Heartstone - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

The sun had barely touched the horizon when Ernak, one of the village’s sharpest scouts, crouched at the top of a ridge deep in the northern forest. His breath caught as he adjusted the lens crafted from an old jet visor, scanning the sky beyond the trees.
At first—silence.
Then, a sound—distant but unnatural. Not birds. Not wind. A deep mechanical hum, like a giant heartbeat pulsing in the clouds.
Ernak’s eyes widened.
Dozens of shapes—dark, winged, unnatural—cut through the sky in formation. Large mechanical aircraft, glowing faintly beneath. Alongside them, smaller hovering crafts flew low, scanning the forest floor with beams of light.
Sky Machines.
Ernak slid down the ridge, sprinting through the trees like the wind. Branches snapped around him, his heartbeat racing with the rhythm of war drums.
By midday, he burst into the village square, where Marah, Dalen, and Avera were speaking with other warriors.
“They’re coming!” Ernak gasped. “Sky Machines—dozens of them. Three days, maybe less. They’re heading straight for the valley!”
Marah’s face turned to stone. “Then we prepare.”
Dalen grabbed his bow and shouted, “Sound the bells! Light the torches! Every man, every woman—get ready!”
Avera stood still for a second, eyes locked on the mountain beyond the village. Her fingers brushed the symbol on her wrist.
Then she turned, and fire burned in her voice.
“This is our land. Let’s make them regret ever setting foot on it.”