Royal War: Sequel to Royal Secret

chapter 14

I sat in one of the ten SUVs watching the landscape whiz by. We had been driving nonstop for a day making our way cross country; stopping only too gas up, eat, and switch drivers. I tried keeping my mind away from thinking about Korin and Trevor and focusing on what I was going to say to the Royal delegation. Will they believe my story? I had to have confidence that my words, royal mark, and high guard will be enough to prove my identity. I had two days to meet up with Sebastian but I was planning to get to the castle a day early. At the same time Jules was going to sneak into Sebastian camp and rescue them. I just pray that this work and no one gets killed in the process. Jules and Raven are the only high guard on the rescue team that is about equal if not more powerful than the royal assassins. Deliah went as their royal warning system using her ability to tap into their mindlink as an advantage. Keagan, Colin, and Tim had the skill of savagery on their side as rogues. The other were well trained werewolves warriors from various packs.

  Heading to the castle with me were Niko, Sage, and Jace from my high guard. Andrew, the rogue, Alpha Halder along with a few more more alphas, and about twenty warriors. The next leg of our journey was close. We would leave the vehicles behind and enter onto the royals territory. This was also one of the hardest part, getting inside the territory undetected. We had been traveling in silence on foot for about a hour  mentally preparing ourselves for what's to come. We all remained in our human form to make our scent less pungent. I stopped at the sounds of gushing water and scanned the surroundings. Something was nagging at the back of my mind to remember.

"Celina what is?" Niko stood in front of raising his sword in defensive manner slowly scanning the woods around us.

I placed my hands on his arm lowering his sword. Everyone had stopped and was looking at me for answers. "Give me a sec, no one moves." I cautiously moved around the area looking for signs that would jog my memory. I've never been here before but the surrounding wild life seems familiar somehow. I decide to follow my instincts and head towards the sounds of water. The water turned out to be a waterfall gushing down huge boulders that traveled up several hundred feet in the air with a landing up top. I gazed at the water as it slid down the boulder in front. Closing my eyes an image floated to the surface. The moon goddess and the white wolf were standing in front of a cave next to a waterfall.

My eyes popped opened  with the sudden flashback of talking to the moon goddess when I was in a coma. Her warning sending chills 'with great success comes great sacrifice.' I didn't have time to ponder on her words but went immediately to the vines that were partially covering  the boulder next to the waterfall.

"What are you doing?" Alpha Halder asked with curiosity.

"Help here." I huffed as  I struggled with moving the boulder. I peered behind my shoulder at the warriors. "Hello!"

"What do you want from us?" one of the warriors asked.

Sage smirked and stepped up next to me putting her hands on the boulders. "She wants us to move the boulder dumb asses. Now come on!"

With the help of several more hands the boulder started to roll. I step back because I knew I was no help. Jace replace my spot and the boulder rolled to the side as they heaved. A cave was revealed and I smiled with triumph.

Sage looks at me in awe, "How did you know?"

"A little help from the goddess. Hopefully this will lead us to the castle without anyone finding out." I took a step towards the opening when Jace impedes the process placing me behind him.

"Let some of us go first. You're in the middle." Rolling my eyes at his back, I was getting sick and tired of people treating me like a China doll. Ever since my wolf left me, I've felt weak and I hated the feeling. I didn't argue this time but this was going to stop.

  Inside the cave it was dark, cold and damp and we moved wordlessly through its labyrinth. I held onto the back of Jace's arm as he guided me through the dark cave. Unlike the others I couldn't see a damn thing but blackness because I no longer had werewolf vision. It seemed like hours as we traipsed the the cave before dim light appeared ahead. I was relieved to finally come to the of the all consuming darkness and belonging again to the lighted world. We piled near the opening trying to assess what was beyond the cave.

"What the hell is that stench?" Andrew whined covering his nose with his hand.

"Shit! I mean that literally. It looks like we're near the castle's sewer." Jace pointed to nearby pipes that lead to underground. The smell was overpowering and I covered my mouth and nose to block out the rotting smell. It seems that we didn't have to worry about anyone discovering our hiding place because the smell would make people avoid this area like the plague.

"So what's the plan?" Sage asked with her shirt pulled up over nose.

"I say we wait til nightfall and then infiltrate the castle."

"Agreed. It has been years since I was here last but I remember the basic layout. I can get us to the banquet hall where they entertain dinner guests." Alpha Randall from the Shadow Pack offered.

"That's the plan then we are going to be dinner party crashers. We have a couple more hours before dusk. We should all get some rest." I commanded.

"If we survive the shit storm." Andrew grumbled under his breath.

We all made ourselves as comfortable as we could; the stench making it hard to really relax. The memory of the warning the moon goddess plagued my thoughts. What sacrifice will I have to endure? Was losing my uncle Thadius the sacrifice? Or is it losing Korin, Trevor, or both to Sebastian? Could there be something else that I haven't encountered yet? The thoughts were depressing and in order to get through the next few hours I needed to push it to the back of my mind. I need to focus on one thing right now, getting myself in front of that royal delegation.