Read Novel Full Chapter 283 Shadows on the Road
283: Shadows on the Road 283: Shadows on the Road The third evening of the journey began with a sky painted in soft orange and pink.
The sun dipped low behind the hills, casting long shadows on the dirt road.
The carriages of House Tigerin rolled forward, the wheels creaking gently as they passed through a stretch of empty woodland.
Tall trees lined both sides of the path, their branches whispering with the wind.
Eren sat on top of the third carriage, his eyes scanning the trees.
He had been feeling uneasy for the last hour.
The forest was too quiet.
No birds chirped.
No animals stirred.
“Something’s off,” he muttered.
Inside the carriage, Sofiya sat beside Aldo and Roma.
The boy had fallen asleep, his head resting on a rolled blanket.
Roma looked tired but alert, reading a scroll.
Sofiya glanced up at Eren through the small open window.
“What is it?” He didn’t answer at first.
His hand was on the hilt of his blade.
He turned slightly, eyes narrowing.
Then, he saw it.
A flicker between the trees.
A figure—dark, fast, and silent—moving just out of sight.
Before he could shout a warning, the forest exploded with motion.
Masked men and women rushed out from the trees, dressed in grey and black armor.
They carried curved swords, crossbows, and throwing knives.
Their faces were hidden, but their movements were trained.
“Ambush!” Eren roared, leaping down from the carriage as arrows flew.
The lead carriage stopped suddenly.
The horses neighed in panic, and the driver tried to calm them, but an arrow hit one of the reins.
The animal reared and broke free, dragging the carriage sideways into a tree.
The second carriage was swarmed.
A group of attackers cut down the guards quickly, their blades fast and silent.
One of the merchants tried to fight back with a short dagger, but he was kicked to the ground.
Eren landed in front of the third carriage just in time to deflect a crossbow bolt aimed at the door.
His sword moved like a flash of light, cutting down the first masked attacker who rushed him.
Inside, Roma stood up and grabbed her staff.
Sofiya had already drawn her short twin blades.
“I’ll cover the left side,” Sofiya said quickly.
“Protect Aldo!” Roma nodded, pulling Aldo closer and whispering a spell.
A soft golden light surrounded the boy, forming a protective bubble around him.
Eren fought with fierce skill.
Two attackers rushed him at once, blades aimed at his chest.
He parried one, twisted his body, and brought his sword down on the second man’s shoulder.
Blood sprayed, and the man dropped.
Sofiya leapt out of the carriage window, spinning in mid-air.
She landed in a crouch, both blades ready.
She dashed into the group of attackers, her blades moving in sharp, clean arcs.
She fought like water—graceful, fluid, and fast.
One attacker tried to block her strike, but she slipped under his guard and knocked him out with a blow to the back of the neck.
Roma, from inside the carriage, cast a blast of wind magic.
It knocked two attackers off their feet and gave Eren the opening he needed.
But there were too many.
A new wave of masked fighters rushed from the trees—at least a dozen more.
“Where are the evokers from the front carriage?” Eren shouted.
“They’re held up,” Sofiya replied.
“They’re under attack too!” Eren cursed.
This wasn’t just a random ambush.
It was organized.
Trained.
Someone knew their route, their number, their formation.
A sudden cry came from the second carriage.
One of the merchants was dragged out by the hair and thrown to the ground.
The attackers didn’t kill him—they used him as bait.
“Come out or he dies!” one of the masked men yelled.
Eren froze for a second.
His heart pounded.
Sofiya clenched her fists, eyes burning with anger.
But then, something unexpected happened.
From the shadows behind the trees, arrows began to fly—but not from the attackers.
A group of cloaked figures appeared.
They moved fast and silent, shooting with perfect aim.
The attackers were caught off guard.
Three of them fell with arrows in their backs before they even realized what was happening.
The rest turned to defend themselves, but the ambush had been reversed.
“Who—?” Roma began.
A woman stepped into the clearing.
She wore dark green armor and a long cloak.
Her face was uncovered, sharp-eyed and calm.
“You looked like you needed help,” she said, lowering her bow.
Eren stared at her.
“Who are you?” “We’re rangers from the Forgeholm road scouts.
This area’s been getting more dangerous lately.
You’re lucky we were tracking these bandits.” Sofiya didn’t lower her blades right away.
“Bandits?
These people fight like trained mercs.” The ranger woman’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s what worries me.” Within minutes, the attackers were either dead, captured, or had fled into the woods.
The carriages were reassembled, wounded were tended to, and the bodies were moved off the road.
As the sun disappeared fully behind the hills, Eren, Sofiya, and Roma stood together.
“That wasn’t random,” Eren said.
“Someone sent them.
Someone knew we’d be here.” Roma’s face was pale.
“And they wanted Aldo.” Sofiya sheathed her blades.
“This changes everything.
We need to be ready for more.” They had survived the ambush—but now they knew something darker was hunting them.
And it wasn’t finished yet.
The night settled in as the last of the fire from the attackers’ torches was put out.
The air was heavy with the scent of blood, smoke, and broken wood.
Everyone was quiet, still shaken from the sudden fight.
The rangers who had come to their rescue moved swiftly, checking the bodies of the fallen attackers.
They stripped away masks, looked for signs or symbols, and whispered among themselves.
The leader, the woman in the green armor, knelt by one of the bodies, studying a tattoo behind the ear.
Eren walked up beside her.
“Find something?” She looked up, eyes serious.
“This one has a mark.
A hidden sigil of the Black Stone.” Sofiya joined them, wiping blood from her blade.
“Black Stone?
That sounds familiar.”