Chapter 12: The Weight of Loyalty
Morning mist blanketed Greystone in an eerie calm, shrouding the town's gray stone buildings and rising towers. The winds blew colder than usual, whispering dread to the hearts of its people. A heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by the creak of wagon wheels and hushed voices.
Dozens of townsfolk had begun to gather near the outer gates, some with carts piled high with belongings, others clutching children or beasts. The fear was palpable. Rumors of the advancing Tide had spread like wildfire since Lucas and Elira had left, and with no firm defense completed and no word from their lord, panic had begun to take root.
"We should go while we still can," a tall man with a fur-lined cloak said, his voice rising above the murmurs. "The Tide spares no one! Greystone will fall!"
"They say entire towns to the north are gone! Overrun by white-skinned monsters!"
"We can't wait here to die!"
The voices grew louder, anxious. One woman sobbed quietly as she gripped her husband's arm. Children huddled against their mothers, some of them with small bonded beasts trembling at their sides.
Inside the castle keep, Reynard had just finished another strategy session with Sir Hale and the militia captains when a scout burst into the hall.
"Captain Reynard! A crowd is forming at the gates. More than twenty people. They're talking about leaving Greystone."
Reynard stood, his expression tightening. He moved quickly, Fen, his husky-like beast, at his side. As he exited the main hall and strode toward the gates, his mind raced.