Kohen walked down a castle corridor with a stack of documents in his arms. Ever since General Higgins had arrived nearly two weeks ago, Kohen had been reduced to little more than an errand boy for the Drurus army. Each morning, he was sent scurrying through Jux, gathering supplies and fulfilling the captains’ endless requests—everything from fresh tunics and new boots to spare weapons and maps. No matter how small the request, Kohen had no choice but to comply. The general had made it clear: Kohen was responsible for keeping the army running smoothly, ensuring every little detail was handled. And if anything slipped through the cracks, Higgins wouldn’t suffer the consequences—it would be Anwen.

  That was enough to keep Kohen silent and dutiful. He never complained, at least not out loud, and kept his head down. After lunch, his duties shifted to reviewing reports and drafting summaries for his evening meeting with Higgins. It was a thankless task, as the general never so much as glanced at them, but Kohen knew better than to slack. The moment Higgins decided to actually read one of his reports, any error—no matter how small—could be used as an excuse to tighten Arnav’s leash around Anwen’s throat.

  Despite all this, Kohen still had hope. In a few days, the fighting would begin, and Higgins, along with the bulk of his soldiers, would move deeper into Sylvaris. Kohen would be left behind in Jux, overseeing things from a distance. If the Gods were merciful, the war would be over within a few months, and then—finally—he could return to Anwen’s side. A small smile grew across his lips at the thought of his wife. He could already imagine the warmth of her in his arms again. And if Arnav was in a generous mood, perhaps Kohen could take her back to his family’s estate for a time.

  With a sigh, he stopped in front of the council chamber doors. He shifted the papers in his hands and smoothed his hair before exhaling slowly. After one last glance at the documents to ensure everything was in order, he pushed open the door.

  However, Kohen instantly froze.

  He had expected to find Higgins waiting for him. What he hadn’t expected was the sight of a woman bent over the table and her dress bunched up at her waist, with Higgins thrusting into her mercilessly. Her whimpers filled the room, tears rolling down her face as she clenched her fists against the wood. She did not resist—likely because she knew it would do no good. The general had a tight grip on her hair, keeping her pinned.

  “Oh, come on,” Kohen muttered, keeping his gaze on the floor as he walked over to his seat. “I work in here.”

  “And?” Higgins barely spared him a glance as he continued his rough pace. “You expect me to ignore a fine sow when she presents herself?”

  Kohen clenched his jaw and looked away as his stomach twisted in disgust.

  “Isn’t this your fourth woman since arriving?” He questioned dryly. “How many bastards do you plan on siring before you’re satisfied? One wasn’t enough?”

  “Need to have some spares,” Higgins grunted. With a final thrust, he finally climaxed, finishing inside the woman.

  His grip on her hair loosened, and he slowly pulled his cock out from her. With his free hand, he grabbed onto her dress, using it to wipe himself clean. The woman flinched but did not protest. Instead, the moment he released her hair, she scrambled off the table and rushed toward the door.

  “Don’t go too far now,” Higgins called after her with a smirk. “I’ll be needing a warm hole again later.”

  The woman didn’t slow down before disappearing into the corridor. Higgins chuckled and finally fastened his pants before dropping into the chair beside Kohen. But the general raised a brow when he noticed the young lord’s darkened expression as he stared down at the stack of documents in front of him.

  “What?” The general inquired with a lazy smirk. “Something you’d like to say?”

  “No,” Kohen said firmly, shaking his head. “Nothing at all.”

  “Oh, come now,” Higgins urged as he rested his chin on his fist. “What is it? Do you find what I’m doing distasteful?”

  Kohen didn’t answer. He simply turned his attention back to the papers, pulling out the general’s copies and sliding them across the table. But Higgins wasn’t about to let it go. The look of disgust on Kohen’s face intrigued him far too much.

  “Is it because you’re jealous?”

  “Why the hell would I be jealous of you sleeping with random women?” Kohen scoffed. “I’m married.”

  “So?” Higgins shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “What does marriage have to do with any of this?”

