Chapter 164: Right on the bait

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Right on the bait

They moved the moment they understood what was happening.

Amy stared at the scene for half a second too long.

Then a scream from her left snapped her out of it.

She turned just as an Underworld agent lunged toward a young woman struggling to pull herself away from the burning roots beneath her. Amy’s expression hardened. She launched herself forward and drove her fist into the man’s face before he could bring his weapon down.

He staggered, but she didn’t give him time to recover. She struck again, using her ability to overpower him and send him crashing to the ground.

"Get up!" she shouted at the woman, grabbing her arm. "Can you run?"

The woman nodded frantically.

"Then go! Follow the others and don’t stop!"

Amy shoved her toward the clearer path before turning to face the next attacker.

Her heart hammered against her ribs. She had fought before, and she had seen people get hurt, but this was different. There were too many enemies, too many people screaming for help, and too many bodies lying motionless among the trees.

How had the forbidden forest turned into this?

She blocked a strike, twisted her opponent’s arm, and drove him backward. Her mind kept racing even as her body moved on instinct.

How had so many Underworld agents gotten here? The forbidden forest wasn’t somewhere people could simply wander into. Bringing this many fighters into the territory would have required considerable power, careful planning, and knowledge of the area.

And they had been gone for less than twenty-four hours.

Less than a day.

Amy ducked beneath another attack and slammed her elbow into the man’s ribs.

How the hell did they manage this?

She couldn’t afford to stand around looking for answers. A man was shouting for help a few steps away, and two more attackers were closing in on him.

Amy rushed toward them.

"Hey! Pick on someone who can fight back!"

Both men turned.

The first barely had time to raise his weapon before Amy struck him. The second lunged at her, forcing her to twist aside. She caught his arm, drove her knee into his stomach, and shoved him away hard enough to send him crashing into a tree.

The wounded man stared at her in disbelief.

"Go!" she snapped. "Unless you’d rather stay here and thank me after we’re all dead!"

That finally got him moving.

Amy drew a ragged breath and looked toward the bear.

Her divine beast was already tearing through the attackers around it. She could feel the connection between them, an instinctive awareness that went beyond words. She didn’t need to shout instructions or point out every threat. The bear seemed to understand exactly what needed to be done.

One Underworld agent rushed toward a group of fleeing civilians.

The bear intercepted him before he could reach them, bringing one enormous paw down and crushing him into the dirt.

Another pair tried to approach from the side. The bear swung its massive forelimb, sending both men flying away from the fleeing survivors.

Amy stared for a brief moment, still struggling to comprehend the sheer force of it.

Then she felt the power inside her respond again.

The daylight filtering through the smoke was enough. Even with the sky darkened by ash, patches of sunlight still reached the forest floor, and her ability answered her call without resistance.

She felt stronger than she had before.

The bear’s presence seemed to amplify something deep within her, giving her an instinctive certainty about where to move and when to strike. She didn’t have time to understand it. She simply trusted it.

"Keep them away from the civilians!" she called.

The bear answered with a deep, rumbling roar before charging toward another group of attackers.

A short distance away, Caleb drove his fist into an agent’s jaw, caught another man by the front of his clothing, and threw him aside before turning to face the next threat. His expression was grim.

He was thinking the same thing she was.

How did this happen?

Someone had brought these people here, and someone had decided that whatever they wanted was worth leaving the forest full of dead civilians.

He caught an incoming strike on his forearm and retaliated with a hard punch that sent the attacker stumbling.

"Damn it!" he muttered.

A terrified man ran past him, nearly colliding with his shoulder. Caleb caught him before he fell.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"There’s nowhere to go!" the man gasped, his eyes wide with panic. "They’re everywhere!"

Caleb looked beyond him. Through the smoke, he spotted a narrow stretch of forest where the flames hadn’t spread as badly. The trees were thinner there, and the path led away from the worst of the fighting.

He pointed toward it.

"There!" he shouted. "There’s a clear path through those trees. Get everyone moving in that direction!"

The man stared at him.

"Now!" Caleb barked.

The man scrambled away, shouting the directions to anyone who would listen.

Caleb turned toward the others and raised his voice above the chaos.

"This way! Everyone who can still walk, follow me! Get out of the forest!"

Amy heard him and immediately began directing the people near her toward the path. She moved between the civilians and the Underworld agents, refusing to let anyone get close enough to strike at their backs.

Reid and Dean were already moving. Their divine beasts charged between the burning trees, and the brothers followed close behind, striking down anyone who tried to block their path.

Enzo remained behind with Amelia in his arms, his gaze sweeping across the chaos as he searched for the safest route through the forest. He adjusted his hold on her, keeping her head tucked securely against his chest while turning his body to shield her from the heat and flying debris.

The forest had become a slaughterhouse.

People ran between the trees, and terror had stripped the color from their faces.

The Underworld agents gave them no chance.

Dark figures moved through the burning forest.

Amelia remained asleep in his arms, her face resting against his chest.

He looked down at her.

She hadn’t stirred despite the shouting, the fighting, or the sounds of people screaming around them. Her exhaustion had been so severe that even the chaos hadn’t been enough to wake her.

Enzo’s jaw tightened.

You need to rest. Just a little longer.

He had no intention of waking her unless he absolutely had to.

Reid appeared through the smoke a moment later, his panther moving at his side. There was ash across his cheek and a dark smear on his sleeve, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.

Dean emerged from the opposite side of the clearing, his snow leopard stalking behind him.

"Let’s move."

They moved together, their divine beasts close around them. Enzo stayed in the center, Amelia held securely against his chest, while Reid and Dean took the sides. Their beasts circled the group, creating a moving barrier between the sleeping woman and anyone who might try to approach.

toward them were met with the brutal strength of the divine beasts and the brothers’ precise, relentless attacks. Reid struck down one man who tried to block their path, while Dean intercepted another before he could get close to Enzo. Their beasts moved with them, teeth bared and claws tearing through any enemy foolish enough to come within reach.

Even as they fought, the same uneasy thought settled over all three brothers.

Someone was watching.

Not from the trees or the smoke—from much farther away. A presence that felt patient, focused almost entirely on whether Amelia would fall.

Far above the burning forest, high enough that the flames looked like scattered embers, Zelda hovered in the air. Wind tugged at her clothes and hair, but her eyes never left the scene below.

A slow smile curved her lips.

"They didn’t think," she murmured. "They took the bait."

Her gaze locked on the small figure still sleeping in Enzo’s arms.

"And now... I’m going to have Amelia right back in my arms once more."