Chapter 31
The Bone Dragon tore through the night while firelight and battle cries spread through the forest below, and Lilith's expression tightened as she watched.
The settlement she remembered as peaceful had come apart. Vine bridges hung severed between the tree houses. Whole trees had been ripped out of the ground, their massive trunks sprawled across the settlement, and flames were climbing the canopy under a smoke pall thick enough to swallow the moon.
"How did this happen?" Rowan's voice had lost its steadiness. "The defensive line was at the edge of the forest. How are they in the heart of our territory?" Nothing about the speed of the collapse made sense to him.
Lilith didn't answer. She ordered the dragon faster.
Below them, Wood Elves fled through the trees — some without their belongings, some without even having managed to gather their children before it began. Cries of panic tangled with war chants and bestial roars. The whole settlement had become a battlefield.
The Bone Dragon swept over a burning stretch of canopy and dropped into the central plaza.
Ruins. Broken arrows and bolts everywhere, and several Wood Elves dead in pools of their own blood, eyes still open.
Most of the surrounding tree houses stood empty already; the few elderly and wounded elves who remained were snatching up whatever they could carry before running.
"Where is the Seer?" Rowan leaped down and caught a passing elf by the arm, and the elf flinched away in panic.
"The Seer... she went to the front. Lady Elowen stayed behind to defend the settlement."
He let go and ran for the enormous tree at the settlement's center, Lilith close behind.
Past the wooden doors, Elowen was waiting for them — battle armor streaked with ash and dirt, its surface scored with shallow cuts.
Fresh from the fighting, plainly. She might have come back for the sole purpose of meeting them.
Rowan got there first. "Elowen, what happened?"
She let out a breath. "We underestimated the Orcs. They struck without warning, and the situation is worse than we anticipated."
She brought them to the map table in the lower hall and set her finger on a stretch of forest south of the settlement, not far from the Verdant Forest's outer boundary.
"The Orcs established a Portal here. It lets them bypass the cliffs and ferry troops straight into the forest's interior."
"A Portal?" Lilith stared at the mark. Large-scale spatial magic was the last thing she'd expected from the Orc tribes.
Elowen read the surprise. "A ritual construct, created by Orc Shamans and fueled with blood sacrifice. As long as it stands, the reinforcements will not stop."
"If we knew the Orcs had that kind of magic," Rowan said, frowning, "why weren't we prepared for it?" How did anyone leave a weakness that obvious unguarded?
Elowen sighed again. "The cost of a Portal like this is staggering. Even the great tribes rarely resort to one."
"So you assumed they wouldn't pay the price," Lilith said.
Elowen said nothing. Which was answer enough.
Rowan had gone pale. "Then we destroy the Portal, wipe out every Orc already inside the forest, and rebuild the line along the border."
"That is why I stayed behind to wait for you.
" Elowen nodded. "The Orcs have overrun a large part of the interior.
Their reinforcements must be severed before any of it can be retaken.
" She turned to Lilith, and the gravity in her voice deepened.
"Before leaving, the Seer specifically asked that you help us destroy the Portal. "
It was a reasonable request. Lilith's forces were built for exactly this kind of work — she could absorb heavy losses and refill her ranks from the fallen themselves.
"And once it's destroyed?"
"The flow of reinforcements stops. We concentrate on the Orcs still inside the forest and restore the defenses along the cliffs." A pause. "If we fail, we will not survive their next assault."
Lilith studied the map. "Where exactly is it?"
"Roughly three miles from here." Elowen produced a smaller map and marked a clearing deep in the forest. "We believe the Portal stands here, under heavy guard — along with at least one Shaman."
"A Shaman?"
"An Orc spellcaster versed in fire and lightning magic. Elite Rank at minimum." Her hand came to rest on her weapon. "My squad and I will deal with him."
Lilith sighed. "All right."
"One more thing." Elowen paused before continuing. "Once the Portal falls, you and Auriel may act independently. You will not be bound to our commands, nor required to hold formation with us."
Of everything on offer, that was the privilege Lilith and Auriel prized most. Freedom — to choose their own targets, claim their own spoils, and pull out the moment things turned too dangerous.
On its face, cutting two Lords loose hardly seemed to matter to the wider battle.
According to the Seer's vision, it was precisely what would decide it.
"Then we move now," Lilith said. She had no interest in wasting time.
"I'm coming too," Rowan said.
"No." Elowen shut him down flat. "You are the heir chosen to lead the Wood Elf Clan. The Seer ordered you to remain in the rear and oversee the settlement."
"But—"
"Follow your orders."
The severity in her tone was unlike her, and Rowan understood the decision was final. He lowered his head. "Understood."
Elowen turned back to Lilith and bowed. "We place this task in your hands."
"Leave it to me."
Outside, the Bone Dragon lowered itself as she approached. She climbed onto its back and glanced at the two Wood Elf warriors Elowen had assigned as guides.
"Lead the way."
The dragon spread its wings and rose above the burning canopy.
Rowan stayed where he was, outside the tree house, watching Lilith vanish into the night, his hands curling into fists. For the first time, he understood how fragile the Wood Elf power he'd taken such pride in really was against true war.