CHAPTER 302: ANYONE ELSE FEELING REBELLIOUS?

The circle closed around them like a noose.

Elven torches emerged from the darkness on all sides. The muddy ravine that had seemed like cover now trapped them.

"Surrender," Captain Morvain’s voice called through the rain. "You’re surrounded."

Huangyan counted the torch positions. Thirty elves. Maybe more hidden in the darkness. Sergeant Zhang gripped his sword tighter, but his expression showed he understood the hopelessness of their situation.

The wounded prisoners huddled together in the center of the ravine. Lianna struggled to her feet, mud coating her torn dress. Morris and Willem supported each other with grim determination. The Yanyu officers prepared to fight despite their injuries.

"We can take some of them," Zhang said quietly.

"Not enough," Huangyan replied. "Will end up dying trying to do that."

An arrow whistled past her ear. Then another. The elves were firing warning shots. Close enough to demonstrate their accuracy without hitting their targets.

"Last chance," Morvain called. "Drop your weapons."

Huangyan looked at the muddy, exhausted prisoners around her. They’d come so far. Endured so much. To surrender now felt like betraying everything they’d fought for.

But dying in this ravine would betray them even more.

Her sword hit the muddy ground with a wet thud.

Zhang cursed under his breath but followed her example.

"Smart choice," Morvain said, stepping into the torchlight.

His armor was pristine despite the night’s chaos. His eyes held the cold satisfaction of a predator who had cornered his prey.

Elven soldiers descended into the ravine from all directions.

"Careful with that one," Morvain pointed at Huangyan. "She’s killed plenty of my hunters tonight."

Rough hands seized her arms and wrenched them behind her back. Iron shackles clicked shut around her wrists. The metal was cold and enchanted to suppress magical abilities.

"The fire mage first," Morvain ordered.

"You should have stayed in your cell," Morvain said, kneeling beside her. "Escape attempts have consequences."

Two elves dragged Lianna through the mud, forcing her to kneel directly in front of the captain.

Her torn dress clung to her body, stained with blood from Morvain’s previous interrogations.

"Special shackles for special prisoners," Morvain said, producing a set of black iron restraints. "These will ensure your fire magic never troubles us again."

The moment the enchanted metal touched her wrists, Lianna gasped in pain. The shackles didn’t just suppress her magic, they drained it, leaving her feeling hollow and weak.

"Perfect," Morvain observed with satisfaction. "Now for the others."

An elf struck her across the face. The impact split her lip and sent blood spattering into the muddy water.

"Leave her alone," Morris snarled.

An elven spear butt slammed into his stomach. He doubled over, gasping for air.

"Discipline," Morvain observed. "An important lesson for escaped prisoners."

He moved to Willem, whose broken arm hung at an awkward angle. "This one tried to resist during his first interrogation. Let’s make sure he remembers the consequences.

Huangyan was last. "The half-breed," Morvain said with disgust. "Mongrel blood makes for unpredictable prisoners. Double restraints.

"Two sets of shackles secured her arms and legs. The weight was crushing, designed to exhaust her before they even began marching.

"An elf twisted Willem’s broken arm deliberately. His scream echoed through the ravine before he collapsed into the mud, unconscious from pain.

"Sir," one of the hunters reported. "What about the assault on the camp?"

"Let the Butcher have his fun," Morvain replied dismissively. "A burning camp can be rebuilt. Escaped prisoners would damage our reputation permanently."

He stood and surveyed his captives with satisfaction.

"You’ve caused considerable trouble tonight. Killed valuable soldiers. Destroyed property." His voice carried the tone of someone delivering a sentence.

"The mountain stronghold has special facilities for dealing with problematic prisoners."

Willem tried to speak but an elf kicked him in the ribs. The blow drove him face-first into the mud.

"March formation," Morvain commanded. "We leave immediately."

The prisoners were hauled to their feet and arranged in a column. Elven guards took positions on all sides with crossbows ready.

Huangyan caught Lianna’s eye as they began walking. The noble woman’s face was bruised and bleeding, but her spirit remained unbroken.

They’d failed the rescue. But they weren’t dead yet.

The march through the forest was brutal. The elves set a pace that pushed the wounded prisoners beyond their limits. When someone stumbled, kicks and spear prods urged them forward.

Rain continued to fall, turning the forest floor into treacherous mud that sucked at their feet. The cold soaked through their clothes and into their bones.

"Where are they taking us?" Captain Zhou whispered.

"Mountain stronghold," Huangyan replied quietly.

"How far?"

"Two days. Maybe three in this weather."

