Chapter 119 – The Border Drop
Dawn broke thin and colourless, the sky a dull strip of steel above the frost-bitten hills. Kairo and Elira moved quickly, their packs stripped down to essentials: rope, ammunition, fire charges wrapped in oilskin. Every ounce mattered; the climb to the drop site would be brutal enough without excess weight.
The route wound along an abandoned goat track, switchbacking up the ridge until the ground fell away sharply to the east. From there, the world below looked deceptively peaceful—mist pooling in the valleys, the river a silver thread winding toward the horizon. Somewhere beneath that calm surface, Feretti's men would be moving their shipment.
Kairo stopped at a low outcrop, crouching behind the rock. He pulled a battered field scope from his coat and scanned the far slope. Through the thin veil of fog, figures emerged: a column of six, maybe seven men, each burdened with crates strapped to sled-frames. Their route hugged the treeline, cautious and efficient.
"They've got two outriders," Kairo murmured, handing the scope to Elira. "One ahead, one trailing."
She adjusted the lens, tracking them. "Armed. And… there—see that? That sled in the middle. Heavier than the rest."
"Whatever's inside is the reason for all this security." Kairo unrolled a sheet of paper—a rough hand-drawn map matching the coordinates from the envelope. "They'll cut through that gully in less than twenty minutes. That's where we hit them."
The gully was narrow, hemmed in by sheer rock on both sides, with only one clear exit. A perfect choke point. Perfect, if they could get there first.
They descended fast, boots skidding on loose shale, breath clouding in the bitter air. At the gully mouth, Kairo began setting charges, half-burying them in the loose scree so the blast would trigger an avalanche rather than an obvious explosion. Elira kept watch, her eyes never leaving the treeline.
"Five minutes," she warned.
Kairo lit the first fuse—just enough to warm the primer without sparking it—and moved to position the second. Every movement was practiced, economical; he'd done this too many times before.
When the sound of boots on stone reached them, Elira's pulse spiked. She slid behind a boulder, dagger in one hand, pistol in the other. Kairo crouched low, his thumb resting on the detonator's safety catch.
The first outrider came into view—a tall man with a scarf masking his face. He moved with the easy confidence of someone who'd done this route a hundred times. Behind him, the main column trudged into the gully, sled runners whispering over frozen earth.
Kairo waited until the heavy sled was almost dead-center, the rock walls closing around them like jaws. Then he pressed the trigger.
The blast was muted but deep, a dull roar that seemed to rise from the bones of the earth. Stone sheared from the ridge above, boulders tumbling in a choking wave of dust and debris. Shouts erupted, drowned almost instantly by the avalanche's roar.
When the dust began to clear, the gully was a tomb—blocked at both ends by fallen rock. Two men lay unmoving. The others were scrambling for cover, disoriented.
Kairo was already moving, pistol drawn. Elira followed, keeping low, eyes sharp for movement. The fight was short and brutal; surprise was their ally, and confusion their weapon. Within minutes, the only sound was the hiss of settling dust.
They found the heavy sled tipped on its side, its contents spilling through a cracked lid. Inside, wrapped in oil-soaked canvas, were metal cylinders stamped with that same iron-circle crest.
Elira peeled back one corner, revealing dark, fine powder. "This isn't grain," she whispered. "This is—"
"Black ash," Kairo finished grimly. "Enough to arm every outlaw in three provinces."
She met his eyes. "If this had made it through—"
"It won't," he cut in, already striking a match. The fire caught fast, the oil feeding it into a hungry blaze. They stepped back, watching the flames consume Feretti's prize.
When the last of it collapsed into embers, Kairo turned away without a word, his gaze fixed on the ridge above. "He'll know it was me," he said.
Elira fell into step beside him. "Good. Let him."
They vanished into the mist before the smoke had even cleared.