Terrance stood at the edge of the world… or so it seemed at the moment. The last plateau of the Steps, or the first step if you started at the top, had a specific trait that was relatively well known, if rarely seen. On the occasions that clouds formed in the great sea and swept all the way across the Great Planes, they somehow crashed against the Steps.

  That shouldn't be the case, as the wispy clouds ever present around the tops of the Weeping Mountains were higher up still, but it didn't change the facts. For whatever reason, the clouds in the sky dropped hundreds of feet over tens of miles, becoming trapped by stone.

  While standing upon the edge of the third step, the carpet of clouds would stretch to the horizon, blocking out everything from about halfway up the cliff face. It was as if you were standing at the edge of the world, and if you jumped off the side, you would fall for eternity. Nothing but an illusion, just like so much in the world was, but that didn't make it any less of a marvel to witness, even in times like these.

  "Your performance in recent weeks is quite admirable, Knight Terrance." Said a voice to his side.

  Turning, the knight dipped his head in acknowledgment of the man, "High Noble Coradus Fridgia, I am surprised — but pleased — to see you here. Last I heard, you were still in Olimpia attempting to stir up support for the recapturing of Basetown."

  "Ahh, yes, a waste of time on my part. I realized quickly that it was a hopeless endeavor. The Southerners have no intention of helping, so I gathered my personal guard and came to offer what help I could."

  "Then, from what I have heard, I owe you my life. We all do."

  "No more than any of the others. Really, if anyone saved your life, it would be Governor Hydrophant, though it would be a waste of your breath."

  The high noble's words breaking past his numbness, Terrance glanced at the older man and asked with a bit of heat coming through his voice, "Truly? Governor Hydrophant of Ironhold? He is alive."

  "Was. The fat bastard turned out to be skilled and driven enough in his youth to make it into the scouts. Those rusty skills allowed him to make it most of the way down the Steps before running into our patrols. After the circumstances of why he wasn't in the city were forced out of him, my brother executed the man personally for dereliction of duty." Pausing, a small smile appeared on the noble's face as he remembered something."The idiot intended to take a contingent of knights and leave the legion to attempt to single-handedly save you lot. It was only the Kin having placed a force to defend the ramp that convinced him they wouldn't make it."

  "Did they put up a good fight?" The knight asked, curious how a ready legion fared against the beastkins.

  "The best I can say is that they were slowing us down. Though I believe it would have been harder if it weren't for the terrain. Within the confines of the switchbacks, the legionaries ground them down, even going uphill. However, that only lasted until Augustas decided to scout over the plateau to see if any Kin reinforcements were coming, which was when he spotted the light display in the distance. With an active battle so close, well, he got to take his knights and go around the blocking force. Soon after, the Kin broke off the engagement, not wanting to be surrounded."

  "Truly," Terrance said, meaning every word, "a fortuitous turn of events."

  Shaking his head, the noble sighed, "Not lucky enough. We still lost the town before we ever arrived."

  "We may have lost it, but we still have most of its people."

  "Yes, we can rebuild, and we will. As we always have, the north will emerge from this disaster stronger than before… but that does not mean our failures were any less terrible. We must acknowledge them if we are to learn from them." The high noble stated, his face hard as he looked out over the steps.

  "As you say, milord. Though I would say that we have to get through this battle to learn for the next." Terrance said, his voice suffused with exhaustion.

  "Nothing for you to worry about now, as we will take care of it," Coradus said, clapping the knight on the shoulder and turning them to face the standoff. It wasn't a battle, not anymore, but it had the potential to become one the moment the Olimpians showed a moment of weakness, but that wasn't going to happen.

  All around them were the beastkins watching them. A common occurrence that Terrance had grown accustomed to. What was new was the annoyance on their faces and the ranks of legionaries facing off against them.

  Not militia, mercenaries, and a handful of individuals from broken legions. Two entire cohorts stood guard, with two more behind, ready to step forward should they be needed. These were not happy, peaceful men.

  No, these were four thousand individuals seething with wrath. They wanted a reason to fight. They wanted the beaskins to come within their arms' reach, so they could send them scurrying to the underworld.

  These under-equipped beastkins could not even finish off the refugees. They knew they stood no chance against a foe ready, well-equipped, and rested, and they knew it. Even the birds in the sky had no choice but to back down, as with the psy of a legion, their attacks were nothing, and the knights could lash back at them.

  "These are nothing," Terrance said, his mind flashing back to standing on the northern wall of Ironhold and seeing the numberless mass sweeping over the mountains. "The equivalent of a foraging party of a legion. Less even. They won't let us go easily, and I doubt we're going to escape these plateaus without a major battle."

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  "Yes," Coradus said, his voice serious, but lacking the intensity that Terrance thought was justified. "I have heard the reports of the battle and the numbers of the horde. It's the general opinion that most of those you saw were dependents and campworkers. If it were a typical beastkin horde, it would be something to be concerned over, but with these Kin, they are similar to us. They need supplies and won't mindlessly throw themselves into a fight. The situation right now is the perfect example."

  Terrance considered correcting the high noble's dismissive tone, but then thought better of it. Correcting nobles was always a dangerous decision, even if you know them, and especially if they believe they are right. While the Knight Terra was familiar with the man, having met him multiple times over his years of service, he wasn't close enough to openly question him.

  Dipping his head in acquiescence, Terrance responded, "As you say, milord. However, I do not mean to insult you, but I need to ask, is there a reason that you approached me?"

