The alarm sounded in the middle of the night.
Blaring loudly, my ears felt like they would explode by the pressure of the alarm that swept across what seemed like the entire world.
Reagan sat up in bed instantly, shuffling out of it and onto his feet. I followed suit, though dead tired, I moved like on autopilot. We knew that they would attack soon, it had only been a question of time. We were prepared.
Reagan and I met at the door, briefly looking at each other with an intense stare. A lot of emotions went through us at that moment.
"See you on the battlefield," Reagan said and I nodded silently, stepping on my toes to place a soft kiss onto his lips.
Moving against mine, I tried not to feel what threatened to break loose. I couldn't have him suspect anything. The plan was to fend off as many as possible with the traps that had been set and whoever did manage to enter the borders would be met by the first wave of fighters. A lot of dragons were to fly through the sky and unleash a stream of wildfire upon those on the ground. Those on the ground were mostly shifters that had come from all over Espheros. It had been a hectic week, though I'd spent most of my days training and preparing myself, together with my siblings.
We, on the other hand, had a different plan.
"I love you," I said aloud, voicing everything I felt as his golden eyes gazed into my soul, an intense sense of worry washing through us. I quickly tried to overrule it with my determination and my security that everything would turn out the way it had to.
"You'll be fine," I told him, adding in thought that I would not let anything happen to him.
Closing his eyes briefly, Reagan replied, "We'll survive this."
Another kiss was my only answer until we were separated by the next shrill sound of the alarm blaring in our ears.
As we parted, his warmth leaving me cold, I watched him disappear down the hall. Bringing my fingertips up to my lips, I felt his kiss linger.
A single tear slid down my cheek.
And then I wiped it away and took a deep breath, bracing myself for what was to come.
With quick steps I jogged down the hallway, multiple doors opening as people flowed into the hallway which gradually began to fill with people.
Along the way, my pack joined me, since I was at the end of the hall and passed by all their rooms, one by one. I noticed Debrova and Jaxxon with red, swollen eyes, as if they'd been crying. Leana's face was drained, while Kendra bore a stoic expression, fueled by her promised's strength who was doubtlessly already standing at the border. Since Polla'Nisia was surrounded by ocean on almost all sides, there were even those patrolling the coastline. Some of the dragons were not born with wings but fins, and therefore hid in the depths of the sea, ready to attack anyone that tried to get to Polla'Nisia on ships.
Emmet and Reece were both solemn, quiet as we jogged down the rest of the hallway, heading towards the entrance of the palace to meet our division. Mine and his entire battalion. We were great in numbers, especially those on the ground, which was thanks to a few last-minute arrangements Reagan managed to make.
I'd been entirely preoccupied with my own play in this scheme that everything around me seemed to have happened in the time span of just a few days, though Reagan had been working on it for years.
A sense of dread overcame me when I thought about meeting Kintar and wondered if the traitors would make an appearance as well. Even the council popped into my mind and if any other familiar face could be detected throughout the battlefield.
One thing I was certain of was that blood would be shed. It would take us time to reach Kintar, for he was probably heavily guarded, and that meant enough opportunity for the first attack to take place. One wave would need to withstand the enemy's force long enough for me to get to him.
It was the only thing that mattered. I needed to get to Kintar.
And my brothers would make sure I did while the rest would fight for as long as necessary.
As soon as my division was gathered in front of the palace, Reece leading a second division, we prepared to head out of the capitol with everyone that came with us.
"Thank you for all being here," I called out to my subordinates, my vocal cords scratching at the volume I used for everyone to hear me. I registered a few murmurs going through the crowd. There was a tumultuous atmosphere out here, sounds coming from all sides. Shouting erupted once we left the hallways of the palace, meeting out here with everyone that had been stationed in tents outside the palace. Making sure I could be heard over the noise; I rose my voice.
"Before we leave, I want you all to shift into your animal skins. As I understand, everyone subordinate to Reece are wolves, and everyone that's with my division are mostly wildcats. We are stronger in our animal skin, so please change now! Then we head out to the border. Reece and I will lead, the rest follow according to your ranks the one in front of you. Keep a constant eye out for your higher-ranking leader. We are here to survive, not kill!"
I watched hundreds of soldiers, both men and women, shift inside one minute. They'd all been trained to shift quickly, because in battle it was important to utilize whichever side was needed in the exact moment that called for it. Magic vibrated through the air, drenching the sea of people in a white glow that hovered above them until every pair of human legs was replaced by four, agile ones belonging to their animal side. It was the first time I'd ever seen a shifter become something other than a wolf, and it was fascinating. Slender figures with golden fur and red manes stood before me, some thicker in build with less hair around their heads but stripes across their bodies. Some were spotted and smaller bodies, but more agile. As far as I knew, there were cheetahs, tigers, lions and even hyenas that all stood amongst their kind in an ocean of shifters, all fighting for one cause.
