At the heart of Cloak Bay stood Dorbian. Built against the mountains, its harbor city was divided into three districts by gray walls that ran from top to bottom. Since most buildings used the granite and blue-gray stone abundant in the nearby mountains, the entire city was gray-black. Its plazas, streets, rows of low houses, and churches all bore the same monochrome hue, like a heavy black engraving.
The city was packed with bustling crowds. The dark mass of people was slowly flowing south, toward Dorbian's southern and southeastern gates. Part of the crowd had already left the city and appeared on the plains south of Dorbian. Pack animals and carriages of all sizes were mixed among them, creating the appearance of a mass evacuation.
Although negotiations were underway in City Hall, the great migration from Cloak Bay was inevitable no matter what. The nobles had yet to announce the news, but the common people at the bottom of society were extraordinarily sensitive to the atmosphere of war. They had long since caught the scent of the storm to come.
Beneath the vaulted ceiling of Dorbian City Hall, negotiations between the two sides had continued for an entire night. Dawn had already arrived over the coastal region. High above the gloomy sea, three or four wind-sailed frigates floated alone on the distant horizon.
Inside the hall, the argument was growing increasingly heated.
Father Demon had nearly agreed to all the Hazel people's demands, including a temporary alliance and placing the fleet under the Hazel people's unified command. Even the evacuation plan had to be incorporated into their overall plan. In return, the only price the Hazel people had to pay was joining a military alliance with Cloak Bay.
You had not misread that. It was a military alliance between Cloak