The gates of Thanantholl came into view, and so did a large commotion of guards. 

Commands were being shouted, weapons and blockades moved in place. It was an absolute scramble of activity until they noticed the giant black dragon walking down the road.

And then it was panic.

More shouting, arms flying, fingers pointing, and commanding officers located.

'Do you think Eberon forgot to tell them of my presence?' Spaulder asked.

"No," Schula said. "I doubt he forgot. My guess is that you weren't as aptly described as you could have been. That, or they did not believe you were a literal dragon when he told them."

Spaulder chuckled and fell into that purring rumble of content amusement. 

We paused a short distance from the gates, letting them sort their chaos out and watching for someone to approach. 

Finally, a slim-built brown fae with a hard face and sharp eyes approached. His uniform had extra decoration around the collar that tole me he may be of some kind of rank. Not that I had come to know the ranks well in my time in Thanantholl, but I still got that feeling from the way he carried himself. 

"Wylde Witch Wren." He nodded as he addressed me. "Lady Schula. Lord Eberon told us everything. Please bring your dragon through the gates quickly before any spies can see what we have on our side."

Spaulder, leaning his long neck down to see eye to eye with the fae, or at least as low to the ground as he could get his golden eyes, huffed air out of his nostrils and scattered leaves and dust into the air around the guard.

'I am no one's dragon, fae. You will do well to remember that.'

The guard paled. "Y-yes, lord dragon. Please, follow me. Accomodations have been made as well as we could under such short notice."

Spaudler eyed the guard one more time, huffing air again and discheveling his neat uniform before raising his head high again. 

'Very well. Lead on.'

I held a hand over my mouth, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. Glancing to Schula, she wasn't even trying to hide her amusement. 

"I suppose he will not make that mistake twice," Nassir mused.

If the guard heard Nassir's comment, he didn't react to it. Instead, we were brought through the front gates and past the chaos of whatever they were trying to do at the front of the city. Once inside, it became clear that Thanantholl was in mass mourning.

The vibrancy and bustle was all gone. Fae creatures of every breed were closed in their homes or openly grieving on the streets with their neighbors. Shops were closed. The life here, the trees and water and the creatures that lived here, all felt dulled and still. Even the vibrant leaves on the stunning treas were beginning to whither brown when it used to take several days off the branch and on the ground before they would crumble and turn.

"What happened to this place?" I whispered.

Schula reached out and took my hand, watching bleakly ahead as we followed the guard.

"Baeleon," she whispered.

My heart sank a little more. 

Spaulder's presence caused an array of reactions as we went. Alarm, mostly. But a lot of curiosity as well. Thankfully the streets of Thanantholl were plenty wide enough for a dragon of Spaulder's size to maneuver. 

At the end of a street that looked to be lined with buildings for manufacturing we reached a large empty yeard. Canvas had been stretched overhead to make a roof, and the line of targets and weapons racks cramed to one side of the field told us what kind of space this was typically used for. The surrounding smells of the area, tanning leathers, smoke from forges, sweat and kicked up dust, reminded me of the war camp we had just left days ago.

"We could not find a suitable building for you, lord dragon-"

'Spaulder,' he insisted.

Our guide swallowed, looking up at Spaulder's massive unamused expression. "Yes, Spaulder. "We could not find a suitable building to house you, though I hope this space will do. We are still bringing in food and blankets for you, but is there anything else that could make you comfortable?"

'No, this will do very nicely.' Spaulder gave his answer and settled down, stretching out his wings as far as he would be able without knocking into a neighboring building. Surprisingly, that was almost his full wingspan. 

The guard bowed his head and took a few steps back, now turning to Schula and me. 

"Lords Eberon and Thainalan are waiting for you in the palace once you're ready. I will come back here and ensure that Nassir and Spaulder have everything they need to recover from your journey. 

I looked up at Spaulder. "Are you okay staying here, or do you want to come with us?"

'Little one, I do not wish to participate in a meeting of war. They are terribly boring, and no plan you make can ever be followed once the thrall of battle drums to life. I will be fine here.' He craned his neck down and bumped his nose against me. I smiled and hugged it as best as I could, considering how large he was.

"I wonder where Puko went," Schula murmured.

"Likely Thain's home," Nassir provided. "I will go see, and I can tell Wairen of what has happened while I'm there."

