KARINA
The smoke from the recent ambush was still clinging to the damp trees bordering the western gate. Flash beams cut through the thick haze, sweeping over the dead bodies of Silverfang mutineers scattered across the freezing mud.
My boots crushed frost-coated branches alongside Kole while the rogue generals fanned out through the perimeter, kicking discarded weapons away from the dead to secure the zone.
Just then, deep inside a cluster of thorny brush, a sudden, frantic rustle broke the quiet. Two guards converged on the sound immediately.
They dragged a bleeding Silverfang warrior out into the clearing. The man struggled violently against their grip, his left leg dragging uselessly behind him, leaving a dark trail in the snow.
Kole stepped forward, his boots planting firmly in
