The morning mist had yet to clear from Stone Bridge Town when its garrison commander, Major Borna Hodgson, walked up the eastern wall over the damp bricks. He adjusted his Monocular Telescope, and the lenses immediately fogged over. In the distance, the Warren River shimmered gold beneath the rising sun, while several fishing boats slowly made their way toward the opposite bank.
"Reinforce this section of the parapet," Hodgson told the Engineer Captain, tapping the badly weathered bricks with his finger. "Then bring up two more Six-Pound Cannons—"
The sharp clatter of hooves suddenly cut him off. A scout raced across the square at the center of town, his War Horse rearing on the slope and splashing mud everywhere.
"Major!" The scout nearly rolled out of the saddle, his leather armor covered in grass clippings. "A large force of orcs has suddenly appeared in the direction of Green Dragon Forest. We even spotted Alba's Golden Tent banner. He should be with them! Judging by their speed, they're less than a day's march from Stone Bridge Town!"
Hodgson's Monocular Telescope clattered onto the battlements. He seized the scout by the collar. "Are you sure? The Staff Department clearly said—"
"Absolutely! This is what we saw!" The scout pulled a charcoal sketch from his tunic. The banner representing Alba was unmistakably drawn on it.
The soldiers on the wall stopped what they were doing, uneasy whispers spreading through the morning mist.
Major Hodgson drew a deep breath. In the damp air, he seemed to already smell the enemy drifting in from the east.
Earlier, the Staff Department had instructed him that the Northwest Legion would seek to fight a decisive battle with the orc army at Laos.
Hodgson had no idea how the Staff Department had brought this about, but it was