Chapter 74: House Bluemoon’s Resolve
The heavy silence inside Lady Luna’s study remained suffocating, thick with the sharp reek of copper, ozone, and old dust.
Beneath the warm, guttering glow of the iron chandeliers, thousands of gold coins in the three recovered ironbound chests shimmered before her desk. Their bright, polished surfaces bore the unmistakable heraldic seal of House Bluemoon—a crescent moon crowned in frost.
Viren remained kneeling on the cold marble floor, his shoulders slouched forward, his forehead almost touching his knees. His breath came in ragged, shallow rasps. In over twenty years of service as Vanguard Commander, the veteran warrior had nothing left to offer. No lies could obscure the gold; no excuses could cover the stench of blood clinging to his armor.
Luna stared at the recovered treasury for several long seconds, her fingers tightening around the shaft of her spear. The gold that should have been sitting inside her military vaults was now spread before her in three open chests, sitting beside the man who had commanded her armies for nearly twenty years.
Slowly, her gaze returned to Viren.
He kept his head lowered.
"There’s no need to lower your head now," Luna said quietly. "Not after everything you’ve done."
She stepped forward, the butt of her spear striking the marble with a dull thud. The frost-blue aura surrounding her weapon intensified as she brought its tip beneath his chin.
"And don’t mistake shame for regret."
"Tell me who else," she commanded.
The vanguard commander remained silent, his jaw clenched tight even as the icy tip pressed into the flesh of his throat, drawing a single bead of crimson blood.
"You’re waiting for Count Thorn to save you, huh?"
Ethan’s voice came from near the hearth.
He stepped out of the shadows, his cloak brushing softly against the floor as he approached the kneeling commander.
"Even if he’s already marching his army toward Bluewind, do you really think he can save you now?"
"W-What army...?" Luna stuttered, her breath hitching in her chest as her head snapped toward Ethan.
Ethan didn’t answer her. Instead, he looked directly into the eyes of Luna, his pupils reflecting an abyss of absolute certainty—a gaze forged in memories of a future and it’s cruelty. The sheer, crushing weight in his eyes caused her to instinctively step back, withdrawing her spear.
In a single, blinding motion, Ethan drew the Eternal Sovereign Blade and swung.
SLASH!
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
Blood sprayed across the polished white marble in a violent, arc-like pattern. Viren’s severed arms rose into the air, still clad in their heavy steel bracers, before falling with a heavy, sickening thud onto the carpet.
Viren collapsed forward onto his bloody stumps, thrashing in wild, unadulterated shock. He opened his mouth to scream again, but Ethan was already moving.
Ethan crouched down, grabbing Viren by the back of his hair and violently yanking his head up. Ethan extended two fingers, coating the tips in a razor-thin needle of aura. Without hesitation, he jammed those fingers directly into the raw, exposed shoulder socket where Viren’s left arm had just been severed.
The aura didn’t just burn flesh—it vibrated directly against the exposed nerve bundles of his spinal column.
"AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH! STOP! STOP IT! PLEASEEEEE!"
Viren’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, his spine arching violently off the floor as every muscle in his torso spasmed uncontrollably. Sweat, tears, and foam burst from his face as the nerve torture tore past every threshold of human endurance.
"Answer Lady Luna," Ethan whispered, his voice smooth, cold, and entirely devoid of emotion. He twisted his fingers half an inch deeper into the open wound. "Don’t think I won’t kill you. Even if Count Thorn is here he can’t save you."
"D-Doran!"
Viren’s voice finally broke.
"Logistics Commander Doran!"
Ethan’s grip tightened.
"Doran falsified the supply ledgers," Viren gasped. "Grain, weapons, medicine—whatever he could make disappear without raising suspicion."
He sucked in a ragged breath.
"And I handled the patrols. Whenever one of our men got too close to a camp, I changed their route. Whenever an expedition was sent into the eastern wilderness, I made sure it searched the wrong area."
His voice broke.
"They trusted my orders. They never questioned them."
Luna’s expression hardened.
Viren’s breathing grew heavier as he continued. The names came more slowly now, each one seeming to cost him something.
