Edge of Windmere, Before Dawn
The forest was still. Too still.
I crouched beside Kaelen in the brush, eyes locked on the Windmere's fort. Its walls were barely gaurded, just a handful of torches flickering along the ramparts. A sleepy garrison. Sloppy.
"This doesn't feel right," I muttered.
Kaelen gave a short nod. "They're either drunk or dead. Either way, it's a gift."
A soft whistle to our left. One of the Ashen Veil. The signal: path is clear.
I signaled the advance. Two dozen shadows slipped through the trees, bows drawn and blades ready.
Minutes later, we breached the outer wall. A single guard shouted—and fell with Kaelen's dagger in his throat. Another tried to run for the bell, but an arrow pinned him through the spine.
We moved room by room. No resistance.
It was too easy.
The last soldier died gurgling on the floor of the chapel. Then silence.
We had Windmere.
But I wasn't smiling.
Arden joined me by the gate tower. "Not even a captain among them. This was a skeleton crew."
I stepped outside the gates to scan the hills.
And froze.
Torches. Dozens of them. Flickering on the ridgeline of the hills.
"Gods," Kaelen breathed. "They were waiting."
A warhorn was blown. That sound like thunder.
Then came the hoofbhoofbeats.
We should have known.
The silence was too deep. Windmere's garrison should've been wary. Watch fires should've burned. Instead, we crept through dead stillness not even dogs barking.
"Something's wrong," Kaelen whispered beside me, hand gripping her sword.
I raised my fist. Halt.
The Pike Serpents froze. The Ashen Veil scouts circled back, wary.
I turned to Arden, whose face had gone pale.
"Pull back," he said.
But it was already too late.
Dozens of torches flared at once. Arrows rained from rooftops. Behind us, the treeline came alive—Ravien's cavalry burst from the woods like a hammer.
"AMBUSH!"
We scattered as the Cavalry crashed into our front lines. Horses screamed. Men fell. Chaos erupted.
I shouted orders through the smoke. "Form up! Defensive circle! Get the wounded—"
An explosion near the storehouse flung debris into the air. Half a dozen men vanished in flame.
I grabbed Kaelen's shoulder. "We're not winning this. Get the men out!"
She nodded, blood already streaking her cheek. Then she turned to face the enemy charge. Her sword flashed.
The Pike Serpents held just long enough for the Ashen Veil to retreat through the woods.
But they were outnumbered. We weren't fighting a garrison. We were fighting a trap.
Kaelen slashed around ten riders from their horse—then one enemy soldier came up behind her.
I yelled, but too late.
The blade caught her side, slicing through chainmail. She staggered but didn't fall. Just gritted her teeth,she turned around swiftly and chopped the head off the enemy in single slash.
I dragged her back myself, one arm around her waist as she limped.
Arrows followed us into the trees. Screams echoed in the smoke.
By the time we reached the river line, we were down to less than fifty of the 100 men I took for this mission.
The rest?
Gone. Dead. Captured. Burnt in the trap Ravien and Mairelle set for us.
We crossed the waters at dawn, limping, bloodied, broken—but alive.
Windmere burning behind us, black smoke curling like a funeral.
I didn't speak for hours.
---
Hollowfort, War Room
The chamber was dim, lit only by the large table of maps and candles.Outside, the wind howled through the towers of Hollowfort. But inside, silence reigned—until a raven landed on the window.
Mairelle opened the message tube.
She read, calmly. Then smiled.
"Windmere burns," she said softly.
Ravien leaned forward. "Losses?"
"Minimal. Eighteen dead. Two dozen wounded. Vihan's men fled through the woods. Scouts report less than fifty made it out. The rest lie cold beneath the ashes."
He exhaled through his nose. Not a laugh—just dark satisfaction.
"Send word to the bordering lords. 'The Pretender's forces attacked a peaceful garrison.' Make sure the peasants hear it too."
Mairelle gave a slight bow. "It's already being whispered in taverns and temples. Wyvrland's men came as invaders. You were the shield."
"Let them call me butcher," Ravien said,"So long as they remember who wins."
