Valerie came down into Oakhaven Fortress’s war room while the sky outside was still painted in purple gold dawn.
She had only slept a little, but her mind still felt wide awake.
The smell of smoke from the burned western logistics warehouse still clung to her like it had never fully gone away.
Inside the room, Caleb stood by the wooden table with Vane and Varkas.
A spread out map of the outer kingdom lands covered the tabletop.
“You’re awake already?” Caleb called when he heard Valerie’s footsteps.
“I couldn’t sleep for long,” Valerie said as she walked closer.
“What’s the situation at the western warehouse?” “Gone.
Totally gone,” Vane reported, looking way too pleased with himself.
“Our scouts said every grain supply and enemy weapon stockpile there got swallowed by the fire.
The Western Garrison Commander is losing his mind and already sent an emergency messenger to the outer fortress for help.” Valerie looked down at the outer fortress marked on the map, then gave a small, tight smile.
“That’s the opening we needed.” Varkas frowned hard, still not following.
“What opening now, human girl?
Isn’t our job done once the supply lines are cut?” “Think about it, Chief Varkas,” Valerie said, tapping the outer fortress with her finger.
“When the western warehouse burned, the outer fortress would have sent most of its soldiers out to secure the area and help put out the fire.
That means the defenses inside the outer fortress are weaker than they’ve ever been.” Caleb narrowed his golden eyes, catching her meaning right away.
“The outer fortress is where my old generals are being held.” “Exactly,” Valerie said with a firm nod.
“If we move now, while the dawn is still red and the enemy is stumbling around in panic, we can slip into the underground prison in the outer fortress.” “But the guard there is still heavy!” Varkas snapped, chest puffing out.
“That outer fortress wall is two meters thick!” “They do have thick walls, but their heads are a mess right now,” Valerie shot back, looking him dead in the eye.
“The enemy won’t expect us to hit them twice in one night.” “Miss Valerie’s right,” Vane cut in, eyes bright with excitement.
“If we can free the veteran generals there, we’ll get back the military leadership we need so badly!” Caleb slammed his fist onto the table and stared straight at Valerie.
“Who’s holding the old generals there?” “North Gate Guard Division,” Vane answered fast.
“Led by Captain Orik, one of your brother’s loyal followers.” “Orik…” Caleb said in a cold voice, his jaw tightening.
“He’s the traitor who opened the outer fortress gate during the coup.” “Then this is the perfect time to collect that debt, Prince,” Valerie said quietly, but there was steel in it.
“How many soldiers do you need for this plan, Valerie?” Caleb asked, giving her full control of the strategy.
“Only thirty stealth soldiers,” Valerie said, laying the plan out cleanly.
“We’re not here to surround the outer fortress openly.
We’re here to break in through the underground route.” “Underground route?” Varkas tilted his head, confused.
“There’s an underground route in the outer fortress?” “There is,” Caleb said before she could answer, his voice certain.
“An old drainage tunnel under the west tower.
I used it with the generals plenty of times back when we trained.” Valerie smiled, satisfied.
“Perfect.
Varkas and ten big soldiers will make a noisy scene at the east gate as bait.
Once Orik looks that way, Caleb and the core team go in through the underground channel.” Varkas flashed a huge grin and slapped his war axe, making it clang.
“Making a mess at the front gate?
That’s my thing!” “Remember, Varkas,” Valerie said, pointing at his chest.
“Only bait!
Don’t go trying to force your way through the gate alone!” “Yeah, yeah, I get it!” Varkas laughed loud enough to shake the room, and some of the tension finally broke.
An hour later, the troops were ready.
The dawn air cut hard against their skin as the small group moved toward the outer fortress.
They took a long route around the misty valley so the enemy horse patrols wouldn’t spot them.
Valerie stood behind thick bushes on the hill, watching the outer fortress rise out of the black stone below.
Smoke from the western warehouse still curled faintly in the distance, and the whole fortress looked uneasy because of it.