Behind them, the glow of the burning camp painted the night sky orange. Explosions still echoed through the hills as Grim’s assault continued.

"Think he’ll come after us?" Zhang asked.

"He doesn’t know we’ve been captured," Huangyan said grimly. "He’ll go to the rally point and find nothing."

Zhang suddenly lunged sideways, his shoulder driving into the nearest elf’s stomach. The guard stumbled backward, his crossbow firing wild into the trees.

"Now!" Zhang shouted.Huangyan threw herself forward despite her restraints, trying to reach a fallen elven dagger. Her fingers brushed the hilt just as a spear pressed against her throat.

Zhang managed two steps before four elves tackled him to the ground. Boots slammed into his ribs repeatedly until he stopped struggling.

"Foolish," Morvain said, watching Zhang spit blood into the mud. "But predictable."He nodded to his guards.

"Ten lashes each for the failed escape attempt. Here. Now. Let the others watch what defiance costs."

Elven whips cracked through the rain. Zhang’s back opened in bloody lines as he bit back screams.

Huangyan received the same treatment, her dress shredding under the leather strips.

By the time it ended, both imperial soldiers were barely conscious, their backs were raw and bloody.

"Anyone else feeling rebellious?" Morvain asked the remaining prisoners.

The silence was answer enough.

--

Grim stood over Commander Thalorin’s body and surveyed the destroyed elven camp.

Fires burned throughout the camp. Bodies lay scattered across every courtyard. The proud military base had been reduced to smoking ruins and corpses.

"Perimeter secured," Captain Wei reported. "No survivors in the main compound."

"Casualty count?" Grim asked, wiping Thalorin’s blood from Echo’s blade.

"Two hundred and seventeen confirmed elven dead. No losses on our side."

Grim nodded with satisfaction. The assault had exceeded all expectations.

"Sergeant Liu," he called. "Status on the communications equipment?"

"Completely destroyed. They won’t be calling for reinforcements anytime soon."

"Supply depot?"

"Still burning. Everything’s gone."

Grim looked toward the forest where the rally point waited. Time to collect their rescued prisoners and begin the march back to Yanyu territory.

The mission was complete. Every objective achieved.

But as they moved through the forest toward the predetermined meeting location, something felt wrong. The woods were too quiet. No sounds of movement or voices ahead.

"Huangyan should have reached the rally point by now," Captain Wei observed.

"Maybe they’re being cautious," Sergeant Liu suggested. "Staying hidden until we arrive."

But Grim’s instincts, honed by years of combat, whispered warnings. The silence ahead felt empty rather than cautious.

They reached the rally point to find exactly what Grim feared.

Nothing.

The designated meeting area was empty except for disturbed earth and broken branches. Signs of passage but no people.

"Search the perimeter," Grim ordered immediately. "Look for tracks. Blood. Any sign of what happened."

His soldiers spread out through the forest, examining every tree and depression for clues.

"Here," Sergeant Liu called from a position fifty yards east.

Grim jogged to the location and found clear evidence of a fight. Scuffed ground. Broken weapons. Dark stains that could be blood.

"Eight dead elves," Captain Wei reported, counting bodies that had been dragged into bushes. "Professional kills. Huangyan’s work."

"But no sign of our people," Grim said grimly.

"Sir," Sergeant Liu called from deeper in the forest. "You need to see this."

He led them to a muddy ravine where the story became clear.

Multiple boot prints in the soft earth. Drag marks. Broken arrows scattered in the mud. And most telling of all, iron shackles that had been left behind.

"They were taken," Captain Wei said quietly.

Grim knelt and examined the evidence more closely. The tracks led toward the mountains. Multiple prisoners under heavy guard, moving at forced march pace.

"How long ago?" he asked.

"Little over an hour." Sergeant Liu studied the depth of the footprints. "They have a significant head start."

"Numbers?"

"Thirty guards minimum."

Grim stood and looked toward the mountains where elven strongholds waited beyond human reach.

"They’re taking them," he said. "Once they reach the mountain, it’ll be next to impossible to get them back."

"Orders, sir?" Captain Wei asked.

Grim hefted his collection of elven ears. Two hundred and seventeen pairs from tonight’s assault. But what did numbers matter if they’d failed to save the people they came for?

"We follow," he said simply. "Thirty elves against three humans. I’ve faced worse odds."

"Sir, pursuing into the mountains means leaving Yanyu territory. If we’re captured—"

"We won’t be captured," Grim interrupted. "And they won’t keep our people."

He began moving north, following the trail left by the elven escort. His remaining soldiers fell in behind him without question.

The rescue mission had become a pursuit. The pursuit would become a war.