The noble shuddered as the cold edge of Kael's dagger pressed against his throat, his once-calm demeanor shattering completely. His eyes darted between his captors, desperately searching for an escape route that didn't exist.
"You have no idea what you're interfering with," he whispered, voice trembling.
Kael leaned in slightly, increasing the pressure of the blade just enough to make his point clear. "Then enlighten me."
Mira was already rifling through the letters scattered across the table, her eyes scanning the elegant script and official royal seals with growing concern. Her frown deepened with each document she examined. "These aren't battlefield reports. They're orders."
Sera's eyebrow arched. "Orders for what?"
Mira nodded grimly, holding up one particular letter so the others could see the seal. "Directives issued directly by the royal council, bypassing the generals entirely." She began reading aloud, her voice tight with controlled anger:
"Ensure the war does not cease. The populace must believe in our righteous cause, and the Fire Kingdom's threat must remain credible. Any attempt at negotiation is to be silenced immediately."
A heavy, oppressive silence filled the room.
Kael's grip on his dagger tightened until his knuckles went white. "So this entire war is manufactured? A lie?"
The noble let out a strained, bitter chuckle. "A necessary one."
Mira slammed the letters back onto the table, the sound sharp as a gunshot in the quiet room. "People are dying. Your own soldiers believe they're protecting their homeland, defending their families. But you're feeding them a fabricated enemy."
The noble's trembling stopped. A slow, cold smirk spread across his face, transforming his features into something uglier. "And what exactly do you intend to do about it?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. He studied the man carefully, weighing options and consequences. Killing him would accomplish nothing, the war machine was already in motion, and this noble was merely one replaceable cog in a much larger mechanism.
But information? Information had real value.
"You're going to tell us everything," Kael said finally, his voice deadly calm.
The noble scoffed, some of his confidence returning. "And if I refuse?"
"Then I stop being polite." Kael's smile was cold and predatory as he moved the dagger lower, pressing the point meaningfully against the noble's groin. "And start being creative."
All color drained from the noble's face instantly.
Mira stepped forward, her fingers tapping a thoughtful rhythm on the table's polished surface. "Let me guess. This war continues because someone profits from it, don't they?"
The noble's smirk faltered noticeably.
Sera's eyes narrowed with sudden understanding. "Trade routes? Resource monopolies?"
Mira's sharp gaze never left the noble's face. "Or is it simpler than that? Just raw political power?"
The noble exhaled slowly, his shoulders sagging as he realized he'd already lost this battle of words. "You're not wrong," he admitted quietly. "War unites people under a common enemy. Fear strengthens a ruler's control over the populace. If this war ends..." He paused, meeting their eyes. "The kingdom's internal stability crumbles with it. Old rivalries resurface. The nobility fractures. Chaos follows."
Kael's jaw clenched so hard it hurt. He'd suspected corruption, but hearing it stated so plainly, so callously, made his blood boil. He wasn't a righteous man by any measure, but even he had lines he wouldn't cross. Using thousands of lives as political leverage crossed every one of them.
Sera's voice was calm but carried an edge sharp enough to cut. "What about the captured royals? Are they actually prisoners? Or are they just pawns in your twisted game?"
The noble hesitated for a long moment. Then, finally, he spoke. "They're alive. But they're not prisoners of war in any traditional sense." His lips curled into a bitter, self-mocking smile. "They were never meant to be rescued."
Kael's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Explain."
"The Earth Kingdom gave them to the Fire Kingdom," the noble continued, words coming faster now. "A calculated offering. It allows us to justify the continued war while maintaining the appearance of seeking peace through diplomatic channels." He laughed quietly, the sound hollow and defeated. "Perfect political theater."
The full realization settled over the room like a suffocating blanket. The royals weren't hostages being held against their will. They were sacrifices, offered up willingly by their own people for what the leadership deemed "the greater good."
Kael exchanged weighted glances with Mira and Sera. The truth had fundamentally changed everything. This was no longer about choosing a side between two kingdoms. It was about breaking a cycle of deliberate deception that was grinding thousands of lives into dust.
Mira rubbed her temples, exhaling heavily. "If we reveal this information publicly, the entire war effort could collapse overnight."
Sera folded her arms across her chest. "But if we just charge in and rescue the royals without understanding their position in all this, we might be playing directly into someone else's hands."
Kael turned back to the noble, his patience wearing dangerously thin. "Where are they being held?"
The noble's smirk returned, though it looked strained. "Why should I tell you anything more?"
Kael pressed the dagger harder, the point dimpling skin. "Because my patience has limits. You're approaching them rapidly."
