Their footsteps finally carried them to a deeply hidden cleft in the rocky hills on the western side of Oakhaven’s mountain slope.
In this place, an ancient structure sat tucked away with eerie neatness behind a web of vines that had dried out under the brutal desert heat.
This silent outpost was the old entrance to the royal evacuation tunnel from a former age, a place considered the safest spot to gather their first strength without setting off enemy suspicion.
Captain Vane moved ahead to lead the way.
His broad hand slowly pushed aside the brittle vines and revealed a giant old iron door.
Even though rust had eaten into the edges, the door still stood solid and heavy, sunk deep into the thick mountain wall.
Vane traced the cracks in the stone on the left side, searching for the ancient mechanical lever buried under years of dust.
“Does the door mechanism still work after being left here for so long, Captain Vane?” Valerie asked, watching his movements closely.
“The kingdom’s protective mechanism was built to last for centuries, Miss Valerie,” Vane replied with certainty.
He pressed the stone lever with all the strength in his arm until the sound of ancient gears turning echoed from inside the wall.
“This iron was forged with special materials.” The huge iron door slowly slid open with a loud, grinding creak, releasing cold damp air from the darkness of the tunnel.
That chill hit their sun baked skin hard, so different from the burning desert heat waiting outside the border.
“This place is still the same as it was ten years ago when I last checked the royal evacuation route with your late father, Lord Caleb,” Vane reported as he lit a small oil torch taken from his supply bag.
“Good work, Vane,” Caleb ordered as he stepped inside first, making sure the inner area was safe for Valerie.
“Bring all our supplies in right away and make sure this iron door gets locked again from the inside, tight.” Valerie stepped into the darkness of the ancient tunnel and let her eyes slowly adjust to the dim torchlight held by Captain Vane.
The room beyond the iron door turned out to be a small stone hall, complete with several stone tables and chairs now buried under a thick layer of dust.
It was a perfect shelter, a secret starting base isolated from the main patrol routes of the tyrant’s troops.
“We cannot keep moving around in open places after we confirm their logistics wagon schedule,” Valerie said as she set her small bag on one of the empty stone tables.
“I agree,” Caleb said, pulling off his thick gray cloak and shaking it to clear off the red dust.
“That village was way too exposed to use as a rest spot or a place to plan the ambush.” “This kind of isolated village is the best foundation for building our first strength, Caleb,” Valerie cut in quickly as she adjusted her seat on the cold stone chair.
“Why should we hide in a place this small when we could just head straight to a big city and search for the remaining loyal troops?” Caleb frowned, clearly impatient.
He looked at Valerie with a demanding stare.
“If you go straight to a big city with only three people in your force, that is basically you handing your life over to your brother,” Valerie shot back, which left Caleb completely silent because he knew she was right.
“Miss Valerie is correct, Lord Caleb,” Vane said, backing up her analysis while placing several supply bags in the corner of the room.
“The surveillance in the big cities must be extremely tight after the coup.
Our movement would be detected within hours.” “So what is your first plan in this silent base, smart human?” Caleb asked as he moved closer to the stone table where Valerie sat.
“The first step is to clean this place up so it is livable,” Valerie answered calmly.
She used her fingertips to draw faint lines in the dust on the stone table, copying the shape of the tunnel route.
“Then we map out the entire guerrilla movement from this room.” “I could clear all this dust with one sweep of wind if my wolf form was not being held back by your herbal potion,” Caleb said with a proud snort, trying to show off his superior physical ability in front of Valerie.
“Too bad you are a wolf who has to hide right now,” Valerie muttered lazily without even looking at him.
“So take that rag and start wiping the table with me.” At that, Captain Vane had to struggle to hide a smile at how obedient the prince was being without a single complaint.
The three of them spent the next hour tidying up the stone hall, turning the ancient dead base into a functioning operations room.
Once the dust was cleared away, the stone table surface revealed carved lines of the outer Oakhaven territory, apparently etched there on purpose by the builders of the original tunnel.
Valerie lit a small candle left in her bag and set it in the middle of the table to give more focused light over the carved map.
Her sharp eyes immediately scanned every path, looking for the most strategic opening to carry out the logistics sabotage planned for tomorrow afternoon.
“Look at this point, Captain Vane,” Valerie said, pointing to a curving line carved along the western side of the enemy fortress.
“Was the route that old woman in the village described the hillside path here?” “Yes, Miss Valerie,” Vane said as he leaned forward to examine the spot she was pointing at.