  "Hmm, ahh. Yes, actually. I was on my way to a meeting in twenty minutes at the command tent, where all off-duty knights are supposed to be present. I saw you over here and suspected you had yet to be informed, so I thought I might take the task upon myself."

  "Oh? Thank you for informing me." Looking around, Terrance realized they still had quite a walk ahead of them for such a short time. "Then, if you don't mind, I believe that we should get a move on, so as to not be late."

  "Of course, of course." High Noble Coradus said with an amiable smile, stepping to the side and motioning for Terrance to join him. The knight quickly fell into place next to the man, and the pair began walking through the hastily set-up camp. Campworkers from the fourteenth legion were dashing about every which way, attempting to care for the wounded and feed the refugees.

  The unusual aspect was that, despite the fires with cooking pots on them and an increasing number of wagons, there was no indication that the camp was expanding or being set up for the long term. Maybe that wasn't weird given what they were facing, but the knight was getting the feeling that the upper ranks were not taking the beastkin all that seriously.

  Walking up to one of the few tents erected, and the one that was the largest, Terrance nodded to Noble Coradus in a goodbye, then moved to the side. While Terrance was a knight, he didn't have the standing to enter the tent and stand before the High Lord and the 14th's Legion legatus… Or so he told himself as he took a spot with the rest of the knights gathered around the tent’s perimeter.

  Given they were all from the north and served the same lord, Terrance recognized many of those already waiting. All of which nodded to him, after their eyes swept over his still blood and grime-covered armor. He could see the questions burning in their eyes. The respect for his survival and accomplishments, and the uncertainty of whether they could have done the same.

  Terrance didn't know what stories were circulating, but he knew some twisted account of the flesh giant breaking the walls and their flight from the city would already be making the rounds. And with every retelling, the events would only become more exaggerated. The knight wanted nothing to do with the stories.

  Maybe in another place and at another time, he could retell his perspective of what happened, but right now, it was too soon. He was in no mood to even humor their looks, let alone talk to them. Really, Terrance should be sleeping with the rest of the knights of Ironhold, but for some reason, he found himself unable. He still could not find the peace to calm rest.

  Taking a spot close but not so close to the other knights that anyone would consider starting a casual conversation, Terrance closed his eyes, then waited. It was a matter of minutes later that a mental probe knocked at his mind, and he accepted the tendril without a second thought.

  A network of over a hundred minds quickly formed, and Lord Fridgia's commanding voice echoed in their minds, "Thank you for interrupting your rest and coming here, knights." They really had no choice, and the words were little more than a formality, but the sincerity of the high noble's mental voice took any sting away. He was genuinely sad to pull them away from their rest, but he was confident that this was important enough to warrant it.

  "To be frank, we are currently in a dire situation. If a fraction of the force my son tells me is coming actually appears, we will not be able to stop its advance for long. Even if we chose to attempt to defend the top of the switchbacks and managed to do so, they could go southeast, following the cliff's edge and entering the Weeping Mountains. With their scouts, it won't take long to find a path through the mountains, exiting anywhere they please. However, that is the best case for us. For all we know, they have a way to descend the plateau without using the switchbacks, and our defense could only stall them for a matter of days before we are surrounded."

  The more their liege lord spoke, the more everyone became swayed to his point of view. It all made sense, and the overall feeling of the union was becoming uneasy. "So we cannot stay here. Better yet, I will be willing to gamble that we have some unlikely allies to the south. If we can reach them before the fighting starts, that would be ideal. However, disengaging in a timely manner and without losses will take some work, and it can not be done while the civilians of Ironhold are present. Starting in an hour, every civilian capable of walking will be marching down the switchbacks, soon followed by wagons for the ones who can't. Already, the eighth cohort is placing squads on every platform and along the ridge, in anticipation of the beastkin flyers harassing us. Except I do not expect that to be enough, so I want a knight every four levels until you hit the clouds, ready to offer support. Below the cloud bank, you may scatter yourself as needed. I will leave it up to your centurion to figure out the details, but I expect you to move into position with the first group that descends. Until then, you are dismissed to prepare."

  Having his orders, Terrance turned, but was stopped as a demanding probe knocked against his mind. It would have been rude if he didn't recognize the psy, but in this case, it was probably a considerate knock. Stopping, the knight hesitantly accepted the mental tendril, as if he was reporting to his father after doing something he wasn't supposed to. "Yes, Milord?"

  "Don't, Milord, me, Terrance," Augustas said, his tone exasperated. "You are supposed to be resting, not attending a meeting where you get another assignment."

  "Domine, I am still in fighting shape," Terrance protested.

  "I'm sure you are, but that is not the concern here. You are not in optimal condition, and after days of fighting and running, you need some rest. Have no doubt, you and your men will be the ones fighting up here when the Cohorts fall back. Until then, go to the medicos and tell them I ordered them to put you to sleep. Is that understood?"

  Terrance didn't immediately reply, hearing the disapproval of his lord. Sighing, he responded, "Yes, Milord."

  "Good. And Terrance, you have done an excellent job in performing your duties. You have more than demonstrated your dedication to House Fridgia and her people. Do not let anyone, even your own thoughts, tell you otherwise. Now go get some food and rest."

  The mental link vanished, and suddenly he felt the last few days come crashing down on him. Still, he straightened and slammed his fist to his chest in the direction of his lord, then shuffled off to find a bed.

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