Schula gave him a warm look and walked over to hug the old fae. "Thanks, Nassir. I know Wairen won't let you go hungry, but try to eat something and get some rest. At least one of us should get the chance to recover for a day."

Nassir laughed. "I will. Good luck in the palace, you two."

Schula shared a grim look with me. "Thanks."

"This way please, Wylde Witch and Lady Schula," the guard said, and gestured down the road.

"I have a name you know," I muttered.

Schula smirked, clearly amused, but she did reach over and rub my back in soothing circles to clam me down. 

As we walked, I kept my head up and looked only forward. The whispers would probably follow me forever, even though I had once wanted nothing more than for them to disappear. The found youth. Kaylor's daughter. The Wylde Witch. It would always be something. Let them talk, the only ones who matter don't whisper and call me names. 

The road wound down and around the edge of the valley and into the grotto at the far end. Dripping water echoed in the somber chambers in front of the palace doors. There were no dancing fae on the grand floors of the grotto. No decadent picnics sprawled out for a lazy Autumn court afternoon. No lords or ladies chatting in the gardens, or strolling by the streams. It was empty and sad, and the only life here now was the city guards who hadn't gone to battle.

Hopefully the survivors could get here soon, but I feared for their escape. The things Bara Khalja could do, the things DuVarick could do, were terrifying in their unrestrained power.

We were allowed through the doors on sight, the guards just crossing their arms over their chests in the Autumn court fashion and letting us through without a word. Once we were inside, the first thing I saw was the white curtains drawn over the throne room. In fact, many of the places Baeleon's presence were obvious were curtained in white. Portraits, statues, rooms of significance to him. All draped in a haunting shade of mist and light, fluttering gauzes. 

"The armory has been converted to a temporary meeting room," the guard explained. I really should ask his name, but at this point I was getting kind of late to ask. He turned a corner and I started to recognize the way to the room where Schula and I were measured and equipped with armor before we last left. 

"Here, you are expected. Swift winds to you, Wylde Witch and Lady Schula." The guard bowed his head, and left without awaiting our response.

I let out a slow breath and looked to the armory door. One of the two matching doors was left open, plenty of sound coming form it and indicating a busy room of fae.

"This is going to be agonizing," I said.

"Very much so. Let's go," Schula answered, and together we stepped through the open door.

The walls of the armory remained as stocked and polished as ever, but the floorspace was cleared out to make way for the scramble of tables, chairs, maps, and scrolls that now consumed the room. 

The first eyes to meet mine were bright silver as Thain's head snapped up the moment I entered the room. Eberon following shortly after, and the rest of the tables and chatter died down somewhat after that.

"Schula, Wren." Eberon waved us to his table. "Please, come here. There are a few people you should meet and we need to bring you up to speed on what we're planning next."

We made our way through the room, and again I held my chin up and ignored the murmurs of my name on strangers' lips. Looking down at the intricately detailed map of Thanantholl, there were small wooden discs painted in different colors and some with symbols on them. They were piled in specific locations and were likely representative of the warriors we had remaining in the Autumn court. Looking to the front gate, I saw a specific blue disc with a silver dot on it. My mouth turned up slightly that Thain was enough of a force on his own to warrant his own marker. 

"Schlua, you remember Varthas." Eberon gestured to an old tree sprite. I was surprised to see a fae creature with gray at his temples, showing age that even Baeleon hadn't. I knew they were somewhat different than the dryads like Wairen and Heyra, but I wasn't well versed in exactly how that difference was shown. "Wren, Varthas is a master strategist. He typically remains well within the palace walls but has come out to assist in the coming battle."

I nodded my respect to the old sprite. "It's nice to meet you, though I wish the circumstances were different."

"It's nice to see you again, Master Varthas," Schula added. 

The old sprite gave her a warm smile, though the merriment did not reach his eyes. "Strained times that they are, it is good to see you as well, Schula. And you, Wren. I have heard much about you through the leaves."

I hadn't a clue what that meant, so I just nodded again. Varthas laughed, a gruff sound with a wheeze to it that came with his age. He reminded me of Bryn in a way, he seemed so easy to smile and with a calm nature to him. A genuinely happy person, despite the circumstances.

