Chapter 55
ALPHA COLLIN BLACK’S POV
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Collin saw the column of smoke rising from Crimson Howlers territory and felt the ground tighten under his boots. Part of him refused to believe Cassian would push farther, the other part knew better. He broke into a run, cutting across the ridge toward Nightfall, barking orders through the mind–link as he moved. He had sent William and his men in advance. Surely they were able to protect the pack, right?
Soon enough, the glow over Nightfall’s roofs came into view too fast. The air already tasted of resin and scorched grain. A dull blast rolled through the trees, followed by another, short, hard thumps that didn’t sound like kitchen fires or lantern accidents.
Fire.
It was just as he expected. Mendez was right. Cassian led a troop to deal with them!
As he crossed the outer yard, ash drifted across the flagstones, and the first screams carried from the lower corridors. He grabbed a passing guard by the shoulder. “Status.”
The guard swallowed hard. “Alpha… there were multiple ignition points. Smoke in the library wing. And a black flame in the supply hall that water won’t touch.”
“What about the Luna and Celeste?” Collin demanded.
“Lady Celeste is in the infirmary, helping the wounded. As for the Luna-” The man faltered as Collin shouldered past him.
“William!” Collin spotted his Beta near the inner stair, soot streaking his face. “William— report.”
William didn’t hesitate. “The fire started in the supply hall and jumped to the herb stores. It’s not natural, sir, water spreads it. We’re using sand and wool blankets. The library stair is compromised. We found two men down near the lower passage, eyes burned, lips green. The Luna was last seen heading toward the cave. Sadly, we cannot locate her. The smoke is too thick, and there’s something in the air… probably poison too. I’ve had no link response from her since.”
Collin’s jaw set. “Secure Celeste, Pull everyone off the water lines and smother the flames, Shut the vents to the library, seal the eastern passages, and post archers at the cliff entrance. If anyone comes out of that tunnel, drop them first.”
William nodded once. “Yes, Alpha.” He hesitated. “Sir… whoever planned this knew our layout.”
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Chapter 55
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Collin didn’t slow. “I know.” He drew breath against the smoke. He narrowed his gaze. Cassian must have forced this information out of Atasha, he thought. “Go on –
“Sir!”
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“Sir!” A runner skidded to a stop, soot streaked across his face. “Demon Fangs are attacking the south border. Lord Cassian’s men are holding the line, but they won’t last at this rate. More shapes in the treeline, dozens. They need reinforcements!”
Collin’s expression hardened. Of course, the scavengers would come now. Demon Fangs always circled when a pack bled.
“William,” Collin snapped. “The fire is yours. Sand, earth, wool–smother it. Shut every vent to the library. Lock the inner doors to the herb wing. Pull Celeste and the infirmary to the stone cellar and put four squads around it. Any man with green lips or burned eyes gets masks and is pulled off the line, don’t let poison spread through the ranks.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Send two lances to the cliff entrance. If anyone emerges, drop them. No warnings.”
William nodded, already signaling captains.
Collin turned to the runner. “Tell the south wall I’m on my way. Form a wedge at the river break. Shields up front, archers behind, aim low, drive them into the ditch. If the black flame rolls that way, use earth, not water.”
He opened the mind–link and drove his command through the pack. ‘All warriors to the south border. We push as one?
A low chorus of acknowledgments answered him.
He drew his sword from the wall rack as he hit the yard at a run. The glow over Nightfall had darkened; the smoke sat heavy, tasting of resin and burned herbs, Another blast thumped from deep in the halls. He pushed faster.
They reached the southern palisade as the first Demon Fangs broke from the brush, howling. Cassian’s men was there, dark armor, shields locked, holding a narrow gap by the river break. Bodies already littered the grass. The northerners were trading ground for time, and time was running out.
“Nightfall!” Collin’s roar cut through the clash. “On me!”
His warriors surged to fill the wedge. Shields slammed. Spears lowered. Arrows hissed over their heads and punched into the front rank of Demon Fangs, staggering them just long enough.
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Chapter 55
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Collin stepped into the gap and drove forward. Steel met bone. The line moved with him, one hard step at a time.
‘Tonight we live,‘ he told the link, voice like iron. ‘No one breaks. Drive them back to the trees and hold.’
Sadly, it didn’t take too long before he realized that something was wrong with his body.
CELESTE’S POV
“Lady Celeste, here are the herbs that we need- these are the only things that I could find.” Lilian said as she handed Celeste a bundle of herbs. “All of them are of low quality, but… it should do.”
Celeste nodded, her expression dark.
Lilian lowered her voice as she pushed another bundle of crushed stems and brittle leaves into Celeste’s hands. “Whoever set this knew the halls,” she said. “They lit the right rooms, hit the vents, and slipped through the servants‘ stairs. No one saw them until the smoke reached the main corridors. Do you think it’s an omega? Or it has something to do with the tyrant?”
Celeste’s jaw tightened. She ground the herbs in a mortar, the scent weak and stale. These are stock meant for fevers, not burns and poisoned lungs. It must be Lord Cassian! Cassian was supposed to be an ally. If he had turned, there had to be a reason. If it wasn’t him, then someone with a map of Nightfall had done this.
“Lord Cassian is our ally,” she said, mostly to steady herself.
“We don’t know that it’s him… YET,” Lilian replied, gathering bandages and checking the
nearest cots.
Celeste added water and worked the paste smoother. She counted patients in her head, smoke burns first, eyes next, then anyone with green–stained lips. She passed the bowl to a page. “Take this to the physician. Steam it. Cloth over the nose and mouth for anyone coughing blood. Keep the children by the back wall.”
A warrior burst through the door, helmet under his arm, soot across his cheek. “My Lady! Demon Fangs have been spotted at the south border. The Alpha has taken the line. Beta William orders the infirmary to hold until escorts arrive.”
Celeste’s stomach dropped. “What about the Luna?”
“No word,” he said. “Her link is dead. Last sighting near the library corridor.”
Lilian caught Celeste’s sleeve. “Breathe. The Luna is strong. The poisoned smoke can cut the link. They’ll find her.”
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Chapter 55
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Celeste nodded once and kept moving. “Tell Beta William we need masks and sand for the door gaps. If the black flame reaches this wing, water will spread it.”
The warrior saluted and ran.
Celeste didn’t waste time. She pushed a fresh bowl of paste into the physician’s hands. “Eyes first, then the throat. Short breaths. Rotate the children every five minutes to the clean–air
corner.”
Celeste moved from vent to vent, testing the draft and the heat bleeding through the stone. Something about the way the fire spread was wrong, but she had no time to unravel it. “Seal these with wet wool,” she told an attendant. “If the smoke thickens, we move to the stone cellar. I’ll take the children first. Lilian, you follow with the elders and anyone coughing blood.”
Lilian nodded and started assigning pairs.
Another dull blast sounded somewhere deeper in the keep. The air tasted of resin and char. Celeste paused long enough to steady a shaking patient and adjust the cloth over the girl’s mouth.
The noise in the corridors rose and fell like a tide. Celeste kept her voice even, issuing the next set of instructions, but the feeling in her chest didn’t ease. This didn’t look like a raid that got lucky. Someone wanted to hurt their pack!
“My Lady! My Lady!” Another warrior burst through the door, boots slipping on ash. “Bad news!”
“What happened?” Celeste asked.
“We received news… the Alpha-” He swallowed. “The Alpha is down. The Alpha is down!”
END OF BOOK 1
色
AD
