The castle buzzed with quiet activity, its stone halls alive with the sound of preparations. Soldiers sharpened their blades, scouts slipped in and out of the gates with coded dispatches, and Kade's commanders moved like shadowed figures, their focus sharp and unwavering. The plan to set a trap for the traitor was in motion.
Kade stood in the war chamber, staring down at the map spread across the table. The western territories were highlighted with strategic markers, each one a calculated part of the ruse. His fingers tapped the edge of the table rhythmically as his mind churned.
"This has to work,"
he thought.
"We can't keep stumbling in the dark."
Selyna entered silently, her green eyes gleaming as she approached the table. She placed a small folded note before Kade.
'This was intercepted near the supply depot,'
she said.
'It's coded, but the language matches old Verathian scripts. Whoever sent it has ties to his network.'
