Shadows Stirring

The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of rain-soaked earth. The war camp was beginning to stir, the distant clang of steel and murmurs of soldiers breaking the quiet.

Kaelith sat at the edge of the bed, lacing his bracers, his mind already shifting back to the battlefield.

Seraphine watched him from beneath the sheets, her gaze lingering on the tension in his shoulders. "You sense something," she murmured.

Kaelith's jaw tightened. "I received word last night." He turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "A faction of my men vanished from their post."

Seraphine frowned, sitting up. "Deserters?"

"Or something worse," he said darkly.

A sharp knock at the door interrupted them. Kaelith's most trusted guard stepped inside, his face grim. "Your Highness, we have a problem. A scout returned—what remains of him."

Kaelith rose immediately. "Where?"

"The outer perimeter." The guard hesitated. "It was no ordinary attack."

Seraphine exchanged a glance with Kaelith, reading the unspoken warning in his eyes.

Their enemies were no longer waiting in the shadows.

They were making their move.

To be continued…