This wasn’t my first encounter with a mammoth. Six of the beasts had fallen by my blade. The creatures towered above, their tusks as thick as a man’s torso and twice as long, bearing a faint resemblance to boars. But their similarity ended with their shape. A mammoth’s rage dwarfed any beast’s fury.
They didn’t just lash out when provoked. They sought life to snuff it out. Villages, forests, even herds of animals—nothing was spared. Once roused, they wouldn’t stop until every living thing within reach lay lifeless. It wasn’t madness; it was annihilation.
I flexed my hand, glancing down as if I could see the tanned and weathered skin under the gauntlet. Elohios showed his blessing with light. Soldiers had seen firsthand their king glow with the radiance of the sun, blinding the enemy. I fought by that light, used it to my advantage.
But not now.
There would be no radiance. Only a hollow truth. If I failed, it would confirm what I already knew: I was no longer blessed. To live as a king stripped of his god’s favor would be a fate worse than death.
Even so, to wish for an end was to surrender Radaan to Tallon. His reckless ambitions would unravel everything. Nienna wasn’t bound to him yet; his power had no anchor. Without me, the kingdom would fall into chaos.
Doom pressed in from all sides. There was no victory here, only choices that led to ruin.
The road to the foothills teemed with people. They lined the path, their cheers swelling like a tide that grated against my ears. I urged my horse forward, its hooves skidding on the steep descent. This wasn’t the king they welcomed with revelry days ago. That man stayed behind. Now, I was the warrior that would protect them.
My horse’s muscles bunched and stretched beneath me as I adjusted the reins, steadying its stride. Foam flecked its neck, streaking through sweat as the foothills drew closer. The sun slanted low, casting long shadows, but there would be no pause until the mammoth fell.
Clay took the lead once we crossed the precarious wooden bridges spanning the land’s deep gorges. The structures groaned beneath our mounts, and the wind keened through the narrow ravines. I hated this place. Years ago, it nearly claimed my life during a battle with a Velli. Today, it might claim more than just me.
The mammoth waited somewhere to the south, between us and Reem. It needed to die before it reached the villages.
When the land leveled out, our horses surged into a gallop, hooves pounding the earth as we wove through shallow valleys and twisting roads. The townsfolk here moved with frantic energy, darting toward flimsy shelters. They weren’t cradled in the safety of mountains but stranded in the open, vulnerable to the beast’s wrath.
We skirted the Andeluith, racing for Lume. Its northern gates stood wide, a silent summons as we thundered through the opening in the oak walls. The streets lay empty, a sanctuary carved from fear.
Our horses heaved for breath by the time we reached the lord’s estate. The guards Clay assembled waited outside, their weapons gleaming in the dimming light. As I reined my horse to a stop, the ornate double doors swung open. An elderly man in fine robes emerged, bowing low, with a fist pressed to his chest. I mirrored the gesture, though my thoughts churned with urgency.
“You’ve called for aid!” My voice cut through the huffing of the horses.
“Beyond the southern gates, Your Majesty!” the man shouted. “A mammoth is tearing through the outlying villages!”
Wasting no time, I spun my horse and signaled Greaves to follow. Hooves hammered the ground as we turned toward the southern road.
“Princess, no!” Gayle’s shout broke through the clamor.
A quick glance back showed Nienna pulling hard on her reins, her face pale, her wide eyes betraying panic.
“I’ve seen dragons dismember–”
“You’ll get in his way!” Clay’s sharp voice cut her off as her horse shifted beneath her.
I didn’t bother trying to dissuade her with reason. Nienna couldn’t be scared into submission or cowed by tradition. Telling her the battle would be too bloody or improper would only strengthen her resolve. The only truth that could hold her back was that she might hinder me.
With a final glance, I turned away, leaning low over my horse’s neck to spur it into a gallop. The estate vanished behind us, taking Nienna with it.
Greaves remained at my side, his silent loyalty unbroken, but a shadow of doubt followed me. It wasn’t the fear of a king losing a princess. It was something deeper, more fragile—the terror of a man leaving the woman he loved behind, knowing he might not return.
Screams reached us before the devastation came into view.
A chorus of terrified cries rose over the treetops, mingling with the thunder of hooves. Two massive draft horses burst from the tree line, their coats lathered in sweat and their eyes wild with panic. They veered, their movements frantic, as if fleeing the shadow of death itself. My horse sidestepped, nostrils flaring at their scent.
Ahead, the village crouched at the forest’s fringe, its rooftops quaking from the distant crashes. I whirled my mount around, steering toward the chaos. The edge of the woods loomed in the distance—a battleground I preferred. There, the trees would force the beast to fight not just me, but the forest itself.
The sharp squeal of splitting timbers rent the atmosphere. My horse surged forward at my command, hooves pounding into the earth. A woman stumbled from a side street clutching a crying infant. Two children ran after her, their small legs pumping to keep pace.
“My king!” she shouted, her eyes locking on the green-and-gold banner of Radaan.
I spurred my mount past her, unwilling to waste time. Smoke curled skyward, and the village’s cries grew sharper, the clash of collapsing buildings echoing through narrow streets. Anger burned in my chest as I turned toward the destruction, cursing the beast for breaking through the village’s heart.