“Varkas is in position on the east side,” Vane whispered beside her.
“Is Caleb ready near the drainage tunnel?” Valerie asked.
“Prince Caleb and fifteen soldiers are waiting under the stone bridge,” Vane answered.
Valerie drew in a long breath and curled her fingers into a fist.
“Signal Varkas.” Vane took out a small wooden whistle, then blew a strange pattern that sounded like an owl calling through the night.
Not even five minutes later, the ground on the east side of the fortress shook hard.
The crash of wood and Varkas’s huge voice tore through the silence of dawn.
“ATTACK FROM THE MOUNTAIN CLAN!
OPEN THE GATE AND FACE ME, COWARDS!!!” Varkas roared, laughing like a madman, while his axe slammed hard into iron shields with heavy, brutal thuds.
On the outer fortress wall, everything broke apart into chaos at once.
Alarm horns blared over and over.
“ENEMY AT THE EAST GATE!
MOVE THE TROOPS THERE NOW!” an officer shouted from the top of the main tower.
Dozens of guards who had been waiting inside the fortress ran straight for the east gate, all of them trying to stop Varkas’s wild assault.
“The bait worked,” Valerie murmured, and satisfaction flashed in her eyes.
Behind the stone bridge on the west side, Caleb watched the guards abandon their underground post.
He did not waste a second.
He signaled with his hand, shoved open the rusty iron grating of the drainage channel, and slid into the dark wet stone passage.
The sound of water trickling below echoed softly as Caleb and his fifteen soldiers moved through the narrow tunnel.
Caleb’s sharp hearing caught the stiff footsteps above them.
“Ten more meters straight, then go up the stone stairs on the right,” he whispered to the soldier behind him.
They reached the end of the tunnel.
A thick wooden door stood ahead, the entrance to the underground prison.
Two enemy soldiers guarded it, both looking nervous after hearing the alarm horns outside.
“Why is the east gate guard yelling like that?” one of them asked, his voice uneasy.
“Probably just the remaining rebels getting mad because the western warehouse burned,” the other guard said while fixing his spear grip.
Before he could finish, the wooden door suddenly slammed outward from inside.
Caleb burst out like a black shadow.
In one fast, sharp motion, he smashed the hilt of his sword into both guards’ necks and dropped them to the ground cold before either of them could make a sound.
“Take their cell keys!” Caleb ordered in a low voice.
His soldiers quickly snatched the iron key ring from the fallen guard’s belt.
Caleb moved down the prison corridor, cold and damp and stone all around him.
The air smelled like moss and rust.
Behind the dark iron bars, lean but still strong men lay weakly with chains locked around their wrists.
Caleb stopped in front of the biggest cell at the end of the corridor.
Inside, an old man with a thick gray beard sat cross legged on the stone floor.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and stared at the figure outside the bars in stunned disbelief.
“Prince…
Caleb?” the old man’s voice came out heavy and shaking.
“General Boris,” Caleb whispered, his emotions hitting hard.
He gripped the iron bars tightly.
“I’m back.” General Boris struggled to stand, chains clanking around his ankles.
“We heard rumors you were still alive…
but we thought it was just the tyrant’s lie, meant to draw the other clans in.” “It’s not a lie, General,” Caleb said, cutting him off as he snatched the keys from his soldier and opened the cell door fast.
“I came to get you all out.” In the other cells nearby, more than a dozen veteran warriors slowly stood up, their eyes lighting up when they saw the true leader they had lost so long ago.
“Open every cell!” Caleb ordered Iron keys rang sharply as each cell door was opened one by one.
The veteran soldiers, once the backbone of the royal army, gathered around Caleb now and bowed their heads with deep respect.
“We’re ready to fight under your banner again, Prince!” General Boris said, voice shaking as he beat a fist against his chest.
“Not yet, General,” Caleb said gently, squeezing the old man’s shoulder.
“Your bodies are still weak from being locked up.
