Chapter 193 We trigger them
Clarence’s POV
I slammed my palm against the command table, my teeth grinding. Twelve men captured. Twelve trained warriors gone in an hour because Coban and his little golden devils had puppeted them into uselessness. My men were disciplined, loyal, precise and yet, completely neutralized.
Stephan leaned over the console, calm as ever. “Clarence, what the hell, twelve men? Captured? That’s fucking catastrophic.” He sayed as he ran his fingers through his hair cursing under his breath.
I shot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel. “Catastrophic? Yes. But avoidable? Only if Benjamin’s little minefield wasn’t blocking us. Then we would be able to counterattack. Fuck!”
Gregory’s face darkened. “The minefield? What minefield?” He said as you could see the confusion on his face.
“Yes, don't tell me you forgot about what that fucker Benjamin did. The cursed minefield around the front yard. Well, actually around the entire fucking compound." I hissed. “We can’t move. We can’t send men out. We can’t even attempt an attack because one wrong step and we're blown the fuck up. We're fucking dead." I let my hand fall to the table, fingers curling. My knuckles are already turning white
Stephan tapped the schematic on the screen. “But you don’t know where the mines are placed exactly, do you?” He raised a brow as he looked over at me.
I let out a bitter laugh. “Exactly. That’s the problem. Benjamin and the king’s warriors were clever. The layout is hidden. They buried those mother fuckers and put them in randomly. One misstep, one stray foot and my men are gone before we even make it to the castle.” I lean back in my chair. I try to think of how I can get by this. How to turn this around.
Gregory ran a hand through his hair. “So, we can’t attack. We can’t retreat. We’re fucking stuck.” He threw his hands up in the air dramatically.
I shook my head, cold fury simmering beneath every word. “We’re not stuck. We’re just calculated. That minefield isn’t a cage. It’s a challenge. A puzzle. And I always solve puzzles.” A small grin came onto my mouth. That's how we do it. Damn I figured it out.
Stephan’s voice was cautious. “Clarence, with the mines’ placement unknown, how do you propose we move? Any attempt could be fatal.” He said as he was cautiously warning me, him knowing already what I'm about to say.
I leaned closer to the console, my eyes narrowing. “We don’t attempt blindly. We trigger what we can see. Probe the ground carefully. Observe the pattern. Stagger movements. We create a corridor, even if we have to sacrifice some of the perimeter. Precision and timing. Every man follows exactly where I dictate. One false step and the minefield will decide who lives and dies.”
Gregory’s jaw tightened. “So we’re going to fucking experiment? Trigger unknown mines deliberately to make a path? That's a damn suicide mission. You know this!" He hissed as his voice got louder.
“Exactly, but not the suicide mission part." I said, voice low, but stern. “We trigger them. Very carefully. Very slowly. Controlled chaos. Enough to carve a corridor we can actually move through. Not all of them, just the ones we need. My men follow exactly. We improvise around the rest. And if anyone thinks they can chase us, they’ll learn why you never trap Clarence.”
Stephan’s brow furrowed. “It’s dangerous. You could lose more men before you even reach the castle.” He shook his head in disbelief. He doesn't like this idea but I don't care. We're out of options.
I let a faint, dangerous smile tug at my lips. “I know. And that’s why I lead. I calculate every movement. Every step, every footfall. My men watch, follow, and obey. If we fail, then that's fine. But if we succeed, we open a path, we get my men out, and we show the castle that traps are meaningless when Clarence is involved.”
Gregory exhaled slowly. “Alright, then we plan. Step by step. Trigger what we can, monitor reactions, carve the corridor.”
I straightened, fingers steepled over the console. “Yes. We plan out entirely. We observe every crack, every snap. We act. And when we move, Benjamin’s little minefield becomes our tool, not our prison.” I said as my eyes flickered between my men.
Stephan and Gregory exchanged a glance, tension thick in the air. I didn’t flinch. I’d solve this puzzle. I’d carve the path through the unknown. And Coban, Caden, and their little golden devils, they would learn quickly that Clarence always has the last move. I will be getting me and my men out of this compound. We will be coming for him. That's a damn guarantee. His days are definitely numbered. We're not just coming for the Twin Kings, oh no. We're going for the heirs and the Queen as well.