Kael was silent for a long moment, his mind working through the implications.
Then he said, "We stop pretending we have the advantage. The defensive strategy we've been building—the village as a fortress, the kill zones, the ravine trap—it's all based on the assumption that we know our enemy better than they know us. That's not true. They know our playbook better than we do."
"So we change the playbook," Thran said. "We do something unexpected. Something they haven't anticipated."
"Exactly." Kael's voice sharpened with focus. "We don't just defend. We go on the offensive. Not a full-scale attack—we don't have the numbers for that—but a disruption. Something that hits them where they're not expecting it."
Doran leaned forward, his eyes bright. "The ritual site. It's the heart of their operation. If we can sabotage it before the ceremony, we break the timeline entirely. Lucien can't ascend, the army can't advance, and the shadow loses its leverage."
