The air around the Gate of Thorns exploded into a chaotic, violent symphony of ancient magic and cutting-edge human technology. Kael and the strike team lunged from the deep shadows of the treeline, hitting the Aegis perimeter with a raw savagery that took the soldiers completely by surprise. The silver-pulse rifles fired in rapid succession, blue bolts of lethal energy tearing through the ancient trees, and lighting up the night with artificial fire. But the Ancients moved through the high canopy like ghosts, dropping from the heights to tear the high-tech weapons from the soldiers’ trembling hands before they could even re-aim.
I did not join the physical melee. I walked with a grim, steady purpose straight toward the mobile command centre, the twins acting as my metaphysical anchors.
