The sound came slowly at first.
A distant vibration above the forest canopy.
Then it grew louder.
The heavy roaring of helicopter blades sliced through the quiet Sylven air. Leaves trembled. Birds scattered from the trees as the machines descended toward the clearing behind the hidden town.
One helicopter.
Then another.
And another.
They hovered briefly before landing on the open ground beyond the settlement walls.
Dust and leaves spiraled upward in violent circles as the rotors slowed.
The doors opened.
Military personnel in uniform jumped out first, rifles secured across their chests. Behind them stepped several officials dressed in dark suits.
They walked forward carefully, their eyes scanning everything around them.
Even they were unprepared for what they were seeing.
Concrete houses hidden inside the forest.
Stone roads.
A fountain in the center of the town square.
Bodies.
Blood.
Unconscious men.
The aftermath of a brutal confrontation.
