The summons came in the te afternoon. A royal courier arrived at our door, breathless and pale, bearing Queen Lyshara’s seal. I didn’t need to open the scroll to know the message was urgent.

  We arrived at the pace within the hour, escorted into the council chamber. Queen Lyshara stood at the center, not on her throne, but pacing, rare for someone so poised. Around her stood few council members, generals, and one unfamiliar figure, a tall tigerkin noble, wearing travel-stained robes. He had orangish skin and some parts of his skin, mainly his arms and face were covered in some light brown stripes.

  When she saw us, Lyshara wasted no time.

  “There’s been a problem,” she said. “Not like Terevan. This is... different.” Her gaze moved toward the tigerkin man. “Lord Avaran, please.”

  The noble stepped forward. He was maybe in his 50s.

  “My home is Yirelen, a frontier city under Her Majesty’s protection,” he began. “For generations, we’ve guarded the southern border. Nothing has ever breached it… but I’m afraid it won’t st long.”

  Evie and I exchanged a gnce as he continued.

  “It’s the Ashen Bdes,” he said. Ravenna’s brows furrowed. Avaran continued, “They were once the pride of Varlon’s mercenary guilds, ten warriors from different races. They worked for many nobles and served the kingdom for years and protected thousands of lives. But now They’ve fallen. They’re no longer defenders. They’ve turned into marauders. They pilge, burn, and…” He swallowed. “Worse. No one is spared. Not even children.”

  Ravenna was the first to speak. “Why would they do this?”

  “We don’t know,” Avaran replied. “But the st survivors from the razed vilges say they move like predators in heat. They don’t speak. And their eyes are filled with rage.”

  I stepped forward “Could it be corruption?”

  Lyshara nodded slowly. “That’s what we’re hoping. And that’s why I sent for you, Lady Ayra. You purified those in Terevan. If there’s even a shred of the Ashen Bdes’ original selves left, your mana might bring them back.”

  I swallowed. “And if not?”

  The queen’s face was grim. “Then we cannot allow them to reach Yirelen.”

  Vae crossed her arms. “How far are they from the city?”

  “Two days at most,” Avaran said. “Yirelen’s walls are shallow. We have no time to mobilize reinforcements. That’s why I came alone, I rode nonstop.”

  “We’ll go,” I said, before I could even hesitate. “We’ll try to save them.”

  Ravenna stepped to my side. “We’ve healed so many,” she said, softly. “If they still have their minds, we must try.”

  Evie nodded. “We’ll do what we can.”

  “Good,” Lyshara said. “You leave at first light. Supplies and mounts are being prepared. I must also tell you, Like we pnned, Mara and her temple were to join you tomorrow. For the cultivation.”

  I winced. “This came at the worst time.”

  “I sent her the message that you won’t be avaible for at least a week. She understands,” the queen said. “She’s told me she and the nuns are willing to wait. As long as it takes. She also said,” Lyshara added, “that if you don’t return, she’ll personally march to the south and raze every corrupted soul herself.”

  That made me smile.

  We departed the next morning, just before sunrise. I rode with Ravenna, while Vae, Evie, and Avaran followed us.

  For hours, we rode in silence, the ndscape changing from vilges to forest to grassnd, then into the dry, rocky stretches that signaled we were approaching the frontier.

  We pressed onward.

  As we neared Yirelen, we could see the city, a humble sprawl of stone and thatched roofs behind shallow walls.

  The gates of Yirelen groaned open as we approached, the guards recognizing Avaran at once.

  The city beyond was quieter than I imagined. You could tell this pce had been on edge for days. Merchants spoke in hushed tones. Children were kept inside. And many shops were closed.

  Avaran led us past the main square, where the market stalls had been half-abandoned, and into a quieter quarter. “This way,” he said. “There’s an estate we keep for visiting nobles and royal guests. You’ll find food, water, and beds to rest and recover. I’ll gather what fighters I can and return shortly.”

  He sounded exhausted, but determined.

  We entered the estate. A few servants bowed politely and offered drinks. Avaran showed us our rooms and was about to turn away, the door behind us opened again with a creak. A woman stood in the doorway.

  “Father,” she said. “I’m here to help.”

  When I turned to see her, I nearly forgot to breathe.

  She was stunning.

