Heartstone - Chapter 35: Chapter 35

The sun hung low in the sky, casting golden light across the trees and the rippling surface of the river. Dalen sat on a flat rock, elbows resting on his knees, gaze locked on the flowing water. The weight of Ashen’s words pressed against his chest like armor too heavy to bear.
> Two weeks.
His jaw clenched. The world could end in two weeks if they failed.
A soft rustling in the trees behind him made him turn sharply.
Hoofbeats.
Through the veil of leaves, he saw them—Marah, Avera, and the other soldiers riding slowly through the forest path toward the village. The tired horses, the streaks of dirt, and the smudged war paint told stories of survival—and new alliances forged in distant villages.
Dalen stood quickly, heart beating faster—not from fear this time, but from something warmer.
Avera saw him and slowed her horse. A faint, exhausted smile curved her lips. Dalen moved forward as they entered the clearing, the village gates swinging open ahead.
“You’re back,” he said, voice low with relief.
Avera slid off her horse and walked toward him. “We found allies. Three more villages pledged warriors and supplies.”
Dalen nodded, then looked at Marah. “We need them. We need every sword.”
Marah frowned. “You found something?”
He hesitated for only a second. “No. Someone.”
Later that evening, they gathered in the village council hut as the sun dipped behind the mountains. Dalen told them everything—about the ambush, Ashen, the sky machines hidden in the forest, the war machines being readied, and the two-week deadline.
Gasps filled the room. Tension thickened like smoke.
But when it cleared, Marah stood.
“Then we prepare.”
Avera looked at Dalen. “And Ashen? You trust him?”
Dalen met her eyes. “He remembered who he was. That’s enough for now.”
Outside, villagers were already sharpening weapons. Fires were lit. Walls reinforced. War drums echoed faintly in the distance from other villages already alerted by messenger birds.
The last war of their age had begun.