The Mayaware's reign must end.
In a world of demonic beings with a hunger for human flesh and thirst for blood, Hesi Renen knows it well. When her siblings are taken to the harvesting farms, she must do everything she can to get them out, even if it...
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Hesi peered at the hand-drawn map given to her by a scout. Berheqt might be free of the Mayaware, but the world outside wasn't. After the fall of the High King, the demons in the royal capital fled west into the Steel Fortress.
Even after Festophis passed, felled by Tagara, the sneaky vermin sorted through his succession and established his son as supreme commander. Now, it was up to her and her allies to root out the Steel Fortress who controlled much of Ser-Djare.
The scout she sent yesterday returned with a more detailed structure of the fortress and its current state. Knowing how his father perished in Berhet, the new commander didn't take any chances. Their numbers increased in the last few months, and it would cause her problems.
They needed to find more sources of huurshe. Quickly. No doubt the Steel Fortress also pulled their strings to ensure no human bested them again, and this battle would bring them to Ser-Methon—the next region rumored to host a hidden vat of huurshe ores. If they defended it against the Mayaware, they would be unstoppable.
A strong breeze picked up from the east, sending the scarf around her head to billow. She tucked it behind one ear and turned to Asrate who peeled a citrus fruit with a fighting knife. "How is the situation in Ser-Tehra?" Hesi asked.
The woman raised an eyebrow, making the gold rings stuck to it clink. Ever since the trials ended, she began poking herself with metal with Tagara's help. Together, the two looked as though they were morphing into gold. "Better than ever," Asrate answered with a curt nod. "Uzare has been carving their numbers all week. I suspect it won't be another before they surrender."
Hesi blew a breath and brushed off the particles of sand that had gathered over the map. It wasn't even here that long. Damned wind and damned sand. "Good," she replied. "Any news on the conquest to Ser-Methon?"
"I have something about that." An unknown voice huffed as she piled into the command center—the old communal room Hesi shared with them during tribulation. They both turned to find Barteset striding towards them. Her belly looked as though it was about to explode. Has it been that long? "They found a large underground cavern and will explore it the next day. I imagine they already reached it considering the three-day delay between correspondences."
"Also good." Hesi chewed on her lip. "Any sightings of Mayaware spies?"
A dark cloud passed across Barteset's face. "Two," she answered. "All part of Rehuphis' fortress."
Hesi scowled at the mention of the Steel Fortress's commander. "Send a few of our own," she said, knowing Otraqte could handle reconnaissance better than anyone. "Tell them not to engage and to protect. Getting the scouts back alive and in one piece is our priority."
She was about to ask another question when she heard frantic scratches of sandals against stone. Someone was running at full speed. What happened? A breathless Tagara zipped past the open windows and swung around the open doorway. "The captives from the farms," the woman reported. "They arrived."
