When we reached the city walls, the army fell into formation in silence. Spearheads rose between the shields like iron thorns piercing the morning sky, while the breath of our soldiers misted in the chill of dawn.
The gates stood shut. Behind the towering stone ramparts, no movement was visible. No arrow, no taunt, not even the flicker of a torch. It looked abandoned. And yet, smoke still curled from the chimneys.
Mike rode up beside me, his eyes scanning the battlements. "This silence unsettles me. It's either a trap… or the silence of fear."
I nodded. "It makes no difference. Either one works in our favor."
I ordered my men to wait. There were no need for catapults or siege ladders. I already knew the city had lost its war long before we arrived.
At any other time, I might have heeded Mike's suspicion and prepared for an ambush. But this city's ruler, Baron Sulka, was infamous for his crushing taxes. The meaning of this silence was clear enough. All I had to do was wait.
