Cold Hard Calculation

Ren and Thorn rode their horses hard along the capital's paved roads, their cloaks flapping behind them as hooves thundered against stone. 

Sweat clung to their backs as they hunched on their horses, and dust rose in clouds behind them. 

Ren's thoughts were filled with a whirlpool of strategy and desperation, the only sound roaring in his ears, the hoofbeat thundering against the earth as they raced towards the palace.

Yesterday, after gathering all the information he could on the border and the barbarian forces, his father had made a decision. 

The scale of the barbarian invasion, especially with Druids and dragons among them, and operating under the assumption that they had more warriors, was beyond anything House Ross could handle alone.