Page 152 of Warlord's Plaything

But I have not left you without a path."

I can’t breathe.

The words are clear, sharp, written in my father’s hand.

Valis stands there, silent, waiting.

Waiting for me to see the truth.

And I do.

"Kaelith will think he has won. The orcs will think they have control. But they have forgotten that power is not taken—it is earned. And theirs is about to be ripped from their hands.

The alliance between Kaelith and the orcs is built on fragile ground. One push, and it will collapse.

I leave you the proof. Valis knows what to do.

I leave you the truth. It will break them apart.

And I leave you with one command.

Burn them for what they have done."

My hands shake. I clutch the letter so tight the parchment crumbles at the edges.

The proof.

The weakness.

The one move that could turn the tide.

And my father knew.

He always knew

"Xyron."

Valis’s voice breaks through the haze.

"Are you ready to finish what your father started?"

48

HIRA

The night is covered with the scent of sweat, steel, and treachery.

I move like a shadow through the underbelly of the orc war camp, my breath steady, my muscles coiled tight.

The tunnels spit me out into the edges of their encampment, but I don’t hesitate.

No second thoughts. No fear. No regrets.

Only the mission.

Only the destruction I’m about to unleash.

Xyron thinks he’s the strategist.

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