Queen_malikamp4

Malika turned, her eyes reflecting the orange glow of the distant fires. She gripped the hilt of her ancestral blade, The Sun-Shard .

"The Fire-Stalkers believe they are fighting a girl," Malika told the leaders. "They will learn they are fighting the dragon of the savannah. We do not hide behind stone walls. We ride." queen_malikamp4

Malika didn't look back at her advisors. She focused on the horizon, where the smoke of burning villages stained the sky. Malika turned, her eyes reflecting the orange glow

That night, under the cover of a sandstorm, Malika didn't wait to be attacked. She led the vanguard. As the Stalkers’ camp came into view, Malika felt the fear of her youth vanish, replaced by the crushing weight of her responsibility—and the fire of her destiny. "They will learn they are fighting the dragon

She descended the stone steps, her armored skirts clinking. As she reached the center of the gathering, she drew the blade, the metal catching the setting sun.

With a roar that outdid the wind, Malika breached the camp. She was no longer just a ruler; she was the warrior she was born to be.

"Surrender is not a strategy, Gidi. It is a waiting room for death," Malika said, her voice calm but carrying across the terrace, silencing the argument below.