  “Are you saying that if you were married—let’s say to Princess Cerys—you’d still carry on like this?” Kohen questioned with narrowed eyes. “Sowing your seed wherever you pleased?”

  “Of course I would!” Higgins exclaimed, grinning. Then he leaned forward, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. “Not only would I sleep around, but I’d have Cerys right there with me. You think a woman like her would be content with just one man? Every time I’ve gone to her chambers, she’s had one of her pretty, well-endowed ladies-in-waiting there, too. And since I can’t put my cock into the princess’s pussy, I have to put it somewhere. And you should see that girl… When I’m thrusting into her lady, Cerys is right there, having that girl lick her—”

  “Alright, alright. Spare me the details,” Kohen cut him off, raising his hands in surrender.

  “Squeamish,” Higgins scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

  “No,” Kohen corrected with a frown. “I’m just a faithful man. Plus, I’ve known Cerys since she was a child. I don’t need to hear about what she does behind closed doors.”

  “Faithful! Ha!” Higgins laughed. “Look at you, acting like some devout husband while your wife lives like a prisoner in Arnav’s palace.”

  Kohen’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t take the bait. Higgins smirked, waving a hand in the air as if to dismiss the matter.

  “I’ll be faithful, too. When I marry Cerys, she’ll be my priority—as it should be. But I have needs, and so does she. Others will join our bed, but in the end, she’ll be the one who sleeps in my arms, not some maid with perky tits.”

  “You think Arnav would let you marry Cerys?” Kohen inquired with an arched brow.

  “It’ll be what I ask for when I win him this war,” Higgins said, standing from his chair. He walked over to the wine decanter, poured himself a glass, and swirled the dark liquid before taking a sip. “I’m handing Arnav an entire kingdom. When he asks what I want in return, I’ll tell him I want Cerys’s hand in marriage.”

  Kohen leaned back, eyeing the general curiously.

  “So you want to be king?”

  “Me? No!” Higgins shook his head with a grin. “I’ll stick to what I do best—fighting Arnav’s wars and carving out new land for him. If our queen or some other poor soul fails to give him a son, then maybe Cerys and I can give him a grandson. And if the Creators are kind, our son will have a dragon.”

  The general paused, taking another sip of his wine.

  “I doubt Arnav would mind ruling another twenty, twenty-five years while waiting for the boy to come of age.”

  “You know,” Kohen muttered. “I can’t tell if you’re stupid or smart. Because only a fool would want to marry into that family.”

  “Speaking from experience, huh?” Higgins inquired.

  Kohen nodded, opening his mouth to respond just as a knock echoed through the room. Higgins raised a brow, then waved Kohen toward the door, silently instructing him to answer it. Letting out a quiet huff, Kohen pushed himself up from his chair and walked across the room. As he opened the door, he noticed a soldier standing on the other side. The man held a rolled parchment, and Kohen reached out his hand to accept it.

  But the soldier stepped past him without acknowledgment, marching straight toward Higgins. Kohen clenched his jaw, holding back a glare as the soldier presented the letter to the general. Higgins set the goblet of wine aside before taking the parchment. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the man, who saluted and exited quickly.

  There was silence in the room as Higgins unrolled the letter. While he scanned the contents, his expression darkened. Kohen noticed how his fingers tightened around the parchment and hesitantly stepped forward.

  “How useless is this kingdom?” Higgins muttered when he finally tossed the letter onto the table.

  “What’s wrong?” Kohen inquired cautiously.

  “That… whatever he is of Walford…” Higgins sneered, shaking his head. “His men are marching this way.”

  “What?” Kohen blinked.

  “Apparently, they received orders from their lord to join my ranks in Jux.”

  “When did Reece tell them to do that?” Kohe murmured in disbelief.

  “I don’t know!” Higgins snapped, slamming a fist against the wall. “But we’re about to find out.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Without another word, he stormed toward the door. Kohen hesitated only a moment before following. They moved quickly through the castle, down the stone corridors, until they emerged into the courtyard.

