Chapter 85 The Witch's Advance
Amara’s POV
The sky was red. Thick, choking smoke rose high into the air. Standing on the walls of the Obsidian Pack's fortress, I looked like a ravenous beast at the fire raging through the forest.
Rowan's voice sounded tense next to me as he said, "They're coming." He held onto the edge of the stone. "Lilith no longer conceals her strength. She is destroying everything with fire.
With a dry throat, I swallowed. "I sense her," I said. "She is now closer than before."
Wolves moved and braced for conflict underneath us. Some attempted to put out the fire by carrying buckets of water. Others pulled injured pack members away from the edge of the fire. However, the fire only intensified.
Soot-streaked Kian's face as he emerged. With haste, he declared, "The northern border is gone." "We can't keep up with her army's rapid retreat."
"Her army..." They were black forms moving through the smoke, and I spotted them when I glanced past the flames. Witches with red eyes that shine. Creatures that weren't supposed to be here. I felt sick to my stomach.
"They're not going to stop," Rowan said. "Everything she has is thrown at us."
I balled my fists up. "Then we also don't stop."
However, my voice faltered. I wasn't sure if I was attempting to persuade myself or them.
The ground shook with a huge crash. In ash and flames, one of the outlying watchtowers fell. Below, wolves screamed.
"Amara!" As rubble poured down, Rowan grabbed my arm and pulled me back from the edge.
Despite the pain in my chest, I said, "I'm fine." "I simply... Her calling is palpable to me. As if she wants me to enter the fire.
Kian gave me a narrowed look. That's precisely what she desires. Amara wants you to be by yourself. Don't pay attention.
However, I could already hear her voice in my mind. Come on, kid. Come to me.
I raised my chin and shrugged it off. "We must keep the gates open. If she succeeds—
"She refuses," Rowan snarled. "We're going to stop her."
The darkness grew brighter, hotter, and more lethal as the flames drew closer. And I could make out Lilith's shape through the smoke—tall and awful, with wild hair and black-glowing hands.
"She is here," I exhaled.
Rowan said curses to himself. Kian growled.
Then her army pushed forward like a tsunami, crushing everything in its path. The conflict had already started.
In the distance, the Hollow Witch's army's battle drums thundered. Fear permeated the stronghold's atmosphere. In the council hall, pack elders huddled around me, their features etched with concern.
Elder Mira gripped my hands with wrinkles and said, "You have to go." "Everything is lost if you are taken by the Hollow Witch. You are too valuable to take a chance.
With a trembling but resolute voice, I declared, "I won't leave." "This is where I live. Here is my family."
"Listen to her, Amara!" Elder Darius slammed his cane to the ground with a snap. "She's looking for your mark. She will take over the world if she manages to acquire you."
My throat constricted. She will kill everyone else to get to me if I flee. Would you like that?
The horror in their eyes only intensified when they became silent.
Rowan took a step forward, his jaw clenched. "She refuses to go. Don't spend any more words. She is obstinate."
Kian looked at me sternly. "Perhaps stubborn enough to die."
"I will not perish," I said. "If I can stop her, no."
The elders started muttering in frightened tones. Once more, several pleaded with me to hide. Others said prayers to themselves.
Then the very air outside trembled with a powerful, echoing sound.
"AMARA!"
The windows shook with the noise. I went cold. I thought my heart would stop.
The voice came again, louder and angrier.
"AMARA!"
Lilith was the one.
I sprinted in the direction of the gates. Kian and Rowan yelled after me, but I continued. I needed to see her.
She was standing at the stronghold's gates while the night was illuminated by the flames beyond. Her eyes were red and dark. Power oozed from her hands like liquid fire. Her smile was ferocious, piercing, and hungry.
Her voice roared as she saw me move forward.
"GET OUT, KIDS! I own your soul!
Her power caused the timber to fracture and the gates to tremble fiercely. The witch merely laughed, her laughter resonating like thunder throughout the battlefield as the wolves frantically tried to contain it.
My knees went weak. My skin felt like it was shredding from the intense heat of my mark.
I said, "She's come to get me."
Kian's hand steadied my opposite side while Rowan's grasped my shoulder. However, the gates broke once more as the witch's voice yelled my name until it felt like claws ripping through my brain.
Then, the gates fell apart.
She entered.
"AMARA!" Lilith's eyes met mine as she yelled.
The world came to a stop.