Ambush! Part 3

Roy

The tension in the air was thick, and every soldier was on edge, his hands gripping his weapon, waiting for the first strike.

I slowly advanced forward; my eyes fixed on Keven.

Behind him, a random girl grabbed Lily's arm and began to lead her away. But she wasn't moving quickly. She hesitated, her steps slow, almost hesitant. As if she didn't really want to leave.

I ignored it for now.

"We could start a war here," I said in a calm but firm voice. "We could let all these people die today. Or… we could take a moment to think."

Keven's sharp eyes didn't leave me, but he didn't speak. He was listening.

"Look at the situation," I continued. "If we wanted to kill her, don't you think we would have done it already? We've had more than a hundred chances. Why now?"

Keven didn't move, but I saw the slight shift in his stance. He was thinking about it.

I approached. "Think for a second. What if this was a trap? What if someone wanted to kill her and wanted it to look like we did it?"

Keven's grip on his sword remained tight, his jaw clenched. His soldiers didn't move, still waiting for his order. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Then, we heard someone steps.

Crimzo ran toward us, quickly, breathing evenly despite the weight on his shoulder.

The dead man.

He threw the lifeless body to the ground in front of us. "I found him running after the shot was fired," Crimzo said in a calm but urgent voice. "He swallowed a pill before I could get anything out of him. He knew he wouldn't be captured alive."

I looked at the body. Dark clothes. No insignia. Nothing connecting him to any side.

Keven glanced at the body, narrowing his eyes slightly. He still didn't have the full picture, but he wasn't stupid. This wasn't what a planned attack looked like.

Slowly, he lowered his sword.

His soldiers followed.

The moment was heavy in the air, the weight of what had just happened settling in. But it wasn't over yet. Not yet.