"That food is not for survival,
It is for bribery.
It is to pull tribes together with full bellies, false gratitude and...
Put them against us."
Morvain spoke, and once again, a heavy silence spread over the place, especially amongst those who were in denial.
And their denial did not end there, it continued.
Questions like ’what does food have to do with this?’ arose and Morvain answered those too.
"We also found weapons,
New weapons that are cleaner, sharper and stronger than what the Stormcallers used before. And I can assure you, these weren’t the kind of weapons that can be forged by hungry tribes in frozen valleys.
They were given to them.
By soone we do not know."
Korvath’s eyes sharpened at those words. While he already knew this whole story, he and the other Council mbers did not know about these evidences the Matriarch was talking about, and this was the reason they had all shifted uncomfortably when she began talking.
But the Matriarch still wasn’t done.
"And with weapons, we found artifacts."
She added the final nail to the coffin.
"Artifacts that no one in the Heights should have. Tools that can change the course of a battle, tools that can... kill. Far more efficiently than most weapons."
This ti, even the Elders looked unsettled, let alone the people. Unease and fear began to spread, but just when the people thought this couldn’t get any worse—
It did.
"And we also found sothing more dangerous than food, weapons, or artifacts,
We found people.
People we could not recognize, people who... didn’t resemble any of the known tribes."
Her eyes moved across the crowd as she lowered her voice—not because she was afraid, but because she wanted every word to sink in.
"And these people with unknown origin,
They were training the tribes."
Morvain said, and to Korvath—this was far more concerning than the previous news.
"Training signifies change. Training signifies discipline. Training signifies that the tribes were no longer just hungry raiders or barbaric warriors.
Training signifies the enemy... was becoming an army."
Morvain’s tone beca heavier, every single one of her words echoed through the square.
"These people were teaching them formations, tactics. Know-hows on how to fight together, how to follow commands."
The crowd froze.
And before the people in denial could say sothing to defend their... non-existent thoughts of peace—
"This information does not co from rumor."
Morvain spoke, then she glanced at Kael and—
"The source is trusted,
The source is... certain.
I can assure you of that and take full responsibility for it."
The Matriarch declared, and the instant people saw her gaze turning towards Kael, they realized it too.
The source of the information—
It was Kael.
And if that was indeed the case then...
This was true.
Even the people who did not have blind faith in Kael did not deny his ability. If he said sothing, it was highly likely that it was true; that was simply how strong of a trust Kael had ford in people’s hearts in just a few weeks.
Morvain, who noticed that, smiled wryly. It was strange how her own people weren’t convinced by her words but their reaction changed even when Kael hadn’t even said anything.
For now, however, she shook her head to get rid of these thoughts. This wasn’t the correct ti to think of such nonsense.
She had sothing far more important to do.
"This is happening."
She announced with a grim look on her face.
"The tribes are gathering,
And they will launch an attack."
Just then, a child began to cry softly sowhere in the crowd, almost as if it signified sothing. The mother shushed him, panicking as she looked around, but it didn’t matter.
Morvain’s eyes did not waver, she straightened fully and her eyes remained on her people.
"And now,
I will speak the part that none of you want to hear."
Her voice dropped.
"The Velmourn army is not strong enough to face this catastrophe alone."
For a mont, it felt like the air had been taken away, but people—although panicking—realized it was the truth.
They were indeed not strong enough. If they were, they would have taken over all the Heights for themselves a long ti ago.
"Courage alone does not stop steel. Not when the enemy cos in numbers we have never faced, that too trained, ard, and well fed.
Therefore..."
The Matriarch paused for a slight mont and then—
"Therefore, we will need help.
Even if that help cos from... an unexpected place."
And when the people heard those words, they frowned, so staring at her as if waiting for the next line to correct itself.
An unexpected place...?
And just like that—
Whispers began.
"Unexpected...?"
"Who?"
"From where?"
"Are there allies beyond the Wall?"
"Is the Sky Kingdom sending soldiers?"
"No... they wouldn’t..."
"Then who?"
The Elders behind Morvain looked tense and exchanged quick glances, as if asuring how the crowd might break once the truth landed.
