Chapter 85 - The First Breach
Dusk settled heavy over the fortress.
The air felt charged, like the world itself was holding its breath.
Athena was near the inner gate when the first strike hit.
A sharp, cracking boom split the air as mage fire slammed into the outer wall with precise force. Not random. Not chaotic.
Measured.
Stone splintered outward in a shower of debris.
Shouts rang through the courtyard as wolves moved instantly toward the breach point.
Athena's heart jumped into her throat.
Kael was at her side in seconds.
"Inside," he said sharply.
She nodded-but didn't move far.
Not this time.
She stayed just behind the inner gate, where she could see through the archway as wolves rushed to reinforce the cracked section of wall.
Another blast hit.
Closer.
Athena watched carefully.
Not panicking.
Thinking.
"They're aiming for the same point," she said quickly. "They're weakening it, not trying to break through."
Kael glanced at her.
She pointed toward the far corner.
"Reinforce from the inside there. If it collapses, it will fall inward."
Kael didn't question it.
He shouted the order, and two wolves broke off immediately to do exactly as she said.
Athena's eyes scanned the movement.
"You're crowding the opening," she called to another group. "Spread out. If they break through, you'll trap yourselves."
They shifted positions without hesitation.
Another strike.
The wall groaned.
Athena felt the rhythm of it now.
"They're testing response time," she said.
Kael's eyes flicked to her again.
"How do you know that?"
She didn't have an answer.
She just... knew.
"Rotate the front line every thirty seconds," she added. "They're trying to wear you out."
The wolves did it.
Immediately.
No confusion.
No questioning.
Kael watched her now instead of the wall.
Watching how she stood.
How she spoke.
How everyone listened.
Another blast struck, but this time the wolves were ready. Braced. Positioned exactly where they needed to be.
The breach held.
The mage fire stopped as suddenly as it had started.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Dust drifted through the air.
Athena exhaled slowly.
Kael didn't take his eyes off her.
And he realized something with absolute certainty.
She wasn't learning how to lead.
She already knew how.