The warrior swallowed hard before forcing the words out.
"Captain... the Chief of the Northern Tribes has surrounded Galka War Academy." The room fell silent. "His warriors are still arriving. They're closing in from every direction. East. West. South. Even the northern ridge has been occupied. They haven't attacked..." He hesitated. "...but they're tightening the circle."
Surprisingly, neither Salka nor Sagiri reacted. It was Matasi who looked between them in confusion. Salka merely sighed, twirling the dagger between his fingers without once looking at it.
"He's faster than I estimated," he muttered. "I expected him by dawn tomorrow." Sagiri nodded once.
"So did I." The two men exchanged a brief glance before Salka looked back at the messenger.
"Go back."
The warrior blinked.
"Sir?"
"You heard me," Salka replied calmly. "Tell everyone to continue exactly what they were doing before you barged in here. Training continues. Classes continue. Patrols continue. Nobody panics."
