The forest was as quiet as everywhere else in the realm. No birds chirped, and no rabbits hopped about between the thick dark trees. Elora had almost gotten used to the silence, but there was something about it that unnerved her, a sick feeling rising in her stomach. It wasn't normal for a forest to be so deathly silent.

If she flew up above the trees (which she wasn't comfortable doing after their run-in with Gaizma) she could see the faint outline of the mountains in the distance. Planina was spread out across the mountain range, but she knew of one town that sat at the entrance of the range, mostly a trading hub between the kingdom and the rest of Veridun.

There was a high chance it would be destroyed by the time they got there, especially seeing as the Zlohiel were heading in that direction, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be useful information there. All they had to do was make it through the forest. Like most things since the Gate had opened, it was easier said than done.

They had rested in the field for only a few hours the day before, allowing Ragen to rest and gain back energy he had lost during the fight. Nyal had eventually healed both Elora and Mikhail, as well as himself, despite only sustaining minor injuries. The group had been lucky enough to make it to the tree line by night and had spent the night huddled in the trees.

Now, they trudged through the freezing cold forest. Elora hoped they would come across a river sometime during the day. They had run low on the vital liquid during the fight with Gaizma, most of it being used to heal Ragen and fight off the dragon. They would need to find some soon or they would all be facing severe dehydration.

The run-in with Gaizma only made Elora more certain that Ragen and Mikhail shouldn't come with them to Planina. Nyal needed to be there, but they didn't. They would surely die if they came along, and they didn't deserve that. She knew, however, that if she spoke her thoughts aloud, they would only disagree. No matter how much she didn't want them there, they would still follow her.

Ragen seemed to be doing well with only one arm. Over the course of the day after the battle with Gaizma, he had tried to use it, forgetting that it was no longer there. He'd slept on the ground the night before after getting angry about not being able to climb the tree they were going to sleep in. It would be a struggle for the warlock, but Elora knew he would be able to push past it.

She also knew that Nyal was feeling guilty for it. She did as well, but she knew that Gaizma attacking hadn't been her fault. Nyal hadn't said anything to her, not yet, but she still knew that he blamed himself for not being able to give Ragen's arm back. If he had tried, who knew how it would have turned out.

Gaizma was heading for Planina, that much she knew for sure. It was where the war would play out, and knowing her luck, had already started. She wasn't sure that they were going to get there on time to actually be of any help, or to stop Gaizma before he could destroy what was left of Veridun.

And if she did kill him and somehow find a way to get rid of all the Zlohiel, what would happen to Veridun? There was so little left of it, just Planina and possibly little pockets of civilisation hiding out where no one could possibly find them. They would have to rebuild everything, but there wouldn't be enough people to populate the realm anymore.

She sighed, it was something she could worry about once she defeated Gaizma and the rest of the Zlohiel. Part of her hoped that once she killed Gaizma the others would realise their efforts were all for nought, but it was just wishful thinking. Even without Giazma ruling them they would still try to take over the realm, the dragon was just keeping them organised.

Yararanje still would not help her, would not tell her how to defeat the Zlohiel. She had been told to figure that out on her own, but she had fought them before and even then, they had been too powerful for her and the warlocks. They had to be locked away, but Elora didn't trust that to work a second time if she could even get warlocks powerful enough to make another Gate.

There had to be something to get rid of them, permanently, but she couldn't think of a single thing that could do the job, except the power of the gods and they would not help her. Maybe something had come about during the time the Zlohiel were locked away. She would have to look when they got to Planina.

It was another two days of wandering before they reached the base of the mountains. Snow had begun to fall, and a harsh wind nipped at any bare flesh it could reach. Elora was the only one who had enough clothing to not be freezing cold every minute of the day. Nyal had his coat, but it barely kept him warm.

Ragen and Mikhail were struggling, thin clothing not protecting them from the biting snow and wind. Elora had tried to offer them her thick cloak during the night, but they would not have it, stating that they would be warm enough if Mikhail transformed. They had finally been able to get more water; Nyal had taken it from the snow as it fell.

The leaves had been stripped from the trees and covered by the snow on the ground. The scarce number of evergreen trees didn't provide much shelter for them during the night, leaving them open for attack from the increasing number of Zlohiel the were making their way to Planina with them.

They weren't getting much sleep, one of them constantly waking the others over every single roar and cry that was heard. They had had to fight many times over the two nights, draining them of energy and leaving them exhausted. Nyal had tried to be optimistic about the situation, suggesting that there wouldn't be as many to fight during the war. It didn't do much to lift their spirits.

The trees were beginning the thin out and the mountains were so close Elora felt like she could just reach out and touch them. They would reach the first of the villages in an hour or two and hopefully, they would reach people.

"By the gods," Ragen grunted, pulling her away from her thoughts. "I need a warm bath. Please tell me we're going to stop for a bit when we reach Planina."

