While the rest focused on preparing for setting up the wards, Kire and Ed sent out emissaries to meet with the defending army, bearing terms of surrender. Though she sincerely wanted to see if they would lay down their arms, or let some of their own go, it was mostly to buy time, just as she knew the opposing army, too, was buying time. By numbers alone she knew they stood a good chance. The defending army refused their terms after a heated discussion, which, too, was expected. By then, Kire’s forces moved to their designated positions, surrounding the Capital and cutting off any potential reinforcements to break the siege. The plan was working out as they had envisioned, but Kire couldn’t shake the feeling that something would go wrong. [i]Calm down. If something goes wrong, deal with it later.[/i] If there was a gate nearby, she should feel it.  By the time Ysaryn came to tell her that the pieces were in place, Kire was itching to give the signal to begin the battle and storm the Capital. 

Gavin, meanwhile, was silent, sinking into his task, only speaking when he needed to clarify instructions. He was calm while his entire concentration was needed for preparing the runes, but once that was over and he was left to watch over the last of the runes, the anxiety set in. [i]Everything will be fine,[/i] he told himself over and over. Time seemed to stand still as he waited, but when Ruli and Ysaryn returned, along with the women, it almost felt too soon. He watched Ruli silently confirm with each volunteer that the runes had been placed correctly, and after that, it was his turn to make a decision. He looked down at his own hands, biting his lip as he thought it over. “No. I want to see this through.” He extended his hand to Ruli. “Use my blood.” 
Kire joined them, then. “It’s done?” she asked. 
Gavin nodded. “The wards are in place.” 
Kire took a deep breath. “Your blood to mask my aura, and my blood to mask Ruli’s, correct?” She waited for Ruli to finish with Gavin’s bloodletting before offering her own hand. 
As soon as Ruli finished the disguise, she sensed both his signature and Gavin’s, feeling a slight tingle at the tips of her fingertips. She glanced at Gavin, meeting his gaze. The lad looked resolute. She looked at him, then at Ruli. “The only thing left to do, then, is for you not to die here,” she said, smirking a bit before turning serious once more. “I forbid any other outcome.” 


The battle was about to begin. Kire’s army already in formation, they encircled the edge of the fields surrounding the Capital walls, stomping, beating their swords against their shields, intimidating the standing army sent out by the Gemini to meet them. The Wyverns waited, sitting on horseback on a hill overlooking their vast host. Something was niggling at Kire’s brain; she didn’t understand why the Gemini army massed outside the wall like that; it was impractical, and they’d have had better use of the manpower guarding the walls. Was it desperation? In the months leading up to this siege, her forces had cut off roads, captured allies, hemmed them in from the sea as well. 
She noticed, too, just how much the fields outside the Capital looked dry and bare, when there would have been more greenery around it. Had it been the battle over a year ago that rendered it lifeless? The Capital was eerily quiet. 

Her generals sounded their war horns, and their soldiers stopped, falling silent. Another blast, and they moved forward. The vanguard met with the standing army in a violent first clash, with the battalions behind them manipulating and defending the siege engines. Kire didn’t like it, but the best way to storm the Capital would be to break down the outer city walls first. The Wyverns knew which portions of the wall to attack first. She itched to run into battle now, but it was too soon. Elsewhere, she knew Narda, Maika, and the [i]Wenches[/i] were fighting through the army to make their way around the wall to light fires and smoke out the defenders, particularly any archers hiding in the walls.
And still, Kire itched to fight now. [i]Soon. Just a little further.[/i]

One thing Gavin hadn’t anticipated was the noise. He stuck close to Ruli, acting as his cover, but he could barely hear himself think over the din. All his senses were devoted to making sure they weren’t cut down, to watching Ruli’s back. But while the noise was a shock to him, what was worse was how familiar the smells were now. Blood, the reek of human bodies, and, somewhere, burning. [i]Don’t, Gavin. Don’t think about that. Focus on what’s in front of you. Focus on getting through this alive.[/i]