"Captain Roland. Captain Heston. Beacon Officer Miles... Lieutenant Garret. Three men assigned to the eastern gates, eight squad leaders, and two household stewards."
He swallowed against the pain in his throat.
"There are others I don’t know about. Those are the ones I dealt with directly."
Luna’s expression had grown colder with every name.
"And Commander Julian?"
Viren’s eyes flickered.
"He’s part of it."
"What was he supposed to do?"
"Take control of the eastern watchtower on the third night. When the beacon turns green, the men waiting outside will know the gate is ready."
Viren drew a shallow breath before continuing.
"Once the signal is given, Thorn’s forces will move through Blackstone Ravine at midnight. The eastern defenses will already be compromised by then, and the men inside the city will make sure no proper resistance can be organized."
Luna’s fingers tightened around her spear.
"And you were going to let them in?"
Viren lowered his eyes.
"We were supposed to open the way from within."
The room fell silent.
Viren had finally stopped trying to defend himself. He had given Luna the names, the method, the timing, and the route. Whatever remained of his loyalty had been crushed beneath the weight of his own confession.
Ethan watched him for several seconds before his gaze shifted toward the bandit leader.
The outlaw had remained unusually quiet throughout the confession. His eyes moved between Ethan and Viren, and the bitter amusement that had lingered on his face earlier had disappeared completely.
Ethan walked over and stopped in front of him.
"Viren has told us what happens inside the city," he said calmly. "He has told us where the army is coming from and when it will move."
The bandit leader said nothing.
Ethan crouched slightly, bringing his eyes level with the man’s.
The numbers were already etched into Ethan’s memory. He knew how large Thorn’s army would be, who had joined him, and even the rough composition of the force. But knowing how the future had unfolded once didn’t mean it would unfold the same way again.
He needed to make sure nothing had changed.
"What he hasn’t told us is how large that army is."
The outlaw’s jaw tightened.
"I don’t know."
Ethan’s expression didn’t change.
"You were working with the men outside the city. You knew enough to coordinate the roads, the patrols, and the movement through the ravine. Don’t insult me by pretending you knew nothing about the force you were preparing to meet."
The bandit leader remained silent.
Ethan waited.
After several seconds, the man finally exhaled through his nose.
"Thorn’s own army is a little over two thousand."
Luna’s eyes narrowed.
The bandit continued reluctantly.
"But he’s not marching alone. Count Randal Vane is bringing his forces. Baron Kyle Vance is joining him as well."
He paused before adding, "And Peter arrived with his mercenaries.
"How many altogether?"
"I never saw the entire army myself," the bandit admitted. "The camp only dealt with the detachments sent ahead of them. But the men who came through were talking about the combined force."
He hesitated, then finally looked up.
"They said it would be close to four thousand by the time everyone assembled."
Ethan studied his face.
"Anything else?"
The bandit shook his head.
"That’s everything I know about the army. We were never important enough for Thorn to trust us with his entire military plan."
Ethan remained silent for a moment before straightening.
Luna looked from one prisoner to the other, her expression hardening as the reality of what had been built around her house finally settled in.
Luna remained motionless.
Her eyes were still fixed on Viren.
"Twenty years," she whispered.
"You served my father for twenty years..."
"Kaelen!" Luna called out, her voice carrying through the heavy oak door without needing to raise itself.
The door swung open almost instantly. A grey-haired knight clad in the silver-and-blue armor of House Bluemoon’s household guard stepped inside, his hand resting on his sword hilt. His eyes flicked across the blood-soaked floor, the severed limbs, and the two bloody remnants of men, before settling steadily on Luna.
"My Lady. W-What’s happening here?"
"Take both of them to the lower cells. Separate them. No light, no bandages, and no contact between them," Luna ordered, her frost-blue eyes cold as glaciers. "Then wake Logistics Commander Doran and bring him here now. Quietly. If he asks, tell him it’s about the eastern supply requisitions."
Kaelen looked confused but bowed without a single question. "At once, my Lady."
Doran entered the study fifteen minutes later.
He was still fastening the collar of his nightcoat when he stepped through the doorway, his sleepy expression carrying the mild irritation of a man dragged from bed without explanation.
