Chapter 2 — The Horns

The glow faded as quickly as it had come.

Merlin's towering form shrank back, fur settling, armor dissolving into mist. His chest still glimmered faintly in the dark, but he slumped against me, panting hard. His body trembled with exhaustion, as if the roar had torn the strength out of him.

I pressed a hand to his side, steadying him. My own legs shook. Smoke still clung to the air, acrid and stifling, and the ruined circle smoldered at our feet. The summoners were gone—scattered into the shadows with their ritual broken.

But the horns kept sounding. Long, low blasts that vibrated through the stone and set my teeth on edge.

Merlin raised his head weakly at the noise, ears pricked. His chest still glowed faintly, enough to throw warped shadows across the walls.

The clatter of boots echoed from beyond the chamber. Torches flickered at the far end of the corridor, light bobbing as armored figures approached. Soldiers.

"Stay back," I whispered, though I had nothing to back the words. No weapon. No power. Just a dog who was half-conscious on my shoulder.

The first of them stepped into the chamber, shield up, spear leveled. His eyes flicked from me to Merlin—and froze.

"What in the gods' names is that?" he muttered.

More followed, forming a line. Their armor was dented, their spears crude, but their discipline was real. They advanced slowly, wary, shields locked.

Merlin growled, low and unsteady. The glow in his chest pulsed once, faint as a heartbeat.

"Easy," I murmured, dragging him back a step. My hand shook on his collar. He could barely stand, and I couldn't fight at all.

The soldiers hesitated. They weren't sure what they were looking at. Not wolf, not man. Something else.

Then a voice rang out from behind them—commanding, sharp. "Take them alive."

The line of shields began to close in.

I swallowed hard, backing away with Merlin pressed against me. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Just the broken circle, the walls, and the soldiers closing in.

The horns still howled above us, promising that worse was yet to come.

— Moments after the summoning circle broke —