Return of the General's Daughter
Chapter 79: Ambushed!

Chapter 79: Ambushed!

Asael turned to leave, but something in Bener’s stillness made him pause.

"Father, do you know who the man is? Is it only one, or there are more?" Bener asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

General Odin exhaled heavily, shaking his head. "The letter only said he is someone close to me." His gaze darkened. "The bandits claimed the rebel leader from Northem has infiltrated my men."

A chill settled between them. Whoever these traitors were, they covered their tracks well.

Meanwhile, Lara traced her steps back to her sleeping area—a small hollow nestled between two massive roots beneath a towering tree. It was a modest space, shielded by the protruding root’s embrace. Overhead, the low-hanging branches bore white makeshift hammocks, swaying slightly in the evening breeze.

She studied them thoughtfully. ’I should make one for myself.’ She just needed to gather enough hemp to weave into rope.

As the night deepened, the tension in the air became suffocating. The storm of battle loomed ever closer.

...

At the break of dawn, Asael and ten members of the Eagle Unit, along with two persistent and determined additions, left the camp. They ate quickly—leftover meat from the previous night—before heading out to scout a kilometer-long stretch of the Agwe River. It was the shortest route to Carles, one of the last five towns under Estalis’s control.

The Agwe River fed into the mighty Praya River in the south, and the section the Northem Soldiers needed to pass through was the dangerous Meander Pass. To their left, a towering, jagged, and unscalable limestone cliff loomed. To their right, the river churned violently. A narrow strip of land barely clinging to the limestone wall where they needed to walk was like a fragile lifeline.

Then, Asael’s sharp eyes caught movement.

Those must be soldiers waiting in ambush, perched atop the steep limestone ridges of MarNubes. Silent. Hidden. Predators watching their prey.

The realization sent a cold shiver down his spine. Anyone who walked along that precarious ledge would face only one fate—death!

Lara studied the river, her brows furrowing. Large boulders jutted out, creating chaotic rapids where neither boat nor raft could survive. But was that really the case?

Squinting, she noticed something. On the far side of the river, a narrow, calmer strip of water hugged the bank—perhaps a meter and a half wide. The placement of the boulders protected that serene path, almost invisible at first glance.

She turned to Asael. "Do you think there are soldiers on the other side?" She narrowed her eyes to see if soldiers lurked behind the lush greenery.

Asael’s gaze hardened. "If I were setting an ambush, I’d make sure to block every escape route."

"You are right." Lara nodded.

She reached into her backpack and pulled out a sling and a small, unassuming Seriguelas fruit. She swirled the sling horizontally above her head several times and released the ’stone.’

To Asael, it seemed like a careless gesture—until he saw its trajectory. The ’stone’ sailed through the air and vanished into the dense foliage across the river.

For a moment, nothing.

Then—

Rustling. A commotion.

"Ow! Who threw that?!" a hoarse voice yelped from the other side.

"What? I didn’t see anything." Another voice. Faint and barely audible.

"Someone hit me! My head’s swelling!"

Lara smirked, barely suppressing a chuckle. "Huh. Who would’ve thought a random throw would actually hit someone?"

Before she could finish, Aramis had already let loose his own projectile.

"Ouch! Damn it! Who keeps hitting me?!" This time, the voice was louder, irritated.

"Shh! Stop shouting! You’re giving away our position!" another soldier hissed. "Look, it’s just... Seriguelas? It must be the monkeys."

Lara turned, only to see Aramis wearing a smug smile, casually biting into a Seriguelas of his own, the other hand holding a sling.

Lara: "..."

Kellan gawked at him. "Did you just... use a fruit to hit a soldier?"

Aramis nodded, feeling proud.

Lara grinned. "Seriguelas can be hard as stone. With the right distance and force, it works well hitting the enemies."

Bener’s eyes sparkled in admiration. "When did you learn that?" He was now looking at Lara in a different light—the look of a fan to his idol.

Lara smirked. "Hunger. Birds won’t come down on their own. A sling is the best way to knock them off the trees."

Asael’s voice cut through their banter, sharp and commanding. "Enough! Kane, Bener, Kellan, focus." His gaze swept over them. "We’re splitting into two teams. We need exact numbers and positions to report back before Father could make any move."

Lara and Aramis exchanged glances.

"We will cross to the other side," Lara volunteered.

Asael frowned. "Just the two of you?"

"Don’t worry. We know how to cross rivers." She pointed to a bend in the river. "If we go from there, those soldiers won’t see us."

Asael hesitated but nodded. "One hour. No longer."

Lara took a drawstring bag from her backpack and placed some emergency supplies. Then she tucked away her backpack into a rock crevice. She gestured for Aramis to follow.

"Nice shot earlier, Aramis," she muttered as they walked.

Aramis scratched his head, face reddening. "Heh."

Lara arched an eyebrow but said nothing, picking up her pace.

When they reached the river’s bend, she examined the width—narrow enough to cross but dangerous.

She tied the end of her rope to her hunting knife and aimed for a sturdy branch on the opposite bank. But before she could throw, Aramis threw his knife first, then looked at Lara and shrugged.

Lara shot him a deadpan look. "Childish!" She murmured. With a powerful throw, the knife embedded itself in the bark of a high branch.

Without hesitation, she grasped the rope and leaped—soaring across and landing gracefully on the slope of the steep bank.

Aramis followed.

Splash.

His boots hit the water instead.

Aramis: "..."

Lara clambered up the embankment, shaking her head. Then, still smirking, she grabbed his rope and hauled him up.

"Next time, you should know better and follow my lead. Look at you! Your pants and shoes are wet." she said, voice laced with amusement.

Dripping wet and gritting his teeth, Aramis muttered under his breath. He had never felt so humiliated.

Lara simply grinned—and kept walking.