Chapter 223 The Queen's Forces

• The battlefield lay shrouded in an eerie stillness after hours of relentless combat. Smoke billowed into the sky, and the air was thick with the metallic tang of blood. Ariella stood at the center of it all, her body aching and her magic flickering at the edge of exhaustion. Yet her resolve burned as brightly as ever.
• The Queen’s forces had retreated momentarily, but Ariella knew it was not a sign of defeat. It was strategy. The Queen, cunning and ruthless, was preparing her next move.
• “Something doesn’t feel right,” Raelen said, wiping blood from his blade. His eyes scanned the horizon, his warrior instincts honed to detect even the subtlest of shifts in the enemy’s tactics. “This retreat is too orderly. She’s planning something.”