Evan finished checking the crate again. The silver bars pulsed with faint mana the way moonlit water shifts under wind. It was not normal ore. Silver might hold magic when forged into enchanted tools but raw bars did not usually glow unless they were mined from places where mana surged violently.
The woman merchant still looked confused. “Is there a problem”
Evan kept his voice steady. “Not a problem but unusual. This silver is charged with unstable mana. It may attract beasts during flight”
The merchant paled. “We did not know. We only need it delivered to Frostbridge. We cannot wait weeks for the roads to clear”
Evan nodded. “Dragon Freight will deliver it but I must take a high altitude route. It will cost more energy from my wyvern. I need to prepare carefully”
The merchant nodded quickly. “We will pay whatever fee you set”
Evan lifted the bars and placed them into a reinforced container. The weight shifted in his hands as though the bars resisted movement not physically but magically. Small flashes of silver rippled across their surfaces like reflections of distant lightning.
He placed the container on a leather pad and covered it with cloth soaked in scent dampening powder. He hoped it would hide the mana pulse from predators but magic did not follow the rules of smell. Beasts sensed energy more than scent.
Gale stood close and examined the container. The wyvern’s pupils narrowed. Evan rubbed Gale’s neck. “I know it feels wrong. But we cannot refuse this job. Frostbridge depends on the supply trade”
He checked the sky. Thin clouds drifted lazily but the air felt cold even for this region. The shadow forest was growing restless. He needed to depart before the forest’s influence spread farther.
He called Ember and Crest toward the training posts. Both beasts watched Gale with curiosity. Evan pointed toward them. “You stay here. Guard the camp. Learn from Gale’s takeoff”
Crest screeched in reply while Ember shifted wings toward the sky. Evan smiled quietly. They were learning quickly.
He mounted Gale and strapped the silver container under the main frame. The harness creaked under the adjusted weight but held firm.
“Gale” Evan whispered “We fly high and straight. Avoid the forest currents and climb above the frost bear territory. If turbulence increases we rise higher”
The wyvern crouched then pushed off the ground with powerful force. Wind rushed around them as they gained altitude.
The camp shrank below. The merchants stared upward until they became small shadows near the trees.
Evan adjusted his balance and checked the container. Stable. No shaking.
They reached the upper currents above Ironwind Valley. Here the air was thin and cold. Frost gathered on Gale’s wingtips but the wyvern pushed through with steady rhythm.
Evan looked down. What he saw made his heart tighten.
Shadow beasts were not only in the forest. They had started climbing the lower slopes. The dark shapes moved like shifting ink flowing upward in deliberate lines.
The watcher had warned him the Rootstorm would spread. But Evan expected days not hours.
The silver bars pulsed again. Gale snarled softly. Evan touched the wyvern’s neck. “Stay calm. Focus on the wind”
As they approached Frostbridge the landscape changed into rolling white hills. Frost bears roamed in slow heavy movements leaving wide tracks. Thick fur covered their bodies and shards of ice hung from their jaws.
Gale flew high enough to avoid visual contact. Frost bears rarely looked upward but they were sensitive to mana waves. The silver container gave off pulses that could draw unwanted attention.
Evan watched the bears with caution. A few looked toward the sky as if sensing something. Their deep growls echoed across the hills.
“Higher Gale”
The wyvern climbed again. Evan felt the air thin further but Gale was strong.
After another hour they finally saw Frostbridge Town. Small houses with blue roofs clustered near a frozen river. Smoke rose from chimneys.
Evan signaled descent. Gale lowered carefully and landed near a wide snow field.
A middle aged blacksmith approached the moment Evan stepped down. “You brought the silver. We feared no one could pass the hills”
Evan unstrapped the container. “Your silver carries unstable mana. The miners must have dug too close to a crystal vein”
The blacksmith stiffened. “We suspected something but we needed the silver. Our tools break in the cold without reinforced edges”
He opened the container and the faint light spilled across the snow. “We will refine it quickly. Thank you”
As Evan checked Gale’s wings he noticed something odd. The snow near the container melted in a small circle. Mana from the bars heated the ground.
Not good.
The blacksmith’s eyes widened. “Is it dangerous”
Evan shook his head. “Only if stored near beast paths or deep magic roots. Keep it away from the forest line”
The blacksmith nodded.
Evan prepared Gale for the return flight but paused. Frostbridge felt too quiet. Too still.
Then he noticed deep marks in the snow near the town’s gate. Large clawed footprints not belonging to frost bears.
Something had passed through the region earlier.
Something big.
Something drawn by the silver.
The Rootstorm’s reach was expanding faster than expected.
As Evan and Gale took off again he whispered “We must prepare for fights the sky alone cannot avoid”