Someone clicks their tongue. Another scoffs. Brakar lets out a low grunt.
"Cowards," he mutters.
"They were protecting something," the mage commander counters. "Or hiding it. Either way, the pressure from the outside didn't stop. It just shifted form."
Alix's fingers tap once against the table.
If this is what I think it is... then things are going to get complicated.
Veyrith shifts slightly in his throne. The motion alone sends a small tremor through the floor.
Another commander leans forward, his voice tinged with disbelief. "What kind of enemies are they facing, that they'd crawl back and ask us—and Astram—for help?"
Veyrith's burning gaze shifts toward him. "According to the king who contacted us, two of the three kingdoms have already fallen. Entire cities leveled. Armies vanished. The enemies they face are not invaders seeking land or gold."
He pauses, his voice turning low and grim.
