Niah had also heard a great deal about the Enemy and what they did to animals. Rumors even circulated that they'd been experimenting with humans, altering them in such ways that it was difficult to tell if they were more beast or man. On the battlefield they were nothing but a distraction, though. Intended to unnerve and demoralize - something they barely needed to do lately, according to what she'd heard about the front lines.<br/><br/>News rarely reached her, despite her family's connections. The powers that be made sure to keep the desperation of the situation far away from those who toiled behind the scenes. What was the point of making more weapons if you were scheduled to die within the next few years, regardless of what you did? That was how the generals and captains thought, anyway. What Niah did know, however, was that it was unusual for the Enemy to have reached out this far south. The major battles were all mostly concentrated up in the northwest. Their presence in her town meant that the nearest city must have fallen - there was no other way they could have passed through otherwise without some kind of alarm going up sooner.<br/><br/>That didn't bode well for them at all. They truly only had one option, and that was to flee.<br/><br/>Brom's call to Niah's right shocked some sense back into her and she shifted her position in the saddle, then drew her sword. Riding with a blade was dangerous, but then so was being surrounded by the Enemy. "They have to be at the ship by now!" she called back to him, riding straight as he'd ordered. The smell of smoke was thickening in the air and she bit back a cough. They were in the thick of the town now and couldn't go at quite the same speed. The streets were packed with yelling people, terrified as they tried to get to safety before the true horrors started. Niah made herself ignore them and focused only on getting to the dock. It felt like a million miles away, still.