Pffft! Pffft! Two arrows whizzed past, singing a deadly song near my ear. I ducked low, urging my mare forward. Her nostrils flared, eyes wide with terror, mirroring the frantic pounding of my own heart. The stench of Orc filled the air, thick and suffocating, a monstrous presence closing in fast.


    "Micah! Jasmine!" I screamed, my voice snatched away by the wind.


    Their figures emerged from the trees, faces etched with grim determination. Jasmine reined in her horse, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Let me stay with you," she pleaded.


    I shook my head, my jaw set. "You need to go with Micah. Get to Landcaster, warn the king. The Orc King has returned."


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.Her gaze held mine for a beat, then she nodded, a tender smile gracing her lips for a fleeting moment. With a final nudge, I sent her horse galloping away, Lyam and Wilgar flanking her like loyal guardians.


    Lyam, ever the optimist, let out a rough laugh. "Trying to hog all the glory, are you? Not a chance!"


    Wilgar, his face a mask of stoicism since the Orcs had butchered his family, remained silent, his grip tightening around his axe handle.


    "Today''s a good day to die fighting Orcs," he finally rasped, his voice a low growl.


    A tense silence descended before the forest erupted in a cacophony of guttural roars and pounding feet. The Orcs were upon us.