  By the time they reached the outskirts of the army encampment outside the city walls, the Walford soldiers were coming over the horizon. Higgins crossed his arms, scowling as he looked at the approaching forces. He muttered under his breath about the Earl’s incompetence, promising to pen a letter that would rip the man apart for overstepping his authority.

  “He has no right to move his men away from Walford,” Higgins grumbled. “Does he think I have the time or patience to deal with his foolishness? I should—”

  But Kohen wasn’t listening. His gaze was locked onto the soldiers at the front. Something about them felt off. Though they wore Walford’s colors, their formation was too tight… too disciplined. Then, his eyes landed on one particular man. Even through the helmet, something about him felt familiar.

  Kohen’s stomach twisted after a few more seconds, and his heartbeat quickened.

  “No…” he whispered as his body went stiff. “That’s Rhett.”

  Higgins, who was too preoccupied with his own ramblings, didn’t hear him.

  “What?”

  “That’s not Walford men,” Kohen said louder as he stepped back. “That’s Rhett and his army.”

  Higgins’ eyes went back to the approaching soldiers. Then, with a smirk forming, the general reached for his sword and unsheathed it.

  “Well,” he chuckled darkly, rolling his shoulders. “It seems the dragon outsmarted us.”

  He turned to his men, raising his sword high.

  “Everyone! Prepare to fight!”

  The moment Higgins shouted the order, chaos erupted. Drurus’s army scrambled, with soldiers hastily grabbing weapons and putting on armor—if they even had any nearby to begin with. Some had only partial plating, tightening straps, and fastening buckles as they rushed forward. Others grabbed whatever they could find for a weapon—axes meant for chopping wood, spears with dulled tips, unsharpened swords from the blacksmith. It was clear that none of them had been expecting a fight that day.

  But the Drurus men would fight without hesitation.

  The first clash of weapons went out as Rhett’s men slammed into Drurus’s unprepared line. A soldier in mismatched leather and iron barely had time to raise his shield before a sword cut clean through the leather, slicing deep into his shoulder. The man screamed, stumbling back, and was quickly trampled by the next wave of bodies rushing forward.

  A spear was tossed amidst the chaos, striking a Drurus soldier in the gut. He fell with a gurgled cry, dropping his war hammer onto the ground. Another Drurus man picked it up, swinging it wildly and knocking a Sylvaris soldier off his feet. But the fallen man in Walford’s armor rolled and slashed his blade across the Drurus fighter’s thigh.

  Higgins had more soldiers, but Rhett’s people were more efficient. They targeted men who lacked armor, downing them first to avoid being overwhelmed by numbers. The field quickly turned into a bloodbath, but neither side showed signs of letting up.

  The general stood atop a small hill to get a better view, gritting his teeth as he watched the fighting. His men were holding—for now. But he wasn’t a fool. The enemy came from the south, catching them off guard. He turned to Kohen, who stood frozen beside him.

  “Fetch the men we sent to the east,” Higgins ordered. “We need reinforcements now!”

  Kohen sucked in a sharp breath, but he didn’t argue. He couldn’t. If he hesitated and remained there, it meant there was a chance of facing Rhett. And that was something Kohen had no intention of doing.

  He gave a stiff nod before sprinting toward the horses. The camp was in a frenzy as men rushed past him with swords and shields. Kohen grabbed the reins of the nearest horse, swinging himself into the saddle before digging his heels into its sides. The beast pulled back slightly before galloping eastward, carrying Kohen away from the fight.

  Back on the battlefield, Higgins’s scowl deepened as he stared at the fighting. With him and his men being caught off guard, his only worry was whether or not dragons would soon join the fray. He held up his sword before pointing it toward his encampment.

  “Get the anti-dragon weapons out!” He shouted to his men. “Set them up! Now!”

  His men didn’t hesitate as they scrambled to obey. A group of soldiers rushed toward the supply carts, throwing off the heavy tarps that concealed the massive crossbows designed specifically for bringing down dragons.

