Book One – Chapter 13

The golem protected the wizard. It had to, since the wizard sustained its existence. Each of its movements radiated calculated foresight, amplified by force and agility. And yet, instead of retreating to preserve the life force to which it was bound, the golem charged toward the orich —

It did not know. The golem did not know where the orich was. No, not only that. There was more, more than ignorance — there was strategy. With a sudden rush of clarity, Midnight realised that from the very first volley of ice, every single attack had been a ruse. Every shard, every spear of frost that had rained down upon the fighting party, had been deliberately angled either from directly above or from a position higher up the trail. The orich had purposely directed the ice to strike as if coming from the opposite direction — shards not originating from his true perch but flying towards him.

The storm-cloaked battlefield had masked the deception perfectly. To those unable to pierce through the chaos, the natural conclusion was to assume the orich’s position aligned with the trajectory’s starting point. Just as a warrior traces an arrow back to its unseen archer, the golem had been tricked into chasing a phantom. Midnight had not noticed this pattern earlier, for she had discovered the orich long ago through her darkness, perceiving him hidden behind the thick veil of ice and snow. She needed no physical clues to find him. But the golem, lacking such an advantage, had fallen prey to the orich’s deliberate misdirection.

And it was falling for it still. As the golem charged along the Snowtrail, the ice attacks changed gradually. The once-lethal spears of frost became weaker, their power dissipating. Shards thinned, reduced to harmless splinters, before failing to reach and ceasing altogether. This, too, was part of the orich’s deception. He lured the golem closer with calculated restraint, giving the impression that his power was waning and his range had been exhausted.