Destined for Deception ✔️

Chapter 36

Tonight was the night. Ryleigh was going to crush her mother's spirit and kick her worthless soul to the Goddess' eternal fields for judgment.

Sometime during the night – Goddess knows what time it was – they were all dragged out of bed and ushered into the mansion. A messenger had come from King Alder. The castle was under siege. It was happening.

Her heart started pumping the way it always did when adventure was calling. She lived for moments like these, even though they terrified her to the very core. But what better feeling to know that you are alive then the pungent realisation that you are mortal?

Ellis did not share her view of war. He was pacing through the parlour, hands in his hair.

"Cerise has released all the prisoners from the Royal Prison to fight with her, and she has all the enemy packs by her side. I don't know how she managed it, but her teleporters have conveyed all the troops there. Braxton's entire army is present. They haven't taken the castle yet, but it's a matter of time. The royals and all the staff are locked within the castle, which is both a good and a bad thing. The staff has been put into safe rooms, and so have the royals and the council. But if Cerise's army breeches, then none of that matters. If the Shadow Walkers can breech the castle, then they can breech the rooms."

Ryleigh wasn't sure who he was talking to. He seemed to be mumbling mostly to himself. Apart from the Shadow Walkers – all two dozen of them squeezed into the parlour – Austin, Conall, Sky, Julie, Paige, Archer, Camden, and Kyle were all present too. Not seconds later, Carry came dashing in, her hair sticking out in every direction, her eyes filled with both sleep and excitement.

"What is all the commotion about?" she asked.

"Go back to bed, Carry," Conall said, but Carry ignored him and took a seat beside Julie on the sofa instead.

"It's happening, isn't it?" she asked.

If Ellis had even noticed his sister coming, in, he didn't show it. "All the allied and neutral packs have denied his call to arms, not that it matters. No one would come in time anyway. Nor does he deserve our help. I will not send my army to fight his war. Not after what he did to us."

"I don't blame you," Ryleigh said.

"I blame me," Ellis said, turning to her with his dread-filled eyes. "Alder might have made many mistakes, but his people are innocent. They are going to get slaughtered. A part of me thinks I should be sending my army, even though they probably won't come in time, because it is not my nature to stand by and let things happen, even if that is what Alder did."

"I know. Calm down. Jade can stop them. She's strong enough. She can stall them, if nothing else. Why hasn't she done so yet? Do you know?"

Ellis shook his head. "The messenger didn't say. Perhaps the Shadow Walkers are inside already. Perhaps they've gotten to her. I don't know. This is bad, Ryleigh."

"It is nothing more and nothing less than what we were expecting. Well, we might not have known that she had gotten Braxton and the others by her side, but it's fine. Alder's army is still bigger. And, you know, I didn't expect her to release those prisoners, but I can't say I'm surprised. Did she release Corbin too?"

"I don't know," Ellis said. "O, goddess, if she has him fighting for her, they're all dead. Where's my damn council when I need them? I need to decide whether or not to send my army."

"What you need is to take a deep breath," Ryleigh said.

"Corbin wouldn't join forces with Cerise, would he?" Austin said. "After all, he helped us find Cerise."