Chapter Eighty-One: Storming The Gates

-Ashina –

The clouds hung heavy in the sky as the fireworks abruptly fizzled out, the darkness descending like a shroud over the kingdom. The rain poured down, relentless in its assault on the earth, heedless of the floods it might unleash. I felt the familiar tug in my chest as rain called out to its lover, the wind. It was a night ripe with portent, the air thick with the scent of impending danger.

With a hand fixed on Dean’s arm, I raced toward the bear shifters, urgently thudding through my veins. "Dean," I commanded, "order the shifters to breach the gates on every side of the castle. It’s time to storm Malcolm’s kingdom."

I located a demon captain and barked orders for his men to follow the bears and ferret out all enemy demons, leaving no trace of betrayal. I was resolved to cast out those loyal to Malcolm, sending them back to the hell from whence they came.

As I led the bear shifters through the breached gates, a strange sensation interrupted my focus. "Ashina! Can you hea