Amber opened her eyes and looked around.
The battlefield was ruined. The forest was gone, turned into scorched earth and broken stone. Smoke drifted lazily, and ash fell like gray snow. In the distance, soldiers and knights stood rooted to the ground, their faces pale and eyes wide. Some were wounded. Some were shaking. None could move.
They were watching her.
Her disciple was watching her, standing frozen with clenched fists and shallow breaths, afraid that even blinking might cause him to miss something important.
The soldiers were watching her too, their battered bodies leaning on broken spears and cracked shields, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and desperate hope. Even the villagers hiding among the ruins and trees were watching, peeking out from behind stones and shattered walls, holding their children close.
The people of Frontier were watching her.
This single battle would decide everything.
