Elyra studied the intercepted parchment by the dim light of the camp's command tent. The air inside was tense, the quiet murmurs of her closest advisors barely audible over the crackling of the brazier.
"They mean to cut us off," said Ryn, her lieutenant, a tall man with sharp features and a sharper temper. He stabbed a finger at the crude map on the table. "Without that supply route, we'll be starving in a week."
"They're getting bold," muttered another advisor, a woman named Mara, her voice laced with frustration. "Kael's hand is all over this. He's tightening the noose."
Elyra's jaw tightened, but she kept her expression calm. She had known Kael wouldn't sit idle after their meeting. He was too clever, too methodical. But seeing his next move play out with such precision still felt like a blow.
"We won't let them," Elyra said firmly, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. She leaned over the map, her finger tracing a path along the forest. "If they're targeting the supply route, they'll have to come through here."
"The ridge," Ryn said, nodding grimly. "It's a choke point. Perfect for an ambush."
Elyra straightened, her mind already racing. "Then we'll turn their trap against them. If they expect us to scatter, we'll stand and fight. But we'll do it on our terms."
The tent fell silent, her advisors exchanging wary glances.
"It's risky," Mara said cautiously. "If we miscalculate—"
"We won't," Elyra interrupted, her voice steel. She looked around at the faces of her council, her gaze unwavering. "Kael underestimates us. He thinks we'll run scared, but we've held out this long because we know how to fight smarter, not harder."
Ryn smirked, nodding in approval. "An ambush it is, then."
Elyra's eyes returned to the map. She felt the weight of every life in her camp pressing down on her, every decision a thread in the fragile tapestry they had woven to survive. This was more than a battle—it was a statement. She needed to show her people, and Kael, that they were far from defeated.
"I want traps set along the main trail," Elyra ordered. "Pitfalls, tripwires, anything that will slow them down. We'll keep a decoy force in the open to draw them in, but the real strike will come from the flank. Mara, you'll lead the decoy force. Ryn, I want you to coordinate the flank. I'll oversee the operation from the ridge."
Ryn frowned. "You should stay back, Elyra. If this goes wrong—"
"If this goes wrong," Elyra interrupted, "then they'll need to see me fighting alongside them. It's not just strategy that keeps people loyal, Ryn. It's conviction."
Ryn hesitated but eventually nodded. "Understood."
Mara folded her arms, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "You're betting a lot on Kael playing right into this."
"I know him," Elyra said quietly, her voice steady but laced with something more—something almost personal. "He'll take the bait."
Her advisors exchanged another glance, but this time there was no argument. They trusted her, even if they didn't fully understand the depths of her resolve.
As the council dispersed to carry out her orders, Elyra lingered in the tent, staring down at the map. She traced her finger over the ridge again, imagining Kael's forces descending into the valley, their movements precise and calculated. She could almost see him at the forefront, his sharp eyes scanning the terrain, always searching for the advantage.
A part of her admired that about him. Another part hated it.
But most of all, she hated the part of herself that had wanted to believe him during their meeting. That small, treacherous voice in the back of her mind that whispered of peace, of an end to all this bloodshed, if only she had the courage to trust him.
She clenched her fists, banishing the thought. Trusting Kael wasn't courage—it was folly. He was her enemy, and he had chosen his side. Now, it was her turn to remind him what it meant to stand against her.
Elyra stepped out into the camp, the cold night air biting at her skin. Around her, her people moved with purpose, preparing for the battle ahead. She watched them for a moment, her heart heavy with the weight of leadership.
"Kael," she murmured to herself, her voice barely audible. "You'll regret underestimating me."
The stars above flickered like distant torches, their cold light a stark contrast to the fire burning within her. Whatever came next, she would meet it head-on.
And if Kael thought this war would break her, he was about to learn just how wrong he was.