A bead of sweat rolled down the noble's temple, catching the candlelight. "A fortress," he finally admitted through gritted teeth. "Near the western border. The Fire Kingdom maintains it, but only because the Earth Kingdom allows them to."
Mira's brow furrowed in confusion. "What does that mean?"
The noble's voice carried a hint of dark amusement. "If the Fire Kingdom wanted them dead, they'd be corpses already. But keeping them alive, imprisoned but unharmed, maintains the perfect illusion. The Earth Kingdom doesn't want them back. They want the 'idea' of them kept alive to fuel popular support for the war."
Kael's grip on his dagger loosened slightly as he processed this. A fortress near the western border. That was their destination.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
A sudden, forceful knock echoed through the manor's halls, reverberating off the marble walls.
Kael, Mira, and Sera exchanged rapid glances, bodies tensing.
The noble's smile returned, broader now. "Ah. It seems I have guests arriving."
Kael grabbed him by the collar, yanking him roughly to his feet. "Who?"
Before the noble could answer, the door burst open with explosive force.
Three soldiers entered in formation, their armor gleaming in the candlelight. Their gazes swept the scene, taking in the scattered letters, their lord being held hostage, the three intruders, and their expressions hardened instantly.
The lead guard's hand moved to his sword. "Release Lord Elric. Now."
Kael let out a resigned sigh. "I was really hoping for a quiet exit."
Sera already had her bow raised, an arrow nocked and drawn. "Should we run or fight?"
Mira's eyes darted to the window, conveniently open, showing the dark courtyard below. "Both."
The soldiers lunged forward as one.
Kael reacted on pure instinct, shoving the noble hard toward them. Lord Elric stumbled forward, colliding with the closest guard in a tangle of expensive robes and armor. The collision bought them precious seconds.
Mira snatched the most incriminating letters from the table, stuffing them inside her cloak. "We can't leave without evidence."
Sera's bowstring sang. Her arrow caught one soldier in the shoulder joint where armor plates met. He stumbled backward with a pained grunt, but the other two pressed forward undeterred.
Kael's dagger flashed in a blur of motion, deflecting a spear thrust with a sharp metallic ring. He twisted aside, not wasting energy on a prolonged fight.
His blade found the gaps in armor with surgical precision, a strike to the knee joint that dropped one guard, a slash across the wrist that disarmed another.
One soldier collapsed, clutching his leg and screaming. The remaining two hesitated, reassessing the threat.
"Window!" Mira shouted. "Now!"
Kael didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted toward the open balcony, vaulting smoothly over the railing without breaking stride.
The cold night air hit him like a physical blow. He landed in a controlled roll on the stone courtyard below, absorbing the impact. Mira and Sera followed seconds later, their cloaks billowing dramatically behind them like dark wings.
The manor erupted into chaos. Shouting voices. Running footsteps. The clatter of armor and weapons being readied.
More guards were coming.
Kael spotted some horses tied near the side gate. "Move!"
They ran, dodging between shadows as arrows began whistling through the air around them. One struck stone inches from Kael's head, sparks flying.
Kael reached the horses first, grabbing the reins and swinging himself up in one fluid motion. The moment Mira and Sera were mounted, he kicked his horse into motion. They galloped toward the main gate, hooves thundering against cobblestone.
The city erupted into full alarm. Bells began tolling from multiple towers, their deep tones overlapping into discordant chaos.
The main gate loomed ahead, guards scrambling to close them.
Sera's bow sang again. Her arrow caught a distracted sentry in the thigh before he could raise an alarm. Kael and Mira charged through the momentary gap, using the confusion to break past the closing gates.
The stronghold disappeared behind them, swallowed rapidly by darkness and distance. Only when they'd put significant ground between themselves and pursuit did they slow their horses to a sustainable pace.
Kael turned in his saddle to face Mira and Sera, his expression grim but determined. "We know where they are now." His voice was steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. "We get to the royals first."
Mira's lips curved into a slight smirk. "Before either kingdom can interfere with what we're about to do."
Sera exhaled, adrenaline still making her hands shake slightly on the reins. "This is going to be intere—"
BOOM!!!
A massive fireball struck the ground twenty feet to their left, the explosion cutting Sera's words off completely.
The shockwave rippled outward with devastating force, sending all three of them flying from their horses in different directions.
Kael hit the ground hard, the impact driving the air from his lungs. Pain exploded through his shoulder and ribs. For a moment, his vision swam with stars.
Then training and instinct kicked in. He rolled, coming up in a defensive crouch, dagger already in hand.
Through the settling dust and smoke, a figure emerged.