CHAPTER 445: CHAPTER 445: SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THE MASSACRE

Amilia awakened in a makeshift medical tent, her wounds properly bandaged and healing with the efficiency that came from expert care. The familiar weight of pain had lessened to a manageable ache, and beside her, Svara lay unconscious but breathing steadily, alive, when she had been certain they would both die in the snow.

How are we still breathing? she wondered, memories of the drake ambush flooding back with crystal clarity. The overwhelming beast, the coordinated attack patterns, the moment when she’d felt certain death approaching through the blizzard.

Heavy footsteps approached the tent entrance, and Kaiden De Gror pushed through the flap, his bloodstained armor telling the story of recent battles. But beneath his imposing presence, guilt and relief warred across his weathered features in ways that made him seem almost vulnerable.

"Thank the sovereigns you’re both alive," he said, his voice heavy with emotion that he didn’t bother to hide. "When I sent you two ahead to cover more ground... I never expected you’d face something this overwhelming."

Amilia tried to sit up, wincing as her bandaged ribs protested the movement. "Commander, what happened to..."

"This is on me," Kaiden interrupted, running a hand through his hair in a gesture of frustrated self-recrimination. "I found you both bleeding out in the snow, barely breathing. Had to use half my medical supplies just to keep you stable." His tone carried the weight of command decisions gone wrong, the burden that every leader bore when their choices led to their people’s suffering.

"You’re my responsibility, both of you," he continued with professional gravity. "The Rouge Saint and Hero of the Waste nearly died because I underestimated the threat level. Should have kept the platoon together."

His expression hardened with resolve as he shifted from guilt to action. "After I got you patched up, I tracked down those white drakes. Killed seven of the bastards myself. Should have been there when they ambushed you in the first place."

Amilia’s eyes widened in shock. "Seven? There were more than one, and you fought the scout drakes alone?"

Kaiden shrugged with casual indifference, as if discussing routine patrol duties rather than creatures that had nearly killed two legendary warriors. "They’re tough, I’ll give them that, but nothing a good sword can’t handle. Took longer than expected to track them all down."

He says it like he’s talking about the weather, Amilia realized with growing amazement. Does he genuinely not understand how extraordinary that is?

Svara stirred at the sound of conversation, his dark eyes focusing immediately on Kaiden with the particular intensity that marked the Masaai warrior’s approach to all challenges. Despite his bandages and obvious weakness, he attempted to sit up with stubborn determination.

"The Blood Whale himself," Svara said, his voice hoarse but carrying unmistakable challenge. "I demand satisfaction for my defeat!"

Kaiden burst into laughter, slapping his knee like he’d heard the best joke in years. "You want to duel me? Right now? While you can barely sit up?" His eyes sparkled with genuine mirth rather than mockery. "I like your spirit, but maybe wait until you can stand without falling over."

"Svara, you idiot, show some respect!" Amilia hissed, mortified by her partner’s behavior toward their rescuer. After years of working together, she’d grown accustomed to Svara’s tendency to challenge anyone he perceived as strong, but this was beyond the usual bounds of propriety.

"Relax, Amilia," Kaiden said with obvious amusement. "Though I have to say, for two legendary heroes, you both put up quite the pathetic fight." His words were teasing rather than cruel, carrying the affectionate ribbing of an older brother rather than genuine criticism.

He’s completely oblivious, Amilia thought with a mixture of exasperation and fondness. Seven scout drakes, and he acts like it was a minor inconvenience.

****

Kaiden’s expression grew more serious as he settled into a camp chair, his strategic mind shifting to the larger implications of what they’d encountered. "Here’s the problem, several of those scout drakes escaped. They’re heading south, toward the capital."

"We need to warn them!" Amilia said, struggling to sit up properly despite her injuries. "The empire has to know what’s coming!"

"We’re too far out here," Kaiden replied with grim practicality. "Even with the fastest horses, it would take us weeks to reach Valemir County. By then..." He shrugged, leaving the implications unspoken but clear.

"None of my people have bonded magical beasts for long-distance communication," he continued. "We’re operating blind out here, same as always."

Svara managed to prop himself up on one elbow, his warrior’s instincts overriding his physical condition. "What do you think they’re planning? Simple territorial expansion?"

Kaiden’s expression grew thoughtful, his tactical experience weighing the evidence they’d gathered. "Honestly? I don’t think they’re planning a simple invasion. These creatures are too intelligent, too coordinated. The way they attacked you, it wasn’t random aggression. They’re up to something bigger."

"Our best shot is to head for the capital as fast as possible," he decided. "Hope their walls can hold whatever those drakes are planning, and warn whoever’s in charge about what’s coming."

Something bigger,

Amilia repeated mentally, remembering the calculated precision of the drake attack. He’s right. They weren’t just hunting, they were testing us.

****

The journey south was urgent but careful, they couldn’t afford another ambush when they were carrying crucial intelligence. Both Amilia and Svara had recovered enough to travel, though they still bore the marks of their encounter with scars that would serve as permanent reminders of drake claws and teeth.

To pass time and ease the tension of their forced march, Kaiden regaled them with increasingly outrageous tales of his previous battles. His storytelling was so animated and detailed that even the grim circumstances couldn’t dampen his obvious enthusiasm for sharing his experiences.

"So there I was, surrounded by twelve Stone Giants," he said with theatrical gravity, "each one the size of a small mountain, all of them throwing boulders the size of houses..."

"Twelve Stone Giants?" Amilia asked skeptically. "Commander, Stone Giants are extinct. They’ve been extinct for centuries."

"Well, someone forgot to tell them that," Kaiden replied with such matter-of-fact conviction that she almost believed him. "Good thing too, or I would have looked pretty foolish fighting empty air."

Throughout the journey, Svara continued his persistent attempts to challenge Kaiden to various contests, arm wrestling, racing, weapons demonstrations. Each time, Kaiden deflected with humour while casually demonstrating abilities that made it clear any actual competition would be laughably one-sided.

"Come on, Commander," Svara insisted during a rest stop. "Just one arm wrestling match. I’ve been training specifically for..."

"Svara," Kaiden interrupted gently, "you couldn’t beat me at arm wrestling if I were asleep, drunk, and had both hands tied behind my back."

"That doesn’t make sense," Svara protested. "How would you arm wrestle with both hands tied behind your back?"

"Exactly my point," Kaiden said with a grin.

He’s not trying to be arrogant, Amilia observed as she watched their interactions. He genuinely doesn’t understand that normal people can’t do the things he does.

As they approached the capital region, signs of the drakes’ passage became more evident, mysterious tracks in mud that shouldn’t exist, reports from fleeing merchants of shadows that moved wrong, an underlying sense of wrongness in the air that made horses nervous and birds refuse to sing.

"We’re almost there," Kaiden announced as they crested a hill, revealing the distant spires of Valemir County gleaming in the afternoon sun. "Let’s hope we’re not too late."

****

Clinging to the shadows of the capital’s outer walls, a scout drake observed the battle raging within the golden dome with calculating intelligence. Its bone-white scales blended perfectly with the ancient stone, making it nearly invisible even to trained sentries who might have been watching for threats.

The creature’s multiple eyes tracked the supernatural combat within the Reality Manifestation domain with tactical precision. It understood what it witnessed, divine power clashing with infernal force, energies that could reshape nations and rewrite the fundamental laws that governed existence.