Chapter 186
My mind caces as we scar through the night sky. Every second in the air brings ine closer to Darth–to the moment I finally drive him and his witch to their knees and watch their brads roll.
For a brief moment, I wonder what it would feel like to have a real conversations with him–brother to brother. Just once. But my wolf growls at the thought, a sharp reminder that Darth knew exactly who I was when he tried to kill me.. or thought he had.
Part of mir wishes things had turned out differently, that we could have cleared the poisoned air between us. But those days are long gone. The moment he went after Amica, not once, not twice, but sunk lus filly fangs into her neck–he sealed his fate. That alone is sin I will never forgive.
My grip tightens armuul Amica’s soft hand, She feels the shift in me–she always does. Without a word, she leans in and presses a gentle kiss to chin, pulling me out of the storm in my brad.
“We will overcome this,” she whispers, her voice like cabin in chans.
And I believe her
We’re close to Black Water–I can smell it from here. I can smell
my city.
The choppers descend toward the lasting zone, and as soon as we touch ground, wolves begin shifting, muscles rippling and bones snapping in the moonlight, traily for war
I take Amica’s hand. This tine, her grip is tighter–like she never wants to let go.
“My love her voice cracks, trembling with emotion. “My heart is with you. May the goddess be with you..
She clings to me, and I hold her just as tigluly. Then, with one final kiss. I tear myself away and lund her over to two trusted men..
“I’ll be back for you as soon as it’s over” I whisper, forcing the words through the lungs in my throat.
Her scent Exles with each step she takes away from me, like a dream slipping out of reach. But I can’t look back.
Now it’s war.
The first wave of my men slips through the forest as directed, their movements swift and silent, blending into the darkness like shadows with teeth. Some men are on foot while some in their wolf. Freya is right by my side even though she feels like an extra load right now, i hope her tricks come in handy soon
We’re close–Black Castle is just ahead, towering beyond the outer ridge of the city.
But something feels wrong
Leonard, just ahead of me, halts suddenly and raises a clenched list–the signal to stop. My entire line freezes instantly. The forest is dead silent. sunnaturally so. I narrow my eyes, scanning the terrain. That’s when I see them–eyes gluing in the darkness. Dozens of them.
Rogues.
They slither out from behind the crumbled walls of the city’s edge like snakes. Dirty, snarling beasts with wild eyes and no allegiance but chaos. They block the hidden entrance we were supposed to slip through, crouched low like they’ve been waiting
Someone ripped them off
I press down on the comm device clipped to my ear.
“Ambush!” 1 hiss through the comm device.
“Austin, pull back. Do not engage. It’s a trap–we’ve been tipped off!TM
Ashurp good fears out of me. My fists clench as I turn toward the second line of my men. I can already hear the clash of steel and fangs from up
my mask and so does everyone else.
1 slam the comm bution. “Mask on soilders, release the potion–now!” I pull up my
Without hesitation. Leonard pulls the crystal vial from his belt and hurls it to the ground ahead of him. It shatters with a sharp crack, releasing a
Chapter 186
glowing, violet mist that begins to rise into the air
“Freya then muters something in a disturbing whisper, making the potion sporad strangely across the air faster
The rogues already begin to charge through the trees, fangs hard barking as they barrel toward us—but then i warta
The potion hits.
The must ends into their lungs mid–snarl, and instantly, their eyes wisten in horror. Tiny chanc
hold. One by one, their veins fish a deep shade of purple, glowing briefly before they collapse in fra
aatı, i linking violently as
More rogues behind them stop in their tracks, watching in terror as their comrades fall with no explanation. They don’t wait for a second wanting panic erupts among them. The remaining rogues turn and fler, howling into the city like housh set nu far
1 grit my teeth.
“The city’s alert now.” I mutter, watching the shadows shift in the distance. The calm before the next wave,
The city is awake now.
I can feel the shift in the air–the pulse of fear echoing from within its walls, Distant bells begin in tall, faint hist witch know we’re here. No doubt, they’ve felt the ripple of magic in the forest. They’re watching.
“No one moves into the city yet I say firmly. “We hold our ground in the forest, minil the batile gris
city is clear
The men begin to pull back, hiding in the dense brush, behind thick trunks and boulders soaked with formation–lent, watchful, waiting.
moss and rain. Everyone falls into
They’ll come
ones are masked–deadly
It doesn’t take long. Another wave of men surges from the city, stumbling but the forest in staggering numbers. These ones are mus better prepared. I watch from the shadows as they move like a restless tide, thinking they have the upper hand,
A line of Turned werewolves on my side charge formand even before the rogues reach us, jumping on the rogues and attacking diran in an ambuh
A low snarl rumbles through the trees–the Chaos erupts.
The rogues stumble, disoriented from the surprise, their formation breaking as confusion sets in
And then comes the second wave–Massive werewolves, honed from years of sear and survival, charge through the underbrush like living weapons, They don’t bark warnings. They don’t hesitate. They just hit, matching the numberval the rogues!
I can hear the satisfying sound of Flesh rearing and Bones crack, Screams ripple through the trees.
Now the noise has reduced again, although I can still hear cries of rogues who weren’t totally finished. This is the third batch of Darth’s men sent in, and we have managed to lay them all to resta
I feel like we have this battle under control if we maintain this pace but suddenly i feel a shift in the air, the cloud is darker and the air is mister, i have seen this before. Darth’s witch is at work
The noise dies down again.
Only the scattered cries of wounded rogues who weren’t totally finished fill the air. My men breathe heavily but remain alert, forming a wide perimeter. This is the third batch of Darth’s men have been put to rest–most lying in bloodied piles, others crawling into the shadows with their last breath clinging to their lips.
It feels like we’ve got this under control. The rhythm of the battle is ours if we just keep this pace
But then I feel a shift in the air.
The wind stills
The clouds above twist and darken, covering the moon like a shroud. The branches in the forest sway without wind.
I know this feeling
Ant then the Mist creeps in, slithering low along the ground like serpents through the grass. It is natural. It hus with dark energy.
Darth’s witch
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She’s here. Or at least, her magic is
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