Chapter 7: The Shadows Return
846 Words
The chamber remained silent.
The soldier's lifeless body lay upon the cold stone floor.
King Aldric slowly closed the young man's eyes.
Around him...
No one spoke.
No one needed to.
One word echoed inside every mind.
"Veyls".
Captain Garrick broke the silence first.
"So..."
"They've returned."
King Edmund Ashford folded his arms.
"I prayed we'd never hear that name again."
For generations...
Children throughout Valen and Ashford had grown up hearing the same story.
Nearly eighty years ago...
When both kingdoms were still recovering from a devastating civil war...
Dark creatures emerged from the Northern Forest.
They came only after sunset.
They hunted villages.
Travelers vanished without a trace.
Entire patrols disappeared overnight.
People called them...
"The Veyls".
No one knew where they came from.
No one knew why they hunted humans.
Only one thing became certain.
Destroying the body wasn't enough.
Arrows through the chest...
Did nothing.
Blades through the heart...
Did nothing.
But a clean strike through the forehead...
Or removing the head entirely...
Killed them instantly.
For three years...
The kingdoms fought a brutal war.
Thousands of soldiers never returned.
Finally...
The Veyls disappeared.
Some believed they had been wiped out.
Others believed they had simply fled deeper into the Northern Forest.
As the decades passed...
The attacks stopped.
The survivors died of old age.
The Veyls slowly became nothing more than frightening stories told around fireplaces.
Until now.
King Aldric turned toward the commanders gathered inside the chamber.
"Tell me everything."
One guard stepped forward.
"The survivor's name was Elias."
"He belonged to Captain Roderick's northern patrol."
Captain Garrick frowned.
"Roderick is one of my finest captains."
The guard nodded sadly.
"His squad entered Black Pine Pass three nights ago."
"They discovered an abandoned village."
"No bodies."
"No survivors."
"Only blood."
King Edmund narrowed his eyes.
"And then?"
The guard swallowed.
"As they searched..."
"...the forest became silent."
"No birds."
"No insects."
"Nothing."
Then...
"They came."
The surviving guard's report had been written before he died.
Captain Garrick read it aloud.
"They watched us before attacking."
"They moved faster than wolves."
"Arrows slowed them..."
"...but only headshots killed them."
"Captain Roderick ordered us to retreat."
"He stayed behind."
The report ended there.
King Aldric closed his eyes.
"How did Elias escape?"
The guard answered quietly.
"He didn't run immediately."
"He fought."
"He watched every member of his patrol fall."
"He was thrown into a ravine during the battle."
"They believed he was dead."
"He hid beneath the rocks until sunrise."
"The Veyls disappeared before dawn."
"He rode without stopping for nearly two days to reach the capital."
Silence returned.
Every man inside the room understood.
The warning had cost Elias everything.
Even his own life.
Before sunrise the next morning...
The Great War Bell rang across Valen.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Its thunder echoed through every street of the capital.
Citizens rushed from their homes.
Merchants stopped trading.
Children looked toward the palace with frightened eyes.
Every soldier knew that sound.
It had not been heard in almost thirty years.
General Mobilization.
Inside the Royal War Hall...
Maps covered the massive oak table.
Royal Commander Cassian stood alongside the kingdom's other two Royal Commanders.
Eleven Commanders waited nearby.
Behind them...
The Captains of Valen assembled one after another.
Captain Garrick entered last.
King Aldric looked around the room.
"Our scouts have confirmed movement throughout the Northern Forest."
"The Veyls are gathering."
He placed both hands on the table.
"We march before sunset."
A Commander stepped forward.
"I request permission to lead the assault."
King Aldric shook his head.
"No."
His eyes turned toward Garrick.
"Captain."
Several officers exchanged surprised glances.
Garrick bowed.
"Your Majesty."
"You know those forests better than anyone."
"You'll command the expedition."
The Commander frowned.
"But he's only a Captain."
King Aldric smiled faintly.
"Only?"
He looked around the room.
"Titles do not win battles."
"Experience does."
No one argued again.
Everyone knew the truth.
Captain Garrick had refused promotion twice.
Not because he lacked ability.
Because he believed a true leader belonged beside his soldiers, not behind them.
Outside...
The barracks erupted into motion.
Armor was polished.
Bows were strung.
Spears stacked.
Horses saddled.
Rows of soldiers formed across the training grounds.
Among them...
Rowan tightened the straps on his armor.
His heart pounded.
This would be his first real battle.
Cassian approached.
"You look nervous."
Rowan answered honestly.
"I am."
Cassian smiled.
"Good."
Rowan looked confused.
Cassian extended his hand.
"Come back alive."
Rowan looked at the offered hand.
Then shook it firmly.
"I will."
Cassian smiled.
"I expect nothing less."
As the sun slowly began to sink...
The gates of Valen opened.
Nearly one-third of the kingdom's army marched north.
Captain Garrick rode at the front.
His eyes never left the distant forest.
Behind him...
Hundreds of soldiers followed.
Among them...
Rowan took one last look toward the capital.
Toward the palace.
Toward the oak tree where he had shared so many quiet moments with Lydia.
Then he faced forward.
The Northern Forest waited.
And somewhere beyond its shadows...
Something was already waiting for them...
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