Chapter 1: Captured
The sounds of fighting at the edge of the battlefield had not yet completely died away. The heavy stench of blood mingled with the earthy smell of mud, filling the damp air. Prisoners from the defeated side were roped together and driven forward like livestock. The young witch was among them.
She was wrapped in an oversized gray cloak, its hem caked with mud. Her exposed ankles were filthy too. Among the prisoners around her, a few pointy-eared little goblins sobbed, while several burly men hung their heads in despair. They had been spared on the spot only because they had shown a little brute strength while resisting...
