Deadly Mission

Betrayal

Izumi

The team had split up: Izumi was with Beeja, and the other three were together. They had also taken different routes to get to the castle. Izumi and Beeja took the eastside of the capital, part of which was filled with gangs. Nadia, Stellan and Felipe took the westside which was full of leisure buildings such as taverns, brothels, and pubs. Izumi was trepidatious as she tread the dark alleys of the eastside. The sky was getting a navy blue tinge as the sun started setting. Izumi's skin was crawling in the uncomfortably tight waistcoat she was wearing. Beeja didn't know any of the team members' sizes so she randomly picked outifts in a hurry. Izumi realised how much she wanted to hold Beeja's hand as they passed mistrustful looking women and men, as if she was a child holding her mother's hand because she feared the dark. Izumi tried to shrug off the chills she had. Beeja had told her that there wouldn't be many city watch at the eastside of town, and she was right. Somehow Izumi preferred to fight guards instead of thugs. Izumi caught the first hint of danger in a street with abandoned buildings where the light in the only lantern was flickering weakly. She took her blades out of the pockets of her frock coat with a swift movement when she heard a rustling. She released a deep breath when she saw that it was a cat that jumped out of a broken window. Beeja broke the fighting stance she was in and pointed forward with her head. Izumi nodded in silence and followed her for what seemed like an eternity. The city was truly massive with tangled up streets. Sometimes it felt like they were walking in circles but it was clear they weren't when they reached the meadow that led to the palace of Queen Morana. They were a few miles out of the capital. The moon was winking at them high in the pitch black sky.

"There weren't any guards." Izumi whispered to Beeja as they were dawdling toward the top of the hill.

"They must've been occupied, lucky us." Beeja didn't turn her gaze away from the road.

Izumi thought it was odd that there weren't any guards standing watch. She looked around to catch a glimpse of the rest of her team but there was no sign of life around her. As they got closer to the castle, it's sight got grander. There were four towers stationed on the outer walls of the palace. It looked darker than the night sky. It was a starless night which made Izumi feel dreadful as if the stars would make a difference. Before they were in reach of the castle gates, Beeja stopped.

"There is something I want to tell you before we enter."

Izumi furrowed her brows, "What is it?"

Beeja cupped Izumi's face and kissed her gently. "Sally forth, my brave soldier." She said when she parted Izumi's lips. Izumi was shocked by the sudden kiss but it also gave her courage.

"What are we going to do about the royal guards?" Izumi whispered as the guards stationed at the palace gate and around the perimeter got into view.

"Nothing."

"What?" Before Izumi could protest Beeja marched towards the portcullis bracketed by two royal guards. Izumi half walked half ran after her with an anxious knot in her stomach. They were supposed to sneak in, not knock at the door.

"It's me." Beeja said firmly.

Izumi thought she was dreaming when the guards opened the gates for them. There was no way they would let the enemy in without a fight. How did Beeja manage it? There was no time for questions, Beeja was already on the move. Izumi wondered where the rest of her team was. The fear in her grew with each passing moment. There was a six foot tall statue of Morana placed in the entrance of the courtyard. She was a demon with silver horns, sharp fangs, and long talons. It was as if the eyes of the statue glimmered in the night. It sent shivers down Izumi's spine. They crossed the empty yard and were met with two other soldiers who were guarding the huge iron doors that led to the entrance of the castle. They opened the doors with no questions asked when they saw Beeja which confused Izumi even more. Sure, Beeja was a mercenary and had visited Kurayami before but that didn't mean she had a free pass to the queen's home. They found themselves in a hall with a staircase in front of them. There was a soldier walking downstairs towards them. It was a woman with olive skin and dark brown straight hair put in a knot, her brown eyes glinting in the dark. She lit two torches that were placed at the sides of the gate.

"Well done, miss Agarwal." The woman's voice was deep.

In that moment realization struck Izumi like lightning: Beeja had made a deal with the enemy which made her an enemy as well. How did she manage to fool her superior officers? How did she fool Izumi? Izumi fell for her in more ways than one and she cursed herself for it.

"You betrayed us! You betrayed me." Izumi shouted. Beeja looked at her with remorse in her eyes. The soldier before them was amused. "Where is Nadia? Stellan and Felipe, where are they?!"

"Don't worry darling, we'll take you to them." The soldier leered.

Izumi had taken her blades out of her pockets without being noticed. She threw one at Beeja and one at the soldier before her. It struck Beeja's stomach which made her bent over in pain but the soldier had stopped the blade midair with her hand, that meant she was a witch. The blade fell down on the stone floor with a loud clang as the witch dropped her hand. Izumi glanced at the blade, then at the witch. She smoothly slid on her knees and took hold of the blade while the witch held her hands out towards Izumi. Izumi rolled to her side as a blue wave of magic hit the air. She lunged forward but froze a few inches away from the witch.

"Izumi!" Beeja moaned. She pulled the knife away from her stomach and let out a loud wail, she was panting when she got up to her feet. "Dhia, what are you going to do?" She asked the witch with apprehension.

Dhia tsked as she walked around Izumi's frozen body, "What a shame. This is a soldier from Rakuyou?" Her menacing laugh pierced Izumi's ears. She couldn't move a single muscle in her body, she despised being helpless. This wasn't a fair fight but then again there was no fairness in the world. If Izumi couldn't save herself, she should at least save Nadia and the rest of her team. With the snap of Dhia's fingers, Izumi collapsed to the hard surface of the ground. The world went quiet as she fell into unconsciousness.