Captain Varis entered the registry hall at the head of the column, his gray cloak bearing the tarnished silver crest of the old ducal guard as the soldiers followed at steady intervals.
Varis raised one hand to keep his thirty armed soldiers in their rigid column instead of letting them fan out among the registry tables.
The municipal sentries immediately shifted into defensive stances, their hands dropping toward the hilts of their swords with sharp tension.
Hajin raised his right hand, gesturing for the city guards to hold their positions and keep their weapons sheathed.
"We did not march down these stairs to beg for your pardon or swear fealty to your foreign summons," Captain Varis declared, his gravelly voice echoing through the vaulted hall.
"My men fought against your vanguard during the initial skirmishes along the northern viaduct, and we still oppose your municipal council!"
