Zeravia's Five

thirty-one

July 15th.

When Izzie woke up, Tate was still by her side, staring up at the ceiling. She moved lightly and turned to face him catching his attention. The boy turned his head and flashed a small smile. She still didn't know why he had been so unwilling to tell everyone he was still alive on the night before, but she had respected his demand. Ever since he had appeared on her balcony, she had been unable to feel anything from him, even when she turned it all the way up. She almost thought her mind was tricking her and she was seeing his ghost at some point. She didn't question it, she was afraid of finding out that he had actually died so instead, she decided to live in this delusion a little longer.

The girl smiled back at Tate and she turned to be on her back, staring at the tall ceiling of this room she had been given. Theo had accommodated them really well, after all, he lived alone in an empty castle. Her gaze traced the detailing in the ceiling, she was so focused on it she could almost see the brushstrokes in the paint. She smiled to herself and turned her head towards Tate.

"Tate... are you dead?" She asked in complete seriousness.

The boy turned his head, a foolish smile on his face as he tried to make sure wether or not she was joking. He had spent the night by her side, unable to get a brink of sleep worrying about how to avoid the worst outcomes he had foreseen.

"Oh... you're serious," he said sitting up and chuckling at how silly this all was, "Go get Theodore, that's the only way you'll stop overthinking," Tate said as he got up and out of bed, walking towards the balcony.

Isobel got up, putting on the slippers at the side of her bed before hurrying towards the door, "Are you still going to be there?" She questioned pinching her brows together.

"Yes... don't tell anyone else still, I want to do it myself," the boy reassured her grinning as he looked into the distance, watching as crows flew around Vyrdam.

The boy had developed a plan that he hoped would give them an advantage for whatever would be coming their way. He knew that all of them, who had grown up in Zeravia were well aware that William wouldn't just let them go. Him and the Elders had been looking for a reason to rage war against Vyrdam for years and now they had one. They had burnt down a town and lied about it just in order to push their agendas. The Enclave of Elders didn't care about taking the lives of innocent if it meant they got what they wanted in the end. Surely they hoped to be able to use Angel, Gia and Izzie even though they had betrayed them. Though now that they believed Tate was dead, he had a trump card.

When Isobel came back with Theo, it didn't take long for the future king to rush to his friend and pull him into a tight hug. Tate returned the gesture and chuckled wondering if all of them really believed anyone could get rid of him that easily.

The girl watched them for a second or two before clearing her throat. She knew they'd need a moment alone to discuss everything that had been going on. She made the decision to leave them there, joining Angel and Gia who hung around in kitchen of the castle. They were constantly eating or snacking on things. It was their way to deal with the recent events. Simon on the other hand, had not shown his face to them once. He was either out training with Theo's soldiers or locked in his room. Izzie had tried to talk to him, but she barely got a word when she knocked at his door.

"They don't know I'm alive, so I've got an advantage, I can use that," Tate explained to Theo as they sat on the balcony of Isobel's room, "I'll go there tonight, I have to get my hands on something that I'll need eventually, you need to organize a dinner so that I can properly tell everyone I'm okay and we can share the plan with them," he continued not wasting a second of his time. If they were to win this war, he needed to make plans and backup plans and he had to figure every tiny detail.