Heartstone - Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Snow began to thin as Marah, Avera, Denak, and their army descended into the lowlands. Towering trees arched above them like cathedral pillars, and the path curved toward the final stronghold—Velhara, a hidden sanctuary nestled in the ravine below the Stone Teeth Mountains.
Smoke rose from forge vents built into the rocks, and scouts on the cliffs had already seen the caravan approaching.
By the time they reached the gates, Chief Drakon stood waiting.
He was tall and grizzled, his gray hair tied back, and one arm replaced by a mechanical construct—old-world tech melded with forest craftsmanship.
He watched Avera quietly as she dismounted.
“You have his eyes,” Drakon said.
Avera blinked. “You knew my father?”
“I did more than that,” Drakon said. “He saved my people.”
He turned, leading them past walls etched with symbols—carvings of fire, war, and machines in the sky. They entered a stone hall lit by hanging crystals. Warriors stood in respectful silence.
Drakon motioned for them to sit.
“It started thirty years ago,” he began. “The first sky machine came with fire and thunder. We fought with spears. It burned our crops, shattered our halls. We lost half our people in a day.”
He held up his metal arm. “I lost this.”
He looked at Avera again, softer this time.
“But then… he came. Nikola Varga. He came as a man carrying a child. He warned us, fought with us, and gave us knowledge.”
Avera’s voice cracked. “He never told me…”
Drakon nodded. “He didn’t want glory. He just wanted to protect something that still mattered.”
The fire in the hearth crackled. Outside, horns echoed as Velhara’s warriors prepared.
Drakon stood.
“And now his daughter has come. Carrying the light.”
He turned to Marah. “We are with you. Velhara rides to war.”
Night fell with the beating of drums and the sound of banners unfurling. The united clans—forestborn, cliffguard, riverblades, firewalkers, and skywatchers—had answered the call.
In a world long divided, the flames of unity burned once more.