Page 154 of Warlord's Plaything

I slip inside, pressing against the thick hide walls.

The space is dark, lit only by a few flickering lanterns.

Maps are strewn across a large table, detailing the plans of their so-called ‘alliance’ with Kaelith’s forces.

And right there, exactly as Xyron said?—

The proof.

The cracks in their foundation.

The whispered plans between the chieftains, the shifting loyalties, the growing unrest.

All I have to do is light the match.

And let the fire spread

I move swiftly, placing the first piece of my deception where I know it will be found.

A letter, carefully forged in Kaelith’s handwriting, detailing a "contingency plan" in the event that the orcs prove… unreliable.

A plan that speaks of their "eventual removal" once the war is won.

It will be found by morning.

I turn to leave, slipping back through the tent flaps but the sound of footsteps halt me in place.

I duck into the shadows, pressing myself against the wooden support beams.

A war chief steps inside, his voice a low growl.

"Something feels off."

Another one follows him, his massive form cutting off the firelight.

"You think Kaelith is hiding something?"

They know.

They fucking know.

They’re already suspicious.

Good.

It will make the deception that much sweeter.

"He is a dark elf,"the second one mutters.

"Of course he is hiding something."

The first one scoffs.

"We are stronger than them."

"But we are not in control."

Tension coils in the air like a storm about to break.

---