Chapter 5
The Hunter's Gambit
The rescue succeeds, but the rival kingdom's leader learns of Elara's involvement. He launches a swift, brutal assault on Oakhaven, demanding Elara's surrender and the Draggifs' subjugation, threatening utter devastation.
The air in Oakhaven, usually thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, now carried a metallic tang of fear. Word of the rescue had spread like wildfire, a beacon of hope for some, a harbinger of doom for others. Elara, her heart still thrumming with the adrenaline of the escape and the quiet triumph of seeing the youngling nestled safely within its mother’s wings, found herself the unwilling center of a storm. She had defied the elders, yes, and she had ventured into the uncharted territories of the Draggifs, but