The war camp, an hour after the attack
The reinforcements had come from the north, a patrol returning early from a routine sweep along the river, and their arrival had broken the raid's momentum before it could properly finish whatever it had come to do. By the time Harigupta finally allowed Eshaan and Bhaskaracharya out of the tent, the fighting had scattered into a handful of retreating riders being chased towards the tree line, and the camp itself lay in the ruin as the place looked like it has survived the raid successfully.
Fires still smouldered in two places. A section of the eastern picket line had collapsed entirely, horses loose and skittish among the wreckage. Soldiers moved between the wounded. Harigupta found Eshaan's group near Kripa's litter, his sleeves were covered in blood that wasn't his and he looked really exhausted as he hadn't expected a raid on the camp, especially this morning as they were preparing to leave.
