The group gathered around the large wooden table, the flickering torches casting eerie shadows on the walls of the war room. Cyrin, his eyes still red-rimmed from his earlier breakdown, sat with a stoic expression, his emotions locked away once more. Kaelith sat to his right, a solid presence, while Duke Harlen presided over the meeting, his face grave.
"Alright, let's get to it," the duke said, his voice firm. "We have intel that Corvus's army is marching towards the Burning Valley. We need to decide how to respond."
Kaelith spoke up, his voice low and measured. "We can't let them reach the valley. The people, the crops... it's a humanitarian disaster waiting to happen."
Cyrin nodded, his voice devoid of emotion. "Agreed. We need to intercept them, take the fight to Corvus."
Duke Harlen nodded, his eyes scanning the map spread before them. "I agree. But we need to be careful. Corvus is a cunning foe, and he'll have traps and ambushes waiting for us."
The room fell silent as the messenger, a dusty and exhausted rider, burst into the war room, a look of panic on his face.
"My lords, a large army is marching from the north, towards the Burning Valley," he gasped, out of breath. "They're moving fast, and they're heavily armed. Estimates put their numbers at over five thousand."
The room erupted into chaos, with everyone speaking at once. Duke Harlen slammed his fist on the table, shouting for order.
"How did they get so close without being detected?" he demanded.
The messenger shook his head. "We don't know, my lord. They seem to have come out of nowhere. But they're moving fast, and they'll reach the valley within a day."
Cyrin's face was a mask of calm, but his eyes burned with intensity. "It's a trap," he said, his voice low and deadly. "Corvus must have been planning this for months, using the north army as a distraction while he attacks from the south."
Kaelith's face was grim. "We can't take on both armies at once. We need to choose our battle."
Duke Harlen's face was set. "We can't abandon the Burning Valley. We need to defend it, no matter what."
The group fell silent, weighing their options. The fate of the Burning Valley, and the people they had sworn to protect, hung in the balance.
"What do we do?" Kaelith asked, his eyes locked on Cyrin's.
Duke Harlen's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed in concern. "Wait, something's not right here. Corvus couldn't possibly coordinate two 5,000-man armies moving independently from different directions. That's not how he operates."
Kaelith's head snapped up, realization dawning on his face. "You think there's a third player involved?"
Cyrin's eyes seemed to gleam with a cold, calculating light. "It's possible. Maybe someone's backing Corvus, providing him with resources and manpower."
The room fell silent as the implications sank in. Duke Harlen's voice was low and serious. "If that's the case, we're not just fighting Corvus. We're fighting whoever's pulling the strings from the shadows."
The messenger shifted nervously. "My lords, there's more. The northern army... they don't have any banners, no insignia. They're like... shadows on the march."
Cyrin's face went still, his eyes locked on the messenger. "Shadows," he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "This is bigger than Corvus. This is about something darker."
Kaelith's jaw clenched. "We need to get the people out of the valley. Now."
Duke Harlen nodded, his face set. "Agreed. We'll sound the evacuation signal. Cyrin, Kaelith... you two take a team and scout the northern army. Find out what we're up against."
Cyrin and Kaelith exchanged a fierce nod, their minds racing with possibilities. The stakes had just been raised, and the darkness closing in seemed to grow thicker, more oppressive.
The room fell silent as the second messenger burst in, his face pale and sweaty.
"My lords, I'm reporting in from the western border," he gasped, out of breath. "A 5,000-man army has already reached the western border of the Burning Valley. They're moving into position, surrounding the valley."
The room erupted into chaos, with everyone speaking at once. Duke Harlen's voice boomed above the din, shouting for order.
"This is impossible!" Kaelith exclaimed. "How did they get there so fast?"
Cyrin's face was a mask of stone, his eyes narrowed in thought. "It's a coordinated effort," he said, his voice low and deadly. "Someone's orchestrating this, using multiple armies to surround us."
Duke Harlen's face was grim. "This can't be the work of only one man. Corvus may be ruthless, but he doesn't have the resources to command three separate armies. There's someone else involved here, someone pulling the strings from the shadows."
The room fell silent, the weight of the duke's words sinking in. Kaelith's face was set in a fierce scowl. "Who could be behind this?"
Cyrin's eyes seemed to bore into the distance, his voice dripping with venom. "It doesn't matter who it is. What matters is that we're surrounded, and we need to get out of here before it's too late."
Duke Harlen nodded, his face set. "Sound the evacuation signal. We'll get the people out of the valley, and prepare for a fight."
The messengers rushed off to spread the word, leaving the group to strategize. The air was thick with tension, the sense of impending doom hanging over them like a shroud.
"We need to find out who's behind this," Kaelith growled. "And we need to take them down."
Cyrin's eyes widened in shock as the pieces fell into place, his mind reeling with the implications. "It's not just Corvus," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the din of the room. "It's Duchess Ravenna Nightshade, the Sorceress of the Shadowfire Citadel."
The room fell silent, the air thick with tension as the weight of Cyrin's words settled in. Kaelith's face was a mask of confusion, his brow furrowed in an attempt to understand the significance of the name. "Ravenna Nightshade? I thought she was..."
"Dead?" Cyrin finished, his voice laced with irony, a cold smile spreading across his face. "So did I. But it seems she's very much alive. And she's brought her sister, Lilith, with her."
.