Dunwick
"My lady, one of the scouts has returned with reports from the far west," Vynn said to Ardynne, who sat at her table, lost in the book she was reading.
Without looking up, she raised a finger, signaling him to wait. Vynn-one of the soldiers assigned to remain behind and keep watch-stood patiently as she turned another page.
"Don't go back. Don't go back! He is deceiving you. It's so obvious he is going to betray you!" she shouted at the book, then released a long sigh of disappointment before finally glancing up.
"Can you believe someone can be this stupid in love?"
Vynn forced a nervous smile.
She flipped another page.
"Tell me, what do the reports say? You have half of my attention."
"A scout returned with sightings of a large army. It is difficult to determine their final destination... but they are heading this way."
No response. Only the quiet rustle of paper as she turned another page.
"My lady... My-"
"Who is leading this army?" she asked calmly.
"Lord Varnok Thalkir of Morwyn Hollow."
She paused.
"If my memory serves me well, he is not our enemy. On the contrary - he is our ally." She tilted her head slightly. "But people change... and alliances, in the end, are only words. Spoken or written, they shift with the wind. No one wishes to stand on the losing side."
Her eyes finally lifted from the book.
"Tell me, Vynn - where do you think his allegiance lies now?"
"It is hard to tell, but he has joined-"
"Shut up!"
Vynn flinched.
She blinked, then waved a dismissive hand.
"Sorry. The book. The characters are unbelievably stupid. You were saying?"
"He has joined forces with the Death Riders. According to the reports... he marches with them."
Slowly, Ardynne closed her book and dropped it onto the table.
"If they march together, then either they are captives..." she said quietly, "...or they have truly joined forces."
A brief silence stretched between them.
"Tell me - these forces attacked Ardenvale and Drosmire, did they not?"
"Yes. Even Ashreth."
"And they took no captives... despite those kingdoms being strong and rich with spoils?"
Her eyes widened slightly - not in fear, but realization.
"Then they have truly joined forces," she murmured. "But why Morwyn Hollow? The weakest of the kingdoms..."
She leaned back.
"How far out are they?"
"It is believed they will arrive in six nights and seven days - if Dunwick is indeed their target."
Ardynne nodded once.
"Thank you. Find Laziel. Tell him to come at once."
"Yes, my lady."
Vynn bowed and withdrew.
Ardynne sat at her table, her fingers tapping the book lightly, lost in thought. Her gaze lingered on the cover of the book before her, but her mind was elsewhere entirely.
Soon enough, Laziel entered the chamber and bowed.
"My lady, you sent for me."
"You must have heard the reports the scouts brought."
"Yes. I'm currently regrouping the soldiers so we can be ready when they strike."
"Halt all preparations," Ardynne said.
"What?" The word slipped from Laziel's mouth before he could stop it. He could have expected anything else-but not that.
"But these forces destroyed Ardenvale. Looking at our small numbers, we would be trampled. Even with our best preparations, we stand no chance-but at least we might save some people. We are not as strong as we used to be. We have been reduced to almost nothing."
Laziel spoke with urgency, fear creeping into his voice as he tried to persuade her to reconsider. But Ardynne only looked away, still distant, still thinking.
"Laziel, you're missing the bigger picture. As you said yourself, we have been reduced to nothing. Perhaps if we were still whole, we might have fought-but that Dunwick is gone... and that is the Dunwick they are coming for."
"I don't understand. What could I be missing?"
"They are marching toward a kingdom that no longer exists. If they truly come for us, then they are not marching in vain. Every kingdom has heard of Dunwick's fall. The only people who know that even a fraction still survives... are the people within these walls."
She paused and studied Laziel. He stood frozen for a moment before the pieces aligned. His eyes widened.
"Are you saying there is a spy among us?"
"Possibly. And if there is, that spy has already fed them everything they need. We cannot risk giving them more."
"I understand. I'll halt all preparations immediately."
"And tell no one anything. You are the only one I trust now."
"I understand."
Ardynne remained restless, her face carrying a thousand unanswered questions. Her gaze rested on the fallen banner of Dunwick leaning against the wall. Laziel noticed.
"Is something else troubling you, my lady?"
"If you were the Riders of Death, why would you march against a force as small as ours?"
"It is hard to say. We never truly understood their motives. But since they hunt kingdoms and their rulers... perhaps they are after you. If you rebuild Dunwick-even without victory-you could one day threaten them."
"No... it cannot be me. Whatever they seek must be extraordinary if they have brought their full force. What could it be?"
"It could be what," Laziel said quietly. "Or it could be who."
"If it is a person... then it is someone they have hunted before and failed to capture."
Silence fell between them as realization slowly surfaced. They looked up at the same moment, the same answer forming on their lips.
"The guests."
"Send for them immediately."
"Yes, my lady."
Laziel bowed and departed.
A few minutes later, Laziel arrived, followed closely by Lord and Lady Torren, Elena, Ryker, and Thalira. Together, they made their way to the same table beneath the great tree where they had shared breakfast upon their arrival.
Ardynne was already seated, waiting.
One by one, the guests approached, bowing before taking their seats.
"I apologize for the abrupt interruption to your day. Please forgive my manners," Ardynne said.
"It is quite alright, my lady. We are always at your service when called upon," Torren replied.
"I have questions that require answers," she continued calmly. "And I would appreciate every detail you can provide."
They nodded.
"Tell me your story again - from the moment you emerged at Skornvale."
Torren drew a slow breath.
"After being chased, we arrived at Skornvale hoping to find refuge. Instead, dark smoke choked the air. The kingdom was in flames. Then, from the gates, lines of mounted men burst forth. They galloped toward us with relentless fury. We had to choose between the terror before us... and the terror of the unknown."
"Let us step back a moment," Ardynne interrupted gently. "Tell me what happened in Ardenvale."
" When we arrived, Ardenvale was already in ruins - destroyed five days earlier by men clad in black who moved like shadows. Though..." he hesitated, "I doubt those things were truly men. It was there I told the children how I first met their mother."
"You met Lady Torren in Ardenvale?" Ardynne asked, a flicker of interest crossing her face.
"Yes. Many years ago."
"I would very much like to hear that beautiful story someday."
Torren smiled faintly. "Gladly."
"Please - continue."
"My wife sensed danger. She kept insisting something lurked nearby, and so we decided to flee-"
"Forgive me," Ardynne cut in again, her gaze shifting to Lady Torren. "Can you elaborate on this danger?"
Lady Torren straightened slightly.
"Yes, my lady. Though the city lay in ruin, it felt... alive. As though it had drawn us exactly where it wanted us. I felt watched - constantly - though I saw nothing."
"And she was right," Torren added quietly.
A brief silence settled over the table before Ardynne spoke again.
"You mentioned stopping at River Veylin to rest?"
"Yes," Lady Torren answered. "But we left during the night. That same shadow seemed to linger around us."
Ardynne leaned back slightly, her expression sharpening with realization.
"It all makes sense now," she said.
Her next words fell like drawn steel.
"They knew you were coming. Every step you took - they followed."
Fear crept silently into their hearts.
"Everything leading up to your arrival was orchestrated," she continued. "To put it plainly... you are not safe."
Torren frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You said Ardenvale fell five days before you arrived at Skornvale," Ardynne said. "But Skornvale fell only three days after Ardenvale - not that day, as you were led to believe."
She let the implication settle.
"Had the fires truly burned that long, you would have found only ash upon arrival - not living flames."
Understanding dawned slowly, terribly.
"It is certain now," Ardynne finished, her voice low.
"They are not hunting blindly."
Her gaze moved across each of them.
"They are after one of you."