The stone staircase leading to the upper tier was steep, carved directly into the mountainside. It was the kind of climb that would have slowed a disorganized unit to a crawl. The four of them moved up it in a tight, single column, their footsteps quick and deliberate against the worn white stone.
King reached the top step first and stopped.
The upper tier of Belfort opened into a wide, flat plateau, framed on three sides by the sheer face of the mountain. At the far end of the plateau stood the royal keep, its banner still flying above the gate, stitched with the golden crest of Belfort.
The fighting here was thin. Six hollows moved between the colonnades of the main courtyard, erratic and aggressive, but visibly disorganized. A line of Belfort's royal soldiers held a perimeter around the keep's entrance. They were pressing hard but losing ground slowly, their formation bending at the edges from exhaustion.
