While her brothers fought on the front lines, Alena waged a different kind of battle.The command center of the Roshar Group's logistics division was a vast chamber filled with holographic displays, each one tracking the flow of resources across a dozen sectors. Alena stood at the center of it all, her silver hair pulled back, her grey eyes flickering across the displays with the practiced efficiency of someone who had spent decades mastering the art of supply chain management."Status on the healing elixirs?" she asked, her voice crisp."Running low in Sectors Three, Five and Six," Mia replied, her fingers flying across a data slate. "The counterattacks burned through more than we anticipated. We're shipping emergency reserves from the capital, but they won't arrive for another six hours.""Six hours is too long. What about the field hospitals? Do they have enough to stabilize the wounded until the reserves arrive?""The field hospitals are fully stocked, but they're reporting a sur

At the same time on the Demon planet. In the demon King palace.The Demon King's throne room was carved from the heart of a dead volcano, its walls black as obsidian and veined with rivers of still-glowing magma. The heat was oppressive, a constant reminder of the infernal power that slept beneath the demon realm's surface, but none of the assembled demons showed any discomfort. They were born of fire and blood, shaped by millennia of brutal selection. Heat was not a threat. The heat was giving the feeling of home.The throne itself was a monstrosity of fused bone and black iron, its armrests carved from the skulls of enemies who had been foolish enough to challenge the demon realm's supremacy. The Demon King sat upon it like a mountain given flesh, massive, implacable, his skin the color of cooled lava and his eyes burning with the cold fire of a being who had lived for more than 5000 thousand years and planned to live for a hundred thousand more. His horns curved back from his for

The Demon King turned to a new set of holographic displays, these showing the profiles of young demons, the geniuses of the new generation, the warriors who would be sent to carry out the plan."Varkas," he said, and a young demon stepped forward from the shadows at the edge of the chamber. He was tall and lean, his skin the color of dried blood, his horns sharp and swept back like blades. His eyes burned with the hunger of youth, and his aura Immortal General, peak stage pulsed with barely contained power. "You will lead the strike against the human Sector Three. The eldest Roshar, Aegar, commands the defense there. Kill him if you can. If not, kill as many of his soldiers as possible. Show the humans what a true warrior looks like."Varkas bowed, his lips curling into a predatory smile. "It will be my honor, Your Majesty.""Selara." A female demon stepped forward, her movements fluid and silent, her skin the color of shadow. She was smaller than Varkas, but her aura was sharper tha

At the same time in human council.The Human Council chamber was packed to its highest tiers.Representatives from every kingdom on Blue Star filled the circular seats, their faces illuminated by the pale blue glow of holographic displays that showed the battle unfolding across a dozen sectors. The displays updated in real time red markers for monster concentrations, green for human defensive positions, flickering yellow for bases under active assault. The patterns were grim. The monsters were pressing harder than they had at any point since the first wave, and the human lines were bending under the strain.Elara Voss, Speaker of the Human Council, stood at the central dais with the stillness of a woman who had spent thirty years learning that calm was more commanding than any shout.Her silver-streaked hair was pulled back in a severe knot that accentuated the sharp angles of her face, and her storm-cloud eyes swept across the assembled delegates with the measured authority of someo

Three hours later, the demon strike team leaders gathered in a hidden chamber beneath the ruins of an old Stargate waystation. The structure had been abandoned for centuries, its walls cracked and crumbling, but its underground bunkers were intact, a perfect staging ground for hunters who needed to remain invisible.Varkas stood at the center of the chamber, his arms crossed over his chest. Around him, the other team leaders had assembled: Selara, the assassin who would lead the strike on Sector Five; Malachar, the massive brawler assigned to Sector Nine; and a dozen other young demons, each one a genius of their generation, each one hungry for human blood."Report," Varkas said. "What have you observed?"Malachar spoke first, his voice a deep rumble. "Sector Nine is quiet. The youngest Roshar, the girl, is commanding from the rear. She's cautious. She doesn't expose herself. I've been watching her for two days, and she hasn't given me a single opening.""She's inexperienced," Selara