CHAPTER 1

After 7 years...

"Lieutenant?" Even when he saluted by putting his left palm to his breast, Sergeant Rurik was unable to conceal the question from coming through in his voice. On the horses next to him, two soldiers and the third-year recruit followed suit, although their eyes didn't quite meet hers. Tessa had become accustomed to the averted gazes; people of lower status frequently feared being seen gazing at the scar on her face. Tessa's short officer braids, which were knotted up from beneath her right eye all the way to the corner of her lip, did nothing to cover the jagged line, which was an unsightly raised pink.

She told Rurik, "I was nearby," to explain her sudden appearance. She had a notion concerning recent No-Lander behaviour, but she wasn't ready to share it. It wasn't fully true.

Tessa drew her mount up next to the sergeant and peered over the edge of the woodland in front of them. They were located on the border of No-Lander territory and the merciless grey dust of Warrior Land, two hours' ride to the north of the keep. The bright red Duya trees formed arches over the green life that sprang from the fine brown dirt just a little distance in front of them. There were days when strong gusts carried the aroma of a living place to the keep, but nothing grew in the Warrior Kingdom. Tessa took in the colours and yearned to touch the swaying leaves.

"Lieutenant," I said, "we are awaiting one waggon. Next to her, Rurik said Although the elder man was reasonably sceptical of her justification and intrigued by her unexpected arrival, that was irrelevant. He wouldn't have the courage to challenge a warrior of greater rank. We don't want to squander your time.

Tessa ignored the sergeant's remark and looked at where the sun was in the sky before frowning. By this time, the delivery waggon from the Green Lands ought to be apparent. It ought to have at least been audible. Of course, if the Bone Eaters had appeared as she had anticipated,

It's "The Ear! She screamed.

The sergeant signalled to the soldier closest to him to follow her instructions. Every escort party had a soldier with a "trained ear" who could detect the vibrations in the ground to determine the distance of moving horses. The young child bowed his head and exclaimed, "There is no movement!" before lifting his eyes in shock.

Bone-eating bloodsuckers.

It said, "Red formation! As onlookers turned to look at her, Tessa grasped her reins. Utilise your bows, shoot at the flanks first, and they will disperse. She did not wait for the horse to respond to her commands before kicking it into a gallop. A command was never repeated by an officer in the warrior army.

The guys dispersed right and left behind her as they rode in a straight line into the forest, their hooves chowing down on the dirt. Before the waggon from the Greenlands could be seen, they could hear steel hitting steel. As her horse sped ahead, Tessa made an assessment of the situation: a few No-Landers were dead, four Warriors were engaged in combat with around two dozen more, and an enemy archer was firing arrows from a remote area to the west.

She quickly released five arrows, and five No-Landers did not wail in response. As the sergeant and his squad's arrows hit their targets, the assailants fled in fear. The Warriors on the ground took advantage of their detachment and slew four more foes with ease before pursuing the remaining enemies, who were now attempting to flee.

From the corner of her eye, Tessa caught the third-year recruit slowing his horse. Before she could sound the alarm, an arrow pierced his shoulder. The dunce! Before the enemy archer injured any more of her troops, she would have to eliminate him.

"Preserve their life! Tessa gave the order as she rode her horse to the left and towards the archer. He had to be concealed behind the shrubs lining the waggon trail in the larger woods. The horse couldn't travel swiftly because of the dense greenery. She leaped off the horse and ran away, keeping a low profile while moving quickly.

Tessa put her arrow on her bow, took a deep breath, and went into the open, as she was now conveniently within shooting distance of the trees. The archer accepted the challenge and emerged on a tall branch of a Duya tree to aim his bow. As his arrow sank into the ground to her left, she rolled, pointed, and shot. An instant later, the opponent collapsed, and there was a yell and the sound of branches shattering.

Tessa sprinted forward, pushing through high shrubs and into a clearing before coming to a stop. She had a second arrow at the ready. Oh, dear Diyu! She stared at the large beast that was in front of her and the lifeless body of the fallen archer as a prickle of panic ran down her back. The Hayvan lifted a large paw to prod the archers' listless body and then turned its enormous feline eyes in her direction, its dark blue coat shining in the harsh sunlight.

Tessa made quick calculations. The beast was three times as big as she was, and with its powerful physique and razor-sharp teeth, it was a terrible foe. With four incredibly well-placed arrows, she could kill it, but that wouldn't be the end of it. Even though Hayvans were solitary creatures, when they died, they produced a scent that brought the entire pack within minutes of them.

If she killed it, they would only have a few seconds to escape, making it impossible to take the hostages. They would be fleeing for their lives if she killed it since they would lose crucial knowledge.

The Hayvan tilted its head to the side and fixed its yellow stare on her arrow after scanning her from head to toe. Damn. It was clearly unimpressed by her confrontational stance, but she was unable to lower her bow. She would be killed if she did, and it would pounce.

Slowly, she said, "I don't want to kill you," remaining utterly motionless.

The Hayvan moved ahead while emitting a deep snarl.

She had to use all of her willpower to resist the retraction of the arrow. Although she knew that waiting in this position was dangerous and that she should fire, a small part of her was hoping without hope that the animal would choose to depart on its own.

Tessa attempted once again, staring the beast in the eye, to say, "We are not enemies. "Both of us can live."

The beast lifted its paw into the air before putting it back down and growling as its nostrils flared and its strong legs flexed. It was a sound of annoyance, which was much more pleasant than a sound of warning. Could this possibly be resolved without a fatality?

