We had to end this.
Because if the Devourer broke free completely, this city would be only the beginning. The corruption would spread like a plague, consuming kingdom after kingdom until nothing remained but endless hunger feeding on a dead world.
I looked at Kaelen. “The plan still works. We hit the gates, draw their forces, create chaos. Daemon and I reach the throne room while they’re distracted.”
“The civilians,”
“We can’t help them right now.” The words tasted like ash. “Whatever the Devourer’s done to them, we can’t reverse it from out here. The only way to save anyone is to cut off the source.”
Kaelen’s expression suggested she wanted to argue. Wanted to find another way, a better solution, something that didn’t require abandoning thousands to madness and death.
But she was a soldier. A leader. She understood the burden of command.
“Battalions advance to assault positions,” she ordered, voice carrying across the assembled resistance. “Malzaun, your unit stays with Seris and Daemon. Get them to those tunnels. Everything else is secondary to that objective.”
“Understood.”
“Archers, suppression fire on the gate defenders. Keep them pinned, but conserve ammunition. We need sustained pressure, not a quick burn.”
Commands flowed in rapid succession, transforming five hundred soldiers from resting formation into attack readiness. Weapons cleared sheaths and shields locked into position. Archers nocked arrows and waited for the signal.
The resistance moved with terrifying efficiency. There was no hesitation or doubt, just absolute commitment to the mission ahead.
I envied that certainty. Wished I could feel the same unwavering confidence instead of the churning mixture of determination and terror currently occupying my chest.
Daemon moved close enough that our shoulders touched. “You can do this.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“You already have. You brought five hundred people across the Veil without losing a single soul. You faced the Devourer’s attention and didn’t break. You’re still standing.” His hand found mine again, fingers interlacing. “That’s all we need. You standing. Me standing. Both of us moving forward together.”
The soul-bond hummed between us. It wasn’t intrusive or overwhelming, just present, a reminder that whatever happened in that throne room, I wouldn’t face it alone.
“Together,” I echoed.
Kaelen raised her blade high enough for every soldier to see. The metal caught what little light penetrated the blood-dark sky, transforming into a beacon visible across the entire formation.
The resistance fell silent.
“Today we end a curse that has poisoned this land for generations!” Kaelen’s voice rang clear and strong. “Today we face an enemy that has consumed kingdoms and shattered civilizations! Today we fight not for conquest or glory, but for the right to exist without being devoured by ancient hunger!”
Blades rose in response. Five hundred weapons catching that same impossible light, transforming the forest ridge into a sea of steel and determination.
“We are the last defense between the Devourer and total annihilation! We are the inheritors of those who bound it once before! And we will not fail!”
The roar that answered shook leaves from the trees.
Kaelen’s blade swept forward, pointing toward the burning city. After years of waiting, that’s all the soldiers needed.
The resistance surged down the ridge like an avalanche given purpose and direction.
And I ran with them, hand locked in Daemon’s, magic burning beneath my skin, fully committed to a battle that would either save the world or destroy what remained of it.
No room left for doubt.
No time for fear.
Only forward.
