Chapter 13 – Blood at the Border
Torchlight flickered beyond the trees. The clash of steel, the tramp of boots.
Humans.
Valdyn crouched low in the brush, longbow in hand.
Beside him, Sylwen stood still, her silver eyes sharp under the moonlight.
"They're building palisades," she whispered. "Not just camping. They plan to stay."
Valdyn's gaze swept the rough tents and crude defenses. Around one hundred and fifty men. Too many for a patrol. Too few for a true army.
An expedition.
---
"If they keep digging," Sylwen said, her voice flat, "they'll uncover the path to the ruins. We can't let them."
Valdyn turned to her. "What's your plan?"
"Strike small groups. Kill them quickly. Spread fear. Let them believe this forest is cursed."
Valdyn's breath was steady. "And you think fear will drive them off?"
"It works better than steel," she replied without hesitation.
Their eyes met—her cold, unwavering silver, his burning emerald.
"Fine," he said. "Show me."
---
Three soldiers lingered near a campfire, half-asleep with spears at their sides.
Sylwen raised her bow. A pale glow shimmered along her arrow. Moonlit Arrow.
The shaft flew silently, piercing one man's chest.
Valdyn's string thrummed. Wind gathered around his arrow. Windpiercing Arrow.
The shot punched through a steel helm, dropping its target instantly.
The third man's mouth opened.
"Atta—"
Another arrow sliced his throat. His voice died with him.
Blood soaked the earth. Human blood.
---
Shouts erupted. Men scrambled for weapons. Torches swung wildly.
"Attack! Enemies in the woods!"
A horn blared. Boots pounded. Steel clashed.
Sylwen's voice cut through the noise. "We retreat. The goal was fear, not slaughter."
Valdyn's eyes didn't leave the camp. His grip tightened on the bow.
"No. I need to see how far my arrows can reach against men."
---
Five soldiers charged, blades raised, voices raw with rage.
Valdyn drew. Triple Volley. Three arrows left his bow in a heartbeat.
The first arrow rode the wind—tearing through a man's gut.
The second blazed with fire—bursting in another's chest.
The third struck the ground—Stonebind. Stone roots erupted, trapping a man mid-step.
Sylwen loosed two more. Each found a throat. Each dropped its target.
In seconds, the ground was littered with bodies. The air stank of iron and smoke.
---
Valdyn stood still. His bow lowered slowly. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from something heavier.
Sylwen studied him. "Your first time killing humans."
He nodded once. "Yes. It feels… different from killing beasts."
"Remember this." Her voice was cold as steel. "Every life you take leaves a mark. If you falter, your people will collapse with you."
Valdyn met her gaze, emerald locked on silver. His voice was steady.
"I won't falter."
---
The rumble of soldiers grew louder. Too many.
Valdyn grabbed Sylwen's hand. "We move."
They leapt into the branches, vanishing into the canopy. Below, chaos reigned. Men screamed over the corpses of their comrades.
"Elves! It's the elves!"
"This forest is cursed!"
Fear spread faster than fire.
---
On a high branch, the two paused. Torches flared in the distance, searching, hunting shadows.
Sylwen's breath was steady, her bow still in hand. "We won tonight. But they won't stop."
Valdyn watched the distant glow, his eyes cold.
The first human blood is spilled. There's no turning back now.
---
Human blood stained the soil.
And beneath the moon, Valdyn Thalorian stepped onto a path he could never leave.
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