Morvain watched the reactions without flinching.
Then—
"The Stonefangs."
She spoke.
The word hit the square like a hamr. For a heartbeat, no one understood. Then, when the Matriarch didn’t change her words and the realization kicked in—
The entire crowd exploded.
"The Stonefangs?!"
"They are going to help... us?!"
"Impossible!"
"No!"
"They killed our people!"
"They can’t—"
"They will never—"
Shouts rose—angry voices, shocked gasps. People turned to each other like they had misheard. Their faces twisted—fear, rage, disbelief.
But the Matriarch did not back away; she spoke over the chaos, in a loud, hard voice.
"The Stonefangs will fight on our side,
They will co through our gates as our allies and...
And from this day onwards—
They will live within the Wall, with us."
She announced, and this ti, people lost their minds. So shook their heads repeatedly, as if their bodies refused to accept it even if their ears heard it. So looked like they were slapped. Even the elderlies, whose bodies were too weak to make too many movents, reacted strongly.
But Morvain—
"For now, they will settle in the outer quarters,"
She didn’t stop.
She wanted to let it all out before it exploded but—
The explosion already happened.
"No!"
"That’s where we live!"
"Why should we move?!"
"You’re sending them to our hos!"
"Over my dead body!"
Again, Morvain’s expression remained solemn and she continued talking over the people—
"I have ordered the outer quarter residents to shift inward. Temporarily, you will be relocated to other quarters until proper boundaries are established.
Elder Aelindra and Elder Tarevian will lead the shifting process, they will oversee housing assignnts, supply redistribution, and—"
But this ti, the Matriarch couldn’t finish because the crowd snapped.
People shouted over one another, so cursed, so scread, so pushed forward, as if they wanted to climb the platform and tear the decision apart with their hands.
They were so loud that even Morvain’s voice drowned. Korvath tensed behind her, ready to act. Nyris stared at the crowd like she was watching a flood rise.
This was... the first ti the crowd had ever lost control ever since Morvain took charge, so even she was new to this all and seed visibly shaken.
And then—
"Matriarch!"
A single, sharp, loud voice cut through everything.
A voice Morvain and the other Council Elders were too familiar with.
Draksis.
He had been silent all this while, standing near the front like a stone, waiting for his chance. And to his surprise, the chance ca far earlier than he expected.
The previous Council Elder stepped forward, his eyes burning intensely.
"Matriarch,"
He repeated, his voice carrying across the entire square,
"Did you just say the Stonefangs are coming to live with us?"
The crowd latched onto his words like starving people grabbing bread.
"Yes!"
"Answer!"
"Has she lost her mind?!"
"Is this real?"
Draksis didn’t stop them either; rather, he fuelled their words even further.
"Has the Iron Council lost their minds?"
He raised his voice.
"First it was the Sky Kingdom prisoners that a certain soone brought back into our walls..."
His eyes flicked toward Kael for the briefest mont.
"...and now this?"
People shouted in agreent.
"What’s next?"
Draksis spat.
"Letting Drakthar n enter our hos? Letting those sleep in our beds and kill us in our sleep?"
A roar rose from the crowd.
"This is ridiculous!"
"We will never allow it!"
"They will never cross our gates!"
"Not until they walk over our dead bodies!"
"Let them try!"
"We’ll kill them ourselves!"
The square began to shake with anger.
Morvain’s lips pressed into a thin line. She tried to speak again, but no one listened now. It was chaotic. She expected it, yes, but this...
These didn’t even seem like... her people anymore.
But just as even Morvain was about to be overwheld and the crowd was about to lose even more control—
"RRROOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!"
A loud, wild, ancient and... unbearably powerful roar was heard, shaking the entire square in an instant.
Just like that, the shouting died—as if the sound itself had been crushed. After all, every person in the crowd froze as a Primordial Fear crept over them.
This continued for the next few seconds; no one moved even if they wanted to, their bodies just didn’t listen.
It was just their eyes—eyes that were now staring at the man responsible for all this.
Kael.
He stared at the people with a distorted face and intense golden eyes, aftereffects of using [Roar of Dominion], and finally—
"Enough."
He commanded.
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