  Taller than me, lean and sculpted like a dancer who also knew how to break bones. Scars criss crossed her arms and brown stripes curled around her biceps and shoulders on orange skin, identical to Avaran’s. Her blonde hair was tied back, messily, and a single braid rested over one shoulder. Her eyes were green like emeralds. Tiger-like ears sprouted out of her hairs and flicked behind her.

  “This is my daughter, Zari,” Avaran said. “The most skilled warrior this city has ever produced.”

  Zari snorted and waved a dismissive hand. “Please don’t embarrass me, father. I’m not even the best archer on our street.”

  He chuckled softly, but there was pride in his eyes. “Don’t listen to her modesty. When she was just sixteen, she took down a mountain lion with nothing but a curved dagger.”

  She grinned. “Still have the pelt. Makes a great rug.”

  Avaran Pced a hand on her shoulder and nodded once before stepping out. He had soldiers to gather.

  Then her expression softened as he left. “Still surprises me how he talks about me now. For years, he didn’t even acknowledge me publicly.” She turned to us and shrugged. “I’m his bastard. Kept a secret while his wife was alive. I think he was afraid of what people would say. Or maybe afraid of her.”

  There was no bitterness in her tone.

  “So. You’re the ones sent by the queen.”

  “We are,” I said. “I’m Ayra. This is Ravenna, Vae, and Evie.”

  She nodded at each of us, pausing on Ravenna a little longer. “You’re the elven mage, right? I’ve heard of you. Fought at Dren’s Pass.”

  Ravenna tilted her head. “That was a long time ago.”

  We sat in the shaded inner hall while servants brought in food, ftbread, fried lentils, meat spiced and roasted with herbs I couldn’t name. Zari stretched out on a cushion, watching us as we ate.

  “I just got back yesterday,” she said, chewing idly. “Been gone for years. Adventuring, mercenary work, some treasure hunting up north. But when I heard Yirelen might be next... I came running.”

  “You’ve seen the Bdes?” Vae asked.

  She nodded. “Not up close. But I’ve seen what they leave behind.”

  Her expression darkened. “They don’t just kill, they destroy. Burn entire homes for silver or gold. Drag women from their beds. If you stand in their way, they gut you. If you give them what they want, they still might. Nobody understands why. It started only a month ago, and already they’ve wiped out at least nine vilges and small cities. Pces without garrisons. No real walls.”

  Zari studied me again, more seriously this time and then looked at Vae and Evie. “Just curious to know, you three don’t seem like warriors, why did Queen Lyshara send you” she said.

  “Yes, we’ve never fought before but we can defend ourselves,” Evie said.

  “That’s good,” Zari said, rising to her feet with an almost feline grace. “Still, I respect your decision to come here.”

  Ravenna looked at me asking, “Should we tell her?”

  I nodded.

  “Lady Ayra, isn’t here just to fight. But she’s here to help them, she can cure the corruption.”

  “What do you mean?” Zari asked, surprised. “None of the alchemists have found any cure for it anywhere in Varlon.”

  “Are you aware of the messiah prophecy of Ancient Yevari faith, Zari?” Ravenna asked.

  “Yes, I am. The one about the messiah being both man and a woman, right?”“Yes, and Lady Ayra is the same messiah that prophecy talked about. She has blessed me with her mana, and through her blessing I can cure anyone from corruption.”

  Zari still seemed skeptical of our cims. I was already expecting this reaction.

  “I think we should show her.” Vae said.

  Ravenna nodded.

  “Can you call Avaran and take us to the prison where you keep your corrupted citizens?” Ravenna asked.

  Zari nodded and told a guard to call Avaran.

  ***

  We followed Avaran through the stone halls of the prison.

  Zari walked beside me. She didn’t fully believe it yet.

  The gate groaned open, and we stepped inside.

  The prisoners were kept in individual cells, twenty of them. Most sat or crouched in corners, twitching or mumbling. One hissed at us through the bars, his eyes bloodshot, skin blotched with gray veins. Another had grown unnaturally rge, her limbs twisted, muscles pulsing like they were struggling to break free of her bones.

  Ravenna stepped forward, holding a cy bowl in her hands. Inside it, simple rice and broth, ced with her mana.

  She walked to the first cell. The prisoner, a young cat girl whose skin had bckened around her neck and jaw, looked up as Ravenna knelt and slid the bowl through a small slot.

