If only he was a woman... then he could take her ho and treat her like his sister.
"The generals are divided. Half want to proceed with the attack as planned. They fear that if we wait, Estalis will have ti to regroup—or worse, ally with Zura." Asael shifted the topic.
Lara stiffened. "Zura?"
"Yes. Our spy reported that General Turik is in talks with the King of Estalis."
At the na Turik, Lara felt the blood drain from her face.
She knew that na.
Once, not so long ago, she had been a commodity, a prize ant to be sold at an unspeakable price.
She was, after all, the only daughter of his most hated enemy.
"Why would Zura ally with Estalis? Gosh, why would there even be a war?" Lara snapped, her voice laced with frustration. She exhaled sharply, trying to regain her composure, but the absurdity of it all burned in her chest like a hot coal.
Asael chuckled.
"The King of Estalis is so ambitious. He wanted to conquer the three kingdoms, unite them, and rule over them as an emperor," he said, his voice carrying the weight of a man who had seen too many rulers fall to their own greed.
What an ambitious tyrant. Lara cursed, then clenched her fists. "And King Heimdal? He’s just as reckless?"
Asael shook his head. "Reckless? No. Furious? Absolutely. He sees this as an insult that cannot go unanswered. If Estalis had only sat at the table, he would have ceded the territories at the foot of Alta-Sierra, in exchange for even a few coastal towns to the north. There wouldn’t have been a war."
Lara bit the inside of her cheek. So much blood spilled, so many lives shattered—all because of ambition!
Asael turned toward the exit of the tent. "Co. Let us see my father."
...
At 6:00 am, Asael’s ten-strong reconnaissance team moved out, slipping into the mist-covered foothills of Mount Hainai. Their mission: scout the treacherous path leading into the southwestern territories of Estalis before the full force of the army advanced. The rest of the troops—five hundred strong—would follow in three hours.
Despite the strong resistance, General Odin insisted on taking the shorter route and stood by his decision.
Lara tightened the straps on her gear, swallowing her frustration. Why were they so stubborn?
The second prince had pushed for this attack, arguing that Estalis was too weak to resist after their recent humiliating defeat. Half the generals had sided with him. Even General Odin, who opposed the reckless charge, had been forced into a compromise—delaying the march by three hours.
Asael took only Bener and left Gideon to take care of the remaining troops. Lara, despite Asael’s protests, had insisted on joining. And Aramis, her ever-vigilant guard, had followed secretly when Asael refused to let him co.
At first, Lara rely observed. Asael’s troops were well-trained, but the experience was a brutal teacher, and they had yet to master the perilous terrain of Alta-Sierra. They took the shorter, far deadlier route—climbing the jagged slopes of Mount Andros before reaching Graza Pass.
It was a calculated risk; the alternative was a slower, safer route through five mountain ranges. General Odin had dismissed that option outright.
Then they saw it.
"Holy shit." Kellan’s voice was sharp, laced with disbelief. He was standing at the edge of the ravine, staring into the gaping wound in the earth below—a ten-ter drop into a dry riverbed. "How the hell do we cross this?"
A soldier cursed under his breath. "This was flat land last year. We scouted it. There was no gorge—just an open path."
Lara’s gaze swept across the sharp walls of the chasm. She exhaled slowly. "The torrential rains last June. It must have carved this out. The power of nature at work."
Kellan groaned, rubbing his face. "Great. So what now? We need to reach Mount MarNubes before the main army arrives. If we turn back, we’ll lose precious ti."
Asael’s jaw tightened. They had to act fast. His father’s army was closing in, and if they didn’t find a way forward soon, they’d risk delaying the entire war effort.
The attack plan was for General Odin to launch a surprise attack from the southwest with 10,000 troops while General Dustin and four other generals would attack from the north with a 50,000-strong army.
Bener pointed at the looming peak in the distance. "We could take that way."
Silence fell over the group.
Asael turned to him, his voice sharp. "Are you insane? That’s Mount Ourea. Even General Alaric’s elite forces barely survived that climb."
Bener rolled his eyes. "Then what? Do you have a better idea?"
Without a doubt, he recognized the majestic silhouette of Mount Ourea rising against the horizon. For as long as he could rember, it had been his dream to conquer its peak, to stand on its summit and gaze upon the breathtaking expanse below. The thrill of adventure ignited his spirit as he envisioned the jagged slopes and the pristine, windswept summit, calling to him with an allure he couldn’t resist.
"We build a hanging bridge," she said abruptly.
Ten heads turned to Lara as if she had grown two heads.
"Do you know how long it will take us to finish the bridge?" Kellan asked, snorting.
Lara t his skepticism with an unwavering stare. "Three hours. If we start now, we’ll be done before the others catch up."
Bener let out a dry laugh. "Three hours? You’ve lost your damn mind. What are we building this bridge out of—thin air?"
Kellan snorted. "She’s dreaming."
"If we stop babbling and start working, we can definitely finish it."
Lara was already kneeling, clearing a patch of earth beneath a bush. She picked up a twig and swiftly began sketching. Lines, angles, support beams—every detail ford with precision. A design for a rope bridge spanning the gorge like a lifeline between the two cliffs.
Asael watched her, a flicker of doubt in his expression but also sothing else—curiosity.
"Tsk...tsk... tsk. It looked very nice and easy in the drawing. But how do we even go to the other side?" Kellan sneered.
Bener added, "Besides, we don’t have ropes and planks. So what do we use to make the bridge?"
"You are dreaming, Kane. Wake up!" It was one of the soldiers, Berlin.
Lara smirked. "Do you want to stand here arguing, or do you want to get to Mount MarNubes?"
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