The battlefield stretched between the city walls and the siege lines, a no-man's-land of churned earth and scattered equipment from the previous engagement. General Vex had regrouped her forces, pulling back to a defensive formation a mile from Kandor's gates. Torches still burned, thousands of them, marking the positions of what remained of the Dark Lord's quarter army.
She stood at the center of her new command position, surrounded by her remaining officers and a core of elite battlemages. Her face was stone, but her mind raced. Three strangers had shattered her forces. Three. She needed to understand. She needed to adapt. She needed to—
"They're coming."
The scout's voice cracked as he pointed. Vex turned.
Three figures walked toward them across the darkened field. No hurry. No stealth. Just three people strolling through the night like they were out for an evening constitutional.
