As midday sun stretched over the Outpost, warmth seeped into the cracked stones and the battered hearts of its defenders. The tension of the night finally started to drain, leaving behind sore muscles, deep bruises, and a silence that felt both heavy and strangely peaceful.
Talon stood on the northern wall, scanning the distant horizon. Her hand rested on her sword hilt, though her fingers were relaxed for once. Below, she could see Garrett speaking with a few villagers, pointing out repair plans, new guard posts, and safer escape routes.
Janzo sat under a shade, mixing herbs and humming tunelessly to himself. A few children watched him curiously, giggling as he held up stinky poultices and dramatically plugged his nose.
Tony had climbed onto the half-collapsed roof of the old smithy. From there, he had a clear view of the whole Outpost ; the smoking chimneys, the half-fallen watchtower, and the people moving like tiny, stubborn ants, refusing to be beaten.
He let out a slow breath and leaned back, arms behind his head. "Guess we're alive," he muttered to the sky, a small, crooked smile on his lips.
Behind him, Talon's voice broke the quiet.
"You're going to fall and break that other arm if you keep lying there like a lazy cat."
Tony twisted around, almost losing his balance. "Stars above! You trying to scare me to death twice in two days?"
She raised an eyebrow. "If you fell from here, I wouldn't have to."
They both chuckled. It was a tired, genuine sound — the kind that only happens when two people survive something together that no one else could truly understand.
Down below, Garrett finished talking to the villagers and started climbing up toward Talon. He paused midway, glancing back at the courtyard. He spotted Janzo fussing over some burns on a guard's arm, and his stern face softened for a moment.
When he finally reached Talon, they stood together without speaking at first. The wind carried the faint smell of ashes, but also something fresher ;wood being sawed for repairs, bread baking, soup boiling over small fires.
"They look at you differently now," Garrett said after a while, nodding toward the people below.
Talon didn't answer right away. She kept her gaze on a woman helping her limping husband across the yard. A small child ran around them, chasing a half-broken wooden wheel.
"They don't just need a fighter," she said finally. "They need someone to believe in."
Garrett studied her face. "And you're okay with that? Carrying that weight?
She turned to him, her expression hard but honest. "I don't have a choice, Garrett. We never did."
He nodded slowly. "No. We didn't."
A hush fell between them, filled only by the wind tugging at Talon's hair.
Below, Tony scrambled down from the roof, landing with a groan. He stretched his arms out, then immediately winced as his bandaged gash tugged painfully. Janzo shouted from his corner, "Don't be an idiot, Tony! You'll tear it open again!"
Tony only grinned wider. "You sound like an old hen!"
Janzo stalked over, wagging a finger, but his scolding dissolved into laughter. Some villagers turned to watch them, smiles breaking across tired faces.
At that moment, a horn suddenly sounded near the south gate. All eyes snapped toward it. Talon's hand jumped to her sword, Garrett's fingers tightened on his belt knife, and Tony stopped dead in the middle of the yard.
A dust cloud rose beyond the gate, and a small group of riders appeared. Their banners were unfamiliar ... deep red, edged with silver. They slowed as they approached, holding their hands high to show they carried no drawn weapons.
Talon exchanged a quick look with Garrett. He nodded once, and she moved toward the gate, every step silent and watchful.
As the riders dismounted, the lead figure stepped forward ; a woman in dark traveling armor, her hair tied back in a tight braid. Her eyes, sharp as a hawk's, swept over Talon and the others.
"Outpost warriors," she called, her voice clear but even. "We come with a proposal ,and a warning."
Garrett narrowed his eyes. Tony shuffled closer, curiosity lighting up his face despite the tension. Janzo peeked from behind a barrel, nearly knocking over his basket of herbs.
Talon stopped a few feet from the strangers, chin raised. "Speak quickly," she said.
The woman's gaze locked on hers. "A larger force is moving toward these lands. You think last night was the worst? You've only seen a flicker of what's coming."
A hush fell, heavier than any arrow rain.
"And your proposal?" Talon asked, her voice low.
The woman took a slow breath. "Join us. Strengthen our ranks. Or stand alone and be crushed when the real storm hits."
For a moment, the whole Outpost seemed to hold its breath.
Talon felt her heartbeat echo in her throat. Around her, Garrett's jaw tightened, Janzo clutched his basket like a shield, and Tony's fingers twitched toward his hidden blade.
Talon took one careful step forward.
"Then let's hear everything," she said.
And in that charged silence, with the wind whipping ash and sun across the battered yard, a new chapter threatened to begin ;one that could either save them or finally break them for good.
: "Then let's hear everything," she said, and the Outpost held its breath, not knowing if this was the dawn of salvation or the echo of their final fall.