Chapter 391: The Rift in Command

The tension in the canyon was thick enough to cut with a blade. The Serpent Queen kept her eyes locked on Alexander, measuring the hybrid’s posture and the coldness in his crimson eyes. Finally, she let out a sigh and lowered the tip of her spear.

"Fine... it will be done as you say then," said the Serpent Queen, crossing her arms as her slitted pupils studied him. "What is it you want to do?"

"Let’s wait before attacking," replied Alexander, adjusting his jacket.

The guard commander, who had just arrived with a small scout unit, let out a gasp of air.

"Wait?!" exclaimed the Serpent Queen, taking a step forward, her voice laced with disbelief. "This is the single best opportunity we will ever have with them wounded and battered from battle! And you want to waste it sitting on your hands?"

"That’s where you’re wrong, Your Majesty," said Alexander, wearing a smirk as he shook his head. "If we march on the capital now, they’ll be waiting for us. You won’t be taking them by surprise; you’ll just be walking into an ambush with your chin held high for them to cut your throat."

"The Spider Queen is weakened and her advisor is bleeding!" interjected the guard commander, her fists clenching in rage. "If we don’t march now, they will reorganize the city’s defenses and rally the reserve troops from the north!"

"Which is why we need to fall back," continued Alexander, ignoring the commander’s outburst and looking directly at the sovereign. "We need to fortify ourselves, consolidate the southern camp, and wait for them to move their main forces and their allies out of the fortress. If we force them to deploy their troops to hunt us down, they lose their home-field advantage, and we can be the ones laying the ambush."

"That is pure madness!" protested the Serpent Queen, raising her voice with authority. "Giving them more time means forfeiting the tactical edge we have left. If we allow the Spider Queen to cement her rule in the palace, the neutral noble houses will bend the knee out of fear. The kingdom will slip through our fingers while we play hide-and-seek in the mountains!"

"The only thing slipping through your fingers will be your life if you march blindly into a trap," countered Alexander, stepping forward without yielding an inch of his presence. "Your pride is only going to get the few loyal soldiers you have left slaughtered."

Liora looked back and forth, feeling the pressure of two unbending wills clashing in the middle of the canyon.

"Alexander, my aunt is right that time is working against us!" said Liora, her voice filled with anguish. "But... I also know how dangerous the imperial elite is when they set up a defensive perimeter."

"There is nothing left to discuss, Princess," declared the Serpent Queen, turning toward her officers, her robes billowing in the wind. "The forces of the Poisonous Shadow Clan and the capital survivors will march toward the city at dawn. If the Vampiric Emperor prefers to stay in the shadows waiting for a miracle, that is his choice. But my duty is to reclaim the throne before the enemy entrenches themselves."

"You are making a mistake, serpent," said Alexander in an icy tone.

The sovereign didn’t bother replying and began walking back toward the rebel camp alongside her royal escort. Liora stood frozen, watching her aunt’s retreating back and then Alexander’s impassive figure.

"Liora..." called out the Serpent Queen, stopping a few meters away without turning her head. "Come with us. You are the heir to the Fox Clan; your place is at the front of our troops."

Liora clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms. Doubt gnawed at her from the inside, but remembering the analytical way Alexander had crushed his enemies in the past, she reached a decision.

"No..." said Liora, her voice trembling yet firm. "I’m staying with Alexander."

The Serpent Queen turned her head slightly, revealing a look of profound disappointment and coldness.

"You are placing your faith and the fate of your people in an arrogant foreigner, niece. I hope luck is on your side when the capital burns."

Without another word, the scaled sovereign departed with her army. Liora let out a sigh and slumped onto a nearby rock, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"I decided to believe in you, Alexander..." whispered Liora, looking at him with deep concern. "I just hope the situation doesn’t turn as chaotic as she says."

Alexander walked up to her, gazing out at the horizon where the moon was beginning to set.

"Don’t worry, brat," said Alexander with a cold smirk. "Let them go break their teeth against the city walls. When the real chaos begins, we’ll be the ones delivering the final blow."

"Gather your troops so we can move to Plyaro," added Alexander, crossing his arms as he mapped out the region in his mind. "That’s where we’ll set up our garrison and organize our defenses."

Liora let out a sad laugh and shook her head, staring down at her empty hands.

"My troops?" said Liora, her voice barely a whisper. "Alexander... I don’t have any troops. My mother’s entire army is either dead or imprisoned in the capital’s dungeons. The guard traveling with me fell trying to protect me. I’m completely alone."

Alexander stared at her in silence for a second. Then, he let out a click of his tongue and shrugged, unfazed.

"I see..." said Alexander, a confident smirk touching his lips. "It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t counting on us having a big army anyway."

Liora pulled her knees tight against her chest, hiding her face as a couple of silent tears fell onto the dirt.

"I’m sorry..." sobbed Liora, her voice breaking with frustration. "I’m sorry for being nothing but a burden to you, Alexander. I can’t even offer you a single soldier for this war."

Alexander sighed, took a couple of steps toward her, and gave her a light knock on the head without any gentleness.

"Don’t say stupid things, brat," said Alexander, looking down at her with a smirk. "If I thought you were a burden, I would’ve never gotten involved in all this bullshit in the first place."

Liora looked up, surprised, wiping away her tears as she stared at the vampire’s figure.

"Now get up," added Alexander, turning his back to start walking. "We’ve got a long way to Plyaro and I’d rather not waste time."