The war bell rang across the valley.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each strike rolled between the mountains like thunder.
Adrian stepped onto the stone balcony overlooking the city.
Below him, Valedon was transforming.
The peaceful streets had disappeared.
Doors opened.
Weapons were carried into the open.
Blacksmiths abandoned their work and armed themselves.
Farmers grabbed spears from hidden storage rooms.
Young men and women rushed toward the walls.
Even the elderly moved with purpose.
This wasn’t a city preparing to defend itself.
It was a people remembering how to fight.
Tomas stared at the scene.
“How many soldiers do they have?”
The old woman answered from behind them.
“Everyone.”
Adrian looked at her.
“Everyone?”
“Valedon has no standing army.”
She pointed toward the streets.
“Every citizen is trained.”
Adrian watched as hundreds of people gathered near the northern gate.
“How long have they been preparing for this?”
The woman gave him a quiet look.
“Twenty-eight years.”
A horn sounded from the northern wall.
A soldier came running through the courtyard.
“The enemy has entered the outer valley!”
The old woman turned toward him.
“Numbers?”
“At least two hundred.”
Tomas frowned.
“Two hundred?”
The soldier shook his head.
“That is only the advance force.”
Edmund’s expression darkened.
“The main army is still behind them.”
Adrian looked toward the northern mountains.
“They aren’t here to conquer Valedon.”
Everyone turned toward him.
Adrian continued.
“They don’t know how large the kingdom is.”
“They don’t know how many soldiers we have.”
“They’re testing the defenses.”
The old woman narrowed her eyes.
“Then you believe they will retreat?”
“No.”
Adrian looked toward the distant pass.
“They’ll find a weakness.”
“And when they do…”
“They’ll bring everything.”
The northern wall stood between the city and the mountain pass.
It wasn’t particularly high.
It wasn’t decorated.
It didn’t resemble the massive fortifications of the Empire.
But Adrian noticed something strange.
There were no towers facing the valley.
Instead, dozens of small openings had been built into the mountainside.
Tomas stared at them.
“What are those?”
The old woman smiled faintly.
“Valedon’s answer to an army.”
Adrian studied the openings.
“Hidden positions.”
“Exactly.”
“How many?”
“Enough.”
A horn sounded.
The first imperial soldiers appeared beyond the trees.
They marched carefully.
Shields raised.
Archers behind them.
Cavalry waited farther back.
Adrian watched.
“They’re cautious.”
Edmund nodded.
“The Emperor’s Hawk.”
Adrian looked at him.
“You know him?”
“No.”
“But you’ve heard of him.”
“Everyone has.”
Edmund looked toward the approaching soldiers.
“He doesn’t attack walls.”
“He attacks weaknesses.”
Adrian smiled faintly.
“Then we’re going to give him none.”
The first arrows flew.
They came from the imperial side.
Most struck the stone wall.
A few struck the defenders’ shields.
The Valedonians didn’t respond.
Tomas frowned.
“Why aren’t they firing?”
Adrian watched the enemy formation.
“Because they’re waiting.”
“For what?”
“The Empire to come closer.”
The imperial soldiers advanced.
Ten steps.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Then—
Adrian raised his hand.
“Now.”
A horn sounded from the wall.
The mountains answered.
Arrows suddenly erupted from the hidden openings.
Not hundreds.
Dozens.
But they came from three different directions.
The imperial formation broke.
Soldiers raised shields.
Others stumbled backward.
The cavalry horses panicked.
Tomas stared.
“They didn’t even see them.”
Adrian nodded.
“That’s the advantage of fighting on familiar ground.”
The Valedonians fired again.
Then stopped.
Adrian smiled.
“Exactly.”
Tomas looked confused.
“Why stop?”
“Because the goal isn’t to kill them.”
Adrian looked toward the enemy.
“It’s to make them afraid of advancing.”
The imperial commander shouted orders.
The soldiers regrouped.
A horn sounded.
Their archers moved forward.
Adrian watched carefully.
“They’ve adapted.”
The old woman looked at him.
“Already?”
“They’re testing our range.”
He pointed.
“They’ll move their archers to the eastern ridge.”
“How do you know?”
“Because the western slope is exposed.”
The woman stared at him.
Then she turned toward the captain.
“Move the eastern defenders.”
The captain obeyed.
Minutes later, imperial archers appeared exactly where Adrian had predicted.
Tomas looked impressed.
“You’ve done this before.”
Adrian didn’t answer.
His eyes remained on the battlefield.
The Imperial army was learning.
And so was Valedon.
The attack intensified.
Imperial soldiers pushed toward the wall.
Ladders appeared.
Then siege shields.
The defenders prepared.
Adrian looked toward the city.
“How many entrances are there?”
“Three.”
“Which one is weakest?”
The old woman hesitated.
“The eastern gate.”
“Then they’ll attack it.”
“They know?”
“No.”
Adrian pointed toward the battlefield.
“Their commander noticed that our strongest defenders are on the north wall.”
The woman looked again.
“He’s trying to draw us away.”
“Exactly.”
A messenger arrived.
“Movement near the eastern gate!”
The old woman looked at Adrian.
He simply nodded.
