"What did he say?" Silas pressed, stepping closer to Elian. The young guard's face, flushed with ale and joy a moment ago, was now deathly pale in the flickering firelight.
"The vanguard has shifted," Elian replied, forcing his voice to project across the silent square so everyone could hear. He owed them the truth, no matter how bitter. "Xaroth is striking the Frostspire Mountains. The Second Pillar of Balance is there, and they have breached the outer defenses."
Elder Thorne gripped his walking stick, his knuckles turning white. "The Frostspires? That is a week's march for a healthy army! And what does it matter if they strike the north? We have our pillar! We have the light here in Ashford!"
Elian shook his head slowly, feeling the crushing weight of reality settle back onto his brui
