The True Queen- Book Two

Chapter Eighty-One: Illyana

My stomach twists and flutters with nerves. We are quiet as we walk through the tunnels Shae makes. My mouth and throat are dry and by my sides, my hands shake.

"This is it," Shae says. "We are beneath the courtyard."

I turn and look at Hali, Stesha and Una. Their wolves are by their sides. Gulping, I step toward them. Hali wraps her arms around me.

"You can do this," she says in my ear. 

"Thank you," I say. Stesha taps the back of my shoulder.

"Yeah," he says, "If you can beat the shit out of us after sprinting through the desert, I think you can beat some old rusty king," he says. I laugh, remembering the end of The Savage Trial.

"Haven't we come a long way," I chuckle. The two of them laugh and nod. I turn to Una. She has tears in her eyes and I hug her tightly. 

"Make sure," I whisper, "If the worst happens, you get Shae and you run. Okay?" I ask.

"Yes, I promise, Ana," she says.

"And, if I die, ad Razan starts going mad, you're going to have to kill him." My voice quivers as I say those words. She nods her head against me and we step back. I turn to Razan. His large eyes pierce into mine and a long moan leaves his mouth.

"It's okay," I whisper and close my eyes as I stroke his fur. I savour the touch. He nudges me gently. "Razan," I say to him. His ears prick. "I need you to be strong," I explain. "If I die-" he cuts me off with a pained yelp and moans. I bite my lip to stop myself from crying. "I need you to remain calm, okay?" I whisper, even though I am sure the bond doesn't work that way. "Could you come and get Shaelyn for me?" I ask. He barks again and looks into my eyes. I stare back at him. In his eyes, I can see an understanding. When he moans, it is different to the others. This one is him making a promise. His eyes move to Shae and then back to me. He will protect her. I smile and wrap my arms around him. He sinks his head down and nudges it into my body.

Then, I take in a deep breath and step away.

"Good luck," I say to the Lupine.

"We'll be fine," Una says. "It's you who needs the luck," she says. "But we have all the confidence in you, Lunavar."

"Thank you," I say. It takes all my strength to turn from them and go down this new passage Shae is creating. As Razan yelps behind me, my stomach lurches and I can't help the single tear that escapes. I gulp, a lump forming in my throat.

Eventually, Shae stops.

"We're here," she says. I nod my head. I am wearing my sleek, black armour. Over it, I pull on a baggy, loose dress.

"God, I hope no one is paying attention," Shae sighs as she does it up. I laugh. The outline of my sword can be seen through the material as well as the shape of my armour. It isn't exactly tied up properly either so I can basically just drop it off me. Luckily, the heavy, luxurious velvet cloak hides most of it. Shae gives me a wig. Luckily, with my hair tied back so securely in my Lupien braid, it fits over pretty easily. It doesn't look the best, the dark brown hair is slightly fake looking, especially around the scalp. However, with the hood of the cloak up, it should hide it a little. Shae then gives me a little floral headdress which has a tiny veil that goes over the forehead and eyes. It isn't an unusual accessory for a noblewoman to wear.

"How do I look?" I ask.

"Terrible," Shae chuckles. "But, if we surround you, hopefully, no one will be able to get a close look at you."

I nod my head. Their disguises are loads better than mine. Simply for the fact that somehow, Ren had managed to get a hold of guard uniform and armour for himself and Yuri. Shae also wears a beautiful pastel-coloured dress with an elegantly built-in hood to cover her face.