They had been given extra horses for the journey to switch out along the way, ensuring the mounts wouldn't tire carrying them and could maintain top speed. They rode nonstop, traversing a day-and-a-half's path in just a single day.
At midnight, when the weary riders finally arrived in the woods outside the city gates, they saw a terrifying light on the horizon in Veridia's direction. It was not the usual, warm citylight of Veridia. It was a violent, raging crimson and orange; glowing as if the entire city had become a massive funeral pyre.
Lorian's eyes went bloodshot. "WHAT THE FUC**N' HELL ON EARTH!" he screamed, violently pulling the reins. His horse reared up on its hind legs with a loud terrified neigh.
Jax and Kaelen immediately recalled Selena's warning. They rushed their mounts forward, blocking his path.
"Master! Your lowly servants beg you, please calm down!" Jax pleaded, "Calm down and order us what to do!"
"THE HELL WITH YOUR CALM DOWN!" Lorian rebuked, his voice shaking with rage, "My home is burning, and you are asking me to calm down?"
Kaelen joined Jax, placing his horse shoulder-to-shoulder with the guard's, "Think about it, Master. If we rush in without thinking, we might be falling straight into a trap."
Kaelen's words struck a chord, forcing Lorian back to reality. He took a massive breath, holding it before exhaling slowly. He nodded, about to speak, but Jax suddenly raised a hand. Lorian raised an eyebrow, signaling what happened?
Jax leaned in close and whispered, "Someone is coming… actually… multiple people… from the left!"
Everyone snapped into high alert, facing the dark tree line with weapons drawn. For a moment, they could hear or sense nothing. But soon, a thick bush on the left rattled violently.
"Who goes there?" shouted a Throne Guard, leveling his crossbow at the brush, "Reveal yourself or I will shoot!"
A massive, dark figure emerged from the shadows with his hands up, riding atop a large, black direwolf. It was a half-orc.
"High Chief of Veridia. I am Zot'r, new leader of the Black Riders," he declared in a deep and gravelly voice.
"How dare you approach us, you scum…. " the Throne Guard shouted.
"I am on order of our master," Zot'r interrupted, his posture turning slightly defensive, "He commanded us to receive the High Chief in these woods and guide him safely through the secret route."
The Throne Guard opened his mouth to snap back, but Lorian raised a hand to silence him. Then, to his men's utter astonishment, Lorian stretched his hand toward Zot'r. Their surprise turned to shock when Zot'r nodded in affirmation and nudged his direwolf slowly toward the Lord. Lorian's guards gripped their sword hilts tightly, ready to draw the moment the half-orc drew dangerously close.
At arm's length, Zot'r stopped and reached for his belt pouch. Steel hissed against scabbards in unison, but Lorian shook his head, signaling his men to hold. Zot'r pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it over.
It was written in a glowing, fluorescent ink, perfectly legible in the pitch black without the need to light a torch. Thoughtful, Lorian thought, a grim smirk playing on his lips. He read the message quickly and handed it back to Zot'r.
The half-orc patted his direwolf's head. As the beast opened its massive, fanged jaws, Zot'r shoved the paper inside. The direwolf chewed it down in a few wet gulps, destroying every trace of the message.
Watching the exchange, Kaelen and Jax instantly realized exactly who the new 'master' of the Black Riders was.
Lorian waved his hand, signaling Zot'r to lead the way. Zot'r let out a sharp, trilling whistle that perfectly mimicked a night bird. Suddenly, around twenty half-orcs mounted on snarling direwolves materialized from the thick undergrowth, encircling Lorian's group.
Forming a tight, protective vanguard, they resumed their journey, guided by a fierce female half-orc leading the pack. Zot'r rode his direwolf alongside Lorian's horse and whispered, "She is Nid'r. Even the beasts of this wood do not know the hidden paths better than her."
"Hmm," Lorian muttered, his mind racing, "Update me on the situation."
"I do not know the full of it, either," Zot'r said, his speech was blunt but measured, "We were locked deep in the city dungeons when the chaos started. The rest of the horde was waiting out here in the woods for our return. At midnight, we were approached by the master and a high-born lady. The master said he works for the High Chief, and he offered us a royal pardon and coin to employ us. He promised we would no more be hunted fugitives, but a recognized part of the official army. So, we swore the blood oath. He said he would make arrangements to release us soon, and left."
Zot'r paused, adjusting his grip on his mount's fur, "But at dawn, a huge explosion shook the stone. The master returned, smashed our chains, and gave us our first task- to hunt these woods, receive you when you arrived, and escort you back through the secret door."
Lorian's frustration boiled over. He exhaled a restless, agitated breath, "When you broke out of the dungeon and hit the streets, what did you see?"
"The city was on fire," Zot'r said, narrowing his yellowed eyes as he recalled the scene, "People were running in panic. Some city soldiers were trying to fight the fires. Other troops were dragging people from burning structures or herding them to safety."
"No fighting?" Lorian pressed.
Zot'r thought carefully, then shook his head, "No. I saw no swords clashing. But…" He paused, his thick brow furrowing, "There were countless arrows sticking from the rooftops and walls. They were painted in pitch and burning, if my eyes serve me true."
Lorian gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white on the reins, "Move fast. I need to reach the castle immediately!"
On his command, the entire contingent accelerated into a hard gallop. Near the castle border, where the thick woods began to thin into open shrubs and brush, the troop ground to a sudden, violent halt. Nid'r, the scout leading the formation, had raised her hand in an abrupt signal.
Kaelen quickly leaned toward Zot'r, whispering, "What happened?"
"She senses something…. "
Zot'r never finished the sentence. A heavy crossbow bolt cut through the air, darting forward with blinding speed. It penetrated Zot'r's mouth, tearing violently through one cheek and exiting the other before continuing its deadly trajectory. The bolt embedded itself deep into the neck of a Throne Guard riding directly behind him, throwing the man clean off his horse into the dirt.