🔥 Chapter 8 — The Frozen Bastion
The northern winds howled, whipping snow and ash across the jagged cliffs. Kael and Rhyne pressed forward, the Ember along Kael's arm glowing faintly against the white haze. The pulse from the Harrowed King's crack grew stronger the higher they climbed, vibrating through the mountains like a heartbeat of war.
"This terrain favors them," Rhyne warned, scanning the icy ridges. "The King's generals always prepare traps for anyone brave—or foolish—enough to challenge them."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Then we won't give them the chance. We strike first."
Ahead, a fortress emerged—a massive structure carved into the cliffs, black stone and frozen spires blending with the mountains. Smoke coiled from its towers, dark against the white landscape. The Frozen Bastion, as Rhyne called it, was said to house one of the King's most feared generals: the Frost Warden.
As they approached, the air grew colder, biting through cloaks and armor. The ground beneath their feet began to ice over, cracking and creaking under the weight of their horses. Shadows stirred along the walls of the fortress, watching, calculating.
Kael felt the Ember pulse in warning. The Frost Warden wasn't like the Lieutenant. Its power would be elemental, infused with ice and dark magic—precise, calculated, and deadly. Every step closer made the fire in Kael's veins flare with tension and anticipation.
Rhyne dismounted, kneeling to set up a wardstone. "This will slow reinforcements if they attempt to escape or call for aid. Once we enter, there's no turning back."
Kael's hand brushed his blade, flames flickering faintly. "Then we make it count."
The fortress gates groaned as massive spikes of ice erupted from the ground, blocking the path. Frost Warden's voice echoed, deep and chilling: "Intruders… your fire will be snuffed before it reaches me."
Kael's Ember flared in response, coiling around him like a storm contained in flesh. Rhyne's sigil blade hummed, silver light glowing against the ice.
The first guardians emerged—shadowed warriors fused with ice, moving with unnatural speed. Kael stepped forward, flames lashing, Rhyne following in sync.
The assault on the Frozen Bastion had begun.