Chapter 819

The Call for Backup

Just as quickly as the shock came, it disappeared.

Because the Doomcaw wasn’t done.

It immediately attacked Nia, its claws sweeping toward her with terrifying speed. She barely had time to raise her sword before an arrow struck the beast’s eye, embedding itself deep into the socket.

The Doomcaw shrieked, recoiling violently as it stumbled backward. Its head thrashed from side to side, the arrow still protruding from its eye.

Nia didn’t waste the opportunity.

She stepped backward, her breathing heavy as she kept her sword raised.

“That was close,” she muttered.

The Doomcaw cawed again.

Its remaining eye locked onto her.

“Very close,” she corrected.

Virelops moved to attack the warriors, their small white bodies lunging through the snow. The archers helped, sending arrows whenever they could, taking down targets. But it was difficult because they were not just fighting the virelops who had come with backup but also the Enclave warriors who had found them.

The battle became chaos.

Steel clashed.

Arrows flew.

Beasts shrieked.

The snow was stained with blood from both sides.

An Enclave warrior charged through the trees, his sword raised above his head.

A Nightshade wolf slammed into him from the side.

The warrior went flying.

Before he could recover, an arrow struck his chest and he collapsed into the snow.

Another Enclave warrior appeared behind the wolf.

Uther’s arrow struck him through the throat.

The man fell without a sound.

Uther lowered his bow for only a second before another warrior appeared through the blizzard.

He fired again and the warrior dropped down. He exhaled.

They were surrounded, but they were still fighting.

They had to keep fighting.

Just then, he noticed movement in the trees.

One of their archers was moving between them, her form barely visible against the snow-covered branches.

Uther frowned.

For a moment, he wondered what she was doing.

Was she leaving?

Was she going to abandon them?

But then he shook his head.

No.

No one in the Nightshade Pack abandoned their own.

If she was moving, there was a reason.

With that trust, he continued assisting as much as he could.

He nocked another arrow, aimed, and released.

A Virelop fell.

He reached for another arrow.

—

Meanwhile, the archer—Kenzie—moved as fast as she could between the trees.

Her heart pounded in her chest.

Her breath came in sharp, ragged gasps as she pushed herself forward, her feet finding purchase on the snow-covered branches.

Every movement had to be precise.

One wrong step could send her crashing through the branches.

And if she fell, she would lose valuable time.

They needed backup.

Immediately.

Their numbers were too small.

The Doomcaw alone was enough to make the situation dangerous, but now the Enclave warriors had found them as well.

She also knew that her leaving would affect them.

Their squad was already surrounded. They needed all the help they could get too.

If she took too long, they might not be alive when she returned.

She clenched her jaw.

They were her family.

She couldn’t afford to let them die.

The nearest squad was close enough.

They could get help.

She only prayed to the goddess that the squad could afford to spare enough warriors to help them.

She had no idea how long she moved. But then she paused when she heard the sound of a battle.

Kenzie breathed a sigh of relief.

She immediately turned toward the sound.

Moments later, she spotted movement through the trees.

Her shoulders relaxed when she recognized the familiar figures.

Sophia.

Ronan.

Brynhild.

There were others with them too—the warriors and archers from their squads.

Kenzie slowed as she approached.

She had been so focused on reaching them that she hadn’t realized there were two squads together.

Ronan and Sophia had been assigned to different squads, but they had clearly merged their forces to fight together.

An archer stepped out from behind a tree.

“What are you doing here?” the woman asked.

Kenzie recognized her.

Diana.

One of the archers stationed with Sophia’s squad.

Kenzie almost laughed from relief.

“I came for help.”

Diana’s expression immediately became serious.

“Help?”

“Our squad needs backup,” Kenzie said quickly. “We are surrounded. We were battling a doomcaw but then virelops joined and Enclave warriors too.”

Diana nodded and immediately reached for a piece of parchment.

She tore it free, quickly wrote a message, attached it to an arrow, and nocked it.

Kenzie watched as she aimed toward the clearing.

The arrow flew.

It disappeared through the storm.

—

Sophia had just finished taking down another Virelop when the arrow landed at her feet.

She looked down with narrowed eyes.

She stabbed another warrior who had attempted to approach her from behind before bending down and grabbing the parchment.

She unfolded it, her eyes movi g across the message urgently.

Her heart immediately began beating faster.

She turned toward Ronan.

“Ethan’s squad needs our help.”

Ronan had just taken down the last of the warriors surrounding them.

He didn’t ask any question, he only just nodded then signaled the warriors.

They regrouped quickly and then Diana turned to Kenzie.

“Lead the way.”

Kenzie nodded.

The archers immediately began moving through the trees.

Their forms blended with the snow as they moved from branch to branch, using the trees to remain hidden from the enemy below.

Sophia, Ronan, Caspian, Brynhild, and the other warriors shifted as they began making their way toward Ethan’s squad.

And as they moved, Kenzie prayed she wasn’t too late. She had no idea she wasn’t the only one who prayed they were not late too.

Sophia prayed, Ronan prayed, Brynhild and every warrior with them prayed they were not too late and that the squad could hold on for a while until they arrived.

They were almost close when they heard a scream. Sophia knew that voice. Kenzie picked up pace as did the warriors.

Everyone moving g as fast as they could to get to them.