The journey north was long and arduous. Days of hard travelling with only the bare minimum for breaks took its toll on even Hump. They were nearing the end of summer now, but the days were still long and warm. Surrounded by soldiers and animals, the lack of bathing was becoming more and more obvious.

Fortunately, Hump’s newfound rank gave him certain luxuries. The Dastons had gifted him and Celaine mounts—two spectacular geldings that would serve them well—though Hump still would rather have Prancer with him. Yet for the most part, Hump and Celaine remained in the back of a wagon, shaded from the heat and able to focus on their training. Shaping exercises and cantrips were a good way to keep himself entertained, and there were always little games he could play with Nisha to further their bond. Tessa’s book had proved invaluable in that regard already.

Come night, the wagons would be arranged into a fort, sheltering everyone within the circle with guards to keep watch. In those times they ate far better than other groups Hump had travelled with, making stews of salted meats and vegetables, or roasting animals brought back by hunters.

Hump found himself getting along surprisingly well with Randall Ferrand as they travelled, though it was a relationship he was careful to keep his distance. Randall had been an arsehole when they’d first met, to the point of attacking Hump in the back, but after returning to Sheercliff from Fishers Lake his attitude toward Hump seemed to have changed.

After his father’s betrayal, he appeared to be trying to make amends by being involved in this expedition. He was shunned by all those that travelled with him, other than Madeleine, Skander, and Marcela. Even Lawrence and Estel, his other two party members, had both left him. Though it was hardly a surprise. His father had betrayed everyone to the warlocks. It would take a lot to earn back any sort of trust. That sentiment extended to Hump too. He kept the man at arm’s length.

***

“Another one,” Celaine said as they rode past a heavily guarded merchant caravan. “That’s the third just this morning. There must have been trouble in the area.”

“We’re near the Fallen Lands now,” Hump said. “Wouldn’t surprise me if some monsters managed to slip past.”

“Mhm. You didn’t think those ones looked especially nervous?”

Hump shrugged. They were two weeks into the trip now, and still a hundred miles from the fortress. He’d stopped paying much attention to those they met on the road.

The closer they got to the fortress, the clearer the signs of monsters became. At first, it had been an increase in guards, patrols, and adventurers, but now every trader they passed was under escort. More than that, there was an air of nervousness that left Hump on edge. They’d passed through a village earlier that day under the tired eyes of villagers. People were weary. Hump had heard of food shortages, and entering the borderlands they became more obvious. Yet their troop could spare nothing. Fort Nordric had to be their priority, for if it fell, all these lands would too.

There was movement along the line as a man in light armour cantered in their direction. He came to a stop beside them.

“Lady Marcela’s requested you at the front. There’s trouble.”

Nisha followed as he and Celaine made their way up the line. The little dragon sent him an image of Randall’s party when she noticed them following and Hump praised her awareness.

“I smell smoke,” Celaine said.

Hump frowned. “Maybe those merchants had a good reason to be nervous after all.”

It took them a couple of minutes to reach the front of the wagon train. Smouldering wagons blocked the road. Twenty bodies lay lifeless on the ground around them, even their animals slaughtered. The attack must have been recent. Blood still flowed from gaping wounds. The bitter burn smell of fire to flesh and air was thick in the air.

As they neared, Hump’s stomach churned at the sight of the bodies. He felt Fleetfoot shudder beneath him, the horse kicking nervously at the dirt. Hump lay a hand on his neck, calling upon the essence of nature.

“Calm Animal,” Hump whispered, petting him. The horse quietened and became still.

Looking over the bodies, it was clear that people didn’t do this. Teeth marks marred the bodies where they’d been feasted on, particularly around the torso where they’d torn out the organs. From the scuffed and scarred hands and limbs, many had not died easily.

Fear. Unease. Nisha looked at Hump.

“You can go back if you want to,” Hump told her, but she remained at his side. Tessa had warned him not to coddle her too much. She would see much battle in her future, and she was a predator after all, the sight of blood was no foreign thing.

Celaine dismounted and went to investigate the ruins of the convoy.

“What did this?” Randall whispered, bringing his horse to a stop beside Hump.