“Move the reserves.”
The eastern gate shook.
An imperial battering ram struck the wooden doors.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
The defenders waited.
The enemy struck harder.
Cracks appeared in the wood.
Tomas looked at Adrian.
“When do we attack?”
“We don’t.”
“What?”
Adrian watched the enemy formation.
“They expect us to defend the gate.”
“And?”
“We’ll let them enter.”
Tomas stared at him.
“That’s insane.”
Adrian shook his head.
“No.”
He pointed toward the narrow streets beyond the gate.
“That’s where the battle becomes ours.”
The gate finally broke.
Imperial soldiers surged forward.
They expected chaos.
Instead, they found empty streets.
No defenders.
No civilians.
Nothing.
The commander shouted,
“Advance!”
Hundreds of soldiers entered Valedon.
They moved deeper.
Still nothing.
Then the first gate behind them closed.
The soldiers turned.
Too late.
Another gate slammed shut ahead.
The imperial formation stopped.
Tomas smiled.
“They’re trapped.”
Adrian shook his head.
“Not yet.”
He raised his hand.
A bell rang.
The rooftops opened.
Archers appeared.
Windows opened.
Hidden doors revealed soldiers carrying spears.
The streets filled with Valedonian defenders.
The Empire had entered the city.
But the city had swallowed them.
The imperial soldiers tried to retreat.
The gate behind them remained closed.
Their officers shouted conflicting orders.
The narrow streets made their shields almost useless.
The Valedonians attacked from balconies and side streets.
Not recklessly.
They struck.
Then disappeared.
Strike.
Withdraw.
Strike again.
The Empire couldn’t establish a formation.
Adrian watched from the wall.
Tomas stood beside him.
“They’re being destroyed.”
“No.”
Adrian shook his head.
“They’re being taught.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Destroyed soldiers don’t learn.”
Adrian looked toward the battlefield.
“These ones will.”
A messenger arrived.
“Prince Adrian!”
Adrian turned.
“The northern force has stopped advancing.”
“Why?”
“They’re waiting for the eastern force.”
Adrian smiled.
“Good.”
The messenger looked confused.
“Good?”
Adrian pointed toward the battlefield.
“They’re connected.”
“If the eastern force retreats…”
“The northern force will follow.”
“And if the northern force follows…”
“They’ll abandon the pass.”
Edmund suddenly understood.
“You’re not trying to defeat them.”
Adrian nodded.
“Exactly.”
“You want the entire army to move.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Adrian looked toward the mountain pass.
“Because I need to know where their main camp is.”
Suddenly—
A horn sounded from the distant mountains.
Everyone froze.
The old woman’s expression changed.
“That isn’t ours.”
Adrian looked north.
Another horn answered.
Then another.
The imperial army began withdrawing.
But not toward the road they had entered from.
They were moving deeper into the valley.
Edmund frowned.
“They’re not retreating.”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“No.”
He watched the distant banners.
“They’ve found another route.”
The old woman stared toward the mountains.
“Impossible.”
“What?”
“That pass was sealed decades ago.”
Adrian looked at her.
“Then someone opened it.”
The messenger returned.
“Prince Adrian!”
“What?”
“Scouts have discovered something.”
“Where?”
“Three miles north.”
The messenger swallowed.
“There is an old fortress.”
The old woman went pale.
“That fortress was abandoned.”
Adrian looked toward the northern mountains.
“Apparently not.”
The messenger continued.
“Our scouts saw imperial banners.”
Silence filled the room.
Tomas frowned.
“How did the Empire know about it?”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“Because someone told them.”
Edmund looked at him.
“You think there’s a traitor?”
Adrian shook his head.
“Not necessarily.”
“Then what?”
Adrian looked toward the hidden city.
“Someone wanted the Empire to come here.”
The old woman stared at him.
“Why would anyone do that?”
Adrian didn’t answer.
His eyes returned to the distant fortress.
Because suddenly, the battle no longer felt like an invasion.
It felt like a trap.
And he wasn’t sure who had built it.
Night began to fall.
The imperial army withdrew from the city.
The Valedonians watched from the walls.
No one celebrated.
No one cheered.
The first attack had failed.
But the Empire hadn’t been defeated.
It had simply changed direction.
Adrian stood alone on the wall.
Edmund approached.
“You were right.”
“About what?”
“The Empire wasn’t testing the walls.”
Adrian looked at him.
“They were testing us.”
Edmund nodded.
“And they found you.”
Adrian looked toward the darkness.
“No.”
His voice was quiet.
“They found something else.”
“What?”
Adrian touched the black book hidden beneath his coat.
The final words of his father’s message returned to his mind.
Follow the bell.
He looked toward the northern fortress.
The war bell had brought him to Valedon.
But perhaps it wasn’t calling him to defend the kingdom.
Perhaps it was calling him toward the truth.
A final bell rang across the valley.
Once.
Adrian looked north.
Then he whispered,
“Tomorrow, we take the fortress.”
Far beyond the walls, an imperial banner disappeared into the darkness.
And somewhere inside the abandoned fortress…
Someone was waiting for him.
—————————–The End ———————-
Next : The Fortress in the Mist
By : Zenryth