The gates stood open, wider than Argon had ever seen them.
Soldiers poured through in tight formation, shields raised, spears angled forward. At the same time, civilians rushed the other way, forcing their way into the city with whatever they could carry. Orders were shouted, lost, then shouted again.
"Stay close," Valen said.
Argon shifted Zack higher in his arms and pushed forward, using his size to make space. Lyra stayed near his shoulder, watching everything. Elara kept pace without complaint. Slyas moved ahead, already choosing their path.
"Left," Slyas said.
Valen followed without hesitation. The rest fell in behind him.
They moved with the flow instead of against it, slipping between soldiers who barely looked at them. No one had time to question strangers.
A hand caught Argon's arm. "You, get to the line—"
Argon pulled free and kept moving. "Wrong man."
The soldier was already turning to someone else.
They reached the gate just as another horn sounded, louder than before. The sound rolled out over the fields beyond the walls.
Argon stepped through and saw them.
Across the low hills, a line of red banners rose into view, marked with white tusks. Beneath them, ranks advanced in formation. Shields were held steady, spacing consistent, movement controlled.
"Orcs," Argon said.
"They're organised," Slyas replied. "That's not a raid."
A horn answered from the human side. The soldiers ahead tightened their formation, shields locking, commands passing quickly down the line.
"Move," Valen said.
They pushed forward, angling away from the center of the formation and toward the outer edge of the field.
The distance between the two sides closed fast.
When they met, the impact carried across the ground. Steel struck steel. The front lines held for a moment, then pressure built as both sides pushed.
A section of the human line shifted, just enough to open a gap. Orcs pressed into it immediately, not rushing, but advancing with clear intent.
"Too close," Slyas said.
"Keep going," Valen answered.
They stayed along the edge, but even there the fight spread outward. A wounded soldier stumbled past them, barely staying on his feet. Another fell hard a few steps ahead, forcing Argon to adjust his path.
A spear skidded across the dirt near his boots. He turned slightly, shielding Zack without breaking stride.
"Watch it," Lyra said, pulling Elara back as a pair of fighters crashed toward them before separating again.
The ground was uneven now. Mud and churned earth made every step less certain. Broken carts and dropped supplies littered the field, abandoned in the rush to clear the gate.
"Right," Slyas said.
They angled again, threading through a thinner stretch of fighting. A human soldier locked blades with an orc nearby, the two straining against each other.
For a brief moment, the orc looked past its opponent, eyes locking on Sylas.
There was no confusion in its expression. No hesitation either. It turned back to the fight and finished it.
"They're choosing targets," Slyas said quietly.
"Good," Argon replied. "Let's not become one."
Valen caught a flicker near the front lines. The air bent for a second, like heat rising off stone, then settled again. He kept moving, saying nothing.
The sound of horns came again, overlapping now, harder to place.
"Faster," Valen said.
Argon adjusted Zack and pushed on. The boy's breathing was shallow, uneven, but steady enough.
They broke through a stretch where the fighting had not fully reached. The noise softened slightly, though it still carried behind them.
"Keep the wall to our right," Slyas said. "We circle."
Valen nodded. "Do it."
They moved along the outer edge of the city, the stone wall rising beside them. The battle stayed to their left, still active, still spreading, but no longer closing in.
Step by step, the pressure eased.
Fewer fighters. More space.
They didn't stop, but their pace steadied.
Argon looked down at Zack. "Still with us," he said under his breath.
Elara placed a hand briefly against the boy's forehead. "We cannot afford to slow."
"We won't," Valen said.
He glanced back once. The walls stood behind them, the field beyond filled with movement. Smoke had begun to rise in thin lines where the fighting was thickest.
Then he faced forward again.
"Keep going."
They followed the curve of the wall as it bent away from the main conflict. The sounds of battle grew more distant, dulled by space and stone.
Ahead, the ground opened.
"Once we pass that rise, we'll be out of sight," Slyas said.
Lyra exhaled. "Good."
They reached it without incident.
For the first time since leaving the gate, there was no one else around them.
The noise of the battle carried faintly now, no longer pressing in from every side.
Argon slowed slightly to adjust his grip. Zack shifted weakly but did not wake.
"We made it out," Argon said.
"For now," Valen replied.
Slyas stopped walking.
Lyra noticed first. "What is it?"
He didn't answer right away. His gaze stayed fixed behind them.
Then he spoke, quiet but certain.
"We're being followed."
Argon turned.
At first, there was nothing but the rise they had just crossed.
Then a figure stepped into view at the top of it.
Still. Watching.
Another shape moved just behind it.
Valen didn't hesitate. "Keep moving."
They did.
The figures followed.