Chapter 61 Writer's POV
Night had fallen thick and heavy as the king's party arrived at a narrow road cutting through the dark silhouette of the forest. The trees loomed like giants on either side, their branches creaking in the wind like skeletal fingers. The convoy stopped here, and the king gave the order.
"We leave the cars here. From here, we walk to the temple of the black witches."
The party of 39 – soldiers, the king, Duke Ryker, and Onyi among them – gathered their gear and stepped into the forest's darkness. The trees swallowed them, casting shadows that danced like demons in the flickering torchlight they carried.
Hours passed, the forest growing thicker, the path less clear. The only sounds were the crunch of leaves underfoot, the creaking of trees, and sometimes a distant, unsettling hoot like a mourning spirit. The air grew colder, heavy with an unnatural mist that clung like wet fingers to their skin.
Then, through the darkness ahead, shapes emerged. Stones. Ancient stones forming the walls of the temple of the black witches. The party stopped at the edge of a clearing, the temple looming before them like a monstrous shadow.
The king raised a hand. "We surround the temple. Prepare for –"
But as he spoke, a wind rose. A howling wind that wasn't natural. It screamed through the trees like a chorus of the damned. And in the temple walls, lights flickered to life. Green lights, like witchfire, dancing in windows where shadows twisted like living things.
The soldiers shifted nervously. Onyi felt a cold sweat on his brow. Duke Ryker's face was set hard.
Suddenly, the wind stopped. The silence was like a slap. And from the temple, a low chant began. A chant in a language none understood, words that crawled like insects up their spines.
The king's eyes gleamed. "Now."
As the king said "Now," the party of 39 moved forward cautiously, surrounding the temple of the black witches. The chant from within grew louder, the words in that unearthly language sending shivers down the spines of even the bravest soldiers. Green witchfire danced in the temple windows, casting eerie shadows on the ground.
Duke Ryker led a group to the main entrance, massive wooden doors bound in iron straps. The king gestured to others to check flanks and rear of the temple, ensuring no surprise from hidden passages or witch tricks.
Onyi stayed close to Duke Ryker near the entrance. The chanting reached a peak, then stopped. The silence afterward was heavy, like a held breath. The witchfire in the windows pulsed once more and died.
The doors of the temple creaked open by themselves. No one touched them. The party hesitated at the threshold, peering into darkness beyond the doorway. A scent wafted out – incense and something metallic like old blood.
The king stepped forward. "Into the temple.