"Protect His Highness!" Kyle barked, snapping Lucien back to reality.
The knights shifted instantly—blades rising, shields locking around him.
The werewolf roared and swung its other fist. Lucien barely reinforced his shield before it shattered like glass. In a blur, the beast tore through their line and snatched the woman from his grasp.
Metal clanged as Kyle's sword arced upward, grazing the beast's flank as it vaulted away. The wound sealed before a single drop of blood could fall. Landing atop a thick branch, the beast set her down with unnerving care.
"Impressive, Your Highness." She smiled, eyes gleaming as she looked down at him. "You almost turned the tide."
Lucien's stomach tightened. She hadn't been a hostage. She had deliberately let me catch her.
Sparks flickered as the knights shot a fireball skyward, but with a flick of her fingers, the flames snuffed out midair. The horses reared, their riders doubling over, groaning as they clutched their chests.
She dispelled the magic.
"Oh, I can't let you do that," she said sweetly, as though humoring a child.
A twig snapped behind them. Lucien's eyes darted to the trees. Black-robed figures closed in from all sides. At the edges, those who had fallen earlier began to stir, dragging themselves upright once more.
"Come," she crooned. "Surely you have something more interesting to show me, no?"
A low growl rumbled from the cultists' ranks. Claws tore through their gloves. Teeth jutted past their lips. Beneath their hoods, eyes glowed crimson.
Despite everything, Lucien was grateful it was daylight. Had the sun begun to set, they would have fully transformed, and then they'd be unstoppable. Even so, they were still fast and powerful.
Lucien sheathed his dagger and summoned a sword, the blade flashing into his hand as he dropped into a defensive stance. Kyle and the knights dismounted, slapping the horses' flanks to send them galloping into the trees before forming a tight circle around him.
With his magic and Kyle's aura, they might not win, but they could survive. What worried him more was the woman. If she triggered the Mana disruption again, it would be over.
Kyle took a step closer, voice low. "Orders?"
Lucien drew a Magic Stone from his ring and hurled it to the ground. A burst of light erupted, flooding the area with a harsh white glare.
When the beasts groaned, Lucien conjured a blazing wall that surged toward them like a tide and shouted, "Move!"
Aura flared as they burst forward in a blur.
According to the lore, werewolves were vulnerable to silver, light, and fire. With no silver at hand, blinding their sight and wielding flame were their only options. The forest might burn, but if it did, the smoke could serve as a signal for reinforcements.
As light faded, guttural snarls split the air, followed by rustling leaves and snapping twigs. Blurs of motion streaked past, werewolves leaping from branch to branch with terrifying speed. Even with their bodies enhanced by Aura, they couldn't match the creatures' pace.
A chill brushed Lucien's skin. He glanced over his shoulder to see a swirling blizzard swallow the flames behind them, smothering the fire beneath frost and ash. The smoke vanished into the storm.
Lucien clicked his tongue and looked ahead. She hadn't let a single signal escape.
Even if he set the entire forest ablaze, she'd summon another storm to extinguish it. Best not to waste Mana; he still didn't know what else she might have up her sleeve.
Shadows dropped among them—too fast for steel to meet. Branches snapped, and the shapes vanished into the canopy. They weren't attacking. Not yet.
Embers flickered as a knight shot a fireball skyward.
Lucien's body stiffened. "On whose orders?!"
The fire died midair as a knight doubled over, clutching his chest. A werewolf lunged, dragging him away. The group halted—spells fired—but the beast vanished in a blur, leaving the man sprawled on the ground.
He stirred with a groan, but another werewolf dropped onto him. Talons raked his throat before it vanished into the trees. Blood pooled beneath the lifeless body.
A deafening scream rang out. A knight behind them was yanked off his feet and dragged into the underbrush. Spells flew, but they disappeared into the shadows.
A new shadow fell from above, and Lucien hastily threw up several layers of barriers around the group. The outermost shield cracked as the werewolf landed atop it, spiderwebbing under the force.
He turned to the knights: pale faces, sweat beading down their brows, breaths ragged.
"I know you're shaken," Lucien said, forcing the tremor from his voice. "But has anyone here ever fought a werewolf?"
A row of shaken heads answered him.
Understandable. The cult shouldn't have moved this early.
"They regenerate fast," Lucien continued. "Aim for the heart—it's the only way to keep them down. Do not waste your strikes."
The pounding outside grew deafening, claws scraping against the barrier like steel on glass.
"I know your duty is to protect me," Lucien said, wiping the sweat trickling down his chin. "But I don't want any of you dying for me. I want all of us to survive," he exhaled quietly, steadying his breath. "From now on, no more signal flares. She won't let anything through."
The bitter truth was that she far outclassed him in magic, and provoking her was not an option.
"Yes, sir!" the knights chorused.
Lucien gave a sharp nod. "Good. Reset formation."
Boots crunched over dried leaves as the group repositioned around him. A thunderous crack split the air above; heads snapped up as the outermost barrier shattered into shards.
Lucien faced them again. "Once I dismiss the barrier, run. Full speed."
"Understood!"
He tightened his grip on his sword. "Let's get out of here alive."
With that, Lucien dismissed the barrier, and the group shot forward like lightning.
Dark blurs streaked past on both sides, werewolves bounding from branch to branch. One dropped to their left, and another to their right—steel hissed, but both vanished into the trees before steel could bite.
Lucien narrowed his eyes, tracking the blurred shadows weaving through the canopy on both sides.
Timing their movement, he cast a spell.
Sludgy walls surged up from the ground on both flanks. Five beasts slammed into them, limbs swallowed by the mire. A sixth leaped, only to crash into the wall, stuck mid-chest.
"The hearts!" Lucien shouted.
The knights hurled spells, striking with deadly precision. Six down. The rest slowed, blurred shapes melting back into the trees until only the rustle of leaves remained.
Seventeen left. Kyle had taken down ten before—still too many in play.
"They're adapting," Kyle muttered, eyes scanning the canopy.
"Yes," he breathed.
That was the difference. These weren't mindless monsters; they were intelligent. "Let's move faster," Lucien urged.
A new game had begun.