“How many?” Jularra asked.
“We’ve estimated around three thousand.”
Jularra looked at Wona and Vischuno with concern.
“They have siege machinery, my queen,” the Spire added.
In light of the increasing challenges, Jularra was the calmest she had been in some time. She was the epitome of peace and was confident in the capabilities of her people. But the news hadn’t finished arriving.
“That’s not all, Your Majesty. There’s also a report that Lord Latham’s armies are approaching from the south.”
"Of course they are,” Jularra sighed. “Numbers?”
The Spire swallowed “Somewhere between fifteen hundred and two thousand.”
Jularra nodded to herself, then to the Spire.
“Thank you. Vischuno, Wona, to me,” the queen ordered. She then turned to the face the crowd.
“A second wave is coming, ladies and gentlemen! Torgurians and Latham traitors! I want all captains up by me immediately. The rest of you, fall back and wait for instruction. Civilians of Morganon, retreat to the rear of the city immediately.
“We have approximately five thousand incoming,” Jularra resumed with Vischuno and Wona. “How many can we defend with?”
“We have no more than a thousand in the city right now,” Wona answered.
“But if we send out word as soon as possible, we might be able to match them one for one by the time they get here,” Vischuno added.
Jularra massaged the knuckles of one hand with the other as she weighed her options.
“Do it,” she ordered. "Get anyone and everyone possible in the county to report in. There's no time to reach out to the other counties, so don’t bother.”
Wona and Vischuno headed over to speak with a group of nearby officers.
Jularra looked around for Melcayro and Abranni, dodging through the shuffling crowd toward her new friends. She placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath.
“Look, I know I only asked for you to help me find Leona, and you did that. I can’t thank you enough. But I have to ask—”
Melcayro interrupted, holding up his hand.
“We’re here. How can we help?”
Jularra blinked, relief dawning. “Are you sure?” she asked them both.
“If you don't survive this, we don't get your help with fighting Hignriten,” Abranni replied. “What do you need?”
Jularra clapped her hands. “Tell me… what do you know about my Ridgerazers?”
Abranni smiled.
***
Within hours, Morganon resembled itself on its busiest days, its new population of fighting men and women spilling outside the interior walls. Thousands of Jularra’s soldiers from across Burrek had arrived, ready to fight. Proper stock had been taken of the newcomers' status, their supplies, and arms. The breaches in the walls, while not insubstantial, had been repaired to the point where attacking infantry wouldn’t simply be able to walk in. Archers were in place, and the infantry were in formation outside the walls in the valley.
The Ridgerazers were also in place, under the direction of Vylas, Leona, Abranni and Melcayro. All captains had their orders and were as prepared as they would ever be. Time had been short, but it had not been squandered.
Jularra marched briskly past the infantry after a quick, final meeting with Vischuno and Wona. Together, the Bedrock and Spire champions would be commanding the main force. As Jularra jogged over the bridge and back through the gatehouse, she heard the muffled trumpeting of the horns of Torguria.
She raced up a set of stairs and scanned the length of the valley from the battlements.
“That sounded like it came from behind the northern pass,” she said.
“Your Majesty! The High Peak watchtower!” a nearby archer exclaimed.
Jularra looked up to the massive turret set into the side of High Peak Mountain, just shy of the summit. The tower had a perfect vantage point of both sides of the northern valley exit. The watchtower guards were unfurling a signaling flag, revealing the image of a colored circle above a hammer.
“Okay,” Jularra said. Her voice was firm and calm. The archer continued to watch the signaling guards, reporting the flag’s implications to the queen.
“They’re assembling their siege equipment, Your Majesty.”
She nodded, turning away to look for any sign of Latham’s forces.
Nothing yet.
She glanced up at her southern-facing towers. No flags.
“All right,” she called as she descended the stairs. “Everyone keep an eye out, and report anything unusual to your captains. We’re going to see to that siege equipment!”
Jularra jogged back down the steps and out from the wall. She started to call out again.
“Let’s have the Ridge—”
She stopped in the middle of the path, suddenly overwhelmed by an unexpected emptiness. For just a moment, she had forgotten.
Korden.
But her realization didn’t result in tears, or anxiety—quite the opposite. Though she missed Korden more at that moment than perhaps ever before, her stomach only rolled emptily as she felt her blood pressure jump. She filled from head to toe with resolve. Her focus was clear and unwavering.
Onward she marched, passing scores of civilians carrying and carting goods and supplies back to the interior of the city, until she came upon her small group of advisors.
“I assume you heard that?” Jularra asked the group.
“We saw the flag,” Vylas replied. “We’re ready.”
“Just stay safe,” Jularra directed. “Conserve energy where you can, but destroying that siege equipment is the priority.”
“We sent a small contingent of Ridgerazers to the south, should you need them,” Abranni advised. “Unless you want them all up here with us?”
Jularra looked up to High Peak’s watchtower. No change.
“That’s probably a good idea. I think getting over that pass will slow them, so the numbers you have here should suffice.”
Melcayro winked at Abranni for what Jularra assumed must have been her idea.
“All right. I’ll leave you to finish preparations. I’m going back to the gatehouse, but let me know the moment—”
Another sound rang out across the valley, interrupting Jularra. This time, it wasn’t an enemy horn, but that of the guard in the tower overlooking the southern roads. A flag fell down the side of tower. It was an image of three rows of hash marks—infantry, as reported. Jularra held her breath as she waited for the second flag, which would indicate the size
