“What then?” Amber said.

“If they’re enemies, we retreat up the tower and hold them there—the narrow spiral staircase gives us the high ground, and they can only come one at a time. Plus they’ll have to run up the beach and then back along the walls to reach us. If you pull me up quick enough, they might think I escaped out of the exit on the other side of the keep.”

“Might…,” Amber said sullenly. “I’m sick of you being the one in danger all the time.”

Cade didn’t have time to argue. “They’re almost here. No time to change the plan now.”

He drew his blade and strode out, each step accompanied by the scrape of metal on metal. The armor was heavier than he remembered, and more constricting. But by the time he had made the long walk to the front gates, he had become used to wearing it again.

“Like riding a bike,” he whispered.

It was simple enough for him to ease between the gap in the gates and step beyond the gateway. He was taking a huge risk, for it was only a stone’s throw away from the edge of the long grass, where the approaching figures would eventually emerge.

He had to appear relaxed, but be prepared to run. He only hoped he was fast enough.

Cade had brought the broken chair with him. It only had three legs, and the seat was rotted, but it allowed him to balance semiprecariously on its edge and take the weight off his legs. If his plan worked, he was going to be there for quite some time.

And then, as the morning sun fully emerged from the horizon, they stepped out of the grasslands.

They came in twos and threes, diamond-shaped shields raised, forming a semicircle around the gatehouse, along the edge of the purple sea. Helmets obscured their features, and spears glinted in the light, raised over their shoulders at the ready.

Cade’s heart fell as his gaze swept the arrayed soldiers, near fifty in all. These were no humans.

Their eyes stood out the most. Black orbs, large as fists, embedded in distended gray skulls. The noses were a pair of slits, and lipless mouths were drawn tight beneath.

Gray skin, mottled as a corpse’s, stood out against the bronze armor, which was tarnished with edges of green. It might well have been torn from Greek myth, were it not for the strange creatures that wore it.

But now was not the time to show fear. As the enemy arrayed in their shield wall, Cade gave a great sigh and sat down on the chair, a lazy leg kicked out in front of him.

He stretched, then yawned, lifting his eyes to the sky as if he had not a care in the world. Yet all the while, his heart hammered and sweat dripped from his brow to pool in the hollow of his neck.

From his position, he could see the enemy’s lips move, a mellifluous language that flowed like water. It was almost beautiful.