After the interrogation, Roman and his companions moved quickly to gather supplies from the fallen guards and wagons. Armor, weapons, anything useful—there wasn’t much, but enough to get them through the journey ahead. Roman kept a close eye on his friends, especially Lexi, who still looked shaken from the ordeal.

As they worked, Roman turned to the large grey wolf that had saved them. “We need to head back to Kenan. Can you lead us there?”

The wolf’s ears perked up, and it tilted its head slightly as if considering Roman’s request. Then, with a low growl, it shook its head. The wolf padded over to the edge of the trail and sniffed the air, glancing back at Roman.

“Not safe?” Roman asked, frowning. The wolf gave a short nod of confirmation and then turned its head to the north, gesturing with a nudge of its snout.

“North, through the forest,” Roman murmured, following the wolf’s gaze. He turned to the others. “We’ll avoid Kenan. The wolf says it’s not safe. We go north through the forest until we reach the plains.”

Seth nodded in agreement, his expression still grim from the news of his father’s death. “Makes sense. We don’t know how many enemy troops are still near Kenan. If they’ve already taken it, we’d be walking straight into a trap.”

Lexi, still standing close to Roman, glanced toward the distant horizon. “But what about Eidon? We’ll be near it if we follow the river. If they’ve taken the capital and Kenan, they could’ve reinforced Eidon too.”

Roman looked in the direction of Eidon and could already see fires burning in the distance. Columns of smoke rose into the sky, and even from where they stood, they could see faint figures patrolling the walls. The city was heavily guarded.

“We won’t get too close,” Roman said, his voice firm as he visualized the map he saw in Sergeant Smithson’s tent. “We’ll make a wide berth around it and follow the river north, toward the capital. It’s safer than going straight through enemy territory…then again we have to be cautious and assume everything is enemy territory since we have no clue what’s waiting for us out there.”

“We stick to the forest for as long as we can, move quietly, and we’ll be fine,” Z rumbled, adjusting the gear he had scavenged from one of the wagons. His massive frame exuded confidence, though the fatigue of their capture was still evident.

With the plan in place, Roman gestured for the wolf to lead the way, and the pack began their journey north through the dense forest. The trees loomed overhead, casting long shadows as they moved deeper into the woods, away from the city.

The wolf led them through the thick underbrush, its movements graceful and silent. Roman followed closely, his senses heightened, always looking for any signs of danger. He kept his chi flowing, scanning the area around them for any hidden threats, though it was clear the wolves were doing much of the heavy lifting to keep them safe.

Hours passed, and the group moved cautiously, avoiding any open spaces that could expose them. The sound of distant patrols echoed occasionally through the trees, but they stayed far enough away from Eidon to avoid detection. As the sun began to set, they reached the river that would guide them north toward the capital. The wolf stopped and looked at him.

“You can’t keep going with us can you?” He kneeled and asked the large gray wolf. The wolf looked back a few hundred feet behind where the rest of the wolf pack had stopped and were still waiting.

“Ok, I won’t keep you. But…thank you.” He said and scratched the wolf’s head again. The wolf lifted its head in the direction they had been headed and nodded, then sniffed to the east, towards Eidon, and shook its head and stomped the ground.

“Ok so we’re good to stay this way for a while but not that way?

“Thank you again!” Roman called out as the wolf ran off back towards its pack.

The night air was cool, the river’s gentle current providing a soft backdrop to their silent trek. Roman’s thoughts kept drifting back to the assault on the capital, and what had happened to Seth’s father. The weight of it hung over all of them, but none more so than Seth. The young man hadn’t spoken much since they had fled the ambush, but Roman knew the grief was eating away at him.

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It was near dawn when they came across a small encampment nestled a few miles north of Eidon. Roman’s sharp eyes caught the glint of armor and the low glow of campfires. Instinctively, he signaled for the group to stop. He squinted into the distance, using his chi vision to get a clearer look at the men gathered around the fires.

“It’s the Commander,” Roman whispered to Seth, his tone a mixture of relief and urgency. “He’s made camp here.”

Seth’s eyes brightened for the first time since they had escaped. “Let’s go.”

They approached the camp cautiously, making sure not to startle the guards. As they neared the encampment, one of the sentries spotted them and raised his hand.

“Halt! Who goes there?” the guard demanded his spear at the ready.