Hump scanned the victims, noting their blackened clothing and skin. The bite marks were large, much wider than those left behind by a wolf for example.

Marcela strode over to them. “Imps and hellhounds are my best guesses. I’ve seen these kinds of wounds before. Most likely, some lower tier demons managed to slip past the fortress defences. Len is trying to find any tracks.”

“I’ll see if I can help,” Celaine said, walking off.

“Thank you,” Marcela called after them. She let out a long sigh. “Not that it will help.”

What does that mean? Hump wondered.

“Surely we must go after them,” Madeleine said, voicing his concerns. “If demons are in the area, its people will be in danger. We must help them.”

Marcela’s face fell. “We cannot stop. If Fort Nordric falls, countless more will die. They need us there.”

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“I’ve found their tracks,” Celaine called. She was a ten or so paces off the road, right at the edge of the treeline. “One of them has burning footprints. It will be easy to find them.”

“Damn it,” Marcela said. “I have my orders. My mother warned me of a moment like this, and we must prioritise the fortress.”

“Then let us go after them,” Hump said. “A small group of adventurers. Away from the wagons, it will be a simple matter for us to catch up to the rest of you once they’re dealt with.”

Marcela bit her lip, thinking.

“Madeleine, Skander, and I will go with them,” Randall volunteered.

“I will too.” It was Kesha that spoke up, looking to Hump. “If you’ll have me.”

“You’d be a big help,” Hump said.

“Six of you,” Marcela said. “These demons took out twenty men. There was a Chosen amongst them. Can you do it?”

She too was looking at Hump for an answer. He considered it, stroking his chin as any wise wizard would. He lacked experience with demons, but imps and hellhounds were fairly weak creatures. Perhaps a little stronger than goblins. With Randall’s party and Kesha, that would make four Chosen. Their only front liner would be Madeleine, but she was a Chosen of Byzantian—they couldn’t ask for better. Celaine and Kesha should be able to take out a few of their foes with their arrows before the fighting even began. Skander was a rogue of Zarkrel, Randall a sorcerer of Kelisia—they were well diversified.

“We will be fine,” Hump said. “I suggest you give us until mid-afternoon to follow their trail. If we find them, we’ll take them out. If not, we will still have time to catch up before night.”

Marcela thought for a moment longer then nodded. “Do it.” She looked over the group, her gaze settling on Randall. “I am putting Hump in charge. I expect you all to follow his orders. Will that be a problem?”

“Not at all,” Randall said quickly. “Wizard Humphrey, we’re at your command.”

Hump was taken back for a moment. Was this really the same lordling he’d had so much trouble with in the past?

Just roll with it.

“Will you watch over Nishari for me while I’m gone?” Hump asked. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll be able to communicate with her to let you know.”

“How will she tell me?” Marcela asked. “She can’t speak.”

“I’ll have her burn something.”

“That’s a terrible idea,” Celaine said. “Have her fly around or land on a roof. Why do you always jump to burning things?”

Hump gave her a look. “Okay, fine. I’ll have her land on the roof of the lead wagon if there’s trouble.”

Marcela smiled. “Good luck.”

***

Celaine led them on the hunt. The forest was too thick for them to travel by horseback, so they followed the trail on foot. Racing through the undergrowth, Hump felt more at home than ever. The wind blew at his back, the rustle of leaves was like music in his ears, urging him onward. It wasn’t just his dragon blood, it was his newfound affinity with nature—something he’d become more attuned to through his shaping exercises. The forest spoke to him, and on an instinctive level, he understood. He knew where to step to remain quiet, he felt the life force of the forest pulsing through the ground and all around him, granting him stamina and strength.

It was an easy trail to follow, even for him. One of the creatures left fiery footprints wherever they went, and if they’d missed that, they found bits of flesh and blood every few minutes. It seemed these demons had taken some of their victims back with them.

Hump’s stomach dropped when they came across a small, wooden cottage. The backdoor was open.

“I’ll check inside,” Skander said quietly.

While he did that, the rest of them skirted around the back of the house to find a dirt road on the other side, along with another six houses. Many of them were partially burned, their rooftops collapsed.

