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There was anarchy on the battlefield.

The air was heavy with the metallic smell of moist ground and blood as blades clashed. The screams of warriors, both dead and alive, rose over the clamor, a ruthless wartime symphony. The image was reduced to a warped haze of movement and violence as the sun hardly broke through the dense morning mist.

Thalia swept through the battle like a shadow, taking down another of Killian's soldiers with a flashing dagger. Her muscles were screaming from the constant fighting, and her heart was hammering in her ears, but she didn't slow. She was unable to.

Bran smiled across from her, red flowing from his blade. He sneered and circled her, saying, "You fight like a woman with something to prove."

Despite the heat in her limbs, Thalia maintained a regular breathing pattern as she spun the dagger in her grasp. “No,” she retorted, lunging forward with a savage blow. Bran's sneer wavered as he narrowly averted it. "With nothing left to lose, I fight like a woman."

He appeared momentarily unprepared, and Thalia took the initiative by flinching to the left and then slashing him precisely in the shoulder. With a curse, he staggered back, his smile turning into a less assured one.

Ryker battled nearby with ruthless effectiveness, slicing through enemy ranks with his blade. He was a natural force, and every action he took was premeditated and destructive. Before he could even recover from one opponent, another one had arrived, this time a lady, slender and quick, her short blond hair reddened with perspiration.

Her green eyes glinted as she grinned at him. "You've got to be Ryker."

Ryker changed his position. "Are you, too?"

"Cassandra," she said with ease. "Killian asked that I greet you appropriately."

She lunged before he could react.

She moved quickly. quicker than most. Ryker had to remain on the defensive because of the fluidity of her strikes and the precise, controlled arcs in which her sword moved. Feeling the sharpness of her speed, he just managed to block a strike that was headed for his ribs.

He parried and countered with a slashing downward blow, admitting, "You're good." Her motions were fluid and almost playful as she ducked.

Cassandra grinned and said, "I know."

The second wave then struck.

A new force arrived with a tremendous roar from the ridge. With a level of cooperation that made Thornwood's warriors uneasy, they moved like phantoms and slipped into the fight.

Locked in battle close by, Lorcan swore as he absorbed the scene. "Who in hell are these individuals?"

Rhea squinted at the oncoming combatants, still releasing arrows with lethal accuracy. "They're not Killian's regulars, but I'm not sure."

Thalia had the chance to look over the battlefield and saw how these new fighters were advancing with deadly efficiency and spreading like wildfire. She could see their dark, unmarked armor. No banner, no sigil.

Not the men of Killian. Not theirs, either.

A force of mercenaries? Or worse?

Bran laughed ominously, still looking at her. "Your little rebellion seems to be about to take an interesting turn."

Thalia clenched her jaw, but before she could answer, the air was broken by a loud war trumpet. The power dynamic suddenly changed as the fresh warriors charged forward.

Thalia turned abruptly. Fall back to the crest, Rhea, Lorcan! Hold on!

As she and the archers realigned, Rhea was already on the move, yelling commands. Still recovering from his previous battle, Lorcan nodded and told his soldiers to reorganize their formation.

Meanwhile, Ryker had distanced himself from Cassandra. She watched with a knowing smile as he ran toward Thalia, but she did not attempt to follow him.

As he arrived to her side, he whispered, "This isn't just a reinforcement wave." He had a somber face. "Something is not right."

Thalia looked around and swallowed hard. Despite having powerful forces, they were on the verge of losing the war due to this abrupt change in tactics. Devastation might result if they lost steam now.

She gave a quick exhale. "We must make this work in our advantage again. Right now.

Ryker gave a nod. "The head was then severed."

They exchanged understanding as their eyes met.

Although Killian's warriors were formidable, things might change if they could get rid of the stronghold that was supplying these reinforcements.

Thalia's eyes strayed to Bran. He was still leading men and grinning as though he had already won, despite his little retreat.

She decided.

"Shield me," she said to Ryker.

Then she made a move.

She was on Bran before he could even respond.

He was able to block her initial blow, but she persisted, her blows accurate and vicious. His customary haughtiness faltered, his barriers crumbling under her attack.

"You're determined," he snarled, just avoiding a fatal blow.

Thalia had fire in her eyes. "You don't know."

Then she noticed a gap.

After making a left feint, she thrust her blade forward and sank it deeply into his side.

Bran's sneer finally turned into something akin to shock as he choked.

Thalia watched him stumble as she twisted the blade and then yanked it free. She remarked icily, "You lost the moment you underestimated me."

Bran's breath was raspy as he slumped. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words would not come.

Around them, the battlefield changed once more. Killian's warriors were hesitant after the unexpected death of a crucial leader in his army.

Ryker grabbed the opportunity.

He shouted, "NOW!"

Rhea and Lorcan reacted instantly, their armies advancing with new vigor.

The momentum then abruptly changed.

Disoriented and without a leader, Killian's soldiers started to stutter. Minutes before, warriors who had engaged in brutal combat paused, unsure. Others started to back up as they sensed the battle was shifting against them, while others tried to keep their ground.

Even Cassandra, who was still observing from the sidelines, nodded slightly in acknowledgment before retreating into the darkness.

Breathing heavily, Thalia wiped her blade clean before turning to face Ryker.

"We must expel them entirely," she stated.

Ryker looked around the battlefield and nodded. "Rhea—press the advantage, Lorcan. Do not pursue them past the ridge; instead, drive them back.

Lorcan smiled. "With pleasure."

The remains of Killian's army dispersed as Thornwood's forces advanced with a final charge.

After being a violent storm, the battlefield eventually started to calm down.

The field was littered with bodies, and the air was thick with the smell of blood. The warriors who were still standing paused to gather their breath, holding on to their weapons and looking about for any remaining danger.

Then—

The air was divided by a second war trumpet.

This one, however, was unique.

Older and deeper.

Thalia gasped for air.

Ryker tensed up next to her. “We don’t have that one.”

The withdrawing army came to a halt across the battlefield. stopped. Like they're waiting.

The first dark shapes then appeared from the trees.

tall. Quiet. They wore strange armor.

Not hired guns. Not the men of Killian.

A worse thing.

Thalia clenched the dagger between her fingers.

"Who are they in hell?" With a groan, Lorcan moved to stand next to her.

No one knew the answer.

However, the weight of something neither side had foreseen made the moment drag.

Then, slowly, purposefully—

The newcomers went forward.

And everything changed.