The group left Solania through the northern military gate.
No cheers followed them.
That was probably for the best.
The soldiers stationed along the repaired walls watched in silence as the small company moved beyond the last maintained road and into the white slopes beyond the city. There were too few of them to look like an army and too many strange presences gathered in one place to look like ordinary scouts. Ludwig walked at the front with Durandal at his side and the Codex resting hidden close. Kaiser moved beside him, hands tucked into his sleeves, looking irritated by the existence of weather. Thomas hovered near Ludwig's shoulder, his ember wings trembling faintly in the cold wind. Redd walked with his pack slung over one shoulder, nose occasionally lifting to catch old scents beneath the snow. Celine moved lightly despite the uneven ground, cloak snapping behind her. Cain followed near her, silent, eyes half-lidded and watchful.
And then there was Tull.
