When an army of thousands surrounds your city, strength alone won't save you.Fourteen-year-old Caleb has spent his life learning lessons that seem pointless. His teacher Silas insists that observation matters more than action, that creative thinking beats brute force, and that the smallest tool, properly used, can move mountains. Strange lessons for a peaceful city where nothing ever happens.Until the army arrives.The fortified city of Baradesh rises from the ocean like an ancient sentinel, its bronze gates and terraced hillsides built to withstand any siege. For thirteen years, its people have lived in prosperity and peace. But when General Boltius appears with thousands of professional soldiers demanding vengeance for a king's death, the city's unprepared defenders face a terrifying reality: they cannot win this fight through conventional means.Boltius commands a vast army. Baradesh has farmers, craftsmen, and an old teacher who seems far too calm about the approaching catastrophe. The outcome should be inevitable.Unless Silas knows something Boltius doesn't.When circumstances thrust Caleb into the heart of the conflict, he discovers that his patient teacher carries secrets—about his own past, about Caleb's heritage, and about strategies that don't rely on the strength of swords or the height of walls. Now the lessons that seemed useless suddenly become matters of life and death.As the siege tightens and conventional options disappear, both teacher and student must draw on everything they know about leverage, observation, and creative problem-solving. Because General Boltius isn't just fighting to conquer a city. He's fighting to prove that strength will always triumph over cleverness, that armies decide the fate of nations, and that old men who believe in wisdom are fools living in the past.He's about to learn differently.The Siege of Baradesh is an epic adventure where strategic thinking matters more than swordplay, where a boy and his mentor must each find their own form of courage, and where the greatest victories are won not through the power of armies but through understanding that impossible problems always have solutions—if you're wise enough to see them.For readers who love clever protagonists, meaningful stakes, and adventures that prove there's always another way to win.When strength fails and hope fades, wisdom finds a lever.Get it now.