There was no point in waiting any longer. “Go,” I said. “I’ll see you once we’ve won.”
Stefan nodded. The snarl bubbling in his throat erupted as he burst forth from the trees as a dragon and took to the skies. With him rose the cries of hundreds of dragons. The sounds of trees breaking and toppling over echoed through the valley, and the sight of membraned wings and shimmering scales broke against the dawn as our army soared upon the air.
There were shouts from the fortress, and a trumpet resounded over the area. Dragons flew out from the inside of the fortress and crashed against our brethren in the sky. The sounds of the huge reptiles colliding rivaled a thunderstorm as shifters began tearing into each other, while the alicorns below charged.
There was a monstrous roar from the fortress that shook the earth as a titan emerged. I watched Davor shift from a man into a terrifying behemoth. General Davor had to be the biggest dragon I’d ever seen, larger than Stefan at least by half. He was a wretched sight, blood red scales against the cloudy morning as he led his army against our own.
On the ground, the alicorns were giving it all they had. The heavy snow in the valley slowed them up, giving Gabby’s army time to gather along the walls and take aim. Sorceresses fired magical arrows, launching them downward at the lines of riders approaching the wall.
The arrows hit the first line of alicorns and riders. Some went down, but most remained on their hooves. The sorceresses on the backs of the alicorns threw their hands up, using their magic in an attempt to break the wards around the fortress. On the wall’s edge, sorceresses who worked for Gabby called their magic to strengthen the wards, tossing down battle orbs that exploded on impact. Alicorns went flying, their riders tossed off of them and into the snow.
The griffins divided, going to the aid of both the alicorns and the dragons. Gabby’s army started to break as our warriors forced them to buckle, falling off the edge of the wall in droves. In the mess, I could not find Alexei nor Theo.
But we had already gained the upper hand. Our soldiers held strong, and gave a strong assault against Gabby’s forces. Her dragons and griffins were dropping out of the air at the strength of our battalions. Her shifters slammed onto the battlefield and died, while her sorceresses attempted to defend the fortress wall, and failed. By the gods, we were winning this fight!
A roar in the sky tore my attention away from the wall. Stefan had found General Davor, and greeted him in the sky with a smack to the face. Stefan spun around and slapped his tail against the red dragon’s snout, and it sent the beast spiraling. Davor quickly righted himself and blew a jet of flame Stefan’s way, which he avoided. Stefan swooped down and latched his claws onto the bigger dragon’s chest, gripping on tight. Davor wasted no time in lashing out with his own claws, tearing Stefan’s scales to shreds. Stefan must’ve not felt the pain through his rage, for he held on, biting his fangs into Davor’s neck.
“Come,” Finlay said, and he nudged me with my nose. “We’ve already lingered too long. There is no time to lose.You must lead the wolvens in the secret charge from the tunnels.”
I was worried for my friend, but I didn’t have time to stay and watch the fight. Stefan was a big boy. He could take care of himself.
I blocked out the roars of fury from Stefan and Davor as I ran into the tunnel. We became enveloped in darkness as our paws went from snow to dirt. My shifter sight adjusted to the lack of light, and we forged on ahead.
“This tunnel is newly-made,” Arthur said. “The dirt is soft beneath my paws. It was hardly dug a few days ago.”
“Nonsense,” Finlay said. “You’re being paranoid.”
“Gabby must have multiple tunnels so she has more options to get supplies into the fortress. It’s a safety measure for her in case one of them is discovered,” I commented.
We ran until I saw a crack of light that shone through a door at the end of the tunnel. We changed into men, and I pulled my sword loose as I opened the door.
There were multitudes of armed soldiers the moment we entered the fortress. I ran one through, and we shoved our way in. I speared a man through the chest the moment I entered, and Finlay’s sword met the same fate. I heard howls and snarls as I watched our wolven troops bust through the doorways that led to the tunnels, overfilling the area.
They put up a good fight, but the overwhelm was too much for the enemy to fight back. Gabby’s soldiers immediately fell under the onslaught of our army. Swords clashed, and blood spilled. Her warriors died beneath the fangs and claws of our own.
I didn’t know how many I slayed… dozens, perhaps. My mind went into a kind of haze as we overtook the fortress bit by bit, my excitement mounting as I realized that we had conquered the area.
I stood breathing raggedly in the middle of the courtyard. The fight was winding down— most of Gabby’s soldiers had been pressed back by our wolvens, fleeing to the tower walls. Our soldiers followed them, though Gabby’s sorceresses put up shields to hold them back.
“What should we do now? We’ve overtaken the fortress,” Finlay said, breathing heavily.
“We press onward. If Gabby is dead then this thing is done,” I insisted. “We keep going, and find her. She has to be somewhere in this fortress.”
“But—” Arthur rasped.
“Find Gabby!” I cried. “This isn’t over until she falls!”
She was here, along with that cursed child. We would strip this fortress down brick by brick if we had to, and we would end this war— today.
I changed back into a wolven and put my nose to the ground. Finlay and Arthur followed me as the scent of a newborn babe wafted into my nose. It was faint, but had overtaken the area. I followed the weak scent and it led me downward, around a twisting set of stone hallways and to a room in the middle of the fortress.
It’d been fortified by guards, but none were here now. I knew this had to be her room. As we burst into Gabby’s quarters, I inhaled the rich scent of blood, covered up by cleaner and disinfectant. There was a variety of elaborate furniture placed here and there. A four poster bed, luxurious armchairs around a smoldering fire… and a crib.
This was the room she’d delivered the child in. She must’ve lost at least a quart of blood.
I used my shifter sight, and saw clues— a small compression in a blanket where an infant had laid, a stain on the floor, washed invisible to the naked eye, a few used bottles.
“You’re wasting your time.”
