Hadrian pivoted his body toward the west, his gaze sweeping along the length of the massive stone serpent that was the inner city wall.
Far ahead, Baruch and the contingent of thirty mages stood silhouetted on the ramparts, watching the unfolding violence below like spectators
Up here, exposed to the open sky, the wind was merciless.
It howled across the stone, whipping Hadrian's and Aelia's black hair into a frenzy around their faces.
Hadrian moved at a conservative, measured pace.
He placed each foot carefully on the weathered concrete, his mind focused on the glimpses of Baruch's memories he got of how they got up there, and where Lys was.
She was his first target. He first had to ensure his way out, and the box.
He had already deployed the burrowing Hadrians, channeling elemental essence, moving through the solid concrete of the rampart itself.
They scurried deep within the stone ahead of his physical body.
