His Three Alphas
The witches rode in the center, their runes pulsing brighter as we drew closer to the old mines, and I felt the shift in the air long before we saw the collapsed mill—thicker, heavier, like the atmosphere itself had turned sour with dark magic.
We dismounted a quarter mile out, leaving the horses tethered under guard while the rest of us moved forward on foot. I signaled the captains to spread the soldiers out in a classic pincer formation—fifty to circle left through the trees, fifty right along the ridge line, the remaining hundred holding the center with the witches while Lucien, Alastair, Varynia, and I took point.
Alastair adjusted the straps on his armor as we approached the hidden ent