A shadow moved and Hump turned to see Skander drop silently from a window above. “The family inside are dead. Killed maybe two days ago. Three tops.”

“We need to find them quietly,” Hump whispered. “Can’t risk them getting spooked and running off.”

Kesha leant closer. “How do we—”

A scream pierced the air, coming from one of the houses farther up the road. Inhuman cackling followed.

Madeleine stood to rush forward, but Hump held up a hand. “Wait.”

“They’re torturing someone,” she snarled, glaring at him furiously.

“If we’re to save that man, we’re going to need to do this smart,” Hump said. “Too much noise and they will kill him and run off. Imps are known to be tricky—fire spells, illusions, shapeshifting. We need to get in a position where Kesha and Celaine can kill them with arrows. Celaine, go with Kesha, find a spot with a good overview.” Hump turned to the rogue. “Skander, can you lead us forward? Get us close to the house.”

They moved slowly, crossing the road so that they were closer. Hump’s heart hammered. When the agonised scream of the man came again, he couldn’t help but feel guilty for not moving faster, but this was his only chance. Not to mention that if the demons got away, more people would die.

It wasn’t long until they could see inside. The demons had set themselves up in one of the less damaged buildings, but one wall was still burnt to cinders. Inside, two hellhounds tore at the legs of an armoured guard, steel plate the only thing between their teeth and his flesh. It protected him from the worst of the damage, but that only served to amuse the demons as the hellhounds ravaged him.

There were nine demons in the room. Hump recognised most of the creatures from drawings in books he’d been forced to read as part of his studies. There were three hellhounds, each of them larger than a wolf, with black, soot-like fur and eyes that smouldered like hot coals. The imps were small, red-fleshed creatures with small, bat-like wings. Two were on their backs, rolling with laughter as they watched the man’s torment. Two larger demons stood guard at the back, watching with cold eyes—bloodhorrors. They carried two-handed greatswords on their backs and had bodies that looked like they were formed from heated stone.

The final demon was something… different. It looked like it may have once been a hellhound, but the face of the creature was no more. In its place was a small, pale-fleshed creature latched onto the head by a series of arteries, using it as a mount. Its body was some grotesque combination of a tumour and fetus. Six black eyes stared out at the torturous scene with glee. Its mouth was too big for its face, with small, needle teeth. From the way the bloodhorrors stood beside it, Hump took it to be in command.

Hump focused, using Distant Whisper to speak with Celaine. “We’re in position. Take out the imps as soon as you’re ready.”

“When Celaine and Kesha strike, we move in, Madeline in the lead,” Hump whispered. “With the imps dead, it’s a simple fight. Skander, I want you ready to save that man inside. Do whatever you have to.”

“No problem.”

“The rest of us have three hellhounds to kill. They’ll be fast and come at our flanks. Madeleine, you will need to contend with those bloodhorrors and hold them back.”

“I will support her,” Randall said. “They won’t be a problem.”

Hump nodded. “Good. As for that weird hellhound in the middle—I think that’s their leader.”

“It’s a devil spawn,” Randall said. “Powerful little creatures that wield mind magic, but their bodies are weak. A clean hit will kill it.”

“If it’s mind magic, leave it to me,” Hump said. If there was one thing he was confident in, it was the strength of his will.

He gripped his staff tightly, poised to spring forward. It was only a matter of seconds when arrows blurred forward, followed by the groans of dying imps. The three small creatures fell, clutching at arrows in their chest. There was a moment of quiet as all of the demons stared at the bodies in confusion.

And then Hump was moving. Madeleine rushed the open wall, smashing through what remained of the timber with her shield. There was a flash of shadow inside the room and Skander appeared, daggers out and warding off the hellhounds from the wounded man.

“Protect me!” the devil spawn screeched. Its head pulsed with essence, shining out from the gaps in the lumpy flesh. The hellhound mount beneath it retreated to the back of the room and the bloodhorrors advanced on Madeleine.

The Shieldmaiden hefted her shield before her, the red aura of Byzantius rising around her as she unleashed her War God’s Rage blessing. Hump had felt its power in Fisher’s Lake, but she had come a long way since then. His heart pounded to the beat of war drums, and a newfound focus came over him.

These beasts would not live long.