Running Away?

The battle refused to slow.

Three more Skylurs appeared the same way the first one had.

Their massive bodies crashed through the trees, splintering branches beneath their weight. Their yellow eyes burned with feral hunger, their jaws snapping at everything around them.

But just like the first beast, the Skylurs barely managed a few steps before their bodies gave out beneath them. Their front legs buckled first, followed by the rest of their enormous frames. They crashed heavily into the snow one after another, sending it flying into the air.

Only then did the Enclave warriors notice it.

Their legs had already been severed.

Deep cuts ran through flesh and bone, clean enough to tell everyone the attacks had happened before the beasts had even reached the battlefield.

None of them understood how.

But the beasts didn’t stop coming.

Mirelurkers burst from beneath the snow without warning, their elongated limbs reaching upward as they clawed toward the Nightshade warriors, attempting to drag them beneath the frozen ground.

Virelops exploded from the trees moments later, their small white bodies moving with terrifying speed. Their crimson eyes gleamed beneath the light as they leapt toward warriors from every direction, their sharp teeth gnashing as they attacked.

The battlefield descended into complete chaos.

Nightshade warriors refused to retreat.

Their arrows continued raining from the trees, and wolves darted through the battlefield like they belonged.

A Mirelurker lunged toward one of the wolves.

Its claw barely reached him before another wolf slammed into its side, knocking the creature off balance. An arrow immediately followed, burying itself inside its eye before another pierced its throat.

The beast collapsed.

Not far away, two Virelops leapt toward another warrior.

He ducked beneath the first one, split the second in half with his blade, then drove his sword upward into the first as it landed behind him.

The shriek it released echoed through the forest.

The battle only became fiercer.

Hours passed.

Neither side gave ground willingly.

The snow beneath their feet had long since disappeared beneath layers of blood.

Bodies littered the clearing.

Some belonged to wolves, wolves from the Enclave.

Others belonged to beasts.

—

At the rear of the Enclave column, Victoria’s carriage remained perfectly still.

Inside, Selith continued working quietly.

Her crooked fingers moved slowly over the strange jars and tools spread across the small table before her. Dark liquids bubbled inside glass containers while powders of different colours were carefully measured and mixed together.

The old woman never looked up.

It was as though the battle outside meant nothing to her.

The carriage door suddenly opened.

Cindy climbed inside, brushing snow from her cloak before shutting the door behind her.

Her face was twisted with frustration.

“What is going on?” she demanded. “How is it that the pack in the North… those traitors… attacked us before we even reached their territory? How is this possible?”

Victoria remained silent.

Selith answered instead.

“The girl is the reason,” she rasped. “I suspect she saw another vision.”

Cindy let out a disgusted sound before turning toward Victoria.

“Didn’t you assure us that you had your daughter under control?”

Victoria’s eyes snapped toward her.

“Mind the way you speak to me. After all, Cindy… you are beneath me.”

Cindy’s expression hardened.

She crossed the short distance separating them before leaning forward until only inches remained between their faces.

“Perhaps under ordinary wolf hierarchy you would be my superior.”

Her voice dropped into a whisper.

“But within the Black Circle, I am your equal. I am an Elder. Just as you are. We hold the highest rank.”

Her gaze never left Victoria’s as she spoke.

“So you will explain exactly what is happening right now.”

Victoria glared at her, and Cindy glared back without the slightest intention of yielding.

The silence inside the carriage became suffocating.

Even Selith stopped mixing her concoctions.

Finally, Victoria spoke.

“According to Selith…”

Her words came slowly, each one sounding more irritated than the last.

“It appears the girl may have regained her powers. I suspect she saw another vision. An accurate one this time. Not those useless lies she kept feeding me.”

Cindy stared at her for several seconds before beginning to pace across the carriage.

“Do you realize what’s happening?” she asked them.

“Those northern bastards are trying to control this war,” she said.

Victoria’s jaw tightened.

“That won’t matter,” she said as she folded her arms. “We still have more warriors.”

Cindy nodded.

“Yes, we still have more warriors. But we’re already about two hundred warriors short of what we started with,” she said.

Victoria dismissed the concern with a wave of her hand.

“Those two hundred were merely recruits for the Black Circle members. They’ve already served their purpose. Their blood will only make the others stronger.”

Cindy slowly turned toward Selith.

“Is that true?”

The old woman nodded.

“When our members enter the battlefield, they’ll absorb the blood spilled by their fallen comrades. They’ll become stronger. Besides, the true warriors haven’t even begun fighting.”

“This war…” she said as she looked up, a smile on her face that showed her yellow teeth. “…will end with the Black Circle victorious.”

Cindy watched her quietly.

Then she nodded once.

“It had better.”

—

Suddenly, the entire carriage shook violently.

Victoria’s head snapped toward the window.

“What is going on?”

A warrior appeared outside the carriage almost immediately.

His face was pale, and his breathing came in ragged gasps.

“Luna!” he said. “The northern warriors are retreating! We’re pursuing them!”

Victoria frowned.

“Retreating?”

The warrior nodded quickly.

“Yes, Luna. We’ve injured several of them. Perhaps they’ve finally realized they can’t win. So they’ve chosen to flee instead.”

A cold smile slowly spread across Victoria’s face.

“Then don’t let them escape. Pass on multiple orders. Not one of them is to escape,” she said.

The warrior bowed deeply before hurrying away.

Victoria leaned back inside the carriage before lifting her gaze toward the sky.

The moon now hung low above the forest.

They had been fighting for almost an entire day now.

It was nighttime already.