The elves stationed along the hill gasped as one as they witnessed the sight of every woman rising from her seat at the same instant. As soon as the barrier protecting the city came off, laughter cut off mid-breath. Smirks vanished. Postures straightened, spines aligning as if drawn by a single thread.
Then space folded.
A dark seam opened in the air a dozen steps ahead of them, edges curling inward. The man stepped through first. The blonde dogkin followed, pressed close at his side. The elves recognized the pair at once.
Then came the third.
A figure clad head to toe in heavy armor stepped through the gate. Broad pauldrons. Reinforced greaves. A warhammer held at her side. The metal was practical, built to endure rather than impress.
The elves' ears twitched.
Something tugged at their senses. A trace of familiarity that refused to settle. The presence carried a faint resonance they had felt since childhood.
Elf.
But no elf they knew wore armor like that.
