Chapter 11: Clash at the Broken Pass

The sky above the western frontier dimmed beneath a blanket of storm-gray clouds. The wind howled through the canyon known as the Broken Pass, a jagged stretch of land wedged between two sharp cliffs. Snow clung to every rock surface, painting the world in silence and frost. It was here that the five members of Shadow Edge would face their most precise and dangerous strike yet.

Li Song crouched behind a snow-covered boulder, scanning the enemy ahead with narrowed eyes. A detachment of Raymond's elite—his personal guard—was stationed here, guarding a vital supply route and a portable command pavilion. Thirty men, all handpicked and clad in burnished black mail, moved in silent efficiency, their discipline visible in every footfall.

"These aren't ordinary soldiers," Bai whispered. Her breath misted the air. "Look at the banner—they bear the falcon crest. That's the House of Montfort."

"They're his personal blades," Li Song muttered. "This won't be like last time."

Rocky adjusted the tension on his bowstring, eyes squinting downrange. "If we strike fast and disappear faster, we can scatter them before they respond."

"No," Li Song replied. "This time, we don't scatter. We cut the head off this formation."

He turned to each of them—Bai, Rocky, Murong, and Xie Hong—his eyes fierce. "We hit hard, silent, and at once. Murong and Rocky, you draw their flank. Bai, take out their scouts and signals. Xie Hong, follow me—we'll crash the center."

The plan was made. No more words were needed.

——

The first move was Bai. From a ridge above the camp, her eagle-bow released a whispering arrow that pierced the throat of a sentry. A second struck the horn-blower before his lips could form a sound. The signal was drowned in blood.

From the opposite slope, Rocky unleashed a hail of arrows in rapid rhythm. His bow thrummed like a war drum, each shaft aimed at the outermost guards. Within seconds, four armored men crumpled in the snow, lifeless before they could react.

Below, Murong darted like a shadow between the tents. With her hook-blades and throwing knives, she disabled the horse lines and cut through their messengers. Her movements were smooth, silent, deliberate. No screams, only collapses.

Then came the storm.

Li Song and Xie Hong burst from the snowdrifts with terrifying speed. Li's Dogfang blade—long and vicious—sliced through the first pair of guards like parchment. His second weapon, a short, curved saber called Whisperfang, followed in a sweeping arc that opened a knight's belly beneath his cuirass.

Xie Hong charged beside him, wielding his heavy mace with bone-breaking force. His first swing crushed a helmeted skull; his second disarmed a captain and shattered the man's shoulder in a single blow. Blood sprayed over the snow like ink across canvas.

"Hold formation!" shouted the enemy commander, but his voice faltered—his command chain was crumbling.

A group of Raymond's guards attempted to regroup, forming a triangular shield wall. Murong responded first, lashing her rope-hook around the central shield and yanking it to the side. At that instant, Bai's arrows found the exposed throats of two sergeants.

Rocky, now at ground level, loosed a final shot that struck the commander's leg, forcing him to kneel. Before he could rise, Li Song was upon him.

The Dogfang sliced once—shoulder to hip—and the leader fell without a cry.

The battle was over in minutes.

——

The five stood in the stillness of bloodied snow and cracked shields. Rocky picked up one of the fallen enemy blades and inspected it, whistling low.

"They were better armed than us," he muttered. "Heavier steel. Better tempering."

Li Song knelt by the fallen commander's body. On his neck chain, he pulled out a ring—engraved with the Montfort seal.

"He was one of Raymond's inner circle," Bai said. "This will send a message."

"No," Li Song said quietly. "It won't. Not loud enough."

They burned the bodies, retrieved the enemy sigils, and disappeared into the storm-swept pass before the next patrol could arrive.

What they didn't know yet, was that Raymond himself had already begun to move.