We need to get out of here before the enemy’s main force notices us.” “What about our weapons, Prince?” asked one veteran officer.
“They took them to the storage room upstairs.” Caleb looked toward the stone stairs leading up to the fortress surface.
“The storage room is right on our exit path.
We’ll take your weapons and leave through the west corridor.” Outside the fortress, things were starting to spin out of control.
Varkas, who had been told to make noise at the east gate, got carried away fast.
He swung his huge axe and smashed the enemy’s wooden barricade into splinters.
“COME ON, COWARDS!
IS THAT ALL THE TYRANT’S ARMY HAS!?” Varkas shouted with wild joy, completely forgetting Valerie’s order to keep it as bait only.
From the hill, Valerie saw him pushing way too far and slapped her forehead in pure frustration.
“That idiot!” she muttered, eyes wide.
“He’s tearing the gate down!” “Miss Valerie, Captain Orik is leading one hundred mounted soldiers out from the main tower toward the east gate!” Vane said in a panicked rush.
“If Varkas gets surrounded, he’s finished!” “Blow the emergency whistle now!” Valerie ordered sharply.
“Pull Varkas back before Orik closes off his escape!” Vane blew the wooden whistle at once, three long notes in a row, the signal for an immediate retreat.
At the east gate, Varkas had just been about to break through the second door when he froze mid swing after hearing the whistle.
He wiped at his hard breathing, then looked back at the ten soldiers behind him.
“That human girl is probably cursing me from the top of the hill,” he muttered with a rough laugh.
“Fall back!
Pull out!” Varkas and his men spun around and ran from the half destroyed east gate toward the brush forest.
Captain Orik, who had just arrived, stared at the damage in shock, but he hesitated to chase them into the dark woods.
“Close the gate!
Search the whole fortress area!” Orik shouted, his face red with rage.
Right when Orik’s attention was locked on the east gate, Caleb smashed the weapons storage room door in the west tower with raw force.
The veteran warriors grabbed back their swords, shields, and iron armor from inside.
“Complete,” General Boris said while tightening his sword belt.
“Feels like being born again.” “This way!” Caleb called, leading the thirty fully armed veterans through the underground corridor toward the exit.
They came out of the drainage opening under the stone bridge right when the first perfect rays of dawn broke over the land.
From the hill, Valerie saw Caleb’s group emerge from the bridge shadow with no enemy soldiers chasing them.
“They made it,” Valerie whispered, a relieved smile spreading across her face.
One hour later, the whole force gathered again in a safe area deep in the brush forest, far out of sight of the outer fortress.
Victory was clear on every soldier’s face.
General Boris walked up to Caleb, then paused when his eyes landed on the human girl standing beside the prince.
The old man frowned in confusion.
“Prince Caleb…” General Boris asked carefully.
“Who is this human girl?
Is she our prisoner?” Caleb gave a quiet chuckle and shook his head while putting one arm lightly around Valerie’s shoulders.
“She’s not a prisoner, General.
This is Valerie.
She’s the mind behind the western warehouse fire and the success of this rescue operation this morning.” General Boris and the dozen veteran soldiers around him all froze.
They stared at Valerie from head to toe in disbelief.
A small human girl, with no iron armor and no sharp weapon, had been the brain behind two huge victories?
“This human girl?” one veteran officer asked, stunned.
“Yeah, this human girl!” Varkas shouted from behind, laughing hard as he slapped the officer’s shoulder.
“Don’t underestimate her, man!
Her brain can burn down an enemy fortress with just one bottle of oil!” General Boris studied Valerie’s calm, steady eyes.
After a few seconds of silence, the old general stepped forward and bowed deeply to her, followed by every veteran behind him.
“On behalf of the veteran soldiers freed from the tyrant’s torture, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Miss Valerie,” General Boris said with real respect.
Valerie flinched a little, feeling awkward getting such formal respect from those huge war generals.
She gave a small smile and pulled her cloak tighter around herself.
