Chapter 117
The study was silent.
Only the crackling of the fireplace disturbed the stillness.
Lord Bracken stood before the window overlooking his estate, one hand clasped behind his back.
His expression was unreadable.
A knock echoed through the room.
"My Lord."
"Enter."
The heavy doors opened.
Two cloaked men stepped inside.
One had returned from the mountain.
The other had spent the last several days watching Emberforge.
Both immediately bowed.
Bracken didn't turn around, "You have news?"
The first spy stepped forward, "My Lord... the rescuers have broken through."
Bracken remained motionless, "How many survived?"
"The last trapped miners have been rescued."
Silence.
The room seemed to grow colder.
Very slowly...
Bracken turned.
"All of them?"
The man lowered his head.
"Yes, my Lord."
For several long moments...
Nothing happened.
Then—
Crash!
A crystal glass shattered against the stone wall.
Both spies instinctively flinched.
Bracken's breathing remained calm.
Far too calm.
"They survived..."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"After everything..."
A humourless laugh escaped him.
"Remarkable."
He walked back to his desk.
"So..."
"Duke Owen survives. The miners survive. The kingdom will celebrate another miracle."
He picked up one of the reports before tossing it aside in irritation.
"My little disaster accomplished less than I hoped."
The first spy hesitated, My Lord...There is more."
Bracken looked up, "What?"
"The rescue captain...The knight. Captain Turner. He remains missing."
Bracken's eyes narrowed, "Dead?"
"We don't know. The rescuers say he disappeared after returning into the abandoned tunnels."
A slow smile touched Bracken's lips.
"So...One useful outcome."
The smile quickly vanished.
"But knowing my luck......the fool will probably survive."
He waved the report away, "What of Emberforge?"
The second spy stepped forward.
"I have returned from the duchy. The Royal Palace has sent supplies."
Bracken folded his arms.
"What kind?"
"Food. Medicine. Blankets. Timber. Medical equipment. Additional physicians."
His expression hardened, "So Lucian truly intends to support them."
"Yes, my Lord."
Bracken slowly walked toward the large map spread across his desk.
His fingers traced the roads leading into Emberforge.
"And how long can they continue?"
The spy answered without hesitation.
"Not long."
Bracken looked up.
"The rescue has emptied much of the duchy's reserves. The mines remain closed. There are no shipments of iron. No gold exports. No ore reaching the foundries. The blacksmiths are beginning to run short. The workshops have slowed.....Food stores continue to shrink as they feed miners, rescuers,
and displaced families. The physicians require medicines daily...The rebuilding costs are increasing."
Bracken's eyes slowly brightened, "There it is...The weakness."
He tapped the map gently.
"You can survive an attack.You can survive sabotage. But eventually......every treasury begins to empty."
The spy nodded.
"My Lord... the engineers estimate it will take several weeks before the mine is considered safe."
Bracken smiled.
"Several weeks?"
He slowly shook his head.
"No..."
"They'll spend weeks clearing collapsed tunnels. Weeks replacing shattered supports.Weeks inspecting every shaft."
He looked toward the mountain.
"And even after that...Production will not immediately return to normal."
The smile on his face became colder.
"For weeks...Perhaps months...House of Ambrose will continue spending coin......while earning almost nothing."
Silence filled the study.
The spies exchanged uneasy glances.
"My Lord......the duchy is bleeding money."
"Exactly", Bracken rested both hands on the desk.
"Owen Ambrose has always ruled from a position of strength....Let's see how well he governs......when the treasury begins to run dry."
Another hurried knock interrupted the silence.
"My Lord!"
Bracken frowned.
"What now?"
Another spy entered, breathing heavily.
"Duke Brian Vale and Duke Charles Barrett have entered the forgotten shaft."
"They've taken rescuers, physicians, and nurses."
"They're searching for Captain Turner."
Bracken's smile faded slightly.
"So..."
"They still refuse to give up."
"Yes, my Lord."
He stared into the fire for several moments.
"A pity."
"I would have preferred if the mountain had buried him forever."
He considered the report before dismissing the messenger.
"It no longer matters."
The man hesitated.
"My Lord?"
Bracken looked back toward the flames.
"Whether Turner lives......or dies.....Emberforge has already suffered the wound I wanted."
He slowly smiled.
"The mine has fallen. The treasury is draining. The duchy grows weaker with every passing day. And desperate people..."
His eyes gleamed with quiet malice, "...make mistakes."
Outside, thunder rolled across the night sky.
Far away, Brian and Charles continued searching the forgotten shaft.
And while the rescuers fought to save one brave knight...
Lord Bracken was already preparing for the next battle.
Because he no longer intended to destroy Emberforge with falling stone.
This time...
He intended to destroy it with hunger.
And desperation.
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