The sky turned gray.
The metal birds came.
Kaelen saw them first—specks on the horizon, growing larger, their engines leaving trails of fire in the dawn light. There were dozens of them. Maybe hundreds.
"They're here," he said.
Seri stood beside him, her bow in hand. Around them, thousands of warriors waited in the forest, hidden among the trees, their weapons ready.
"Eywa protect us," she whispered.
The metal birds descended. Flames erupted from their bellies—not fire, but something else, something that exploded on contact with the forest. Trees shattered. Ground shook. Animals screamed.
And then the first wave of soldiers dropped from the birds, their guns blazing.
The battle began.
End of Part One