Half the Red Crow swarm lay dead on the ground.
Burned feathers. Broken wings. Blood staining the dirt.
But the rest were still coming.
Maria and Khaun stepped back, breathing heavily as they gathered mana again. Large spells drained them quickly, and they needed time to recover.
That left the rest of us in the middle.
Niles, Paul, and I continued firing arrows into the swarm while the frontline held the perimeter.
Ron.
Rany.
Sam.
Rahuan.
They formed a rough semicircle in front of the caravans.
I moved toward Ron and offered him my spear.
"It has longer reach than your sword," I said quickly.
Ron shook his head without looking back.
"Not now."
"But—"
"This isn't the time to change weapons," he cut me off. "Use what you're familiar with."
His eyes stayed on the incoming birds.
"These things don't just attack. They grab prey and carry it into the sky… then drop it."
I swallowed.
So that was their real tactic.
The Red Crows dove lower.
We continued firing.
Behind us, the Vipers moved through the caravans, covering the rear. Whenever a crow slipped past the front line, they intercepted it with thrown daggers or poison darts.
The swarm was thinning.
Slowly, the momentum was shifting in our favor.
We might actually win this.
Then every mercenary suddenly felt it.
A pressure in the air.
A hunter's presence.
We all looked up.
And saw it.
A Black Eagle.
Massive.
Its wingspan was larger than a grown man's height.
Dark feathers covered its body like armor, and its beak burned with a sharp orange color. Its claws looked like curved steel blades.
It circled high above us.
Higher than the caravan towers.
Higher than any bird should fly before attacking.
In my mind, only one thought appeared.
The king of the birds.
But something about it felt wrong.
Black Eagles were solitary hunters. Sometimes they hunted with a mate, but never with a flock.
And certainly not like this.
The Red Crows weren't acting like wild scavengers anymore.
They were acting like subordinates.
That should have been impossible.
Yet the eagle kept descending toward us.
Ron reacted instantly.
"Vipers! Forget the rear — assist the front!"
The eagle was approaching fast.
Red Crows still filled the sky.
Maria and Khaun were still gathering mana.
Then one crow slipped through.
It dove straight toward Maria.
Before I could react—
Paul stepped forward.
His mace swung upward.
CRACK.
The crow's skull exploded on impact. Blood splattered across his clothes.
Paul froze for a moment.
It was probably his first kill.
Then he shouted, voice shaking but determined.
"I'll guard the mages! Keep them off!"
The rest of us returned to the fight.
The Red Crows continued attacking, but the real threat had arrived.
The Black Eagle descended and landed some distance away.
Its screech tore through the battlefield.
Rahuan charged immediately.
Straight at it.
Breaking formation.
"Idiot!" Rany shouted.
Ron cursed under his breath.
But it was too late.
Rahuan rushed forward, twin axes raised high.
The semicircle formation collapsed where he left.
Ron made a quick decision.
"You three!" he shouted at us archers. "Finish the Red Crows!"
He turned toward the others.
"Vipers with me! We handle the eagle!"
Maria and Khaun stepped forward again.
"No large spells," Ron said quickly. "Small attacks. Keep pressure on it."
We moved.
Within minutes, the remaining Red Crows were cut down.
But the real battle was now happening in front of us.
The Vipers surrounded the eagle like hunters circling prey.
Their movements were fast and agile, darting in and out with daggers.
They aimed for the head and neck.
But the feathers were tough.
Hard as metal.
Their blades scratched across them without reaching the skin.
Rahuan had already been struck.
One of the eagle's claws had slashed across his face and arm. Blood ran down his cheek as he kept fighting.
Maria launched small bursts of flame.
Khaun fired sharp wind blades.
The eagle shrieked as they struck.
Then suddenly—
It leapt into the air.
"Now!" Ron shouted.
Niles, Paul, and I fired immediately.
But the eagle moved with terrifying agility.
It twisted through the air, changing direction mid-flight, dodging most of our shots.
It circled once.
Twice.
Then it simply… left.
Flying away into the distance.
We stared after it in confusion.
Black Eagles were intelligent creatures.
But this one had come here to fight.
And yet it retreated before the battle truly turned against it.
Why?