CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER_39:THE TRACKS IN THE WASTELAND

The morning after the battle was quiet.

Aldrich woke in his tent to the sound of wind howling outside. His body ached. Every muscle felt heavy. His essence reserves were still depleted from the fight against the wraiths. The system had warned him to rest for at least two days before engaging in combat again.

But rest wasn’t an option.

A knock came at his tent entrance.

"Prince Solomon," a voice called. It was one of the castle servants. "Queen Elara requests your presence immediately. The war room. She says it’s urgent."

Aldrich sat up slowly. His shoulder was stiff. He rolled it, feeling the joints crack. "Tell her I’ll be there in ten minutes."

"Yes, my lord."

The servant’s footsteps faded into the snow.

Aldrich stood and dressed quickly. He pulled on the thick fur coat that Winterhold had provided him. The cold bit at his skin the moment he stepped outside.

The city looked different in the morning light. Damaged and Broken. Sections of the northern wall had cracks running through them. Buildings near the wall had collapsed roofs from falling debris. People moved through the streets slowly, their faces hollow with exhaustion and fear.

Aldrich walked toward the castle. His boots crunched in the fresh snow.And When he reached the war room, the guards opened the heavy ice doors without a word.

Inside, Queen Elara sat at the head of a long table carved from black stone in Winterhold. Maps were spread across its surface. Markers indicated monster attack patterns. Red dots showed where soldiers had died.

To her right stood General Bjorn Frosthelm. His arms were crossed. His face was grim as always. His white beard was frozen with small icicles.

To her left stood Freya. She looked tired and that was because she had fought yesterday. There were dark circles under her eyes. But when Aldrich entered, her gaze met his. Something passed between them. A brief moment of acknowledgment. She had saved his life yesterday.

"Prince Solomon," Queen Elara said. Her voice was calm. "Thank you for coming."

Aldrich bowed his head slightly. "Your Majesty."

She gestured to the maps. "Last night’s attack was different. The monsters have never retreated before. Not once in six months of constant siege. Yet yesterday, they withdrew completely. Why?"

Aldrich stepped closer to the table. He studied the maps. "Someone called them back. That horn we heard.i think It was a signal."

General Bjorn nodded. "Agreed. But who? And from where?"

Queen Elara’s ice blue eyes locked onto Aldrich. "That is what I need you to find out. You and Freya will investigate the wasteland. Look for tracks. Evidence. Anything that explains why they stopped."

Freya straightened. "Your Majesty, with respect, the wasteland is dangerous. If we go out there"

"You will go together," the Queen interrupted straight . "Prince Solomon has proven his strength. And you, Freya, know the terrain better than anyone. Between the two of you, you should be safe enough."

Bjorn spoke next. "Take ten soldiers with you. Archers. Stay within sight of the wall. If anything goes wrong, retreat immediately."

Aldrich nodded. "Understood."

Freya didn’t look very happy, but she didn’t argue. "When do we leave?"

"Now," the Queen said. "Every moment we wait, the trail grows colder."

The meeting ended quickly after that.

Aldrich and Freya left the war room together. Neither of them spoke as they walked through the castle corridors.

Finally, Freya broke the silence. "You don’t have to do this, you know. This isn’t your kingdom. These aren’t your people."

Aldrich looked at her. "Then why did you save me yesterday?"

She didn’t answer immediately. When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter. "Because you saved me first." Aldrich didnt say anything.

They reached the armory. Ten soldiers were already waiting. All of them wore white fur cloaks and carried bows. Their faces were young and Nervous.

Freya addressed them briefly. "We’re going into the wasteland to investigate yesterday’s retreat. Stay alert. Stay together. If I give the order to retreat, you run. No heroics. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain," they said in unison.

The group left through the northern gate.

The moment they stepped beyond the wall, the cold intensified. It wasn’t just physical cold. It was something Heavier. Like the air itself wanted to freeze them.

The snow stretched endlessly in every direction. White flat and empty.

Except it wasn’t empty after a few walks .

Freya knelt down and brushed snow aside. "Look."

Tracks. Dozens of them. Claw marks from Ice Wolves. Deep indentations from Frost Giants. And something else.Humanoid footprints.

Aldrich crouched beside her. "Those aren’t from the monsters."

"No," Freya agreed. Her voice was tense. "They’re not."

The footprints led away from Winterhold. Deeper into the wasteland. But there was something wrong about them. They were too deliberate.

"Follow them," Aldrich said.

The group moved carefully through the snow. The soldiers kept their bows ready. Every sound made them flinch. The wind. The creak of ice. The distant howl of something far away.

After twenty minutes of walking, they found something.

It wax a crater and It was massive. At least thirty feet wide. The snow around it had been melted and then refrozen. The ice was blackened.

Freya stepped to the edge and looked down. "This wasn’t here yesterday."

Aldrich knelt and touched the frozen ground. It was still warm. "Something exploded here. Recently. Within the last few hours."

One of the soldiers called out. "Captain! Over here!"

They rushed toward him. He was standing near a cluster of jagged ice formations. But between the ice, there was something else.

It was Blood.

Frozen blood. But not red. It was dark. Almost black. And it didn’t smell like human blood. It smelled like rot. Like decay.

Freya’s face went serious. "This is monster blood. But monsters dissolve when they die. They don’t leave bodies. They don’t leave blood."

