Chapter 1368

Samson shared Wayne's confusion. "I don't know either. Mr. Murphy himself told me," he said.

Wayne's heart sank. Clifford was meticulously organized; his stated arrival time was inviolable. "Could there have been an ambush? No," Wayne muttered, his mind racing. "The scouts reported General Murray's forces were scattered, suppressing bandits in Nanyara. They couldn't return in time."

Samson's face was pale. "If ambushed, Mr. Murphy would've sent word. They have scouts. Sir, what do we do? We can't defeat the Capital Army."

Wayne took deep breaths. "Survival's our priority. We escape and rendezvous with Mr. Murphy."

"But Valken will fall," Samson urged. "Our families? How do we get them out? The gates are guarded. Asterpeak Mountain's our only escape, but with the elderly and children...?"

Wayne issued quick orders. "No time. We escape first. Your families are civilians; General Farrell won't harm them."

Samson hurried to the courtyard. Fiona, already packing, understood their plight. Yuvan's children panicked, gathering valuables, but servants seized gold and jewelry, fleeing through the back door.

Samson, enraged, drew his sword, subduing the unruly servants. Fiona grabbed her brother. "Samson, send someone to cover our escape. We can't fall to the Capital Army!"

She knew Wayne and others had betrayed Yuvan, but Yuvan lacked the resolve to act. His lack of ambition and ingratitude showed he'd never make her queen. Defecting to Nicholas offered better rewards; she was too deeply involved to withdraw.

Samson's gaze hardened. "I'll send escorts out of Asterpeak Mountain. Change your appearance and hide in a remote village. Don't reveal your location."

Stephanie's face contorted. "A remote village? Asterpeak Mountain has wild beasts—wolves, tigers, snakes! I won't stay there!"

Samson's voice was sharp. "Leave or die. Life or comfort—choose."

Sabrina's silent warning stopped Stephanie's protest. Escape was paramount.

Ignoring Wayne's objections, Samson dispatched a hundred guards as escorts. But other Valken officials did the same, revealing the city's disarray and lack of leadership. Wayne's authority crumbled.

Many guards and soldiers never wished to fight the Capital Army; escape was preferable. This defection reduced their forces by a third. Valken, already struggling, was near collapse. Wayne's face ashened. They could fight—they knew the city intimately; street fighting and hostage-taking were options. But a scattered, disorganized force is a losing force. Without unity, they couldn't stand against Thomas' disciplined army.

By dawn, Valken had fallen. Thomas didn't pursue the fleeing, only blocking the Asterpeak Mountain road and sealing the city gates before joining Chester with reinforcements.

Winona, amidst the chaos, sought Clifford. Initially losing, Clifford's rousing speech galvanized his troops, turning the battle into a night-long stalemate. Only Thomas' morning arrival shifted the tide.