285
~Rowan's POV
Damon watched him, eyes cold. "You did what you had to," he said finally. "Bring your men. We need every blade."
Hald bowed his head. "Some of our men are still out there. They chased off a small band, but others pushed toward the east copse. I left a small force to clear them." He sucked in a rough breath.
"It's fine," Damon said curtly. He sounded like the man who forgives because he must, not because his temper is soft.
"We need a plan," I said. My voice felt small in the wide place, but theirs were smaller. "They keep coming in waves. We can't let them regroup."
"Rowan," Kael said, wiping blood from his lip, "orders."
I turned to Hald. "How many can you field right now? How many are still fighting outside the walls?"
Hald counted on his fingers, jaw tight. "Forty able, sir, and maybe twenty trapped in skirmishes. We lost twenty on the western road."
"That's…" My chest tightened. "We'll work with what we have."
