Chapter 53: The Drums of War

Claire’s POV

It was a supply caravan rolling in from the east being straightly guarded by just few forces. There was something abnormal. Midnight Moon always prided itself on an ironclad security. An unprotected supply chain can only mean one: stretched thin.

They're prepping for war—but not half as ready as they want the world to perceive.

I felt my lips tug into a smirk.

"Got you."

I pressed myself down as the guards exchanged hurried words, their voices drifting up to me.

"Lila wants the next shipment moved by dawn," one of them said. "She says we’re behind schedule."

"She’s impatient," the other grumbled. "We’re barely keeping up as it is. Ever since she took charge, things have been… different."

"Jared won’t push back," the first one scoffed. "He’s too far gone. She’s got her claws in him deep." 

I clenched my fists. Jared. I did not know if he was too far gone now, but if Lila had complete control of him, then things were even direr than I thought.

The guards drifted off, their voices fading away in the night.

Slowly, I exhaled as a flurry of thoughts ran through my mind. I had everything I needed. Redwater would throw this information to strike where they least expected, weaken Midnight Moon before they even launched their attack.

I just needed to get back alive.

The shadows were my allies, my veins pumped with adrenaline going back toward Redwater's lands. A sense of urgency grew within me as the echo of footsteps came closer.

I had a feeling someone was after me.

I ducked behind a felled log with every ounce of strength in me trying to eavesdrop. The footsteps sounded unhurried, a warning that whoever it was sensed my presence.

I held onto the dagger strapped to my waist tightly.

Then nothing.

Too quiet.

I spun around just as a shape burst forth out of the darkness, sword glinting. I sidestepped by inches in time, rolling onto my hip as the sword sliced through where my recently exposed throat had been.

A warrior of Midnight Moon.

He recovered very quickly, golden eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

"Redwater does not belong here," he said in a deep growl.

"I suppose," I said, countering him with my stance. "So why not let me pass?"

"Not on your life," he said with a sneer.

And he lunged.

Their swords met, a sharp clash ringing out through the trees. He might have been stronger, but I was quicker. I avoided his swing and elbowed him in his ribs, swinging low to cut at the back of his leg.

Stumbling, he cursed.

I didn't waste time.

I braced myself, kicked him in the chest, and he crashed to the ground. He tried to roll over, getting ready to stand up, but I disappeared—melting into the shadows and running back to Redwater as the Midnight Moon's alarm bells echoed in the distance.

I departed into the Redwater's war room as breathless, more from the battle than anything else. Derek had suddenly turned, and there my heart was caught in the entryway of his piercing gaze.

"What-the-hell-happened?" he insisted.

I held my stare; my mind had momentarily gone blank from everything I had just discovered.

"Midnight Moon is not as strong as they pretend to be," I countered. "And Lila is making some desperate moves. If we can strike now--"

A distant howl reverberated in the night, low and full of menace.

A warning.

I stiffened, and Derek's face darkened.

"Seems they already know you were there," he murmured.

The war had started.

And our turn was next.

Redwater pulsed with an atmosphere of tension. Warriors were rushing with desperate speed as they fortified the borders, sharpened blades, and readied themselves for the inevitable. The Midnight Moon pack would not allow my trespass to go unavenged. They would retaliate.

And here I stood in the war room to fight Derek and the other first-string warriors. We had a large map of the territory on the table, marked by me, the vulnerabilities.

"We have two options," read Derek, tough "We can make all of our defensive bastions, stand ready to ward off, or we could strike first."

There was a silence in the room, as we all knew what was on the line.

"Midnight Moon is thinly spread," I said. "If we attack now, we can cut them off before they have the resources to launch an all-out attack."

Derek's intense gaze scrutinized me. "And if we walk into an ambush?"

"Then we must be clever," I answered. "Use their weaknesses against them."

Some of the warriors nodded, agreeing in hushed tones. Derek released a breath, fingers drumming against the table.

"We need to know how many they are precisely," he said finally. "We can't be the ones to bring Redwater into an ambush." He looked at his Beta. "Take a scouting party. I want to know where they're moving."

Rowan nodded, already mobilizing his best trackers.

Derek wheeled to me. "You'll stay in the village. You've had enough risky horses for a week."

I felt the first tinge of color rise to my cheeks, but I kept my mouth shut. I'd only just made it back alive the last time.

Strategy had to be more paramount than pride temporarily.

As the sun went down, the Redwater fighters had all congregated in the training grounds. Derek had ordered all capable warriors to be prepared.

I was among them now, fingers wrapped tightly around the hilts of a couple of daggers, reassuringly solid in their weight.

The warriors viewed me with two faces: respectful and suspicious. I had a little trust to my name, but doubts regarding my presence lingered.

One of the warriors in the front stepped forward, huge and burly: the warrior Tobias. "Let us see if you are worth the fight in battle."

I stared back at his glare with similar ferocity. "You desire a fight?"

"A test," he told me. "If you're going to stand with us, prove you belong here."

A circle of people surrounded us as I stepped into the center. Tobias popped his knuckles, grinning.

Derek stood at the edge of the crowd, arms folded. He wasn't trying to stop this. He was standing by to see what I'd do.

Good.

The moment Tobias came at me, I dodged. He moved quickly; I moved quicker. I dropped under his attack and spun around his back, chopping with the blade of my sword.

He snarled, kicking at my flank. I blocked it, taking the force of it myself, then thrust my elbow into his stomach.

Murmurs were all around us as Tobias tripped. The grin was erased from his face. Tobias rushed at me again, but with more determination this time. We began to exchange punches, neither of us gaining the upper hand.

Then I noticed my chance.

I pretended to my left; he covered it and got set to become off-balance. I took his legs out from underneath him. The punch drove the air out of his lungs. Before he could get back on his feet, I pressed a blade against his throat.

Silence.

Then pandemonium applause.

Tobias laughed and fought to breathe: "Damn. You fight like a Redwater."

I stepped back and offered him my hand, which he took firmly.

So I had conquered another battle, this one the battle for respect.

Rowan came with bad news before the dawn.

"They are marching," he stated. Lila has been gathering her warriors. They will be coming in two days at most, or maybe even sooner."

Derek clenched his teeth. "Then we strike first."

There were murmurs in the war room.

"We don't have enough fighters here to go all-out and attack," complained one of the warriors.

"Then we don't attack head-on," I told him. "We attack where it'll hurt them the most." I pointed my finger on the map. "Their supply line. Their Achilles heel."

Derek's expression grew thoughtful as he weighed the plan. "A sabotage mission."

Cut off their supplies, slow them down. We do this and we can make them desperate.

Rowan nodded, "A small and nimble team might be able to get through."

Derek's eyes shot to me. I didn't even need to ask.

"I'm going with them."

He ran his hand over his face and sighed. "I kind of figured that too."

I smiled. "Good: it saves us the argument."

He shook his head but made no move to stop me.

We were leaving at sundown.

Six of us, pushing in the darkness, straight to the enemy's supply line. One action could change the course of war.

The nearer we got to the border, the night was torn apart by the first wolf's howl.

They had set an ambush.

Derek and I exchanged glances, resolve blazing in our eyes.

"Still think it's a good idea?" he asked.

I gripped my daggers tightly in my fists, pounding heart.

"Too late to turn back now."