"Then we do both," he said. "At the sa ti. While we move on Lechia with our main forces, the smaller, precise unit will operate in the shadows."
The Empress’s gaze sharpened slightly. "The prison break."
"Yes," he said.
He straightened, his voice firm with finality. "While we engage their attention on one front, we strike quietly on another. If either succeeds, we gain ground. If both succeed..." He let the thought finish itself.
"We shift the entire war, if both operations are successful" the Blackmare king said.
King Highmoor gave a small nod.
A brief silence followed before he continued.
"The breakout group will need a leader. Soone capable of making decisions without hesitation. Soone who can adapt inside hostile territory without support."
He did not look around the room.
He did not need to.
"Xavier will lead it," he said.
The na settled imdiately.
The Empress did not object. In fact, there was a faint, almost approving stillness in her expression, as though she had already anticipated that choice. The Blackmare king glanced briefly toward the entrance of the tent, as if picturing the young man beyond it, then looked back.
"He is capable," he said.
"He is more than capable," King Highmoor replied.
The Empress added calmly, "And he has already proven he can succeed where others would fail."
That closed the matter.
King Highmoor then turned his attention fully to the Blackmare king. "Your kingdom has skilled individuals," he said. "I will need two of them."
The Blackmare king did not ask why.
He already understood.
"People suited for infiltration," King Highmoor continued. "Not just strength, but precision, awareness, and loyalty."
A brief pause.
"They will be under Lucas’s command for this mission."
The Blackmare king considered it for a mont, then gave a firm nod. "You will have them," he said. "I know exactly who to send."
King Highmoor inclined his head slightly. "Good."
The Empress leaned back slightly, her gaze thoughtful now. "Then everything is set into motion," she said. "Two paths, both dangerous, both necessary."
The Blackmare king exhaled slowly. "Lechia will draw attention," he said. "And in that distraction, your strike team moves unseen."
"Exactly," King Highmoor replied.
A brief silence followed, though it was no longer uncertain.
It was resolved.
Two operations.
One overt.
One hidden.
Both carrying the weight of everything they hoped to achieve.
And at the center of one of them, Lucas.
King Highmoor called to Tom and asked him to fetch Lucas.
Away from the command tent, on the quieter edge of the encampnt where the noise of soldiers and movent softened into a distant hum, Lucas stood with his father. The air carried a faint chill, but it was steady, undisturbed, a contrast to the weight of decisions being made elsewhere.
Elder Gideon looked far better than he had days before. The pallor that once clung to his face had lessened, and though he was not yet fully restored, there was strength in the way he stood, in the way his presence carried itself once more. Still, there were signs of what he had endured, subtle but clear to anyone who knew him well.
"You are pushing yourself again," Gideon said, his voice calm but firm, his eyes resting on Lucas with quiet scrutiny.
Lucas gave a small, almost dismissive breath. "There is no ti not to."
"There is always ti to think before acting," Gideon replied. "That is what keeps n alive longer than their enemies expect."
Lucas did not imdiately respond. His gaze drifted briefly across the encampnt, as though asuring sothing unseen.
"The war is moving faster than expected," he said at last. "Waiting too long might be worse."
Gideon studied him for a mont, then nodded slightly. "That may be true," he admitted. "But rushing without clarity is no better."
A brief silence settled between them, not uncomfortable, but filled with understanding.
"You have taken on more than most would," Gideon continued, his tone softer now. "I can see it. Even if you do not say it."
Lucas glanced at him briefly. "It needed to be done."
"That is not always a reason," Gideon replied quietly.
Before Lucas could respond, footsteps approached.
Tom entered their space with purpose, stopping a respectful distance away before bowing slightly. "My lord," he said, addressing Lucas, "the king requests your presence."
Lucas’s attention shifted imdiately. "Now."
"Yes," Tom replied.
Gideon’s gaze moved between them, already understanding that whatever was being decided would not be minor. He gave a small nod toward Lucas. "Go," he said. "We will speak again."
Lucas inclined his head slightly in acknowledgnt, then turned without hesitation.
"Co," he said to Tom.
The two of them moved quickly through the encampnt till they reached the command tent.
Lucas stepped into the command tent and the atmosphere changed imdiately, the weight of authority pressing in from all sides. Only three people stood inside, King Highmoor, the King of Blackmare, and the Empress, each positioned around the central table in quiet readiness, as though they had already concluded most of what needed to be said and were simply waiting for his arrival to complete it.
King Highmoor’s eyes settled on him at once.
"Xavier," he said calmly. "Co forward."
Lucas moved in without hesitation, stopping at a respectful distance from the table. His posture was steady, his attention fully on the three rulers before him, sensing from their silence that this was not a routine briefing.
The King of Blackmare observed him briefly, then shifted his gaze back to King Highmoor as if acknowledging that the mont had co to proceed.
King Highmoor did not waste ti.
"We have finalized our course of action," he said.
The Empress remained silent, her expression composed, but her attention was clearly engaged.
King Highmoor continued, his tone firm but controlled. "Lechia will be our primary engagent. A direct campaign to reclaim it from the usurpers."
Lucas listened without interruption, his expression unchanged.
"But that is only one part," King Highmoor added.
A brief pause followed before he continued.
"There will also be a separate operation," he said. "A covert mission, independent from the main force."
The Blackmare king spoke for the first ti. "High risk," he said simply. "But necessary."
King Highmoor nodded once. "Inside the fallen kingdom of Rus, their emperor is still alive, imprisoned within his own dungeons. If we extract him, he can reach his remaining allies and bring them into this war."
That detail settled heavily in the space.
King Highmoor turned his full attention to Lucas now.
"And you will lead that operation," he said.
The words were direct, without embellishnt.
Lucas did not react outwardly, but his focus sharpened slightly as the aning fully settled.
King Highmoor continued, "This will not be a battlefield engagent. It will be infiltration, precision, and extraction. No large force. No prolonged confrontation."
The Empress finally spoke, her tone calm but firm. "You will be operating inside enemy territory with limited support. If you are discovered, you will not have the luxury of ti."
The Blackmare king added, "We will be sending two operatives with you. From Blackmare. Selected specifically for infiltration capability and discipline."
King Highmoor nodded in agreent. "You will command them."
Silence followed for a mont as all three watched him, waiting not for approval, but acknowledgnt.
Lucas gave a single, steady nod.
"I understand," he said.
King Highmoor held his gaze for a mont longer, then gave a slight nod of his own.
"Then it is settled," he said.
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