Eberon cleared his throat, gesturing to an armor-clad female sprite. I could almost see that she was a deep orange like a burning sunset, though not much of her was free from armor beyond part of her face. "This is Cynder, you may recognize her from her nights at the River's Edge."

My eyebrows raised in surprise as I peered through the armor, trying to recognize her. Schula must have known already, because she spoke up first.

"The last performance I heard was truly enchanting, Cynder." Schula held out a hand to shake with the armored female. "I pray the Stars let me hear another once this is all over."

"Stars willing, you will," Cynder answered.

My jaw dropped. The violinist!

Her eyes crinkled in amusement under her armor. "It is good to meet you, Wren. You dance with an honest energy and I love your visits to the River's Edge."

I blushed furiously as Schula giggled. "Thank you, it's nice to officially meet you as well."

I bowed stiffly, and Schula started laughing hard enough that she choked and coughed. 

Eberon cleared his throat, bringing our attention back to the table. "Aside from being an accomplished violinist, Cynder is a capable captain when the need arises. Let me show you what we're doing here."

Eberon and Varthas began to arrange the table.

"This," Eberon pointed to the front gates, "is where you will be called if the need arises."

"We suspect that DuVarick will make a hard push forward," Varthas said. "The part of his army, the resin dead, will not need the rest and food that the remainder of his army does. However, in his maddened state I doubt he will be so conisderate of his living fae."

"We're certain they will come here," Eberon said. "The question now is when they will arrive. When they do, the city will sound the alarm."

"So what do you want us doing?" Schula said. 

Eberon nodded. "When the alarm sounds, we want you both here."

Eberon pulled three tokens from the side. A white one, a purple one, and a black one with dots of paint that corresponded to the other two colors. He placed the purple token with the black and white dots on one side of the gates, and the white token with the purple and black dots on the other. 

"That's me and Schula," I said. 

"Precicely," Varthas said. "And, provided he is willing, we were hoping to ask the dragon Spaulder to stay in the skies above the gates."

"I'm not sure how recovered he is from the last battle," I warned. "He wasn't really ready to take his shape and fight in the first place, I worry for his safety now."

Vargus shook his head. "We would never put your triquetram in peril. Particularly when he is not sworn to our court as you two are. My hope is to beg his eyes, his perspective could be decisive in our victory."

"Oh!" Schula clapped her hands together. "He can tell me and Wren what's going on around us."

"Yes," Eberon said with a smile. "I was hoping he'd agree to it, but I have a hunch that he will."

"I think so," I said.

"He is a warrior unlike anything I've encountered before," Thain spoke up and it made me realize how quiet he had been since our arrival. 

"We do anything for our triquetram, don't we?" Eberon murmured, and I caught the motion of his hand sliding to Thain and covering the deep blue hand on the table with his golden one. 

"Anything, Eberon." Thain gave a shadow of a smile. 

"So this is where you want us, what of the rest of the city?" Schula asked.

"Right, this is where Cynder would host her defense..." Eberon moved on to showing us where the other key players in Thanantholl's defense would be stationed. The city seemed so well guarded, particularly considering the high cliff walls that surrounded it. But after witnessing Bara Khalja turn the very valley against us before, I was not willing to rule out any natural defenses that could fail us this time. 

"Do we know where DuVarick marches?" Schula asks. 

"We have reports coming in soon, but they will take time," Eberon said. "We've had reported movement to the far south, but we couldn't' detect who's force it was. Summer has been seen moving in the deep unclaimed Wyldes outside our borders as well."

"That's concerning," Schula murmured.

"Only if Queen Peyorla has decided our cause is not just," Thain said. "I cannot imagine she would though, particularly if she had eyes on the battlefield."

"We'll just have to see then," Eberon said. "Unless it's Aithne I don't anticipate a problem. The report wasn't a large force."

"That means little," Varthas said. "For now, we simply plan a defense."

"Right," Schula said. "So, where will the inner guard be stationed?"

After a long and drawn out meeting filled with battle plans, reports, and a small break for lunch, Schula and I were as prepared as we could be until the actual alarm sounded.

And now, we could drag our tired bones to Thain's home for some rest and an anxious wait.

And all I could think about was Spaulder's anxious feeling before we reached the city.

And pray it wasn't about to come true.