Chapter Ten

The

morning air was thick with the scent of damp earth and lingering smoke. The

resistance moved in silence, navigating through the broken landscape left in

the wake of the High Lord's war. Burned-out villages stood like skeletons,

their charred remains a grim reminder of what was at stake.

 

Voss

rode atop Drakonix, the hydra's massive wings casting a shadow over the

scattered warband below. Her mind was sharp, calculating the risks. The elves

were their only hope of finding the Shadow-forged Blade, but reaching them

meant crossing the Forsaken Wastes—a land twisted by old magic, where few

returned.

 

Striga

walked alongside the warriors, her eyes scanning their ranks. "We move too

openly," she muttered. "If the High Lord still hunts us, he won't let us reach

the elves unchallenged."

 

"He

will hunt us no matter what," Voss replied, her voice steady. "But he won't

expect us to move so quickly."

 

Striga

exhaled sharply. "That's a gamble."

 

Voss

smirked. "Every battle is."

 

Ahead,

the land grew darker, the trees gnarled and lifeless, their bark etched with

unnatural symbols. The Forsaken Wastes had begun.

 

One

of the scouts returned, his face pale. "Something moves in the fog."

 

Drakonix's

heads lifted in unison, tongues flicking at the air. The hydra smelled it too.

 

"Ambush,"

Voss murmured.

 

Striga

drew her sword, flames flickering along the edge. "How many?"

 

"Too

many," the scout said. "And not human."

 

A

shriek split the air, high and unnatural. Then, from the swirling mist, figures

emerged—twisted, unnatural forms. The High Lord's mutated soldiers.

 

They

felt no pain. They knew no fear.

 

Voss

raised a hand, shadow magic coiling around her fingers. "Form up," she

commanded. "Hold the line."

 

Drakonix

let out a thunderous roar, shaking the earth.