Willit wanted to shout a warning, but something seemed to have seized his throat. He wanted to ring the alarm bell, but his legs were too weak to move. He stood frozen in place, watching helplessly as the golden Three-Headed Dragon landed in the clearing before The Whispers.
"A dragon!" someone finally shouted. Others began ringing the alarm bell, but the castle descended into chaos.
Hearing the alarm, soldiers rushed out of the barracks. Some had not even fastened their trousers, some lost their helmets as they ran, and others raised their spears without knowing where to point them. After losing so many men in the War of the Usurper, they had gone a long time without seeing battle.
When they scrambled onto the stone walls and saw what lay outside, every one of them stopped.
The golden dragon stood just beyond the castle, its three heads turning slowly as six eyes surveyed the walls. Wherever its gaze fell, the soldiers felt a chill run down their spines.
"Look over there!" One of Willit's companions pointed toward the distant sea.
Willit tore his gaze away from the dragon with difficulty and looked toward the horizon.
A dense mass of black dots had appeared there. Those countless specks slowly grew larger, revealing the shapes of sails and masts. They stretched together in an unbroken mass, as though they covered the entire sea.
"Seven above..." Willit was stunned once more, the words slipping from his lips.
His companion recovered before he did and rushed down from the wall to report to their lord in the castle. But when he ran out of the harbor and saw the dragons in the clearing ahead, he belatedly skidded to a halt.
Willit remained where he was, staring at the approaching fleet, his mind utterly blank.