Edge of Greystone, That Night
I staggered into the manor's hall covered in blood, sweat and shame.
Lyra met my eyes.
"You lost Windmere," she said flatly.
"I lost men," I snapped. "Good ones."
She didn't flinch.
"You also lost the initiative."
She was right. That was the worst part.
I sank into the chair, pulling off my gauntlets with trembling hands. The stench of burnt wood and blood still clung to me.
"They knew we were coming," I said. "They wanted us to come."
Armin stood in the corner, arms crossed. "We've underestimated Ravien."
"No," I muttered. "I underestimated Mairelle."
The name tasted bitter.
I looked at the map. Windmere was gone. Worse—it would now serve as proof to wavering nobles that I was reckless and am probably dangerous.
Ravien had struck more than just a fort.
He struck my momentum.
Kaelen entered last, a bandage across her wounds.
"Next time," she said angrily, "we burn them first."
I looked at her. Then to Lyra. Then back to the map.
"Windmere was a lesson," I said. "And we bled for it."
"But it's time they bled too."
Lyra crossed her arms. "We can't strike again blindly. Ravien will expect retaliation."
"I'm not planning on a charge," I said. My voice was low, steady now. The anger had settled into something colder.
Kaelen limped to the side of the table, and leaned against it. "Then what?"
"Fire," I said. "But not with swords."
Armin raised an eyebrow. "Sabotage?"
"Propaganda," I corrected. "Fear. Lies. Whispers." I tapped Windmere's crossed mark on the map. "He wants to paint me as reckless? Then let's paint him as a monster."
Lyra's eyes shines. "Mairelle may control the stories in Hollowfort, but I still have ears in every brothel and chapel between here and the river."
"Good," I said. "Then start spinning a new tale. That Windmere wasn't just a trap. It was a slaughter. Civilians burned. Prisoners tortured."
Armin frowned. "We'd be spreading falsehoods."
"Would we?" I asked. "Do we even know who made it out? If any of our wounded were taken?"
His silence was enough.
Kaelen smirked. "I like this side of you."
I ignored the flicker of warmth her words gave. I couldn't afford feelings. Not tonight.
"We bleed him from within," I continued. "We sew dissent. Stir unrest. If I strike again, it'll be with ink before steel."
"And when the blade comes?" Kaelen asked.
I stared at Windmere's name on the map. "Then I make sure there's no trap waiting."
Two Days Later – A Hidden Room Beneath Greystone
The room stank of ink. Scrolls, reports, and ciphered letters cluttered the table. Lyra moved between the shelves, sorting, translating, whispering commands to her network.
"We've already planted rumors in nearby villages of Windmere. " she reported. "By week's end, taverns will whisper that Ravien executed children in the aftermath. That his cavalry razed Windmere's temples, not yours."
"They'll believe it?" I asked.
"They'll want to."
She handed me a scroll. "This came from our mole inside Hollowfort. The garrison is overextended. Ravien pulled forces from the lowlands to hold Windmere, and now three villages lie undefended."
I read it twice. Then a third time.
Opportunity.
"Arden," I called. The old soldier stepped forward. "Rally two dozen of the Ashen Veil. Quiet ones. I want those three villages stripped of supplies by dawn. No killing, no fires. Just make them feel the cold of war."
He bowed. "yes, my lord."
This time, we wouldn't charge into a trap.
This time, we'd set them.
That Night – Greystone's Ramparts
The winds were cold.
I stood alone, overlooking the dark fields beyond. Somewhere out there, Ravien slept content, thinking he'd broken me.
But war wasn't won in a single night.
I touched the burned gauntlet hanging from my belt. One of the few things I'd salvaged from Windmere.
A reminder.
Behind me, Kaelen approached, slower than usual. Her wound still pained her.
"You should be resting," I said.
She leaned on the stone beside me. "So should you."
We stood in silence for a moment. Then she asked, "What happens now?"
"Now?" I said, watching the horizon. "Now we become the shadow. The fear in Ravien's bones. Let him hold Windmere. I'll bleed him dry everywhere else."
Kaelen nodded. "And after that?"
"After that," I said, "I burn Hollowfort."