Scene: Frozen Eastern Pass – Deep Forest Tunnels
POV: General Soren Vask
Cold cuts different when it's mixed with smoke, blood, and silence.
We had moved under the tree line, veering east, just like the King commanded. The flare had done its job—pulled the jackals westward, mouths open, ready to bite a shadow. And now we were ghosts again.
I walked half a step behind him. Not because protocol demanded it—but because it felt right.
He was bleeding from his side, but you'd never guess from the way he moved.
Focused. Controlled. Viciously calm.
I've seen Chris Blackwood in boardrooms and on battlefields. I've watched him rip men apart with words sharper than swords.
But this version of him?
This was the Chris that conquered continents.
> "Elevation drop ahead," I whispered. "Ravine splits. One goes north toward Delvaron ice fields, the other into a cave pass."
He didn't hesitate.
> "We take the cave. Less open sky. Fewer eyes."
> "Understood."
I scanned our rear as we moved—no shadows, no trackers.
But something still felt off.
> "Sire," I said, low, "if I may…"
He slowed slightly.
> "Speak."
> "They knew your route. The plane. The air corridor. The fallback zones. This wasn't just a random strike. It was a calculated silence."
He stopped completely now.
Turned his head just enough for me to see his eye—one eye, full of fire barely caged.
> "I know."
He kept walking.
And just like that, I knew too:
Chris wasn't just heading to safety.
He was letting them think they succeeded.
Because when he returned?
He wouldn't just expose the traitor…
He'd destroy them.
---
We reached the mouth of the cave. Narrow. Just wide enough for two to pass.
The snow died here—replaced by jagged stone and rising mist.
I paused and pulled out my comm-tab. Switched it to black channel. Whispered.
> "Shadow Hawk—if you're coming, get eyes on thermal trail. King is headed to Point Sigma."
I paused.
> "He's alive. And he's pissed."
---