The culprit turned out to be one of the army’s higher-ranking soldiers, though not someone directly involved in the chain of command. That was likely why Ragnar had struggled to uncover him in the first place.

The man’s name was Varys. A senior quartermaster with eleven years of service behind him. He was respected among the soldiers, efficient in his duties, and well-liked throughout the camp. Under normal circumstances, nobody would have thought to look twice at him.

To confirm his suspicions, Ragnar had Casilo quietly pull Varys from his usual post under the pretense of assigning him elsewhere.

The quartermaster was detained before dawn while most of the army still slept, unaware that anything had happened. Escorted by two soldiers, he was taken to a secured holding tent where Ragnar questioned him personally.

Varys did not withstand the interrogation for long.

Once the pressure mounted, the truth came spilling out.

He confessed to acting as Gerard’s informant and revealed the methods he had used to pass information to the rebels. However, his usefulness ended there.

According to him, Gerard had never trusted him with sensitive details regarding the rebellion’s inner workings. Information had been compartmentalized carefully from the beginning. If Varys was ever captured, there would be little for him to reveal.

It was a precaution that had proven effective.

After the interrogation, Ragnar ordered him placed under heavy guard and shifted his attention toward determining Gerard’s next move now that his source inside the army had been eliminated.

The answer arrived the following evening.

Three separate intermediaries delivered nearly identical reports.

Each account had been verified through independent sources.

The rebels’ main camp had supposedly been discovered several miles ahead, situated near a wide ravine northeast of Ragnar’s current position.

According to the reports, Gerard had spent the previous week dividing most of his forces into smaller groups to avoid detection and prevent Ragnar from cornering them in a single location. The camp itself was said to be protected by only a skeleton force while much of the rebellion remained scattered elsewhere.

More importantly, several members of the rebel leadership were allegedly still present there.

The opportunity was too valuable to ignore.

Ragnar read the report once.

Then again.

Then a third time.

Finally, he lowered the parchment onto the table and stared at it in silence.

Something about it bothered him but he could not explain what.

The location on the map matched the information gathered by his scouts. Gerard dispersing his forces made strategic sense given the pressure Ragnar’s army had been applying on him over the previous weeks. Every officer who reviewed the intelligence accepted it as legitimate.

Even Casilo failed to find any obvious flaw.

Yet Ragnar’s instincts refused to settle.

Something about the report felt wrong.

But if the information was genuine, the correct course of action was obvious. They needed to strike quickly and decisively before Gerard had a chance to relocate.

If it was a trap, however, committing his entire army would be exactly what Gerard wanted.

For nearly an hour, he and Casilo debated the matter.

"You’re the king," Casilo argued. "You’re the most important person here. If this is the trap you suspect it is, then you have no business going there yourself."

"I’m also the best person to handle the situation if something goes wrong," Ragnar replied.

"Then let me go instead."

"I’m taking only a fraction of our numbers with me," Ragnar said, disregarding the objection. "You’ll remain here with the main force. If I’m not back by the end of the day, you’ll move out and follow."

Casilo’s jaw tightened. He clearly disliked the arrangement. Nevertheless, he eventually gave a reluctant nod. "As you wish."

The strike force was assembled quickly.

Ragnar informed the selected soldiers of their objective and destination while carefully keeping his concerns to himself.

Doubt spread through an army faster than disease.

If soldiers entered a battle questioning their leader, hesitation would follow, and hesitation often proved fatal.

Before dawn, they mounted their horses and departed.

Morana watched Ragnar ride at the front of the group.

The moment she recognized the direction they were traveling, she altered course and followed.

She moved slightly faster than horses ever could and soon she pulled ahead of the advancing force. Flying lower than usual, she surveyed the land before them, searching for any signs of danger hidden along the route.

The ravine was familiar to her. She had passed over it before.

It cut through the landscape like a wound, a long and wide gap in the earth flanked by steep stone walls on either side. There were only two entrances—one at each end.

As she descended slightly and approached the area, her eyes swept across the terrain.

Then she froze.

The campsite came into view.

And it was nothing like the reports had described.

The ravine was packed with men.

Several dozen of them.

Perhaps more.

Archers lined both ridgelines overlooking the passage, concealed behind rocks and natural cover. From their elevated positions, they would be able to rain arrows directly onto anyone trapped below.

At the far end of the ravine, infantry stood ready in disciplined formations, weapons held at the ready. They were positioned perfectly to ambush enemy forces.

They were already waiting, already anticipating the army’s arrival.

Every position had been chosen in advance, planned carefully down to the last detail.

Every soldier knew his role. This was not a lightly defended area like the reports had claimed. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

It was a carefully constructed killing ground.

A trap and a brilliant one at that. It had all been designed to lure Ragnar into this position where he and his soldiers would be left exposed and vulnerable to attacks.

Cold dread settled in Morana’s stomach.

She turned her gaze toward the distance, in the direction where Ragnar and his men continued their approach.

By the time she understood what the rebels had planned, it was already too late to turn back and warn him.