The first arrow took Brennan's escort out of the saddle before anyone heard the bowstring.
"Ambush!" Ottilie shouted, already pulling Kane down behind the water trough. "Tree line, both sides!"
Kane's blade was out before he'd finished dropping, scanning the ridge above the south gate where a dozen fighters were already breaking cover, moving fast, Marrow Ridge colors unmistakable even at a distance.
"Cassius knew," Talyn said, cutting toward Kane's position. "He knew about the council meeting before we did."
"Get Brennan inside the gate!" Kane shouted.
Two of Brennan's remaining escort dragged him off his horse and toward cover, Brennan himself moving slower than the situation demanded, an old man's body fighting instincts that hadn't been tested in years.
Kane broke from behind the