  The first of the massive weapons was wheeled into position before steel stakes were hammered into the ground to keep it from moving. Men worked frantically to crank the winch, pulling back the bowstring. Others hauled bolts from the wagons, nocking one before setting the others off to the side.

  Higgins clenched his jaw as he turned back to the fighting. He watched as two of his men ganged up on a Sylvaris soldier, one swinging an axe while the other jabbed with a short sword. The Sylvaris man twisted, avoiding the axe, but he couldn’t dodge the sword that went deep into his side. Blood bubbled from his lips as he staggered back, only to be cut down moments later by another Drurus soldier.

  The general then turned his attention to the left side of the field, where he watched a Sylvaris fighter knocking a Drurus soldier to the ground, stomping on his arm before sending a blade straight through his chest.

  It was chaos… brutal, bloody chaos…

  The battlefield was evenly matched, but Higgins wasn’t about to let that last. He held up his sword again, glancing briefly at the city before pointing his weapon toward the incoming army. The deep groan of wood and the crackling of fire filled the air as a catapult was released from Jux’s walls. Large rocks and burning coals rained down on Rhett’s forces. The stones crushed bodies and broke shields while the coals scattered embers on their cloaks and armor, catching some men on fire.

  Drurus’s soldiers worked frantically from the city walls, reloading the catapults. They filled the next set of buckets with more stones and fired them into the fighting below. Each shot sent bodies flying, momentarily halting the advance.

  But then the soldiers on the walls stopped when a rock struck one of the catapult operators in the back of the head, sending him falling off the wall. Before the soldiers could react, more stones, bricks, and even pieces of metal began to hit them. Turning around, they found that their attackers were not the men dressed in Walford clothes, but the townsfolk.

  The very people they had been keeping trapped within Jux…

  At first, the Drurus soldiers scoffed, thinking they were nothing more than a disorganized, angry mob. But then some rushed forward, armed with real weapons—crudely made blades and spears that were still deadly.

  A soldier raised his sword to strike down a man in tattered clothes, only for a hidden dagger to slash across his throat. Another was tackled by a group of townspeople, who slammed his head against the stone until blood pooled beneath him. The operators of the catapults were soon overwhelmed, and as they fell, their own weapons were turned against them.

  Soon, with no one left to defend the walls, the townsfolk pushed toward the city gates, forcing them open. A flood of people poured out, no longer captives in their own city. But rather than fleeing into the woods, they rushed toward the Drurus army.

  The Drurus soldiers found themselves trapped between Rhett’s fighters in the front and the enraged townsfolk from behind. The battle became a frenzied free-for-all, where lines no longer existed, and survival depended on sheer will.

  A Drurus soldier tried to swing his sword at an approaching townsperson, only for a rusted axe to slash into his side. His attacker pulled their weapon free and immediately moved on to the next soldier. Another grabbed a fallen spear, thrusting it into the stomach of a Drurus fighter before stripping the man of his armor.

  This was the disaster that Kohen returned to. He pulled his horse to a sudden stop at the sight of the battlefield. What was once a manageable fight between Drurus and Rhett’s forces had spiraled into something worse. The people of Jux had joined the fight, and now Drurus’s men were struggling to fend off attacks on two sides.

  Kohen cursed under his breath. The reinforcements from the east were returning on foot and wouldn’t arrive for another hour or two. Which was time they simply didn’t have.

  Clenching his jaw, Kohen turned his horse north, debating whether to ride toward the forces in Plymmyswoode. But as he nudged his horse forward, a horn blasted across the battlefield.

  Kohen yanked on the reins, looking across the field, searching for the source of the sound. It hadn’t come from Jux nor from Rhett’s men.

  Then he heard it—shouting came not from the fight but from the western woods. For a brief moment, Kohen was relieved. He thought that reinforcements had arrived from across the border. But then he saw the dark blue cloaks coming out from the trees.

