regarded him for a moment before glancing at Casimir. “Someday, my friend, I’m going to want more of an explanation of what our ally here might actually be.”
“Would that I knew,” Casimir replied with sincerity.
Ruhl just turned and walked calmly to the rear of our group.
“Okay, then,” Clay spoke up. “On that note, shall we go say hi to all the humans with weapons?”
Dex didn’t respond but simply started down the slope toward the city. The others followed.
“Do not worry,” Casimir said to me as he hung back, waiting until they’d gone ahead before twitching his head for me to accompany him. “We’ll all get out of here safely should the humans decide to start a fight.”
I nodded, hoping he was right.
Dull metal glinted in the sun as we walked toward the city wall, all the swords, knives, bows, and arrows catching the light. I could feel the pressure of dozens upon dozens of eyes trained on us, and the aura of fear that had permeated the air throughout our travels felt like a smothering blanket. The city wall wasn’t as high as the one around Lumilia—roughly three times as tall as a human man—but it was well maintained and topped by embedded shards of glass that shone in the sunlight.
Most giants had stone-like skin, but they were hardly invulnerable. Even they would be hard-pressed to climb over that without cutting themselves to ribbons.
A thwip sound came from atop the wall, and then an arrow impaled the turf several yards shy of our feet. Across the distance, I heard a man on the wall snarl something about holding fire until ordered otherwise.
“Fucking Aneirans and their little weapons,” Clay muttered.
“Quiet,” Dex replied, not taking his eyes from the guards. Briefly, he gestured to the others.
My men stopped walking.
“We seek an audience with Lord Thomas,” he continued, pitching his voice loud enough that it would hopefully carry to those atop the wall.
A number of the guards cast nervous looks to one another. Now that we were closer, it was easier to see that not all of them had been soldiers before this. They didn’t have the rigid stance or solemn expressions of those who’d been trained for my father’s armies.
No, they looked like farmers.
And they looked scared.
Several of them glanced back and then shuffled out of the way, still gripping their weapons. A gray-haired man with dark-brown skin and a stubborn tilt to his chin came into view.
Lord Thomas.