Then he saw the floor.
His eyes stopped on the blood.
They moved to the three open chests.
Then to Ethan.
Whatever words had been forming on his lips disappeared.
"My Lady..."
Luna didn’t answer.
"Sit."
Doran hesitated.
"My Lady, I—"
"Sit down."
He obeyed.
Luna opened one of the documents lying on her desk and placed it in front of him.
"Your seal."
Doran stared at it.
"I don’t..."
"Your seal," Luna repeated.
His eyes dropped.
Silence stretched between them.
"How long?" she asked.
Doran’s fingers began to tremble.
"Nearly two years."
Luna’s expression didn’t change.
"Who?"
He looked toward the door.
"Commander..."
"Who?"
Doran closed his eyes.
"Two household stewards."
He swallowed.
"Captain Heston. Captain Roland. A clerk in the eastern trade office..."
His voice weakened.
"Two men in the eastern garrison."
Luna leaned back slightly.
"My schedule?"
Doran didn’t answer.
Luna looked away.
"Take him downstairs."
Luna lowered herself into the chair behind her desk.
For several moments, she said nothing.
Then she looked at the empty doorway through which Doran had disappeared.
"There may be others."
Ethan stood near the window, looking out over the sleeping city.
Luna slowly raised her head.
"I know."
Her grip tightened around her spear.
By sunrise, Kaelen was already moving through Bluewind.
The arrests were carried out quietly. The corrupted gate officers and stewards disappeared before most of the city knew anything was wrong, while loyal men were placed in their positions before the news could spread.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of preparation.
Armories were opened. Horses were gathered. Old weapons were pulled from storage and inspected one by one. Blacksmiths worked until their hands cramped, repairing battered breastplates and sharpening blades that had spent months gathering dust.
By late afternoon, Kaelen finally returned to Luna’s study with the first proper muster.
Kaelen placed the report on Luna’s desk.
"Five hundred and forty combat-capable men."
Luna lowered her gaze.
"Two hundred and fifty Knights," Kaelen continued. "Two hundred Great Knights. Five Knight Commanders."
He paused.
"Three of those five are Peak Knight Commanders."
Luna said nothing.
She didn’t need to ask who the strongest among them was.
"The rest are guards, retainers, veterans and support personnel. We’ve managed to arm most of them, but we’re still short on proper armor."
Kaelen’s expression darkened.
"We can fight. But we aren’t an army built for a prolonged battle."
The following afternoon, the study doors opened and a mud-covered scout hurried inside.
"My Lady, the northern observers have confirmed movement. Thornhold’s army has left the capital."
Luna immediately looked toward the map.
"How far?"
"The leading detachments have already passed the northern checkpoints. At their current pace, they’ll reach Blackstone Ravine within two days. Three at the most."
Kaelen glanced toward Ethan.
"And the numbers?"
"Our observers couldn’t get close enough for an exact count, but their estimate is consistent with what we’ve already heard. Close to four thousand."
Nobody in the room looked surprised.
The difference was that the threat was no longer a possibility discussed in whispers.
It was moving.
Ethan studied the markings on the map for a moment before speaking.
"Four thousand makes sense."
Luna looked at him.
"Thorn’s own forces account for roughly half of that. The rest are coming from Vane, Kyle, and Peter."
His finger moved across the map.
"If their numbers haven’t changed significantly from the intel I received, we’re looking at roughly three thousand Knights and a thousand Great Knights. Ten Knight Commanders..."
He paused.
"And two Knight Lords."
The room went still.
Kaelen stared at the figures on the map.
Five hundred and forty combat-capable men.
Nearly four thousand on the other side.
Five Knight Commanders against ten.
And while Luna stood at the Peak Knight Commander Realm, the enemy possessed two Knight Lords.
Around the room, the silence changed.
One of the younger officers lowered his eyes.
Another slowly tightened the strap around his shield.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody needed to.
They all understood the difference.
Luna’s fingers tightened against the desk.
The wood creaked.
For a moment, she remained completely still, her eyes fixed on the map.
Four thousand.
Two Knight Lords.
Her own forces barely exceeded five hundred.
