The night did not stay quiet for long. Rain had barely slept when the first alarm went up—not for an attack, but for movement. One of the soldiers on watch had spotted shapes moving through the trees again, and by the time Rain reached the perimeter, several veterans were already there with weapons drawn. The prisoners remained inside the camp while soldiers formed a defensive line around them.
Beyond the torchlight, the forest looked empty, and that was exactly what made everyone uneasy. They all knew it wasn't. Rain stood beside Kai and peered into the darkness.
"You see anything?"
Kai shook his head. "No."
"Me neither."
Mordred joined them a moment later, greatsword resting against his shoulder. "Then why are we standing here?"
"Because something is out there."
"That's not helpful."
Rain looked toward the trees again and this time caught a brief flash of silver between the trunks before it vanished. His grip tightened around his sword.
"There."
Kai followed his gaze, but the shape was already gone. For several long moments nothing happened, and the forest seemed to hold its breath. Then another scream echoed somewhere deep within the ridge—not one demon, but several. The sound rolled across the trees like a warning, making several prisoners flinch while one of the older soldiers muttered something under his breath. After that, nobody relaxed. The rest of the night dragged by slowly, far too slowly.
Morning brought no relief.
The rescue force broke camp before sunrise and continued moving through the ridge. Everyone looked more exhausted than they had the day before—prisoners, soldiers, even the veterans. The constant pressure was wearing people down. Nobody liked being hunted, especially when they couldn't see the thing hunting them.
Rain found himself helping carry supplies while one of the rescued soldiers took his place supporting an injured civilian. Ahead of him, Elara was speaking quietly with Theron. Rain couldn't hear the conversation, but he didn't need to. Their expressions said enough.
Things weren't getting better.
They were getting worse.
Back at the operation camp, Doctor Hale entered the medical records tent carrying every note she had made about Taren. She spread them across a table and began reviewing everything again.
Body temperature, recovery speed, blood samples, and wound patterns all seemed normal at first, but then Hale noticed something—a date. Frowning, she checked another report, then another, and then another before quietly muttering, "No." The same inconsistency appeared every time. The wounds, the healing, and the timeline didn't match, at least not if Taren had actually been injured when he claimed. A cold feeling settled into her stomach because there was only one explanation: somebody was lying.
Meanwhile the rescue force had nearly reached another section of the ridge when the attack finally came without warning or hesitation. One moment the forest was silent; the next, demons burst from the trees. Lesser Demons. More than before. Rain counted six immediately, then stopped counting. A soldier shouted, the formation tightened, and prisoners were pulled inward as Theron's voice cut through the chaos.
"Protect the center!"
The first demon reached the line seconds later. Steel met claws, and the forest exploded into motion.
Rain ducked beneath a swipe that would have torn open his face and drove his shoulder into the demon's chest. The creature stumbled backward, but before it could recover he stepped forward again, bringing his sword across its neck.
Black blood sprayed through the air.
Another demon immediately filled the space.
Rain barely had time to reset his footing.
Nearby, Kai's blades flashed between two attacking demons. He didn't overpower them. Every movement forced them slightly out of position until one exposed its side for a fraction of a second.
That was all Kai needed. His blade drove into its throat. The second demon lunged and kai stepped aside and let it pass, then buried his other blade between its ribs.
On the opposite side of the formation, Mordred crashed into a Lesser Demon with enough force to send both of them tumbling across the ground.
The demon tried to rise first. Mordred's greatsword split its skull open.
The battle lasted longer than the first attack, not because the demons were stronger, but because there were more of them. When it finally ended, several soldiers were injured and one prisoner was dead. Silence settled heavily over the forest. Nobody celebrated. Nobody spoke. The dead prisoner lay covered beside the path while the others stood around him. The rescue force had succeeded, but success felt smaller now.
Back at camp, Hale stood outside Taren's tent, staring at the entrance as she replayed every observation and report in her head, searching for another explanation—any explanation—that would make sense of what she'd discovered. But no matter how many times she reviewed the evidence, she always arrived at the same conclusion. After a long moment, she pushed aside the tent flap and stepped inside. Taren looked up from his bedroll.
"Doctor." His voice sounded calm.
Hale walked closer. "How long were you actually in the ridge?"
The question hung between them. Taren didn't answer immediately. For the first time since arriving at camp, he seemed genuinely surprised, but only for a second before the familiar smile returned.
"I'm not sure what you mean."
Hale stared at him, and neither looked away. Something changed in that moment as the feeling she'd been carrying for days finally settled into certainty. She didn't know everything—not yet—but she knew enough. Without another word, she turned and walked out. Taren watched the tent flap close behind her, and the smile slowly disappeared.
Outside, Hale immediately spotted a runner crossing the camp. "You."
The soldier stopped. "Doctor?"
"Where's Kael?"
"Command tent. Last I saw, he was reviewing reports with the captains. If you're looking for him, that's where I'd start."
Hale started walking, then walking became running. The soldier stared after her, confused.
Across the camp, Taren stepped out of his tent and watched her go, his eyes following her all the way to the command tent.
For the first time since arriving at the operation camp...
He looked concerned.