A new threat

The battlefield was eerily quiet in the aftermath of the ambush. The soldiers' bodies lay strewn across the valley, some motionless, others groaning in pain. The thick scent of blood filled the air, mingling with the smoke from the torches that had been extinguished during the chaos. Jasmine stood in the center of it all, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her sword still slick with blood. Her heart raced, her hands trembling slightly from the adrenaline that hadn't yet left her body.

They had won. But something felt wrong.

Orin approached, his face grim but his steps steady. "Good work," he said quietly, scanning the carnage with cold efficiency. "We hit them hard, just like we planned. They didn't see it coming."

Jasmine nodded, though her mind was elsewhere. She wiped the sweat from her brow, trying to push back the gnawing sense of unease that had been growing in her gut since the last soldier fell. It wasn't just the horror of the fight; she had prepared herself for that. It was the lingering feeling that this wasn't over.

She turned to look down at the village, where the rest of their group was still picking through the remains of the battle. Caden stood in the distance, his sword hanging at his side as he gave orders to the villagers who had helped them. He seemed exhausted, his shoulders slumped, but he was alive. That was all that mattered to her at the moment.

"They'll send more," Jasmine said, her voice low. "This was only a scouting party. The real force is still coming."

Orin's face darkened, his jaw tightening. "I know. We bought ourselves time, but not much. The king's army will know what happened here soon enough."

Jasmine glanced at the bodies of the fallen soldiers, her stomach churning. This wasn't the victory she had imagined. It felt hollow, like a prelude to something worse. "We need to be ready for when they come back. We can't hold this village forever."

Orin nodded, his expression hardening. "We'll need more fighters. I'll send word to the northern villages, see if we can rally more support. But even with more people, we'll still be outnumbered."

Jasmine swallowed hard, her throat tight. She knew what he wasn't saying—that even with allies, their chances of survival were slim. But what choice did they have? Running wasn't an option anymore. They were committed now.

A sudden movement caught her eye. One of the fallen soldiers stirred, his body shifting weakly on the ground. Jasmine tensed, her hand instinctively going to her sword, but Orin was quicker. He was already moving toward the man, his knife drawn. Before Jasmine could say anything, Orin knelt beside the soldier, pressing the blade against his throat.

"Who sent you?" Orin demanded, his voice a low growl.

The soldier coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were glazed with pain, but there was a flicker of defiance in them. "You think... this is over?" he rasped. "You have no idea... what's coming."

Jasmine's heart skipped a beat, a chill running down her spine. She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean? What's coming?"

The soldier's lips twisted into a weak, mocking smile. "The king isn't your only enemy," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "There's someone else... someone worse."

Jasmine felt a wave of cold dread wash over her. Worse? Who could be worse than the king and his army? She glanced at Orin, who looked just as unsettled as she felt.

"Who?" Jasmine demanded, her voice sharper now. "Who's coming?"

The soldier's smile faded, replaced by a look of something close to fear. "The shadow... that follows the king," he muttered, his eyes beginning to glaze over. "He'll... he'll destroy you all."

Jasmine's pulse quickened. "What shadow? Who is he?"

But the soldier's eyes fluttered shut, his breath rattling as his body went limp. He was dead.

For a moment, there was only silence. Jasmine stared down at the man, her mind racing. A new threat. Someone worse than the king. Who could he have been talking about? She glanced at Orin, whose face was as grim as ever.

"We need to find out who this 'shadow' is," Orin said, his voice low. "If what he said is true, we're facing more than just the king's soldiers."

Jasmine nodded, her thoughts swirling. The shadow that follows the king. It was a cryptic warning, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than just the ravings of a dying man. There was something real behind those words, something dark and dangerous.

"We can't stay here," Jasmine said, her voice firm. "Not if this new threat is coming. We need to move, regroup, and figure out what we're dealing with."

Orin agreed with a curt nod. "I'll send a few scouts to gather information. If this 'shadow' is as dangerous as the soldier said, we need to know what we're up against."

Jasmine turned toward the village, her chest tight with anxiety. She knew she had to tell Caden about this new threat, but the thought of it weighed heavily on her. He was already pushing himself too hard, and the last thing he needed was more bad news. But they couldn't afford to ignore it.

As they made their way back to the village, Jasmine's mind raced with questions. Who was this shadow? Why had he not appeared sooner? And how could they possibly stand against an enemy they didn't even understand?

When they reached the village, Caden was waiting for them, his expression tired but relieved. "We did it," he said, though there was little joy in his voice. "We held them off."

Jasmine hesitated, then took a deep breath. "We've got a bigger problem," she said quietly. "There's someone else coming. Someone worse than the king."

Caden's brow furrowed, his gaze sharp as he studied her face. "What do you mean?"

Jasmine quickly recounted the soldier's dying words, watching as Caden's expression darkened with every sentence. When she finished, he was silent for a long moment, his jaw clenched.

"A shadow," he murmured. "I've heard rumors. Whispers of someone the king keeps close—someone who does his dirty work in the dark. But I thought it was just talk."

"Looks like it's more than that," Jasmine said, her stomach knotting. "And now he's coming for us."

Caden's face hardened, the fire in his eyes flaring to life. "Then we'll be ready."

Jasmine nodded, though the fear still gnawed at her insides. They had faced impossible odds before, but this felt different. This new enemy was unknown, and that made him more dangerous than anything they had faced so far.

But they wouldn't back down. Not now. They couldn't afford to.

As the shadows lengthened around them, Jasmine knew one thing for certain: the real battle was just beginning. And this time, they were facing an enemy they couldn't see.