Movement. The troop was advancing to their previous position. Their motions had purpose, and their speech was faster and louder.

Despite it all, Cade remained still. Every second he bought was another his friends were alive. Arrayed once more in their semicircle formation, as Cade watched, a pair of Grays shuffled forward, their heads tilted up at the battlements above.

“Bea, Trix, now!”

Before he had even finished speaking, a stone ball thudded into the sand ahead of him. It was almost too close for comfort, and Cade was glad he had kept his seat within the shadow of the gatehouse arch. The pair startled at the sound, leaping back for the safety of the formation.

Yet even as Cade allowed himself a grin, a screech of annoyance from within the formation sent the pair forward once more. Their leader, Cade saw, was a foot taller than the others, with a more ornate helmet; while the pair selected were the runts of the group, four feet tall. They advanced slowly, their dark eyes swiveling frantically in their sockets. Still, Cade remained in place. If he ran now, they would catch up to him. He only wished he had kept up his training since his injury.

The two Grays stopped but six feet away from him, their spears extended. A jab spitted the air in front of Cade’s face, but he had judged the distance and ignored it.

Then, with a screech, the two enemies closed, launching themselves forward.

Cade stood and swept his blade up in a wide arc, knocking the blows askew in a clatter of wood and metal. One Gray stumbled, surprised by his speed, and a swift reverse of his blade took it in its throat beneath its helmet.

The Gray reeled away, even as its companion made a second thrust, aiming for Cade’s belly. It scraped along his chest plate as Cade twisted aside, steel ringing as his own blow glanced across the bronze metal of the alien’s helmet.

The alien made for another stab, but Cade riposted in kind, moving with explosive speed to skewer the Gray through its slitted mouth and deep within. Cade twisted and withdrew, kicking the alien back to sprawl on the ground beside the other.

For a moment, he stared at the pair, startled by blue blood pooling in the sand. He had moved almost by instinct, yet he was shocked at what he had done. Then he remembered himself, and glared up at the enemy, the arrayed faces unreadable as they stared.

With that, Cade righted his chair and sat down again, his blue-dripping blade laid out across his lap.

The Grays whistled and trilled in alarm. Had his display scared them into thinking again about attacking the grand fort … or agitated them into seeking revenge?

If it was the latter, they did not show it. Rather, they retreated back a few steps, with the leader huddling with what must have been a second-in-command. Cade could almost hear their trills in the still air.