Kel felt his arms burn. The swings of his sword sent another corrupted wolf crashing into the dirt but the pack did not stop coming.
They poured out from the torn line on the barrier breach and slipped through gaps left by the guards who had died, to him who was at the most rear of the formation.
"Hold the line!" Kel shouted again, even as his voice started to roughen.
Mara was keeping the wolves' movement slow with her barrier as she dragged a wounded guard back by the collar. But she grimaced because of the strain.
Riven moved fast and ruthlessly as always. His slashes were deadly. But, for every wolf they killed, another seemed to take its place.
They tried to save who they could.
Kel saw a guard go down under three wolves before he could reach him.
Another guard screamed before being dragged into the chaos. Ether flared and died everywhere, brief lights snuffed out almost as soon as they appeared.
Too many enemies. Far too many.
Kel stabbed at a wolf's skull and turned instinctively at the caravan.
The people were gone. Kel thought they had fled into the wagons. That would be smart. He felt relief at the thought.
Then he saw Dominic.
The boy stood alone ahead of the wagon's formation, with sword in hand, blood running down the blade.
Wolves lay dead around him, bodies piled at his feet. And a few meters from him… Kel saw three torn bodies on the ground.
"Damnation," Kel muttered under his breath.
No movement or sign of life. They were beyond saving.
A surge of anger and urgency slammed into him all at once. He turned toward the frontline again and saw that there were no more wolves coming from the forest anymore.
"This is the last wave!" Kel shouted through the noise. "Finish them now!"
Riven reacted instantly, shifting position to seal off the left flank. Mara stretched her hand and made a pushing forward hand gesture, slowing the last wave of the wolves with her ether that almost ran out.
The remaining wolves broke under the pressure and a few seconds later all of them were killed.
The battlefield began to quiet.
Not peaceful. But the overwhelming noise faded, replaced by scattered snarls and the wet sounds of death.
Dominic was still moving behind them.
A pair of wolves had slipped past the front line, desperate and mad.
Dominic met them. His movements were slower and much heavier now. The sword dragged slightly between swings. Sweat streaked his face, mixing with blood and dirt.
But he did not miss. One wolf fell. Then the other.
When it was over, Dominic stood there panting, shoulders rising and falling as he leaned slightly on the sword. He did not look back at the bodies behind him.
Kel, Mara, and Riven approached him with a sprint and depressed expression.
The weight hit Kel all at once as the danger passed.
Too many guards had died. Failure pressed down on his chest.
He stopped a few steps from Dominic, eyes flicking once more to the corpses on the ground. It was the noble kids who had been torn apart by the wolves.
Kel clenched his jaw.
"This is on me," he said quietly.
Mara heard it.
She stepped closer and put a hand on his arm.
"No," she said firmly. "It isn't."
Kel shook his head. "I was in charge. I should've—"
"You couldn't," Riven cut in, wiping blood from his blade. His voice was even. "You, or us, couldn't do anything with a leak that big."
Mara nodded. "We did everything we could. With our strength, this was the limit."
Kel didn't answer.
His gaze stayed on the battlefield. On the bodies.
Slowly, Dominic straightened and turned toward them, his face already set into something grim and hollow. Like a survivor's face. A boy who had lost people he could not save.
Kel saw his face and felt the weight settle deeper in the boy's gut as well.
Dominic walked toward them and let the sword slip from his fingers.
The blade hit the dirt with a dull thud.
Only then did he look down at his hands.
His brows knit slightly, surprise filled his face. He turned his palms over slowly, as if he did not quite believe what he was seeing.
Dark red blood had soaked through his gloves, the fabric torn in several places. The cuts beneath were shallow but numerous, split skin and raw flesh rubbed open by the weight and friction of the sword.
His eyes widened slightly.
He had not felt it while fighting.
Kel watched him for a moment, then let out a long, heavy sigh. Some of the tension drained from his shoulders as he stepped closer.
"You did good," Kel said. His voice was low and tired. "Don't think about the nobles who died. It's not your fault."
Dominic swallowed. He nodded quickly, then lowered his head, forcing his expression into sadness. His shoulders slumped just enough to look right.
"I… I understand," he said quietly.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
The battlefield around them was filled with groans, coughing, and the distant sobs of survivors finally daring to open wagon doors.
Guards moved among their fallen comrades, checking for signs of life, pulling bodies aside. The smell of blood and corrupted ether was thick in the air.
Dominic lifted his head again.
"What happens now?" he asked. His voice was careful. "Those kids' parents… they'll be furious."
Kel closed his eyes briefly and sighed again, deeper this time.
Riven and Mara exchanged a look as well. Riven clicked his tongue and turned his head to the side, lips pressing together in irritation.
"Tch," he muttered. "This is going to be a mess."
Kel rubbed a hand over his face. "Whatever happens, it won't involve you," he said firmly. "You were trying your best. You fought and got hurt. And you will receive your reward."
He gestured lightly toward Dominic's bleeding hands.
"This happened because the Labyrinth leaked again," Kel continued, his jaw tightening. "That breach was too large and too sudden. It's the second time in a row something like this has happened. Something is wrong."
Mara nodded grimly. "The Council won't be able to rest either."
Kel looked toward the dark forest line where the wolves had come from.
"Let's just hope the reinforcements arrive quickly," he said. "Before something worse crawls out again."
After that, they regrouped near the wagons.
The surviving guards slumped wherever they could, exhaustion finally catching up to them now that the adrenaline had faded.
The Arcanists passed around the remaining elixirs of healing. There were not many left.
Mara took one without hesitation, uncorking it and drinking it down in a single swallow. Riven accepted another, he grimaced at the taste.
Kel turned and offered one to Dominic.
Dominic shook his head immediately.
"I'm fine," he said, a little too quickly. Then he added, more softly, "Use it on the others. The guards need it more."
Kel studied him for a second, then nodded. "All right."
He handed the vial to a wounded guard instead, helping the man drink as the glow of healing ether spread through his torn flesh.
Dominic sat down against the wheel of a wagon, flexing his fingers slowly as blood continued to seep into the dirt beneath his hands.
He kept his head lowered, breathing evenly and felt relieved slowly filling his heart.
There would be no trouble for him, Kel would make sure of that. He smiled faintly.
—