Disaster, dropped from the heavens. The three local beast lords had never imagined they would be dragged into this mess.
Black Cloud's single, veiled threat had them trapped. If they refused, they would make an enemy of the Twilight Queen. If they agreed, they would make an enemy of the [Royal Arcane Guild].
They couldn't simply kill the Fiends and be done with it; if word got out, their betrayal would be seen as an even greater offense in the Queen's eyes.
It was a choice between two unwinnable fights.
In the end, the logic was simple. If they angered the Guild, they could flee, seek refuge under the Queen's banner, and perhaps survive in the Wild Abyss. If they angered the Queen, there would be nowhere to run.
The Kingdom Realms were no permanent home for a beast, and the Abyss would be closed to them. It was the lesser of two evils.
Sensing the heavy mood, White Orchid forced a smile. "Well, let's get to the ambush point, shall we?" She gave her husband a nudge, and the two of them leaped from the peak, disappearing into the woods below.
Corvus snorted. "If we succeed, there's no rule that says they have to be the ones to deliver the prize to the Queen."
The Rat Hag cackled, her voice like grinding stones. "We can settle our accounts with them after the battle."
The three exchanged a look of silent, vicious understanding and followed the Fiends down the mountain.
They didn't have to wait long. From their perch on the gorge rim, they saw it: a long, snaking column of men and horses emerging from the distant pass.
"Have our men pull back," Black Cloud ordered as the vanguard of cavalry galloped into view. "Keep them out of sight."
The five of them retreated deeper into the woods, hiding in the canopy of a massive tree to observe.
After a while, Black Cloud turned to the bald beast lord. "Brother Marsh, it's time for your fog. When they enter the gorge, we strike."
Roric Marsh nodded, dropped to the forest floor, and vanished. Soon, a chorus of croaking frogs echoed through the mountains.
His true form was a Mist-Shrouded Frog, a species native to the Wastes that could exhale vapor to conceal itself. A single frog's mist was insignificant. But Roric Marsh had summoned thousands of his kin, hidden in the damp earth and undergrowth for days, waiting for his call. This was why the Fiends had sought him out.
A thin, unnatural mist began to rise from the forest floor, at first barely visible, then thickening into a ghostly shroud.
Inside his carriage, Elias, who had been restlessly glancing out the window, suddenly went rigid. He pressed his face to the opening. The way the mist was moving... it wasn't right.
His Foresight Branch wasn't strong enough to see details at this distance, but he could read the larger patterns, the macro "aspects." Something was moving in the deep woods.
A lot of somethings. All of them just outside his normal range of vision. It was a classic sign.
An ambush.
His heart hammered against his ribs. He wanted to shout a warning, but the words caught in his throat.
"Brother Blackwood, what is the matter with you?" one of his carriage-mates complained, annoyed by his sudden, tense posture.
Elias slowly sat back down, then immediately stood up again, a pained look on his face. "Brother Qian," he said to the man nearest the door, "I feel... unwell. Nauseous. Might I sit by the door for some air?"
The man, bound by a scholar's code of conduct, grudgingly agreed.
Elias took his new seat, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. Should I say something? he agonized. Will they even believe me?
In the lead carriage, Master Jiang stared out the window, his brow furrowed.
"What has captured your attention, Master Jiang?" Agent Agent Kaelus asked, noticing the old archer's prolonged silence.
"The fog," Jiang said, his voice a low growl.
The word immediately caught the attention of Commander Favian.
"Is fog in the mountains not normal?" Agent Kaelus asked.
"It is," Jiang replied. "But not at noon, on an overcast day with no change in temperature. We've seen no fog all morning. Why would it appear so suddenly now?"
Favian and Agent Kaelus exchanged a look. "You believe there's something wrong with it?" Favian asked.
"Commander, Agent Kaelus ," the old archer said, his voice taking on a hard, clipped edge. "Do not forget who I am. I am a Legendary Archer. A bowman's life depends on his sensitivity to the elements. I have trained in every kind of mist since I was eight years old. This fog... is not natural."
His words carried an undeniable authority. Agent Kaelus's expression turned grim.
Master Jiang didn't elaborate. He pulled the map from the small table between them, found their current position, and traced the route ahead. "I recall a gorge, up ahead?"
A young officer riding alongside the carriage replied, "Yes, master. About two miles on, around the next bend. The Seven-Mile Gorge."
"How long? How wide?" Jiang demanded.
"Seven miles long, as the name implies," the officer reported. "About fifty yards at its widest, but mostly thirty. The walls are roughly a hundred feet high."
The old master's face hardened, his white hair seeming to stand on end. He roared, his voice cutting through the air like a whip. "Signal the entire convoy! HALT!"
The officer immediately raised his signal flag. "HALT!" he bellowed, the command echoing down the line.
The carriages jolted to a stop. "Master Jiang, are you certain?" Agent Agent Kaelus pressed.
"I am not certain," Jiang admitted. "But I have been a soldier my entire life. That gorge is a perfect kill box. Combined with this unnatural fog, I will not take the risk."
"Our scouts are up ahead," Commander Favian argued. "Wouldn't they have spotted something?"
"Scouts check the road, Commander, not every rock and crevice for seven miles," Jiang shot back. "If I were the enemy, I would let your column enter, then roll boulders down from the cliffs. Trap you. Crush you. How would we explain that to the Lord Governor? Send riders. Now. Search both sides of that gorge, top to bottom."
Agent Agent Kaelus was already out of the carriage, standing on the footboard. "Ten riders!" he commanded. "To the gorge! Scour the cliffs! Report back immediately!" A squad of Guild agents spurred their horses and galloped ahead.
"Two companies, into the woods on either side of the road!" Master Jiang ordered the military contingent. "Sweep the area!"
The sudden halt sent a jolt of adrenaline through Elias. He scrambled out of his carriage and stood on the running board, peering ahead. He saw the two squads disappear into the trees. A wave of relief washed over him. They know.
He had been debating whether to make up a story, to claim he'd seen figures in the woods. Now, it seemed he wouldn't have to. The men in charge were more competent than he'd imagined.
"Why have they stopped?" Black Cloud hissed from his treetop perch. The rest of the ambush party stared in disbelief. They were so close.
"They couldn't have spotted us," The Rat Hag rasped. "Our men are pulled back."
"They know something's wrong," Corvus said, pointing. "Look. They're sending men to sweep the woods."
"Send word," Black Cloud commanded. "Have our forces retreat another hundred yards."
As the fog thickened, they saw the search parties stick to the edges of the road, not venturing deep into the forest. A small relief.
A figure shot up from the forest floor, landing silently on a branch beside them. It was Roric Marsh. "What's happening? Why did they stop?"
"They're searching the roadside," Black Cloud explained. "They must have noticed the fog. Will they find your kin?"
Roric Marsh sneered. "They are frogs, buried in the mud. Are frogs in a forest not normal? They will find nothing."
Just then, another scout appeared, his voice a panicked whisper. "My lord! The gorge is compromised! A squad from the Guild just swept the cliffs. They were too thorough! They found the preparations!"
The five beast lords froze, their eyes snapping towards the distant, halted convoy.