Free Web NovelCHAPTER 45 — ASHES OF THE BORDERLANDS
The village of Ashford lay on the northern frontier of the Kingdom of Valenor.
Once, it had been prosperous.
Now...
Only smoke drifted above blackened rooftops.
Homes had collapsed into piles of charred timber.
Fields that should have held golden wheat were scarred with deep craters.
The villagers worked in silence.
Not rebuilding.
Simply surviving.
A little girl sat beside the remains of her family's home, clutching a worn wooden doll.
Her father knelt beside her.
"We'll build another."
She looked at him with tired eyes.
"You said that after the last raid."
He had no answer.
Three mounted riders approached the village.
Their armor bore the crest of Valenor.
Captain Rowan's younger brother, Sir Cedric Rowan, dismounted first.
"What happened here?"
An elderly farmer bowed.
"Bandits, my lord."
"They came during the night."
"They took everything."
Cedric frowned.
"Where were the border patrols?"
The old man laughed bitterly.
"Protecting the nobles."
Hundreds of miles away...
Inside the Abyssal Domain...
Vespera listened as merchants described similar stories.
"Another caravan disappeared."
"The eastern road has become too dangerous."
"Villages are paying protection money to mercenary companies."
Lirael sighed.
"The kingdoms are spending so much preparing for war..."
"...they're forgetting the people they're supposed to protect."
Nyxara quietly spread another map across the council table.
Red marks covered nearly every border.
"These aren't isolated attacks."
"They're coordinated."
Captain Rowan frowned.
"You think someone is encouraging the chaos?"
"I know they are."
Nyxara tapped several locations. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"The same mercenary company appears near every incident."
"The Black Wolves."
Kragga crossed her arms.
"Never heard of them."
"You wouldn't."
"They don't fight wars."
"They profit from them."
Vespera looked toward the window.
"If villages continue falling..."
"...more innocent people will suffer."
Darius hesitated.
"My Queen..."
"This isn't our territory."
"No."
She agreed.
"But suffering doesn't care about borders."
Later that evening...
Vespera walked alone through the palace gardens in her human form.
The flowers Sylvana had planted swayed gently in the evening breeze.
She remembered something.
A news report from Earth.
A refugee camp.
Children waiting in line for food.
The feeling in her chest was exactly the same.
Different world.
Same pain.
Sylvana found her beside a small pond.
"You're thinking about helping them."
Vespera nodded.
"I am."
"It could start a war."
"It could."
Sylvana smiled gently.
"It could also save lives."
The next morning...
The council assembled once more.
Vespera stood before them.
"We will not invade."
"We will not occupy." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"We will not claim another kingdom's land."
Everyone listened carefully.
"But..."
"If innocent people ask for help..."
"...the Abyssal Domain will answer."
Captain Rowan slowly smiled.
"I had a feeling you'd say that."
Far away...
The leader of the Black Wolves counted bags of freshly minted gold.
His lieutenant entered the tent.
"More work?"
The commander grinned.
"Oh yes."
"The Church pays well."
"They want the borderlands unstable."
"The more frightened the people become..."
"...the easier it is to convince them they need another holy war."
The lieutenant laughed.
"And if some villages burn?"
The commander shrugged.
"They're only peasants."
Neither man noticed the raven perched outside the tent.
Its crimson eyes glowed unnaturally.
Miles away...
Nyxara closed her own eyes.
Through her shadow familiar, she had heard every word.
She smiled.
"So..."
"Now we know who's throwing the first match."
That evening...
A messenger burst into the throne room.
"My Queen!"
"The village of Ashford has sent a request for aid."
"They don't care whether the help comes from humans..."
"...or monsters."
The chamber fell silent.
Vespera looked toward her companions.
Lirael gave a small nod.
Kragga rested her axe across her shoulder with a grin.
"About damn time."
Nyxara folded her arms.
"If we move quickly..."
"...we'll arrive before the Black Wolves return."
Vespera rose from her throne.
Her eyes reflected both determination and compassion.
"Prepare a relief expedition."
"We're not marching as conquerors."
"We're going..."
"...as protectors."
Far away, in the shadows of a ruined watchtower, a pair of golden eyes watched the Abyssal banner begin to move.
The unknown observer smiled.
"The Monster Queen leaves her nest at last."
End of Chapter 45