“Stand up, General Boris,” Valerie said softly but with authority.
“Our work isn’t over.
We need your battle experience to take back the capital.” “We’re ready to dedicate our swords to you and Prince Caleb!” General Boris answered firmly.
Caleb looked at Valerie with a warm golden glow in his eyes.
Bringing these veteran warriors back did more than double their fighting strength.
It also brought back the pride and hope of the rebel army that had almost gone out completely.
“We’re going back to Oakhaven Fortress now,” Caleb ordered the whole force.
“Today we celebrate the return of our heroes!” “Yes, Prince!” the soldiers shouted, their voices echoing through the forest.
The trip back to Oakhaven Fortress was full of energy.
Along the way, General Boris walked beside Caleb and Valerie, listening closely as Valerie explained the guerrilla tactics and terrain usage they had been working with over the past several weeks.
“Incredible…” General Boris muttered again and again while nodding.
“Your tactical style is so unpredictable, miss.
An enemy who relies only on brute strength will always walk straight into your traps.” “Raw strength without strategy is just a burden on the battlefield, General,” Valerie said with a slight smile.
Caleb, walking ahead, glanced back a little and listened to the conversation with pride growing stronger in his chest.
Bringing Valerie over from the human world had been the best decision he had ever made in his life.
By the time the sun stood high overhead, the large group finally reached the main gate of Oakhaven Fortress.
Loud cheers rolled out from the mountain clan soldiers as they welcomed back the veteran warriors they had long believed dead or lost.
The main hall of Oakhaven Fortress was now full of laughter, wooden cups clinking, and the smell of roasted meat drifting everywhere.
The victory celebration and the return of the old generals were in full swing.
Valerie sat in a wooden chair near the big hall window, holding a cup of cold water while she watched the crowd inside.
Caleb walked over to her carrying two plates of steaming roasted meat.
“You’re not joining Varkas and General Boris?” Caleb asked as he handed one plate to Valerie.
“I’d rather watch from here,” Valerie replied, taking the plate with a small smile.
“It’s way too loud over there for my ears.” Caleb pulled out the chair beside her and sat down, his tall frame settling into it.
“Thanks, Valerie.” Valerie turned her head and looked into Caleb’s clear golden eyes.
“For what?” “For everything,” Caleb said quietly, his voice full of real feeling.
“You brought my generals back.
You brought hope back to my soldiers.” Valerie looked down at the plate in her lap for a moment, then gave a faint smile.
“I’m just doing my part of the deal, Caleb.
You protect me, and I figure out the road to your victory.” “Just a deal?” Caleb asked softly, tilting his head a little.
Valerie flinched faintly and looked up at Caleb, who was now staring back at her with a very deep golden light in his eyes.
For a second, the noise of the hall seemed to fade around them.
“Of course it’s more than just a deal,” Valerie said quietly, her eyes softening.
“You’re my best friend in this world, Caleb.” Caleb let out a quiet chuckle and turned his face toward the window with a small smile.
“Best friend, huh?” “What, you want a cooler title like Great Wolf Prince or something?” Valerie teased, laughing softly.
“Any name from you works,” Caleb murmured, and that made Valerie laugh into her cup.
From the corner of the hall, General Boris and Varkas watched the two of them while drinking.
“Prince Caleb looks different when he’s around that human girl,” General Boris said thoughtfully.
“Not just different, General,” Varkas replied with a big grin.
“That girl is the prince’s anchor.
Without her, Caleb probably would’ve died a stupid death in the border forest months ago.” General Boris nodded slowly.
“Then we need to make sure that girl stays safe for the rest of this war.” Near the window, Valerie looked out over Oakhaven Fortress.
Step by step, her whole strategy had worked exactly as planned.
The logistics warehouse was destroyed, the outer fortress was weakened, and the veteran generals were back on their side.
The road to the capital was now much more open, but Valerie knew the real storm would not begin until they faced the tyrant waiting behind the kingdom’s main gates.