Just then, a series of sharp, piercing screeches echoed from high above, growing closer and quickly drowning out all other sounds in the courtyard.
Everyone looked up in unison.
Dozens of agile figures streaked across the sky, swooping down on Eagle's Nest Castle at an astonishing speed.
They weren't Griffins, but a slightly smaller species of raptor. Their bodies were a tawny brown, but their heads and tail feathers were a striking silver-white.
They possessed razor-sharp beaks and talons, and their wingspans stretched a full ten meters. The way they glided on the wind was both elegant and deadly.
It was the Sea Eagle Guard from Baisha Port.
The Knight at their head rode the most magnificent of the white-headed sea eagles, circling once over the courtyard.
