In the Council Hall of Watchman Fortress, torchlight danced across the mottled stone walls. Paul's fingers slowly traced the military map spread across the long table before finally stopping over the vast plains east of the fortress.
"All the prisoners' testimonies match!" Hall Duke said in a low voice, his rough fingers tapping the tabletop. "Alba did not retreat through the fortress."
Schroeder frowned. "But the Nerodan Corridor is the only route back to the prairie, unless..."
"Unless he never planned to return in the first place." Paul finished quietly, his gaze sweeping over the assembled generals.
He had still been agonizing over whether to lead the Aldo Army out of Watchman Fortress in pursuit of Alba. Now, at least, that decision had been made for him.
Silence fell over the Council Hall.
Outside the fortress, soldiers were busy repairing the walls and clearing the battlefield. Faint cheers of victory drifted through the air, but the atmosphere among the generals was as heavy as iron.
"We interrogated the orc officers!" The intelligence officer present opened his record book. "The core members of the royal encampment—the White Wolf Clan's shaman, Alba's confidants, and even his eldest son Aguirre—were nowhere among the retreating forces."
"That makes no sense!" Hall Duke shook his head. "No matter how arrogant Alba is, he wouldn't risk remaining trapped in the midst of the enemy's encirclement. Besides, the Nerodan Corridor isn't very wide. How could it possibly conceal an entire army?"
"What trick is that bastard pulling?" Paul rose and walked to the window. West of the fortress, the Nerodan Corridor wound into the distance like a sleeping dragon.
"We need to reorganize the intelligence!" He turned and issued an order. "Send out reconnaissance cavalry and search every suspicious area west of the fortress."
Schroeder nodded and