  The prisoner lunged at the food like a starving dog and devoured it.

  Zari flinched. Avaran said nothing, watching with narrowed eyes.

  And then the change began.

  The prisoner dropped the bowl and gasped, choking. Her body trembled. Her back arched violently, and she let out a scream that chilled me. Her limbs contorted, then cracked back into pce. The gray-bck veins began to recede, color returning to her skin like water washing away ink. Her breathing slowed. Her hands unclenched.

  She blinked.

  Then sat back, confused.

  “I… where am I?” she whispered.

  Zari’s eyes went wide.

  Avaran stepped forward, gripping the bars. “Can you tell me your name?”

  “Selith,” she said slowly.

  He turned to me, stunned. “Queen Lyshara wasn’t lying.”

  Ravenna stood, exhaling. She looked at me. “It worked.”

  We didn’t stop there.

  Ravenna repeated the process in three more cells. Each time, the prisoners screamed, convulsed and emerged sane and soon every single prisoner was cured.

  But she was sweating now, breathing hard. Her mana was draining fast. She turned to Zari, who had barely said a word the entire time.

  “You understand now, don’t you?” Ravenna said, voice quiet but firm. “This power isn’t mine. Not entirely. I was only able to do this because I shared Ayra’s essence. Her mana. Her blessing. She is the reason these people are whole again. I didn’t purify them. Ayra did, through me.”

  Zari looked at me. “I believe,” she said. “I believe now.”

  Avaran bowed his head.

  Ravenna stepped to my side and took my hand. Her fingers trembled. Her body leaned against mine.

  “We should rest,” I said. “You need to save your energy. There are more to save tomorrow.”

  ***

  We spent the rest of the day resting and woke up in the evening when a scout burst through the gates, panting and mud-streaked.

  “They’re close,” the scout said, breath ragged. “They’ve set up a camp just beyond the western forest. Maybe they’ll be here by morning.”

  Zari was already moving before he finished the sentence, her hand gripping the hilt of her bde. Avaran’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t look surprised. He turned and gave orders, summon the captains, ready the watch, and light the beacons.

  We were called to the city’s main hall, me, Ravenna, Vae, Evie, and a few others I hadn’t seen before.

  Captain Russel arrived not long after. He was towering orc with blue skin, quiet, experienced, and calm in a way only seasoned warriors ever were. He nodded at Zari.

  With him came the others.

  Miren, a reptile-kin warrior monk with sleek emerald scales and long braids threaded with silver rings.

  Anika, a wolfgirl archer and she was an old friend of Zari.

  Jassir, a naga man, serpentine from the waist down.

  And Serril, a sharp-featured elven mage. He looked more schor than soldier.

  Zari and Russel took center, unfurling a map over the long stone table. The city’s limits were marked with charcoal, and colored pins.

  “They hit at dawn,” Zari said, tracing a path on the map. “Always. Just before first light. Most towns they hit were asleep when the fires started.”

  “They’re smart,” Russel added, his voice a low rumble. “They spread out in a crescent, surround the outer buildings, block the roads in and out, then push inward. Fast, brutal, no time to rally a defense. We’ll have to scramble their formation, make the battlefield chaotic, so they can’t strategize and overpower us.”

  “This time, we’ll meet them before they reach the gates,” Zari said. “We’ll move our group ahead of the city. There’s enough cover and high ground.”

  Ravenna leaned forward. “You want to intercept them before they know we’re here.”

  “Exactly,” Zari said. “We don’t need to win. We just need to hold them long enough to try what you came here for. Capture one, see if they’re still salvageable and then that one individual might help us stop the rest.”

  “We’ll try,” Russel said. “But if they try to go for the civilians…”

  “Then we end them,” Zari finished, blunt as a bde.

  Avaran entered then, fnked by aides, carrying a wooden box filled with essence stones. He began distributing them, one by one. Weapons were offered next.

  “You’ll have a few citizens fighting with you,” Avaran said. “Volunteers. Not many, but they know the nd and are ready to die for it. They’ll follow your lead.”

  “Let’s make sure they don’t have to,” I said quietly.

  We wrapped our pns by moonrise.

  “We’ll rest in shifts,” Russel said.

  Gd that we had taken some nap after returning from the prison.