She never doubted Cortana's power. So when the mage called out to them all, the priestess drew a small dagger, clear as ice, to defend herself. She'd noticed that the rogue stayed close to her; she took it as her due, as a gesture of his acquiescence to her leadership. She wanted to believe that.

It put him by her just as the warning pierced the air. She felt her heartbeat quicken. There was no point in asking which direction they were coming from; Cortana had already said surrounded.

This far from any settlement, she did not ask who dared attack them. "What are our foes?" she asked instead. They had only seconds to prepare.