Her breathing slowed.
She closed her eyes once.
Then opened them again.
The fear hadn’t disappeared.
She simply stopped letting it show.
"Two days," Luna said.
The scout nodded.
"Three at the most."
Kaelen stepped forward.
"My Lady, we should consider withdrawing."
Luna looked at him.
"To where?"
"West. Toward the capital. If we take the evidence of Thorn’s treason to the Royal Court, the Crown may intervene."
Luna was silent for a moment. Her gaze drifted toward the three chests of recovered gold, then toward the blood still staining the marble floor.
"And you think Thorn will simply march against us without preparing his own story?"
Kaelen hesitated.
Luna’s fingers tightened around her spear. "He has spent years undermining House Bluemoon. He won’t walk into the Royal Court and admit that he invaded us for our territory and trade routes. He’ll have his own evidence, his own witnesses, and enough fabricated claims to make this look like a dispute between nobles rather than an act of treason."
Her eyes hardened.
"By the time the Crown decides who is telling the truth, Bluewind may already belong to him."
She turned toward the window.
Bluewind was already waking below them. Shopkeepers were lifting shutters. Farmers were bringing carts into the city. Children were running through streets that would soon become a battlefield.
"And what happens to them?"
Kaelen remained silent.
"What happens to Ashford? The villages around it? The families who have lived under Bluemoon protection for generations?"
Luna looked back at him.
"If we leave, Thorn doesn’t need to conquer Bluewind."
Her voice hardened.
"We will have handed it to him ourselves."
Kaelen lowered his head.
"You’re right."
Luna looked around the room.
"Anyone who wishes to leave may do so."
Several officers looked up.
"I’m not ordering anyone to die for my house."
She stepped away from the desk.
"Take your families and leave before Thorn reaches the city. I will not hold it against you."
No one moved.
Kaelen was the first.
He stepped forward and placed his fist against his chest.
"I’m staying."
One of the older Knights followed.
"So am I."
Another stepped forward.
Then another.
Within moments, the room had changed.
They were afraid. Luna could see it in their faces.
But none of them reached for the door.
Luna looked at them for a long moment.
Then she nodded.
"Good."
Her voice was quiet.
"Then we fight."
Luna’s gaze finally settled on Ethan.
"You knew."
Ethan didn’t deny it.
"I knew Thorn was preparing something."
"And the army?"
"I knew who would join him."
Luna studied him for several seconds.
"You really are hiding something."
"Yes."
He said it so casually that she almost smiled.
"Will you ever tell me?"
"You’ll know when the time is right..."
Ethan’s expression hardened into a faint smile.
"So survive long enough to reach that time."
Ethan’s hand rested lightly against the hilt of the Eternal Sovereign Blade.
"That’s the plan..." Luna muttered.
She turned toward the door.
"Kaelen."
"My Lady?"
"Wake every officer we have left. I want the quartermasters, blacksmiths and garrison commanders in the courtyard within the hour."
She pointed toward the map.
"Open every armory. Count every weapon twice. Put the canyon defenses back into service and send engineers to Blackstone Ravine before sunset.
Kaelen’s eyes sharpened.
"Yes, my Lady."
Outside, the last light of evening stretched across Bluewind’s rooftops, turning the distant mountains crimson.
Far beyond them, thousands of soldiers continued their march toward Blackstone Ravine.
---
Meanwhile, deep within Thornhold, Count Thorn stood beside the edge of a large bed, his head lowered.
A woman with long black hair sat against the pillows, watching him through crimson eyes that seemed almost unnaturally calm.
"Is everything prepared?"
"Y-Yes, my Lady."
His voice trembled despite his efforts to steady it.
"We’ll march tomorrow. In a few days, House Bluemoon will be in our hands."
The woman said nothing.
Several seconds passed.
Then she slowly reached out and lifted his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.
"I don’t want any setbacks."
Her crimson eyes held his.
Something inside him seemed to loosen all at once. His shoulders dropped. His eyes lost their focus, the fear in them dissolving into something softer and more frightening — the expression of a man who had stopped thinking for himself entirely.
"Y-Yes, my Lady."