The chains of Wenally’s enchantment shattered around me, disintegrating into shimmering silver dust that scattered over the blood-soaked battlefield. My knees buckled, the weight of the carnage pressing down on me, but I caught myself, gripping Jason’s bloodied sword in one hand and a smaller dagger in the other. Each breath burned, but I forced myself to stand, trudging forward through the chaos.

Death was everywhere. It hung in the air, thick and suffocating, mingling with the stench of ...