“That is the only gentle slope that the iron wagon carrying grain supplies from the border village can actually use.” “That route is wide open,” Caleb argued, shaking his head at what he considered an extremely dangerous position.
“If we attack there, the watchtower guards in Oakhaven will be able to see the battle clearly.” “That is exactly why we will not attack them on that open route, Caleb,” Valerie said, shifting her finger toward a narrow gap where the map showed a natural stone tunnel.
“You want to trap them inside this western passage?” Caleb guessed.
His eyes began to flash as he caught onto Valerie’s tactical thinking.
“Exactly,” Valerie said, her voice full of confidence.
“This gap is narrow, and it has high stone walls on both sides.
The view from the outer watchtower will be completely blocked by the hill structure.” “But their iron wagon moves fast, and it is guarded by armed soldiers,” Caleb still pushed for a weak point in the strategy Valerie had laid out.
“How do we stop it without causing a long fight?” “We use the sulfur powder we brought from the cave to create a sound burst under the tunnel ceiling,” Valerie said casually.
“That will drop large rocks right in front of their wagon path.” Caleb froze at once, hearing how she was using a natural material in a way his people would never have thought of.
“A sound burst from sulfur powder?” Vane cut in, his old eyes showing clear admiration.
“That is a very unusual tactic for a wolf nation that is used to relying on fangs and claws.” “Your enemy wolf race looks down on natural elements because they think they are the top predator, Caleb,” Valerie said firmly.
She met Caleb’s golden eyes with a very sharp look of intelligence.
“And that is their biggest weakness.
We are going to use it.” “Your human intelligence is sometimes scarier than an Alpha bite, Valerie,” Caleb said, shaking his head slowly.
He folded his arms across his chest and gave her a thin smile full of deep respect.
“I will take that as the highest compliment from a prince who is currently being overthrown,” Valerie replied, flashing a teasing look at Caleb before turning back to the map.
“Then after the wagon stops because of the rock collapse, what do we do, Miss Valerie?” Vane asked, taking out a small knife and starting to sharpen a few wooden stakes he had found in the corner of the room.
“Captain Vane and Caleb will move in from behind the tunnel to take down the escorts fast,” Valerie explained in detail, assigning tasks with a very clear structure.
“Use the dust fog from the collapse as cover for your movement.” “And where will you be when the fight happens, Valerie?” Caleb asked suddenly.
His tone shifted immediately into something serious and protective.
“I will be on top of the tunnel cliff,” Valerie answered firmly.
“I will trigger the sulfur powder at the right time and watch the situation from above.” “You are too close to the collapse zone,” Caleb said at once, stepping forward and closing the distance between them as if he wanted to make his role as protector clear.
“I cannot let a human stand in such a vulnerable spot without physical protection.” “I have legs fast enough to move back after I ignite the fuse, Caleb,” Valerie tried to explain logically so he would not get swallowed by his overprotective instincts.
“And I am not a soldier who can fight down there with you.” “It is still dangerous!!!!” Caleb insisted.
His voice rose sharply, making the stone hall echo a little.
“If one stone slips or an enemy guard tries to run up the cliff, you will not be able to survive alone!” “Lord Caleb, Miss Valerie’s suggested position is the best observation point,” Vane said, trying to calm the heated argument between them.
“I can set a few wooden stake traps on the cliff path to make sure no enemy can reach her.” Valerie looked at Caleb with a calm but completely unshaken expression.
“Trust me this once, Caleb.
We built this base in the silent outpost so we could prepare an efficient strategy, not so your emotions could ruin our careful calculations.” Caleb held his breath for a few seconds.
His eyes searched Valerie’s face, trying to find even one crack of doubt, but he found nothing except steady determination.
The wolf prince finally let out a long breath, his strong shoulders lowering just a little as he accepted defeat again in the argument against the human girl in front of him.
“If I see even one threat coming toward you tomorrow, I will ignore the whole formation and come straight up to pull you off that cliff, Valerie,” Caleb said in a low voice full of absolute certainty.
“Fair deal, protective wolf,” Valerie said with a victorious smile.
A sweet grin appeared on her face, though she was clearly tired from the long journey.
“Now help Captain Vane prepare the sulfur powder bags we are taking with us tomorrow at dawn.” Night began creeping in, replacing the cold evening outside the rocky gap and bringing a thick darkness over the Oakhaven borderland full of ashes and ruin.
Inside the silent base hall, under the soft glow of a candle flickering over the carved stone map, three souls tied together by the fate of resistance were getting ready to shake the very first foundation of the cruel tyrant’s rule.