Rynna jabbed a finger to the map at several points: [Here they set siege upon Mineholt North, and here they occupied Rimmen Gape. And here they set siege on Dendor in Aven, and as Tip and Beau have reported]-her hand swept across the Boreal-[from the sea the Spawn invaded the Steppes of Jord.]
Rynna looked up from the map. [Of course, the sieges of Rimmen Gape and Mineholt North and Drimmen- deeve and the city of Dendor have all been broken, and it seems that the Jordians have the maggot-folk on the run, though that news is old and may have taken a turn for the worse.]
[Yes,] said Tynvyr, [but what of the High King, and what of the Hyrinians and Kistanians and Chabbains?]
Rynna's hand swept south and west. [Eiron's own forces have reported that in the south the Lakh of Hyree were ferried across the Straits of Kistan by the Rovers, and up through Vancha and Tugal they came, ravaging as they went.
[The Kistanians themselves, after burning the ships in the harbors of Arbalin, landed a force in Hoven, though for the most, their ships block the Straits of Kistan.
[And also to the south, across the Avagon Sea came the Chabbains, and they invaded Jugo and Pellar.
[Meanwhile, the Fists of Rakka have revealed themselves once more, and they swept out from Sarain to take Hum and Alban.]
Phero looked up from the map. [Fists of Rakka?]
[A religious sect,] said Rynna. [Put down long past when a woman from Ryodo rallied the oppressed.]
[And this Rakka…?]
[Another name for Gyphon,] replied Tip, [or so the Lian say.]
[Ah,] said Tynvyr. Then she looked back at the map as Rynna continued:
[Together, these four nations-Hyree, Kistan, Chabba, and Sarain-control the Karoo, Khem, Thyra, Hum, Alban, Vancha, Tugal, and parts of Hoven, Jugo, Valon, and Pellar.] As she named them off, Rynna's hand swept 'round the whole of the Avagon Sea.
[Oh my,] said Picyn, [can things be worse?]
[Things are worse,] said Tipperton. [Atala has been destroyed, and the silver sword is lost.]
[That's right,] said Beau. [And Gyphon has invaded the High Plane, and the ways between are sundered-all but the bloodways-yet that seems neither here nor there to Warrows]-he turned to Tynvyr-[although it might to Pysks.]
Tynvyr shook her head. [We fled from our home to Mithgar and will never go back to our own Plane.]
[Oh?] said Linnet.
All five Pysks nodded grimly, but none added more.
Tynvyr turned to Rynna. [Can you answer my other question? What of the High King?]
[He is hard-pressed in the west. Still, the men of Wellen and Dalara and Thol, of Jute and Gothon and Gelen, and the warriors of Fjordland-who've sailed across the Boreal Sea and 'round to the Ryngar Arm to join Blaine in the fight-they all stand fast, in spite of bad blood between nations.]
[Old adversaries unite against a common foe,] said Farly.
[Enemy of my enemy, enemy of mine,] affirmed Nix.
Rynna frowned at this statement but shrugged and then said, [And the High King prepares a great fleet in the harbors of the shipbuilders along the Weston Ocean-]
[A great fleet? What for?] asked Nia, looking at her mate, Kell. He, in turn, looked at Rynna.
Rynna turned up a hand. [I think he plans on breaking the Rovers' blockade of the Kistanian Straits and invading the occupied lands from the south.]
[If and when he does,] said Nix, [that's the time we War-rows need to rally to his banner and take the fight to these Hyrinians and Kistanians and other men.]
[As well as to the Rucks and Hloks,] added Farly.
Her voice aquaver, Linnet said, [And Ghuls on Helsteeds-and Trolls.]
[And Gargons,] Rynna added, memory drawing her face grim.
Recalling Quadran Pass and Dael, Tip looked 'round at the others and quietly said, [And perhaps a Dragon or two.]
Awed by the enormity of the task, they fell silent a moment, until Beau asked, [And after we've done them all in, then what?]
'Uh oh,' whispered Tip, 'I think he's got our scent.'
Downslope, a horrid being stood among the crags: twelve feet tall, like a giant Ruck, it seemed, but massive and brutish and with a green-scaled skin. But no Ruck was this; instead it was an Ogru, and it snuffled the air, as if to catch the scent of a quarry. And now its glare seemed locked upon the heights above, where lay Tipperton and Beau.
'We've got to get out of here,' hissed Tip.
'What about the Rucks?' whispered Beau, pointing rightward, where was sited a maggot-folk sentry post on the ridge crest some two furlongs away.
Still the Troll snuffled the air drifting down from the heights.
'We can only hope they don't spot us,' said Tip, glancing up at the February moon, full in the sky above.
The Ogru began climbing up among the crags.
'Let's go,' breathed Tip, and down the back slope of the ridge they crept, down toward their ponies waiting in the shadows below.
And then a horn blatted.
'Oh lor', they've seen us,' groaned Beau.
'Run!' barked Tip, and through the snow they fled, whiteness boiling in a wake behind.
Again the horn blatted, but its blare was chopped short in midcry.
'Tynvyr,' grunted Beau, floundering downward, 'or Picyn. Should we stop and help?'
'No,' called Tip, scrambling. 'Foxes can outrun an Ogru, but we afoot cannot.'
And down they fled through cascading snow, to come to their ponies at last. Leaping astride-'Hai!'-away they flew, racing along the snow-laden valley and toward the Greatwood ahead. And as they dashed away, among the crags behind, the Ogru topped the ridge and bellowed in rage and frustration and raved at the winter sky.
March came and with it Springday, and lo! winter began to fade as it had always faded in years past. And folk faced into the warming winds and looked at the sky in wonder, for ever since the detonation of Karak and the destruction of Atala a chill grasp had fallen over all of the seasons… but now it seemed as if that grip had begun to loosen at last.
'Perhaps it's an omen,' said Beau.
'Omen?' asked Linnet.
'That a tide has begun to turn somewhere,' replied the buccan.
'Oh, I do hope so,' replied Linnet, taking Beau's hand and raising it to her cheek.
'It is becoming too dangerous for us to watch from the Rimmen Spur,' said Rynna. She looked 'round at the others there in the fog-laden glade as a damp April breeze wafted the mist past. 'The Foul Folk patrols have doubled and redoubled again… as well as their sentry posts.'
'To say nothing of the Ogrus,' added Beau.
'Something is afoot,' said Nix.
Farly frowned. 'What can it be?'
'I dunno,' said Nix, 'but something… I can smell it.'
Beau laughed, and when the others looked at him, said, 'Perhaps it's just maggot-folk you're smelling.'
Tip grinned, but then sobered. 'Nix is right: something is afoot… else why all this activity? It's been months now that they've stepped up their patrols. They started 'round Winterday, and now spring has come. So what can it be that threatens Modru so?'
'Perhaps it's a way to keep us under control,' said Rynna.
Linnet nodded and added, 'Cooped in our woods, so to speak.'
Tip slowly shook his head and said, 'I dunno. Three years past, when we first heard of the Horde on the east