  These were not Sylvaris soldiers…

  These were not Drurus reinforcements…

  These were men from the kingdom of Riven.

  Kohen’s blood ran cold, and his stomach twisted into a knot. The fight had just turned into three against one. He forced down his panic by taking a deep breath before pushing his horse forward, speeding toward the city’s broken gates. When he spotted a group of Drurus soldiers gathering weapons, he yanked his horse to a halt and leapt from the saddle.

  “You—take this horse and ride to Onlon,” he ordered, pointing at one of the men.

  “To Onlon?” The soldier echoed. “Why?”

  “On Center Street, there’s a pub with a crown painted on the sign,” Kohen said quickly. “You need to go there and paint it red.”

  The soldiers exchanged confused glances, more anxious to rejoin the fight than to follow the man's orders.

  “What? Why would we—”

  “We are being attacked on three sides right now!” Kohen snapped. “We’re outnumbered, outmatched, and bound to lose. But if one of you gets to that pub and paints the sign red, it’ll create a distraction big enough to pull the dragon king away from the fighting.”

  The soldiers hesitated again, feeling unsure if they should listen to Kohen.

  “But General Higgins hasn’t given us orders to retreat—”

  “Fine!” Kohen shouted as his patience finally snapped. “Then, when I get to Higgins and tell him that none of you followed orders, I’ll make sure he not only kills you himself but burns your bodies for betraying your own kingdom!”

  That threat finally did it. The men jumped up, racing toward the horse. One of them snatched the reins, jumping into the saddle before taking off toward the east. Kohen exhaled loudly, clenching his fists at his sides.

  Now, all that was left was to find Higgins. Kohen drew his sword and ran toward the fighting. He weaved between bodies as he cut down any Sylvaris soldiers who got in his way. All around him, Kohen could see blood and gore, causing bile to rise up in his throat.

  Gritting his teeth, Kohen pressed forward, slashing his way through the chaos. A Sylvaris soldier ran at him, aiming a sword at him. Kohen twisted at the last second, catching the man’s wrist and sending his own blade into the man’s chest. With a shove, he pulled the blade free and kept moving.

  He pushed past bodies, scanning the battlefield—until he spotted him.

  General Higgins stood in the middle of the fight, laughing as he slaughtered men one after the other. His sword was painted red, and what little armor he wore was dented and smeared with dirt, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying himself. Each swing of his weapon sent another man to the ground, and he welcomed every attack.

  Kohen cursed under his breath and rushed forward, dodging past men until he reached the general. Without hesitation, he grabbed onto Higgin’s arm, jerking him back before he could swing at another soldier.

  “We have to go!” Kohen shouted.

  Higgins twisted free, glaring at the man with irritation.

  “I don’t back away from a fight!”

  “This isn’t just a fight anymore!” Kohen countered, dodging an attack from a soldier. “Riven is here!”

  That made the general pause. His expression darkened, but still, he didn’t move. Instead, he let out a breathless chuckle and wiped his bloodied sword against the tunic of a fallen soldier.

  “If I die here, then so be it,” he said, sending his blade through the stomach of an oncoming attacker. “I’ll take as many of them down with me as I can.”

  Kohen groaned to himself. He had known Higgins was stubborn, but this was suicidal.

  “You put me in charge of making sure you survived! So that’s what I’m doing. We need to get to Drurus. We need to call in the rest of the army and get reinforcements.”

  Higgins opened his mouth to argue, but Kohen cut him off.

  “I sent someone to Onlon,” he said quickly. “They’re creating a distraction that’ll pull Rhett away from the battlefield. We just need a few days. Then we can push onto Jux again. But right now, we need to fall back.”

  For a moment, Higgins said nothing. He looked across the battlefield, at the bodies of both his own men and those of Sylvaris. Then he turned slightly toward the west, where the blue-cloaked Riven soldiers were tearing through his forces. Then, finally, Higgins exhaled loudly.

  “Fine,” he spat. He turned, lifting his sword high above his head. “Fall back! Fall back to the border!”