Dawn broke over the river with the pale, uncertain light that characterized the border country's mornings, the sun climbing through ground mist that softened the hard edges of the landscape and turned the Threian fortifications on the northern bluff into gray silhouettes against the brightening sky.
The orcish fires on the southern bank had burned down to embers during the final hours of darkness, their light replaced by the gray pre-dawn glow that revealed the formations Sakh'arran had positioned for the demonstration. Shield walls faced the bridge. Roarer crews stood at their weapons. The 5th through 8th Warbands, two thousand warriors, presented the appearance of an army poised for a frontal assault across the narrow stone span.
