Dawn bled slowly into the world, a pale wash of gray light over the camp. Ari returned from her watch as the others stirred, bow across her shoulder, Oriel circling high above. Her face was grim.
"Three captives," she said without preamble. "Tied to posts. Ruined hamlet by the river. I counted at least three. Might be more."
Brennar grunted, hauling himself upright. "So it's a trap."
"Of course it's a trap," Nyx said, voice flat. Pan padded into view behind her, eyes glowing like embers. "Bait tied out in the open? They want us to come."
Rowan's chest tightened. "So we just leave them? Let them die?"
"No." Ashwyn's voice was quiet but heavy as an oak root. He planted his staff in the dirt. "The strings are clear—we go. But not blind. If hunters bait snares, it is only fair the prey bares teeth."
Brennar's grin returned, savage and simple. "Then let's see how they like being hunted.
---
They crouched around the faint embers of the fire while Ashwyn outlined the plan.
"Two groups," he said. "Rescue team and ambush team. The rescuers draw attention. The ambush cuts their line."
Brennar cracked his knuckles. "I'll take the front. Toren, you with me."
The young swordsman swallowed but nodded firmly, hand resting on the hilt of his steel blade.
Ashwyn gestured to Tamsin. "You hold the shield. Whatever comes, keep the rescuers standing long enough to reach the prisoners."
Her lips pressed tight, but she inclined her head. "I'll manage."
"And the rest of us?" Nyx asked.
Ashwyn's gaze swept over them. "Rowan, Ari, Nyx, Lyra. You wait in cover. When the raiders show, strike hard and strike first. Soulkin too—hide them until the moment matters. Let the hunters believe they have the numbers. Then take them."
Lyra patted Bounty's neck, the mule snorting. "He'll block their retreat."
Ashwyn's mouth curved. "Good. Let none escape to carry warning."
Rowan's grip tightened on his harpoon. It wasn't just rescue—it was a statement. The corruption would learn their names today.
---
The hamlet lay in ruins, half-burned, roofs caved in. At its heart stood three posts driven deep into the dirt. Shapes slumped against them, heads bowed, ropes biting into their arms.
Brennar strode in first, axe slung over his shoulder, Toren at his side. Ashwyn walked behind them, staff steady. Tamsin followed close, lips moving in prayer, a faint shimmer already forming around her hands.
"Where are they?" Toren muttered.
"Waiting," Brennar said, loud enough for all to hear.
The answer came quick. Raiders slid from doorways, from the gaps in broken walls, from the weeds where the roofs had fallen. A dozen, maybe more, armored in mismatched gear, blades glinting. Two perched with bows on a roof beam. A scarred captain stepped into view, smirking.
"Well, well," he called. "Rats walked into the cage themselves."
Brennar spat. "Funny. Looks more like wolves to me."
The captain raised his hand. "Kill them."
---
Arrows hissed through the air. Tamsin's shield flared—a soft golden dome catching the shafts and snapping them away. Brennar roared, swinging his axe in a wide arc to drive the front line back. Toren planted himself beside him, steel flashing as he parried a blow and shoved his attacker away.
And then the shadows moved.
Nyx appeared behind the nearest bowman, her blade opening his throat in silence. Pan lunged from the dark, dragging another raider down in a mess of teeth and screams.
From the treeline, Oriel stooped—talons raking across a man's face, leaving him blind and shrieking. Ari's arrow followed, pinning him to the wall.
Rowan burst from the brush with his harpoon raised, water spilling down the shaft. He flung his hand forward—spikes of ice shot into the flank, freezing armor and flesh alike. Three raiders stumbled, half-bound by frost.
Bramble leapt from camouflage, his bulk smashing into two men at once, fangs crunching bone. Eldros thundered in after, antlers glowing faintly, scattering the enemy like twigs before a storm.
The ambushers were ambushed.
---
Ashwyn swept his staff in a slow arc. Roots ripped from the earth, coiling around raider legs, dragging them down. One man screamed as a branch speared through his thigh, pinning him to the soil.
"Go!" Ashwyn barked.
Brennar slammed his axe into the first post, splinters flying. Toren hacked at the ropes with his sword, steel scraping against the knots until they snapped. Tamsin crouched beside the captives, her shield spread wide over them all, arrows hissing and shattering against the glow.
The captives raised their heads—two gaunt villagers, and one younger man, broad-shouldered, eyes wild with terror. Rowan's heart lurched. He was about Toren's age, but there was something under his skin—a faint glow pulsing like coals.
A Flicker.
---
The raiders panicked as their numbers collapsed. Brennar's axe split a shield in two. Toren parried clumsily, sweat running down his face, but held his ground, forcing an opponent back with sheer strength. Ari's arrows never missed, each shot another scream.
Nyx melted through the chaos, blades flashing, leaving only silence in her wake. Pan prowled behind her, dripping red.
Rowan raised his harpoon. Water coiled up the shaft, hardened into ice. He hurled it forward—the tip struck a raider's chest and froze across him in an instant, locking him in place long enough for Bramble to crush him.
The scarred captain swung his sword at Brennar, only to be slammed sideways by Eldros's antlers. He staggered, dazed—then vines coiled up and dragged him to his knees. Ashwyn's staff pressed down like a judge's gavel.
The battlefield stank of blood, sweat, and fear. The trap had failed. The hunters had become the prey.
---
When the last raider fell silent, the group wasted no time. Ari and Nyx searched bodies for arrows, blades, and coin. Rowan and Toren dragged shields into a pile. Brennar hefted a spear, tested its weight, and nodded.
"Steel is steel," he said. "When the storm hits, even a farmer with a spear can stand one more heartbeat."
Lyra checked the captives, loosening ropes and handing them water from Bounty's packs. The villagers wept their thanks. The younger man only stared at his hands, trembling as the faint glow beneath his skin pulsed.
Ashwyn's face darkened. "The corruption will come for him. They will smell it."
Rowan's gut twisted. He remembered himself on the ground, drowning, saved only because Brennar had been there.
"They know we're coming now," Ashwyn said, eyes narrowing. "Every step we take, they will prepare."
"Good." Nyx wiped her blades clean. "Let them be afraid for once."
---
The group stood among the ruins, weapons gathered, Soulkin prowling the edges of the broken hamlet. Smoke drifted from a toppled house. Oriel circled above, crying sharply.
Rowan glanced at the younger man, still shaking, still glowing faintly. Another Flicker. Another life on the line.
For the first time, he understood exactly what Ashwyn meant when he said they weren't just traveling anymore—they were hunted, and every step would bring the corruption down harder.
And still, Rowan gripped his harpoon tighter. Let it come