CHAPTER 45: The Cut Artery
Duskwatch Fortress – Kael's War Room, A Cold Dawn
The brazier in Kael's war room offered little warmth against the chill that seemed to seep from the very stone walls. Outside, a light snow was falling, a quiet shroud on a world in turmoil. Inside, the silence was heavier, broken only by the ragged breaths of the men and women gathered around the map table. Lord Theron Varkhale stood before Kael, his scarred face etched with exhaustion and a grim defeat that Kael had rarely seen on the Varkhale lord. Dried blood, a testament to the brutal subterranean war, still clung to the creases in his leather armor.
"They broke through," Theron rumbled, his voice hoarse, raw with the effort of speaking. "Major Krell and his Legates. They sealed the Northern Ascent. We lost… too many. Five good men. But the path is cut, Sovereign. For now. They've locked it down tight." He slammed a mud-stained gauntlet on the map, directly on the coiled line representing the Serpent's Spine. "We fought them, Kael. Like wolves. But they brought the mountain down."
A collective gasp, a desperate whisper, swept through the council. Dren's usual boisterous energy vanished, his jaw clenching. Myrren's face paled, her eyes darting to Kael, then to the unrolled report on the table – a separate, grim accounting of the worsening conditions in Ravencair. The thin glimmer of hope that had arrived with the first trickle of supplies through the Spine now threatened to be extinguished.
"Ravencair," Myrren's voice was barely a whisper, her eyes haunted. "They've already lost so many more, Kael. The fever… the hunger. That first convoy, it bought us days, not weeks. Now…" She trailed off, unable to speak the word: doom.
Lady Virelle, poised as ever, broke the silence with a cool, measured tone. "Lord Theron, did you ascertain the strength of their blockade? The nature of their defenses? What would it take to reopen the artery?"
Theron shook his head. "Too much, my lady. They brought engineers, heavy charges. Krell is no fool. He'll make it a graveyard. And they'll have patrols waiting. We were lucky to pull back what we did." He looked at Kael. "It's a siege, Sovereign. A siege underground now. They'll blast their way through if they have to. And they'll bring the whole mountain down on our heads."
Nalen, a silent shadow by the door, chose this moment to speak, his voice a low, precise murmur that seemed to slice through the heavy air. "My contacts confirm. The Empire is jubilant. They believe the Serpent's Spine is permanently severed. Lord Tervan has already begun re-routing supplies from the west, believing this logistical nightmare to be over. They are emboldened, convinced their 'judgment' is finally succeeding." He discreetly slid a small, coded dispatch across the table, its contents adding another layer of grim confirmation.
Kael picked up Nalen's dispatch, his face unreadable, his steel-grey eyes reflecting the flickering lamplight. He read the Imperial boasts, the renewed sense of triumph. He saw the despair in Ravencair, the desperate need. The Empire had finally found a way to truly hurt him. His lifeline was bleeding out.
Seyda, who had remained a silent, crimson shadow by the brazier, finally moved. She stepped forward, her veil drawn, but Kael could feel the intensity of her gaze. "They believe they have victory," her voice was soft, laced with a dangerous edge. "They believe they have broken your will. This cannot stand, Sovereign. The faithful… they need a sign. A fire that cannot be quenched." Her words hinted at a far more desperate and brutal response than mere logistics.
Kael's gaze swept over his council. He saw the defeat in Theron's eyes, the despair in Myrren's, the rage in Dren, the cold calculation in Virelle, the quiet observation in Nalen, and the burning, dangerous zeal in Seyda. He had pushed them to the brink. Now, the brink was pushing back.
He closed his eyes for a long moment, the weight of command pressing down on him. The lives in Ravencair, the loyalty of his men, the very future of the Iron Rebellion rested on his next decision. He thought of the words he had carved into the stone of Ravencair: *"I will not be forgotten. Not like this place."* He thought of the Empire's boast: *"We are Empire."*
He opened his eyes. They gleamed with a cold, desperate resolve.
"Theron," Kael commanded, his voice quiet but sharp, cutting through the fear in the room. "How many men would it take to hold the Northern Ascent if we blast a new path near their blockade? A suicide mission, perhaps. But one that would buy us precious time?"
Theron's eyes widened. "A company, Sovereign. A very brave one. And it would still risk collapsing the entire Spine."
"Then we risk it," Kael said. He turned to Dren. "Gather your most experienced demolition teams. We will blast a new passage. Virelle, your network. Can you gather more resources? Not just food, but blasting powder. Tools. Anything to reopen that artery."
Virelle's eyes narrowed, a flicker of cold excitement in their depths. "It will be costly, Sovereign. And dangerous. More lives will be lost in the shadows than on any battlefield."
"And it will not be enough," Kael said, his gaze fixed on the map. "Not to move the supplies Ravencair needs. Not for a long winter." He looked at Seyda. "The Legates believe they have cut our vein. They believe they have conquered the dark. Show them their mistake. Show them the tunnels still bleed. And show them it is their blood."
Seyda's veiled head bowed, a silent, chilling acceptance. "As the Sovereign commands. The Flame will find a new path, through their hearts."
Kael slammed his hand on the map, directly on the severed line of the Serpent's Spine. "We will not give them the victory they seek. We will bleed them dry. And if it means fighting for every inch of darkness, then so be it. The Serpent's Spine will flow again. Or we will all burn in its embrace."
The heavy silence that followed was not of despair, but of chilling, ruthless resolve. The battle for the veins had just become a desperate, bloody gamble, and Kael Ashmark, the Sovereign of Fire and Iron, was ready to pay any price.