The Wolf (Under the Northern Sky #1)

by Leo Carew

They looked almost ghostly, light drizzling from armour and weapons while their bodies remained dark. It was as though this was nothing more than a column of armour coming to besiege their home, having left their flesh behind. But surely armour could not make the ground tremble with the tramp of feet. It menaced the whole fortress. Those subjects waiting inside their homes could hear it shaking the slates on their roofs, and anticipated the first roar of a dragon-cannon that would tell them their home was being assaulted. At the front of the column was the Sacred Guard. Now they had drawn closer to the lime-lanterns, they looked magnificent. Brilliant white light radiated from their armour. They were straight-backed and proud; almost angelic in their bright raiment, and far from the whipped dogs Uvoren was expecting. Among them rode Roper. He looked quite as splendid as he had when he left, mounted on his enormous destrier, a huge presence in his cloak which resisted all attempts at illumination. He and his men marched proudly, showing no signs of trepidation, though they must surely know that Uvoren was not about to open the gates for them.