“How many defenders can you muster?” Aeron asked as he and the others walked along the palisades that served as Winter Edge’s primary protection. “Less than a hundred,” Zora Marsk, Tana’s cousin and one of Winter Edge’s best warriors, replied pessimistically, adding with a regretful sign; “Including veterans of too many battles and youths who’ve never seen one. Hardly enough to properly man the wall. We lost a score of good warriors in Pavel’s pointless skirmishes.” “How many of those you have left are decent archers?” Nykira inquired, looking down toward the gate from one its flanking towers. “A dozen… with bow and crossbow,” the near Amazonian warrior responded. “If you put two in each of the corner towers, two more above the gate and the last two roving the long walls, you should have overlapping coverage,” the moon elven rogue advised. “They’ll have to make every shot count… and the crossbowmen will need multiple weapons as well as someone to load for them.” “Fortunately, the hill aids you defenses, which is obviously why you picked this location” Aeron remarked. “It would take a skilled climber to scale the steep sides, and orcs aren’t known for that. They’re blunt instruments… smashing against something until they batter it down. The only vulnerable area is your gate, the rest is too steep for their tactics. But they’ll be prepared with a ram, and your gate won’t hold forever.” “There’s also the side door,” Nykira interjected casually. “What side door?” Aeron questioned, while both Igan and Zora exchanged surprised looks. “The one at the head of that trail,” the moon elf lady-rogue explained, pointing to a barely perceivable path that snaked up the steep hillside near the rear of the settlement, prompting Aeron and Galen to lean over the side of palisade, straining to see the door at the she was referring too. Even knowing its location, they could barely make out the outline of the small door that was obviously intentionally built to blend in with the wall. “No one’s ever recognized it before,” Igan stated in surprise. Looking at the moon elf with renewed appreciation. “How did you?” “Secrets are hard to keep from elves,” Nykira teased, but then reassured him; “Orcs aren’t nearly as observant as we are… so I doubt they’ll spot it. But be sure its securely barred just the same.” “It is,” Zora assured them. “It’s our escape of last resort… if the gate is breached and the town overrun, it may give some of us the chance to flee into the Moonwood for safety.” “You’ll find little safety in the woods,” Aeron observed. “There are worse things than orcs lurking there.”