Her Graceful War Song

Travis had distinguished himself during the battle at Hollow Ridge and was promoted to centurion, giving him command over one hundred men.

He made a request to be allowed to choose soldiers from the fresh recruits and train them himself. At first, Otis refused, noting that the brave and bold Travis was an ideal man to lead elite soldiers at the front lines.

But Travis insisted that, as a man of the martial arts world, he had his own way of training troops. He claimed his methods would best suit the new recruits, and promised he could turn them into fine soldiers, even offering to sign a formal pledge.

Otis waved it off, having no real intention of forcing such a promise. Rare as such talent was, he intended to keep Travis close and train him well. If Travis wished to take on the new recruits, so be it. If it proved too much, he could always return.

Travis happily left for the new recruit camp and began selecting his soldiers. Carissa, Bun, Violet, and Cynthia were chosen right away. Others followed-those with courage, those with clever minds, and those with sharp hands and quick feet. With a full hundred at his back, Travis marched them to the garrison. Should war break out, they would see the battlefield.

At the garrison, news came faster. Travis learned from Otis that reinforcements had already been dispatched to Victory Pass. Leading the reinforcements was Tyler, with his loyal officer, Barrett, riding beside him.

Travis leaned in with a grin. "I've heard there's a lady general among them. She's made quite a name for herself by rooting out bandits. The queen dowager herself has praised her."noveldrama

Violet and Cynthia were immediately intrigued and pressed him for details.

"I don't know the full story, only that her name is Aurora Yates," Travis admitted. She began training in martial arts at a young age. Her father once served under General Sinclair, that is, until he lost a leg in battle and was sent home with a pension.

"Later, he recommended his daughter for the army. Folks didn't think much of her at first, but it turns out that she's as fierce as a thunderstorm. During the bandit raids, she charged straight into their den and cut off the leader's head with her own hands. Marched back to the capital in glory."

At the mention of Hector, all eyes turned to Carissa.

Her gaze darkened. "She's the lady general from my dream."

A hush fell over the group.

"She's the one who slaughtered the village?" Bun asked, his voice tight with disbelief.

"Don't shout about it," Carissa said firmly. "It was only a dream. Regardless, there's no harm in being cautious around her."

She had told them of the dream, but left out certain parts. She didn't speak of marrying Barrett, nor of how he had later turned away from her and gone to Aurora instead. Those things she kept to herself.

What she chose to share was the most troubling parts-about the great battle at Victory Pass, how Aurora destroyed a few villages and humiliated Westhaven's crowne prince, and how these event not only led to the destruction of the Sinclair family, but also plunged the two kingdoms into a bitter deadlock.

"This concerns the whole kingdom. It's only wise to be watchful." Violet added gravely.

Everyone agreed at once.

Over the course of the month,

Westhaven had crossed the border several times, making small, probing incursions. Such tactics were

nothing new. They would camelne

the border and slowly edge forward, waiting to see how far they could go.

Each time, Starhaven's troops drove them back. But no major battle had broken out.

Not yet.

However, Carissa knew these moves meant that Liam and Leroy had begun to quarrel. She suspected these incursions were Leroy's doing. And because they were minor enough, Liam tolerated them for now.

But if it happened again and again, Liam would grow careless. When Arthur appeared at the border, Leroy could seize the chance to launch a proper attack.

Having sensed this too, Dominic

sent an envoy to speak with Liam, hoping for a diplomatic resolution But the envoy was turned away He wasn't allowed near the camp, not even close enough to delivera proper message. All he received was a curt reply that there was nothing to discuss.

Dominic suspected then that Liam was no longer in command at the camp. Something must have happened. And if that was the case, Leroy might act at any moment.

Leroy needed a grand victory to win the people's hearts. If he could take Victory Pass and force Starhaven to redraw the border, it would mark him as a hero of the realm.

Dominic issued orders at once-the army was to be ready for battle at any hour.