It was breathtaking as I tried to fully take in what my eyes let me see.
Countless wolves stood before Reece, who was next to me. Emmet was to my left, while Kendra, along with our pack, were in the front of the wolf-shifter division that had Reece as their alpha. The cats all followed me.
I wanted them to at least know my name if they didn't already.
"It is my sole purpose to stop genocide from taking away the one species who made our lives possible. We fight for them, but we fight for us, just as much! It is magic that courses through our veins and lets us transform into the strongest parts of our being. And it is magic that we fight for. It's life that we fight for!" My voice boomed across the people and roars erupted once I finished, wolves and felines crying out for a battle that would be upon us.
And then, with ecstasy pumping through my veins, fed by an adrenaline that made me feel invincible, Reece, Emmet and I shifted and lead our people towards Polla'Nisia's main borders––to the Gates.
We kept our pace quick but did not run, as to save as much strength as we could. Since we were the first wave, we were the only ones so far heading towards the gates that allowed entry into Polla'Nisia. The dragons were scattered throughout the forests, ready to tear through the sky at any given moment.
Reagan only told me that they would show themselves when the time was right––I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, however, but I trusted that they would aid us as soon as it was needed.
Energy surged through me as we crossed through Polla'Nisian lands, rich with nature. The salty smell of the ocean wafted through the air and a cool breeze brushed across my fur. Though I dreaded to face the enemy, this serene moment felt good and I reveled in the calm that it created in my soul. Even if it was just the calm before the storm.
And it would certainly be a storm.
Whatever would come, would come.
I detected a lot of different emotions when I opened up to them during our run, hundreds of bodies ready and able to rip the Heretics apart.
I felt bloodlust. Revenge. Anger. Fear. It all melted into a hot, liquid feeling of purpose that connected us all and fueled the blood coursing through our veins.
Reveling in all those emotions, I let them pass through me and pump more energy into me, as if feeding on the power they brought. We were a united cause, fighting for the same goal.
Trees rushed past me in a blur, our speed reaching immeasurable velocity as we rushed through fields of grassland that watered into moor. We even had to make our way through a swamp, the atmosphere growing wet and damp as our surroundings changed. Vines hung down, slowing our pace but not our resolution.
The swamps might have slowed us down getting to the gates, but they would also slow down the enemy from reaching the capital.
Nasty smells reached my nose then and I nearly regurgitated the contents of my stomach. What's that smell? I wondered, directing my thoughts mostly to Reece and Emmet, since he was nearest to me.
There are Zhait-Bags hidden all over the place. They pop and emanate a poisonous gas as soon as they're activated, Emmet explained.
How are they activated? I asked.
Only the constructor of the bags knows, and he's got instructions when to unleash the gas.
Okay, so those were another one of the traps Reagan organized throughout their entire lands and apparently, only a select few were permitted the knowledge of how they worked.
Smart, I commented. It was indeed the most secure tactic, as to avoid mishaps or anyone activating them from the opposing side. There was one downside, however. Is there a backup person that knows how to activate them?
Emmet sent confirmation through our link.
And how are you aware of this information? I inquired.
A chuckle sounded in my mind and caught me off guard. It was Reece.
Emmet was bored after training and lingered close to the study, where Reagan and Dante often discussed their tactics.
I can't imagine them not catching him!
They did, but since Emmet is smart, they decided to involve him. Only telling a certain few was Emmet's idea, Reece explained, and I smiled inwardly.
Of course, Emmet had.
It dawned once we finally saw the great gates in the distance, an archway of impossible size.
Its stone was probably as old as the Ancients themselves, covered in intricate designs that probably spoke of the past. Alongside each side of the arch were walls that disappeared in the woodland surrounding us.
Coming from out of the swamp, the gates allowed passage into it with a section of grassland in front of it before one would physically reach the swamp. Behind the gate I could see more grassland stretch out, and right and left was woodland. The gate and nature were in perfect correlation to one another, both making up a clear path into the Ancient's lands.
We arrived with most of our numbers barely out of breath. I was pleased to see that many had trained their stamina, not just their fighting skills.
Anticipation grew amongst the crowd that silently waited behind us, the Sentinels, to give further instructions.
Reece and I were both waiting for the first signs of the Heretics. We were still early, but the Emissaries had spotted them, otherwise the alarm wouldn't have gone off. It wouldn't take long, that was for sure.
When an arrow whistled past me in lightning speed, I knew that we didn't have to wait at all.
They were already here