Chapter 18 - The Council of War
By sunrise, the grand war room was packed with the realm's top military commanders, loyalist lords, and rebel leaders. Maps of the eastern frontier were spread across the long mahogany table, weighted down with silver and iron markers.
"Ten thousand seasoned raiders," General Gareth, a veteran commander who had joined Valeria’s cause early on, muttered darkly, pointing a metal pointer at a narrow gorge on the map. "If they break through Red Pass, the entire eastern valley will be put to the torch before our main army can even mobilize."
"Then we don't wait for them to reach the valley," Valeria said, her voice cutting through the murmurs of the commanders like a blade. She stood at the head of the table, her eyes fixed on the map. "We meet them at the pass."
Marcus frowned, crossing his arms. "That's suicide, Valeria—Your Majesty. Red Pass is a bottleneck. If they trap us between the cliffs, our numbers won't matter."
"We won't be trapped," Valeria replied calmly, picking up an iron marker and placing it behind a ridge overlooking the gorge. "We will use the terrain against them. The Kadorians rely on speed and shock cavalry. If we draw them deep into the gorge and collapse the northern ridge using controlled explosive charges from the old mining tunnels, we can cut their army in half."
The commanders stared at her in stunned silence. General Gareth slowly looked up from the map, a slow, respectful smile spreading across his weathered face. "By the gods... the old mining shafts run directly underneath the narrowest part of the pass. If we time it right..."
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"We don't just defeat them," Valeria said, her sapphire eyes flashing with cold resolve. "We show them that the kingdom is no longer an easy target for plunder."
Plans were set into motion immediately. Within hours, the royal army was mobilized, marching eastward under the banner of the rising sun and the glowing crown.