All four of them were freezing cold and covered in blood, theirs and the blood of the Zlohiel. They needed to get clean and get warm before they got seriously sick. It seemed that no matter what they did there would always be something threatening their lives. Lack of food, lack of water, lack of heat, Zlohiel. Something was always out there ready to kill them.

"We'll stop for a night if we can," Elora answered. "It just depends on what's left when we get there."

"There's been so many Zlohiel, I doubt there'll be much left in the foothills," Nyal added.

Ragen groaned, using his one arm to hug himself tightly. Mikhail moved closer, huddling up to the other man for warmth. At that moment Elora regretted not getting extra clothing when they were in the one town that was still standing. As soon as Elizabeth had said Planina was still standing, she should have gotten extra layers. She hadn't been focusing on it enough as she should have. Once again, she had messed up.

"But I'm sure there will be something," Nyal supplied hastily. Elora suspected he knew what she had been thinking again. He seemed to be good at doing it, even though they had only known each other for a few weeks. It felt like so much longer, as though they had been through years of struggle together.

Ragen only frowned, not bothering with a response. What more was there to say? They were struggling and there was a chance that they would not be safe when they reached the beginnings of Planina. They couldn't do anything to fix that or reduce the chance, it all depended on luck.

The ground was on an incline that grew steeper and steeper with every step they took, only tiring the group out more. Elora knew that she would be fine for at least another day, but the men would last another couple of hours at most. They didn't have far to go, they would make it.

Despite her thoughts and hopes, Mikhail ended up having to carry Ragen on his back, the warlock too tired to carry himself any further. His was still awake, but so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes opened. The events of the last few days had taken their toll on the one-armed warlock.

She could vaguely see a village between the snow-covered trees, hiding in the snow as though it were being hunted. She let out a sigh of relief. Even if it was destroyed, there would be at least one building that would offer them shelter for the night. It was getting dark, and the Zlohiel seemed to feel more comfortable running about while the stars were out.

"Nearly there," she heard Nyal grumble, the words shaky as his teeth chattered. The chill was starting to get to Elora as well. Her muscles spasmed from the snow that stuck to her cloak, turning it from inky black to crisp white. She had been shaking it off for the last couple of hours, but that didn't stop the cold from seeping through the layers.

The snow crunched under their feet as they entered the small village. She didn't know the name of this one either, but it wasn't like it mattered anymore, most of it had been destroyed as she had thought. Most of the buildings were piles of rubble covered in a thick layer of snow. Wood and stone poked out of the whiteness in odd directions, jagged and dangerous. There were some that were only half destroyed, some parts of the structure withstanding whatever had come through. It would be enough to protect them for a night.

Behind the rubble and destruction was a path that led up into the mountain range and would take the little group into the main parts of Planina. It would take some time to reach the main parts of the mountain kingdom, many parts of the track requiring a tiring hike to reach. Elora usually flew to Planina, finding it a lot easier than the hike up the mountains. She didn't know how she or the others would fare on the journey.

Without a word the four of them headed over to the half-destroyed building, climbing in through the rubble and dumping their packs down. The sun was starting to set, and shadows climbed the stone walls like the monsters she had gotten so used to seeing. The snow that had settled on everything had turned a light grey in the dwindling light, stark against the orange and pink of the sky.

"If I get us some wood," Nyal started, voice loud in the empty town. "I could make us a fire."

"Get to it," Ragen replied with a shiver, dropping from Mikhail's arms and planting himself on the cold wood floor of what looked to be a house. There was some furniture still lying about; a rickety old chair and a threadbare bed that could possibly fit two of them if they squeezed together. She'd most likely give it to Ragen and Mikhail. One the wall opposite the bed sat a stone fireplace mostly used for cooking; she would get Nyal to set up the fire there, surely there would be something left over to help him out with it.

When the Healer came in twenty minutes later, Elora was giving out the remains of the food they had in their packs. Mikhail had forced Ragen onto the bed and had wrapped them both up in the thin blankets. Nyal's arms were full of bundles of torn wood taken from the piles of rubble dotted about the empty town.

Elora watched as he settled by the fireplace, pushing the ashes and remains of old wood away to make room for the fire. Cooking oil sat on the mantle above the fireplace, useful for getting the little fire going.

Nyal sat back, knocking into the would he had dropped next to him. Elora frowned, standing up and making her way over to him as she pulled something out from the ashes. "What is it?" she asked, squatting down next to him.

"Just a piece of paper," he replied, unfolding the wrinkled and ash covered paper. "Oh, that's interesting."

"What does it say?" Ragen asked from the bed, voice quiet from exhaustion.

Brushing away a black smudge of ash, Nyal read, "Planina is still standing. Avoid the main path. Turn right at the statue of the King. Make sure you aren't followed. War is upon us."

The last four words made Elora's skin turned to ice. Gaizma's promise had been delivered, there was a war and it had started without them. The beginning of the end, the war to decide the fate of Veridun.

War was upon them, and Elora would be ready to fight in it.