The dust settled slowly, and the echoes of the collapsing mill still rang in my ears. I was on my knees, coughing and blinking through the haze, trying to find my bearings. Matthias was already on his feet, his silhouette stark against the faint light filtering through the ruined walls.“You knew this was going to happen,” I rasped, forcing myself to stand. My body ached from the debris, but I ignored it. “You wanted it to happen.”Matthias turned to face me, wiping blood from the cut I’d given him earlier with a smirk that made my blood boil. “You’re sharp, Sera. Sharper than most. But you still don’t see the whole picture.”“I see enough,” I snapped, taking a step toward him. “You’ve betrayed your own people. For what? Power? Control?”He laughed, a cold, hollow sound that sent chills down my spine. “This isn’t just about power, Sera. It’s about survival. The power that lies beneath Silverwood—it’s the key to our future. But only if it’s in the right hands.”“Your hands?” I asked
The revelation that Fiona, someone I had trusted implicitly, was working with the enemy had left me reeling. I couldn’t afford to lose focus, not with the danger that orb represented, but my mind kept flashing back to all the times I’d confided in her, all the decisions I’d made with her advice. How long had she been planning this? How much of what she knew had she shared with them?We had retreated to a hidden spot within the forest, just far enough away from the enemy’s camp to avoid detection but close enough to watch their every move. Gareth, Cole, Matthias, and I huddled together, our faces lit by the dim glow of the moon filtering through the trees.“We have to move quickly,” Matthias said, his eyes fixed on the enemy camp. “Whatever they’re planning, they’ll act soon. We don’t have much time.”Gareth frowned, his gaze darting between Matthias and me. “How do we know this isn’t just another trap? You were right about Fiona, but how do we know you aren’t still playing both sid
I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the spots from my vision. The sudden burst of light from Elder Naomi had left me disoriented, my instincts screaming at me to move, to act. But there was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. We were cornered.“Everyone, get back!” I shouted, feeling the panic rise in my chest. I could hear the shuffling of feet around me, the confusion in my packmates’ voices as they tried to make sense of what was happening.Elder Naomi stepped forward, her eyes hard and unforgiving. “You don’t understand, Sera,” she said, her voice calm despite the chaos. “This isn’t just about Silverwood anymore. This is about survival.”I clenched my fists, fighting back the urge to lash out. “Survival? You think betraying your own people is survival? You’re working with them, Naomi. You’re helping them destroy everything we’ve built.”Naomi shook her head, her expression unreadable. “You’re too blinded by loyalty to see the bigger picture. Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made for
The coded message echoed through the tunnels, its meaning clear to those who knew how to decipher it. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. “Did you hear that?” Gareth whispered, his eyes wide with fear. “It’s the old Morse code we used for secret messages. They’re trying to tell us something.”“I know,” I replied, my voice steady but my mind racing. The message was unmistakable—**Find the place where the sun sets on the iron roots.** It was a phrase I hadn’t heard in years, not since my father was still alive. It was one of his cryptic warnings, something he had told me when I was just a child. He had always been paranoid, seeing enemies in every shadow. But now, it seemed like he might have been right all along.Matthias stepped closer, his face tense with concern. “What does it mean, Sera? Do you know where they’re talking about?”I nodded slowly, the pieces falling into place. “I think I do. There’s an old iron mine on the western edge of Silverwood. It was abandoned years a
The walls groaned around us, moving closer by the second. My breath hitched in my throat as I scrambled to my feet, the weight of the trap bearing down on us.“We need to figure this out, now!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the enclosed space. “Look for anything that might be a clue or a trigger!”Gareth darted to the walls, his hands flying over the ancient symbols carved into the stone. Matthias and the others spread out, their eyes scanning the floor and ceiling for any sign of a mechanism or escape.“What do these symbols mean?” Gareth asked, tracing one with his finger. “There’s got to be something we’re missing.”I tried to recall every bit of lore and history my father had taught me about the mine and its secrets. These symbols…they were familiar, but not quite. A variation, perhaps?Then it hit me. “It’s a sequence,” I realized aloud. “My father always said the old miners used a code to protect their treasures. A sequence of symbols tied to the seasons. We need to find the
I stared at the massive iron door behind Lucien as it groaned open, revealing the shadowy interior of a chamber I knew all too well. The Labyrinth of Sacrifice. My father had spoken of it in hushed tones—a series of deadly puzzles designed to test one’s loyalty and resolve. Few had ever come out alive.Lucien smirked, his eyes glinting with satisfaction. “Welcome to your final trial, Sera. If you want to escape, you’ll have to survive the Labyrinth. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up.I clenched my jaw, glancing back at my team. Gareth’s face was pale but determined, Matthias’s jaw was set with grim resolve, and the rest of my pack stood ready, despite the exhaustion etched into their features.“We don’t have a choice,” I said, forcing myself to remain calm. “We have to go through.”Lucien stepped aside, gesturing toward the entrance. “By all means. I’ll be watching closely.”Without another word, we pushed forward, entering the dark, twisting corridors of the Labyrinth. The air was thi
Pain radiated through my body as I stumbled out of the ancient trap, my legs barely able to hold me upright. Every step felt like a thousand pounds of weight pressing down on me, each breath more labored than the last. I could hear Gareth and the others panting behind me, their faces drawn with exhaustion and grief. We had lost Matthias. The realization hit me again, like a punch to the gut. My mind replayed the last moments over and over—the look in his eyes, the finality of the doors slamming shut. I had promised to lead them, to protect them, and yet…“We…we need to keep moving,” I said, my voice cracking. “We’re not safe yet.”Gareth nodded, his eyes red and glassy. “Right. Let’s go.”The path ahead was narrow and winding, the walls of the labyrinth pressing in on us from all sides. Each turn felt like a cruel twist of fate, a reminder of how close we had come to death. As we moved, the walls seemed to shift, the floor beneath us rumbling like a living creature. The air was t
The chaos around us was deafening—the clash of weapons, the cries of the wounded, and the roar of flames consuming what we had worked so hard to build. Silverwood was burning, and every second that passed threatened to snuff out our home and our hope.“Fall back! Regroup by the northern barricade!” I shouted, my voice barely cutting through the cacophony. My throat burned from the smoke, and my eyes watered, but there was no time to think about that now.Gareth ran up beside me, his face smeared with soot and blood, his eyes wild with determination. “We’re getting slaughtered out there, Sera. We need a plan—now.”“I know,” I replied, scanning the battlefield. Our pack was scattered, fighting desperately to hold the line against the enemy’s relentless advance. They were better armed, better organized. They came prepared. And yet, we had something they didn’t: our home, our spirit, and the sheer, stubborn will to survive.“Where’s Nora?” I asked, looking around for our head strategi