Chapter 21:
Lyra ran north, the mobilizing drums of war beating a frantic rhythm in her ears. She was separated from the main pack, moving with her small contingent of mobile scouts led by Finn. Their mission was simple in name, but impossible in execution: stop a disciplined Riverbend sabotage unit of eight warriors from destroying the Moonwood lifeline.
The Mate bond, though strained by distance, was eerily quiet a deceptive calm that indicated Elias was fully engaged in the Bog Trap deployment. Lyra knew she had to secure the North-Eastern Ridge before the bond exploded with the terror of battle.
She pushed Finn and the scouts past their limits, but her Rogue heritage allowed her to move fastest. She arrived at the Cold Stream ridge minutes before her team.
The site was a narrow, e