Aldrich stood slowly. His mind raced. Inside his consciousness, Solomon spoke. "This is wrong. Monsters are essence constructs. They shouldn’t bleed. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Aldrich thought back.

"Unless they’re not natural. Unless someone is creating them."

Aldrich’s eyes widened.

Freya was examining the ice formations now. She ran her hand along one of them. Then she froze. Her expression changed. "No. No, this can’t be right."

"What?" Aldrich asked.

She turned to face him. Her face was shocked and Horrified. "This ice. It’s not natural. It was shaped. By essence energy. By someone with ice manipulation."

Aldrich’s responded. "What are you saying?"

Freya’s voice was barely a whisper. "I’m saying this essence (magic)... it’s from Winterhold. Someone in our kingdom did this."

The soldiers looked at each other nervously.

One of them spoke quietly. "A traitor?"

Freya didn’t answer. But her silence was answer enough.

Aldrich looked back toward the wall. From here, it was just a thin line on the horizon. "We need to keep moving. Find more evidence."

They walked further. The humanoid tracks continued. Deeper into the wasteland. Away from Winterhold.

Then they found it.

The Ice Wall.

But not the part facing outward. The part facing inward. Toward the city.

There were cracks. Deep ones running vertically down the wall like scars.

Freya approached slowly. She touched one of the cracks. Her hand trembled. "These cracks... they weren’t made by monsters attacking from outside."

Aldrich stood beside her. "How do you know?"

She pointed at the edges of the crack. "Look at the fracture pattern. The ice broke outward. Not inward. Someone damaged this wall from the inside. From Winterhold’s side."

The words hung in the air.

A traitor.Someone inside Winterhold was sabotaging the wall. Letting the monsters through hence the first destruction of Winterhold.

One of the soldiers spoke, his voice shaking. "Who would do this? Who would betray the kingdom?"

No one answered.

Aldrich examined the crack more closely. There was residue along the edges, it was Faint. Almost invisible. But it was there.

Essence residue.He activated his spiritual vision briefly. The Eyes of Creation. The world shifted to black and white.

The residue shined faintly. A signature. Unique. Every person’s essence had a signature. Like a fingerprint.But he didn’t recognize this one.

He deactivated the vision and turned to Freya. "We need to get back. Report this to the Queen immediately."

Freya nodded. She looked shaken. "Everyone, back to the wall. Now."

They turned and began walking quickly back toward Winterhold.

But as they walked, Aldrich couldn’t shake the feeling that Someone was watching them.

He looked over his shoulder. The wasteland stretched endlessly behind them.But he felt it. Eyes on him.

Inside his mind, Solomon spoke quietly. "We’re being hunted, my boy. Whoever the traitor is, they know we’re investigating."

Aldrich’s hand moved to the hilt of his sword. "Then let them come makes things easier don’t it?."

They reached the wall without incident. The gates opened, and they rushed inside.

Freya immediately went to the castle to report to Queen Elara. Aldrich followed.

In the throne room, the Queen listened to everything. Her face remained calm, but her hands gripped the armrests of her throne tightly.

General Bjorn stood beside her. His expression was unreadable.When Freya finished, the Queen spoke. "A traitor. Among us."

Bjorn’s voice was low. "If this is true, we must find them. Immediately. Before they strike again."

Queen Elara nodded slowly. "Double the guard on the Ice Wall. I want mages checking every section for sabotage. No one is above suspicion."

She looked at Aldrich and Freya . "You did well. Thank you."

Aldrich bowed his head. "I only wish we had found more answers."

The Queen’s expression softened slightly. "Answers will come. For now, rest. You’ve earned it."

Aldrich and Freya left the throne room together.

As they walked through the corridor, Freya spoke quietly. "Do you think we’re safe? Even inside the walls?"

Aldrich didn’t answer immediately. Finally, he said, "No. I don’t."

That night, Aldrich couldn’t sleep.

He lay in his tent, staring at the ceiling. His mind turned over everything they’d found. The tracks. The blood. The cracks in the wall.

Someone in Winterhold was working with the monsters. Or controlling them.

But who?

And why?

Outside, the wind howled. Snow fell steadily.

And then, faintly, Aldrich heard it.

Bells.The Alarm bells,Ringing.He sat up instantly.He threw on his coat and rushed outside.

Soldiers were running toward the northern wall. Shouting. Panic in their voices.

Aldrich grabbed one of them. "What’s happening?"

The soldier’s face was pale with fear. "They’re coming again, my lord. Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands."

Aldrich’s blood went cold.He ran toward the wall. Climbed the stairs and Reached the top.

And looked out into the wasteland.His heart stopped for a second The horizon was black.

Not with night. With monsters.An army of them. Moving across the snow like a living shadow.Ice Wolves. Hundreds of them.Frost Giants in their Dozens.And flying above them, silhouetted against the gray sky, were massive shapes. Winged,Frost Dragons,Three of them.

Their wings stretched wide. Their mouths shined with cold blue light.

Freya appeared beside him, breathing hard. "This is worse than yesterday. Much worse."

General Bjorn’s voice boomed across the wall. "ARCHERS! TO YOUR POSITIONS! MAGES! PREPARE DEFENSES!"

Soldiers scrambled into formation.Aldrich manifested his sword. The blade shined with light.

Inside his mind, Solomon spoke. "This is it, my boy. This is the real fight."

Aldrich stared at the approaching horde.They were minutes away.And this time, he knew better that Not everyone would survive.