Watching from the hills, the captains searched for the backline of the beast horde—until one of them noticed something wrong.
"Father, look," one of Li Huxin's sons said, pointing toward a break in the mass. "Those aren't beasts."
Li Huxin narrowed his eyes.
The others followed his gaze, and a heartbeat later, they saw it too.
"…Humans?"
"Not just any humans—look at their uniforms, they're—"
"Song," Li Huxin said grimly. He recognized them instantly.
"But how are they moving with the horde?"
"Are they controlling the beasts?"
Li Huxin's jaw tightened. "Whatever this is, we can't remain idle any longer," he muttered, half to himself, his eyes never leaving Li Lian's burning figure.
"No, Father," Li Mu said quickly. "We can't. If the Song Clan is involved, that's all the more reason not to charge in blindly. The beast horde alone would cripple us. If the Song fights alongside them, none of us would survive."
"Li Mu is right," another captain added. "We shouldn't be hasty."
