Chapter 98
Bracken rode away from the mountain without looking back.
Behind him, smoke continued to rise from the collapsed mine, carried into the grey afternoon sky like a funeral pyre.
His men followed in silence, their horses' hooves muffled by the forest floor.
After several miles, Bracken finally slowed his horse.
He turned once, gazing toward the distant mountain.
Even from here, he could still see the dark cloud hanging above the mine.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"So...It begins."
One of his men rode closer.
"My Lord... should we not put more distance between ourselves and the rescue teams?"
Bracken chuckled "They won't be looking for us. They'll be too busy digging graves."
Several of the men exchanged uneasy glances.
One finally asked, "Do you think the mine is truly lost?"
Bracken laughed, a low, chilling sound that echoed through the trees.
"Lost?..My dear fool...I didn't collapse a tunnel. I crippled an entire duchy."
His eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"The Grand Emberforge Duchy built its fortune beneath that mountain....Iron. Gold. Silver. Everything they are... came from those mines."
He looked back toward the smoke.
"Now?" He smiled "They have nothing."
Another man hesitated "But Duke Owen is resourceful."
Bracken's expression darkened instantly "Exactly."
His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
"That is why I had to strike hard. If I had merely stolen his gold......he would have earned more. If I had burned his warehouses.....he would have rebuilt them. But this..."
He laughed again.
"This wound will bleed for months. No ore. No exports. No income. Hundreds without work. Families driven into poverty. And every noble in the kingdom will begin wondering whether Emberforge is still worth investing in."
He inhaled deeply, as though savouring the thought.
"Oh...I've waited years for this."
One of the younger men swallowed nervously "And Lady Aurora?"
At the mention of her name, Bracken's smile vanished.
Hatred flashed across his face.
"That girl..." His grip tightened around the reins until his knuckles turned white.
"She should have died years ago." His voice dripped with venom, "Everything was going according to plan. Owen trusted the wrong people. The duchy was weakening. The books were bleeding gold. The mines were vulnerable. And then..."
He spat onto the ground, "...she returned."
His eyes narrowed.
"A spoiled little noble girl...who somehow became my greatest obstacle. She uncovered the theft. She rebuilt the schools. She earned the people's loyalty. She revived the workshops."
He was seething with anger, "She opened trade with the East. Every plan I spent years creating...she destroyed in a matter of months."
His breathing grew heavier with rage. "I underestimated her once. I will never make that mistake again."
Another rider spoke cautiously, "My Lord... what if they discover the sabotage?"
Bracken merely smiled. "Let them. They have suspicions. They have theories....But they have no proof."
He leaned forward in his saddle. "And by the time they find any.....I'll already be planning my next move."
His gaze drifted toward the mountain one last time.
"If the collapse killed Turner......then Aurora has lost the man who has protected her since childhood...If it killed Duke Owen......the duchy has lost its heart. And if it killed the King..."
He laughed quietly, "Well...Kingdoms have fallen for far less."
The forest fell silent.
Even the birds seemed unwilling to sing.
Bracken pulled on the reins, "Ride."
His horse surged forward.
"This was never the end. It was merely the opening move."
One by one, his men followed him into the shadows of the forest.
Far behind them...
The smoke above Emberforge continued to rise.
And beneath the broken mountain...
Dozens of lives still hung in the balance.
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