The beast was startled by a startling rustling coming from a nearby tree just as Tessa was starting to get hopeful. The Hayvan let out a rage-filled cry that reverberated across the forest because it believed it was under attack. As the beast took two strides forward, its body set to spring, Tessa sank to her knees and raised her bow out of instinct for survival. She pulled back on the arrow, kept her breathing under control, and then stared in complete shock as the beast fell over on its right foot. Seriously, Gaia?

Tessa rose up, letting go of the arrow as she struggled to accept what she was witnessing. The cat was writhing on the ground, desperately trying to get its front leg out of what seemed like a pool of black sludge. What was that lying there?

Despite her better judgement, she moved closer. The dark area on the earth initially appeared to be a hole of dark soil, but she soon noticed an unusual sheen on its surface.

"Ree-aaa-w!" The strong cat sagged to the ground and made a pathetic noise. Was the unusual mass some sort of quick sand as a result of its struggles to push its front leg deeper into it? When Tessa was preparing for the officer tests, she had read about the quicksand pits that lay beyond the Three Sisters mountains. Traps of that nature were everywhere in the Empty Desert, where no one lived.

"Ree-aaa-w!" The animal cried as it futilely attempted to retreat from the ground's shadows.

In either case, everything turned out well. She wouldn't have to slaughter the animal any longer, and the inmates could be taken back for questioning. As the Hayvan moaned once more, Tessa turned towards the waggons but paused.

It was like killing the animal to leave it in this condition. If the No-Landers didn't find it first and kill it for its treasured blue pelt, it would starve to death. Tessa felt something move inside her at the idea of the creature suffering such a terrible demise. Despite being the most feared creatures in the Four Kingdoms, Hayvans were courageous, devoted to their own kind, and protective of their young.

We could both live; didn't I say that?

The Hayvan's sleepy eyes blinked up as it heard her voice. Tessa lowered her bow despite realising her foolishness. She then took another step closer while keeping the animal's attention.

"A warrior never breaks a promise," they say.

As she drew nearer, the Hayvan remained motionless, its golden eyes tracing her every move. When she was only a few arms' length away, Tessa stopped and dropped her body while keeping her eyes fixed on the monster. The black substance was now directly next to her and within reach of the cat.

"Now, easy." She extended her hand and touched the black sheen very slowly. It was unexpectedly smooth and cool, but then it started dragging on her. Tessa was startled and yanked back with all of her strength, nearly falling backwards as she peered at her fingers; there was no sign of the black.

The Haivan snorted, shook its enormous head, and then set it down.

I apologise; that was unexpected. The suction was present, but Tessa's hand was able to remove it with ease as she extended her arm forward once more, this time plunging her entire hand in before pulling back. Why couldn't the Hayvan unhook itself? Did the animals' centres of gravity play a role? She reached in again and snatched the animal's paw.

Tessa then pulled her leg out and hurriedly took three steps away from the dark water. The hand that had been in the chilly ooze earlier was now on her trained bow as she awaited the animal's response after being set free.

"Grrrr." The cat made a deep rumbling sound and took a few steps, as though to see if its leg was still functional. It turned its head towards Tessa and peered into her eyes with golden eyes while its light green ears twitched.

"Both of us can live. Tessa rephrased, attempting to project a steadiness in her voice that she did not feel.

The Hayvan gave Tessa one final glance before turning and vanishing into the woods with a loud roar that rocked the nearby trees' limbs.

When Tessa returned to the waggon trail a little while later, she discovered six warriors kneeling with their arrows pointed at her. Since they first heard the Hayvan roar, she knew they would be in that situation.

At peace.

Standing with eagerness on their faces, the soldiers As the sergeant led her horse forward, Tessa noticed the boy who had the arrow lodged in his shoulder was looking pale. "Lieutenant, how much time do we have for evacuation? "The Hayvan is not dead.

The announcement was met with a murmur of surprise across the camp; it was difficult to survive an encounter with a Hayvan and even rarer to return without killing it. Tessa turned her back on the interested looks and peered at the No-Landers lying on the ground. Those who weren't already dead had been tied up in pairs. They appeared to be low-level bone eaters based on their blue belts and small combat axes. The archer, however, did not shoot like one. She raised the sleeves of two inmates by stooping down and exposing their huge circular tattoos. She had been right to have her suspicions!

Tessa got to her feet and headed back to her horse. "What is the name of the wounded warrior?"

"Berk, sir," the sergeant retorted.

Bring everyone together, and then lead the prisoners back to the keep. Tessa grabbed the reins of her horses and slid into the saddle. "Berk!"

I agree, sir. With droplets of sweat glistening on his fair forehead, the warrior took a shaky step forward. Despite being two years younger than her, this was probably his first experience with severe agony. Tessa's numbness to pain began at a very young age due to the several mishaps she experienced while living in the orphanage and the burning feeling brought on by Calling the Heat.

"Get on." She gestured to her rear.

Berk looked at her with puzzled blinks.

You stupid, move! Why don't you see that the Lieutenant is feeling sorry for you? Berk approached the horse with an appreciative expression after the sergeant yelled at him to snap out of it. A warrior had to be able to withstand much more than a sluggish prisoner marching with an arrow in the shoulder; he knew that most superiors would have left him to assist in walking the prisoners back to the keep.

I appreciate it, Lieutenant. As he raised himself by grabbing her hand, Berk murmured. He was working extremely hard to control his shaking as his body grew chilly behind hers.

She lowered her voice so that only he could hear her: "Hold tight; we will reach the healers soon. She gave the sergeant one last nod before kicking her horse into action.