THE SILENT HEIRESS AND THE RUINED CROWN

Chapter 6: The War Room of Shadows

Chapter 6: The War Room of Shadows

The war room was illuminated only by low, flickering lanterns and the central map table, where iron tokens representing regiments were laid out across the rugged landscape. Outside, thunder rolled across the valley, mirroring the storm brewing inside the Citadel.

​Gabriel leaned over the table, his arms braced on the edge as his generals argued over defensive perimeters.

​"Jaxon’s vanguard will push through the eastern pass," General Kael insisted, slamming a fist onto the oak edge. "It’s the shortest route to our gates. We line the ridges with archers and choke them in the gorge."

​"And leave the iron mines exposed?" Calla’s voice cut cleanly through the low rumbles of the men. She stepped out from the shadows near the hearth, wrapping Gabriel’s dark velvet cloak tighter around her shoulders.

​The generals turned, some with raised brows, others with open skepticism.

​"Jaxon knows you expect him at the eastern pass, General," Calla continued, walking slowly toward the table. Her gaze met Gabriel’s, where a quiet understanding flared between them. "He will send a decoy force there with heavy banners to draw your main garrison out. Meanwhile, his elite strike units—led by his brother—will move through the sunless caverns beneath the iron mines. It’s a route omitted from modern maps, but it’s written into the original foundations of House Solis."

​General Kael frowned. "And how could a scholar possibly know the subterranean layouts of a mountain range twenty miles away?"

​Calla rested her fingers on the map, right over the crimson-marked territory of her former home. "Because my ancestors carved those tunnels. If you want to trap Jaxon's vanguard, you don't fight them in the open air. You flood the caverns before they reach the Citadel."

​Gabriel stared at her, the charged warmth between them pulsing faintly under her skin. A low, ruthless smile touched his lips. "You heard her," Gabriel ordered, turning to his men. "Redirect the river gates toward the lower mines tonight. If Blackthorn marches in the dark, they swim."