The Northern Border. Duke Marcellus's Keep. Dawn.
The pass was silent.
William stood on the ramparts, his hands on the cold stone, his eyes fixed on the dark gap between the mountains. The Vargr camp was visible in the gray light—tents, fires, figures moving. Thousands of them. Waiting.
Ben stood beside him, his sword at his hip, his face calm. He had arrived with Davin three days ago, had spent the time walking the walls, studying the terrain, learning the rhythms of the border.
"They're not going to attack," Ben said.
William glanced at him. "How do you know?"
"They've had every opportunity. Your defenses are good, but not impenetrable. They could have overrun you weeks ago."
William turned back to the pass. "Then what are they waiting for?"
Ben was quiet for a moment. "Something. Or someone."
---
Lira was in the courtyard, checking her bow, her quiver, her knives. Tina sat on a crate nearby, her staff across her knees, her eyes on the walls. Davin leaned against the stable door, his blessing humming, ready.
"The hunters are out there," Lira said. "I can feel them."
Tina nodded. "So can I."
"They've been watching for weeks."
"They're waiting."
Lira's jaw tightened. "For what?"
Tina looked at the pass. "For whatever the Vargr are waiting for."
---
Edward arrived at midday.
He rode through the gates with a small escort, his clothes dusty, his face tired. The journey from the capital had been long, but the border needed him. The soldiers needed to see their king.
William met him in the courtyard.
"Brother," Edward said.
William clasped his arm. "You didn't have to come."
"I did." Edward looked at the walls, the soldiers, the pass. "The hunters?"
"Still watching. Still waiting."
Edward's jaw tightened. "Then we make the first move."
---
They gathered in the war room.
Duke Marcellus spread a map across the table—the pass, the mountains, the Vargr camp. His finger traced the lines.
"The Vargr are here, here, and here. Three camps, connected by supply lines. They've been reinforcing for weeks."
William leaned over the map. "Their flanks?"
"Weak. The mountains are impassable for large forces, but small groups could get through."
Edward looked at Marcellus. "You're suggesting a flanking attack."
"I'm suggesting we stop waiting." Marcellus met his eyes. "Your father would have attacked by now."
Edward was silent for a moment. "My father is dead."
The room went quiet.
Edward straightened. "We hold. We wait. We see what they're waiting for."
Marcellus's jaw tightened. "And if we wait too long?"
"Then we adapt."
---
That night, William walked the walls alone.
The stars were bright, the air cold, the pass dark. The Vargr fires burned low. The red lights had not appeared since the hunters' attack on the mages' tower.
Ben joined him.
"You're thinking," Ben said.
"Always."
"What?"
William was quiet for a moment. "About Aldric. About the portal. About whether we'll ever see him again."
Ben leaned against the wall. "I never met him. But I've heard the stories."
"He was my friend."
Ben nodded slowly. "Then we find him."
---
The attack came at dawn.
Not from the pass—from the east. A small force of Vargr, moving fast, hitting a supply convoy. The soldiers fought them off, but not before losing half the wagons.
William stood over the bodies. "They're testing us."
Lira knelt beside a Vargr corpse. "They're learning."
Ben drew his sword. "Then we teach them a lesson."
---
Edward gave the order.
A small strike force—William, Lira, Ben, Tina, Davin, and a dozen soldiers—would hit the eastern camp. Fast. Hard. Then retreat before reinforcements arrived.
"They're expecting us to hold," Edward said. "We surprise them."
William nodded. "We'll be back by nightfall."
Edward clasped his arm. "Come back."
William almost smiled. Almost. "I will."
---
They rode out as the sun climbed higher.
The eastern camp was hidden in a valley, protected by ridges on three sides. The Vargr had chosen well. But they hadn't counted on Davin.
Davin teleported ahead, mapped the terrain, reported back. Lira found a path through the ridges, hidden from view.
They attacked at midday.
---
The battle was brief.
Ben led the charge, his blessing surging, his sword cutting through Vargr like wheat. Lira's arrows split, raining down on the camp. Tina's lightning struck from the ridge, frying tents and warriors alike. Davin teleported behind the enemy, striking from blind spots.
William fought beside Ben, his sword steady, his heart pounding.
The Vargr broke. They fled into the mountains.
William stood over the camp, his chest heaving. "We won."
Ben wiped his blade. "We won a battle. The war is still coming."