Chapter 38: Chapter 38

Alder was nearby the place that was used for the trap. He and his general had personally chosen two of the Faes, a wolfman and two ogres to be a part of baiting.

The members they chose were a part of the troop where they could use finest of the magic and could possibly catch the assassins.

While the chosen are commanded to make fire near the cave and have a small festive among themselves, the other strong members of the troops were nearby in the shadows prepared to attack the assassins.

Alder was waiting in the shadows as well with an cloak of invisibility wrapped around him to be clear off the sight of unnecessary.

If anyone would look at it, it would just look like few good friends are enjoying festive with ale and fire near a cave in the woods. It displayed a happy ambiance, only it wasn’t.

They were counting the passing moments with fingers as the night befell in a hurry pace. It was the fourth night that they were making a trap. Alder knew that whoever the foe was, was a clever person and so does his followers. They wouldn’t fall in their trap just on the first try so Alder’s general had suggested to try for several days and nights in different places so it would look unsuspicious.

Over the past four days and nights nothing had happened. There were no usual attacks on the weak members as well. It was as if they were planning something big.

Alder was having a head ache thinking of the sleepless nights he had been spending from the past days. Now that it had come to it and the people behind him and his motives were slowly raising in their power, he was slightly getting anxious.

He had to catch them no matter what. He had to make certain he loose no more his men before the dark moon night is over.

“General, what might be happening in the other ambush we laid?” Alder asked in a commanding voice as his eyes scrutinized over the area.

Everything was fine in the place they were standing which led him to wonder why there was no attack on any of his men yet.

“There was naught a wrong, Milord. Everything was just smooth and fine.” Alder nodded to the report from his general as he pondered over the reasons behind lack of attacks from few days.

Why were they not attacking his people? If not there, then they should’ve attack any other of their lures.

“Something is not right, General. Something is not at all right.” Alder stated after a while of pondering on the issues. “There should be another motive behind silence and I have a feeling that they are brewing a great storm in this time of peacefulness.”

No, they should be attacking then why aren’t they? There was something wrong and he cannot risk any of his army. His army was his shield and people at his disposal; without them, he would be vulnerable.

“I’m afraid I am unable to follow your thoughts, Milord. Every of our people are fine then what made you suspicious of the situation?” Just as General had expressed his inability to see what his master was suspicious of, the chief of the west troop appeared in a hurry to them.

“Milord,” The chief exclaimed as he took a lung full of air. “The whole of the west troop is under an attack as we speak. I just got a missive from one of the witches messenger.” He said startling both Alder and General.

He knew it. He knew something was not just right.

“West troop?” The General asked in a surprise manner due to the reason that the west troop is a group of weaklings of the army. Why would they prefer eliminating a weak group rather than going for strong ones?

“They travelled to the town of Shadowvalor just to take down a weak group?” General continued wondering over his own words.

“General, call back all the ambush groups and send them to the west troop.” Alder ordered as he walked towards his horse in a hurry.

General and the chief of west troop followed him taking their own horses to warn the others regarding the attack. General had called back the trap teams and assigned them to follow suit him to the town of Shadowvalor. The chief of the troop had notified of the situation to the warlocks in their army to help them reach the town in much lesser time.

Alder had commanded the other troops to be on guard and watch out for anymore of the attacks while he rode to the west with a pounding heart.

He had inkling that they wouldn’t just attack the west with no good purpose. Eliminating a weak team can done by a snap of fingers any time then why now and why west troop?

Hours of ride on his horse to the town of Shadowvalor, his General joined him in the trip from the middle after the task assigned to him is accomplished.

The General had sent the army in different troops to surround the west as the General followed Alder in through the short route in the woods.

“Who are present in the west troop as of now?” Alder asked. The General took a moment to answer as he recalled the names.

“Few insignificant sirens, pixies and few bloodsucking monsters.” The General added slowly as he thought over again.

Alder hummed in response still not understanding the motive behind the attack. With another holler from the horse, he raced over to the town.

It was not a short trip as the time that took them traveling from their region to the town of Shadowvalor was nearly two days and a night. However, with his General who was well acquainted with a coven of dragons from the waterfall caves.

It shall take few hours to reach the waterfall caves and from there, the dragon shall take them to the west in a matter of few hours.

“It was informed that there were just seven of them in dark hooded cloaks attacking the troop, Milord. The troop holds hundred and thirty of our people so it could stall the fight until help reached there.” That sounded alright but there were still suspicions raised on the particular attack.

As they reached the waterfall caves and took a dragon each to ride to the west, in not much time, they reached the west troop in a matter of handful hours.

As they descended from their respected dragons and walked over to the establishment of the troop, a wave of terror ran through their spine at the absolute silence.

For a place to be in a battle, it was too uncomfortably silent. There should be hollers, cries of pain or victory but none reached their ears.

As their steps neared the establishment, heaps of lifeless bodies were laying on the muddied ground. The bodies were laying in an order of three rows as if they were sleeping. They look around the area and found everything intact.

“There are no signs of battle, Milord. There was nothing out of ordinary and we might as well think they were just sleeping outside if not for the fact that they are dead indeed.” The General mumbled as he walked through the lanes of corpses.

How could they be dead in just a matter of five or six hours?

He noticed there were indeed only Pixies, sirens and Vampires. After counting the hundred and thirty dead, Alder and the General walked inside the cabins of the troop.

Alder sighed in relief at the sight of mere people of his army dead and no one important. He followed the General to the cabins as his eyes noted the well kept tidy chambers. There was indeed not a thing out of its place.

There were no signs of struggle, no broken things, no blood, nothing smashed to walls or the ceiling, not a speck of dirt on the floor.

“Milord!” Alder heard the horrific shout of his General and followed the voice to the backyard.

His steps faltered as he took in the sight before him. The General himself was taken aback by the sight and stumbled back with a force.

There laid the corpses of four supporting columns of his whole army. Without them, there was no strategy and no strength.

They were his key people who could take down his whole army with a flick of fingers. They were that strong and powerful.

“Mi – Milord. Reporting the d-death of Lord Margok, the previous King of Demons, The Royal Witch and Warlock of Godfrey and the great Goblin Lord.” The General followed the protocol of reporting, he gasped at the orderly laid corpses.

Alder was speechless at the death of his people of importance.

Why were they dead?

Bloody hell, why were they even there at all?

How did they even manage to kill them?

It was nearly impossible to take down any one of them and there he saw the four laying lifeless.

Impossible…!

IMPOSSIBLE!

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