Near the Great Canyon, the Wall now had only one garrisoned fortress, the Shadow Tower, and even that held only about two hundred Black Brothers of the Night's Watch.
The Rangers among them who were truly capable of fighting were fewer still. Against Victarion's nearly thirty longships and one or two thousand Ironborn, they had no hope of resisting.
After learning some news from captured Free Folk, Ser Dennis Mallister, commander of the Shadow Tower, had already sent urgent appeals for aid to Castle Black, Last Hearth, and Winterfell.
The Shadow Tower's ravens flew through the night toward the castles to the south, carrying urgent messages.
The situation in the Reach was fairly encouraging. Ever since the Arbor fleet had driven Asha's ships toward the border between the Reach and the Westerlands, they had found few opportunities to strike.
The Arbor fleet and a small, hastily assembled fleet from the Westerlands had spread out like a vast net, maintaining a firm grip on the waters off the Reach and the southern Westerlands.
Unwilling to suffer excessive losses, Asha led her fleet from one hiding place to another. Their raids dwindled considerably, and the coastal villages finally enjoyed a brief respite.
However, with the fleets of the Reach and the Westerlands still pursuing her relentlessly, Asha had spread her ships far apart, making it difficult to intercept them all anytime soon.
These small groups of ships used the intricate coastline to run their pursuers ragged, and the chase at sea continued day and night.
After reading Varys's report, Viserys fell silent for a moment, lightly tapping his fingers against the armrest of his high-backed chair with a dull, rhythmic thud.
Varys had previously claimed, with great modesty, that his intelligence network covered King's Landing and that his information might become less