Chapter 71: Tempest Unleashed

The castle was silent, but Reika paced her chambers furiously, her mind running over the warning from the spy: the family Dawn knows everything. Longer ago, it was Kael and Ileus who were summoned to oversee all the preparations; now, it is the quiet-Daisy bustle, trying to cut through with her helpfulness. Reika finally turned to Daisy, who had just set a steaming pot of tea down on the table. "Daisy, do you feel it?" Reika asked in an unusual quiet. "Feel what, Your Majesty?" Daisy asked, raising an eyebrow at Reika. "The weight of something big coming.", Reika whispered and looked out of the window. Daisy looked serious. "I do, but I believe in you. Whatever it is, we'll handle it together. Reika gave her a faint smile-appreciation for her loyalty-but deep down, she wasn't so confident this time. The sun was well in the sky when Kael burst in, frustration etched upon his face. "They're already making their move," he said, tossing a parchment onto the table. Reika scanned the document-from a scout, unusually high number of troop movements was going on near the southern border-the family of the Dawn and the forces of Velmir, closing in; their target clear: Reika's castle. "They're coming for us," Ileus said, entering. His voice was grim. "It's not just a raid. This is a siege. Reika clenched her fists. "Then let us prepare. Summon all our warriors, scouts, and healers. They want to see the extent of our strength, so let them have it-the queen of the mountains awaits their tests." Kael and Ileus looked at each other then nodded. Two men who knew the chances were against them, neither having a choice. With preparations underway, a surprise guest appeared before the castle gates. A rider, clad in the colors of the Dawn family, rode forth with a white flag in his hand. Reika, Kael, and Ileus met him in the great hall. The air was heavy with tension. "Speak quickly," Reika ordered, cold. He bowed low. "I bear a message from Lord Marcus of the house of Dawn." "Get to it," Ileus growled. The messenger straightened, smug surety in his tone now. "Lord Marcus proposes the following offer to you: you are to retreat from the castle, forego your claims to the throne, and swear fealty to House Dawn. Your people are spared, and your-. Reika laughed coldly, her wolf power crackling just beneath the surface. 'That's his offer? A queen kneeling to a pack of cowards? Tell Marcus I'd rather die standing than live on my knees." The messenger flinched but recovered quickly. 'You're making a grave mistake, Your Majesty. Lord Marcus does not take rejection lightly." "Neither do I," Reika returned, her eyes aglow with a light soft. "Now begone from my sight, lest I lose what little patience I have." The messenger bowed and retreated, but not before the smirk on his lips had grown wider, stirring the fire in Reika's chest all the more. With the night drawing in, it brought a variety of frantic movements inside the castle: warriors sharpening their blades, scouts sending messages everywhere, and healers readying themselves for the wounds that would soon occur. Reika was on the walls, looking straight into the horizon. The storm raged-twisting in the sky, rolling onto the field. Ileus joined her, his face expressionless as ever. "They will strike soon," he said. "Are you prepared for this? Reika nodded. "I have to be. We all do. Then, in a moment, a horn ripped the night, and then the sounds of scrabbling feet. Then, all at once, the army of House Dawn was upon them, their torches boiling like wild stars in the dark. "Here they come," Kael breathed, scrambling up onto the wall beside them. Reika now faced her warriors, unmoving and unwavering: "This is our home, our people, our legacy. We do not fight merely to exist, but for the cause of honor. Let them come and let them fall." A thunder of approval exploded from the warriors as resolution set hard in the face of the immediate danger. The first wave of attackers struck close to midnight: steel clashed with steel and filled the air with battle cries. Reika's warriors fought against this with all ferocity in defending the castle. The wolf's power coursed through her veins, lending speed and strength as Reika fought with her people. She moved with the shadow; her torn-through claws were making precision lines. Kael and Ileus tore into the army as surely as one was a counterbalancing weight to the other: explosive in speed, multiple in power. Reika knew despite it, there was just a taste in the air, telling something in a way that seemed very wrong-even against all the chaos, those were tactics, no more, even some manner of delaying courtesy of House of Dawn. "Something's amiss, " she apprised him during the roar of gunfire. Kael nodded without looking away from the battlefield. "Same here, this isn't the prime." The incessant din of the clash of steel upon steel was cut as a running scout reached Reika's position, his face white as a ghost. "Your Majesty, the eastern gate. Movement, an attempt at breaching by a smaller force." Reika's heart had fallen. That part was the eastern gate, the most vulnerable point in this castle. If these foes could find a way in, her army would get flanked. "Ileus, take some men and seal the gate," she ordered. He nodded and vanished into the chaos. Reika wheeled back to the main fight, something gnawing her gut, telling her things weren't right. Too well-worn, something wafted, her head twitching hard in its direction-Marcus. "He's here," she growled. It was an instinct of a wolf, flared to life inside. Kael shot at look in her direction. "What are you talking about?" "Marcus. He is here. I can smell him," she growled, aglow eyes. Her senses had driven her deep within the heart of the battle till she saw him-Marcus. He stood atop a hill, his guards beside him, that smugness upon his face, his very aspect an affront as it made her blood boil. "Marcus!" she screamed over the din. He turned and his smirk went a little wider. "Ah, Queen Reika. How nice of you to join me." She'd already extended her claws, her wolf surging to life beneath hers with power. "This ends tonight." Marcus only laughed, confident. "Oh, it will end, my dear queen. But not in the way you think." With that said, a deafening explosion boomed across the battlefield as smoke and fire enveloped her eastern gate, sending ripples of panic through her ranks. She could only listen to the sound of Marcus's laughter as he was engulfed by smoke after his move, leaving Reika to cope with the repercussions of the latter. "Prepare for the worst," Reika muttered, the words trying to make her resolve crystal clear. "This war is far from over."