Seth stepped forward, holding up his hands. “We’re with the royal army! We need to speak to Commander Vellis immediately.”

The guard hesitated, eyeing them warily, before signaling to one of the men behind him. Moments later, Commander Vellis emerged from a large tent, his expression grim. His battle-worn armor was covered in dirt and blood, but his eyes were sharp as ever.

“Seth?” Vellis asked, his voice filled with both relief and surprise. “You’re alive.”

Seth nodded stiffly. “Barely. We were captured after pushing back the monster horde. There was an assassin. He… he knew exactly how to take us down.” He clenched his fists, his voice growing thick with emotion. “We just found out that my father’s dead, Commander.”

Vellis’ face fell, and for a moment, the hard lines of the commander’s face softened with sorrow. “I’m sorry, Seth. We… we heard about the capital. But I had no idea…” His voice trailed off, unable to find the right words.

Roman stepped forward. “We need to know everything, Commander. What happened after we pushed back the monsters? How did the enemy move so fast?”

Vellis let out a deep breath. “It was the portals. They moved their entire army in a matter of hours and overwhelmed our defenses before we even had time to regroup. We were stretched too thin, and they hit us where it hurt the most. We didn’t stand a chance.”

Roman’s heart sank. “What about Kenan? Is it lost?”

Vellis shook his head. “We don’t know yet. We’ve had no word from the city. We sent scouts, but none have returned. They may have already taken it.”

A heavy silence settled over the group as the gravity of the situation set in. The capital was in enemy hands, Kenan was likely lost, and they were running out of options.

Seth looked up, his jaw set with determination. “Then we need to strike back. We can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

Vellis frowned. “I agree, but we can’t rush in blindly. We need a plan. The enemy is expecting us to retaliate, and they’ll be prepared for it.”

Roman nodded slowly, his mind already working through the possibilities. “Then we’ll have to hit them where they don’t expect. And before we do anything, we need to regroup and build our strength.”

The others nodded in agreement, their expressions hardening with resolve. The battle wasn’t over yet—not by a long shot.

And Roman knew that the time would come for them to strike back. But first, they needed to survive—and that meant finding allies, building their strength, and waiting for the perfect moment to turn the tide.

“They are spreading false rumors through every city and town as if they are trying to get the people on their side. So far it hasn’t worked from what I’ve seen but who knows? What I need you guys to do is lay low for a bit, where I know you’ll be, and go undetected by the enemy. Can you do that?” Vellis asked and looked each in the eye.

“Yes.” They answered in unison.

“Good. So I am going to keep moving through the lands in secret and gather back our army that’s probably hiding and laying low themselves. When we heard the news and I saw what was happening I split them up and had them scatter and blend in. We need more men if we are going to fight back. So here’s the plan. The enemy is doing sweeps through every town and city but it doesn’t look like to do it twice. There’s a town close to the capitol that I want you to go to and hunker down. Blend it, get jobs, be townsfolk until I give the signal.” Vellis said.

“OK, what will the signal be? What are we supposed to look for? And what are we supposed to be doing in the meantime, farm?!” Seth asked.

“You’ll know the signal when you see it…as far as what you need to do, keep your eyes and ears open for enemy troops and plans. Stay alive until the time is right for us to strike back! For the new King to take the throne.” He said sadly and looked at Seth who bit down hard trying to control his emotions.

“Now’s not the time. Keep heading north along the river but when you see the capital turn to give it a wide berth and when you hit Sky Lake you’re there. The village I am from is there, where the Slynn River finally meets the Sky Lake. Anyone there would take you in and I know for sure that the enemy has already cleared over there.” Vellis said. “Keep your head down, train, and prepare for the war that’s coming.”

This whole time he had been talking to them as soldiers, just spitting his orders as rough and stern as usual but Seth noticed something different. He was giving them a lot more info than he usually does and he’s talking a lot…so he must feel really awful about what happened to Father. Seth thought.

“Vellis, here,” Roman said and stepped toward him holding out what appeared to be a rag. He wiped his forehead with it and held his hand out to the Commander.

“Boy-“ but before the Commander could start, Roman explained.

“I saved a wolf’s life in the forest and it and its pack helped us get here so figured if you smelled like me when you ran into them it might help you out.” He said and the Commander finally relented.