"I thought you'd have the Epic Mage deal with this."
News that Star-Moon Bay had successfully withstood the Snow Tide reached Breeze City through the Portal, and Olmedo praised Annan.
"Mr. Swaro didn't need to intervene. I merely stood on the City Wall, and the Frost Giant Wizard abandoned its advance south under the weight of my presence."
"And if I want the truth?"
"The truth is that I took your advice." Annan looked toward the busy stretch around the City Wall. To keep the river from becoming clogged when the glaciers melted in a few months, workers were clearing trees from its channel. "We saved our home ourselves. That matters more than anything."
The Snow Tide had subsided. Its bitter white cold had driven Star-Moon Bay to full alert, but it had stopped more than two hundred miles short of Breeze City.
The Frost Giant Wizard wasn't foolish enough to set its sights on Breeze City with only the Snow Mountain's lingering power behind it.
Olmedo warned Annan, however, that the Frost Giant Tribe's expansion into Territory from the foot of the Snow Mountain was inevitable. He needed to watch the north: the Frost Giants might notice Star-Moon Bay's weakness and attack again.
They were already doing just that. The fiercest Blizzard since Deepwinter was brewing over the northern Forest Sea.
At that moment, a group of uninvited guests from Glacier Harbor appeared outside Star-Moon Bay.
"We bring an offer from Lord Gema," said a knight who had yet to learn that Star-Moon Bay had withstood the snow surge. "If you agree, Lord Gema will lead his soldiers here to support you at once."
Annan's voice turned colder than it ever had before. "Leave my Star-Moon Bay, or stay forever."
The Knights uneasily turned their horses away.
"You're looking