General Shax and his pack went back to the lab.
The ruined lab still smoked, the metallic scent of scorched wires and blood hanging heavy in the air. Where once there had been order and control, now there was only silence, broken by the crunch of boots over debris.
General Shax stood in the center of the destruction, his purple eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. His scales shimmered where the firelight touched them, his form almost too large for the broken corridor. His blade rested lazily against his shoulder, but his posture radiated tension.
Forneus the witch leaned against the cracked wall, brushing dust off her cloak. "You let her slip through your claws again, Shax. The demon queen is cleverer than you give her credit for."
Shax's lip curled into something between a smirk and a snarl. "She is weak. Her escape changes nothing. A wounded beast still bleeds."
Phenex, the shifter, shifted from wolf to human and back again, restless energy rolling off him. "Still… reports say she recovered faster than expected. Almost… unnaturally fast."
That made Shax pause. He turned, eyes narrowing. "Recovered?"
Stolas, perched above in raven form, gave a sharp caw before shifting into a man with hollow eyes. "Yes. My shadows followed them. The queen regains her strength. And it wasn't her doing."
"Then whose?" Shax's voice was low, dangerous.
"Her little witch." Stolas's grin was all teeth. "The girl with the false arm."
For a moment, silence stretched among the group.
Finally, Pazusax, the youngest witch of the cabal, tilted her head. "Strange, isn't it? Leviathan never let anyone close before. Yet now she clings to a little witch girl… and grows stronger for it."
Shax's grip on his blade tightened, claws scraping against the hilt. "Then we cut away her anchor."
Forneus raised a brow. "Not yet. Strike too soon, and she will only flee again. Better to watch. Let the witch make her comfortable, let the queen believe she is safe. Then…" she traced a finger across her throat, smiling.
Shax's wings twitched, restless, but he nodded. "Very well. We wait. But when I take her, there will be no escape. Not for her. Not for the witch. Find anything related to the demon queen from the lab and bring it to me."
The group exchanged glances—some eager, some wary—but none challenged their general.
Outside, the night deepened, the stars hidden behind thick clouds. Somewhere far from the ruins, Levi and Jane found a moment's peace. But Shax's patience was not mercy. It was the promise of a storm.
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