The True Queen- Book Two

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Shaelyn

"Shit," Ren sighs as Rose and Chris tell him of the king's new plan to control and ration all the food in the Arena. Shae lets bites at her lips as she thinks.

"We'll be okay," Yuri tells them, "we have enough food to last the next six months as you've already said," he explains. Ren nods his head and Shae is glad they spent those weeks gathering and building up their food supplies.

"Yeah, but the rest of the city will struggle," he explains. "They'll be hungry and what's to bet the closer your sister gets to returning, the less food they will start giving out?" Ren asks, looking at Shaelyn. She nods her head, still thinking.

"When does it start?" Yuri asks

"Today," Rose replies. "A huge road is being cleared from the paths up the cliff from the flatlands to the arena. All farmers must take all their produce to the arena. It is behind heavily guarded and watched so they can't even try to escape. That is the only way they can go..." she trails off and Ren sighs again, looking at Shae.

"Any ideas?" he asks. She stands from her chair and walks over to the desk, looking down at the papers in front of him and maps.

"Do we know what route they are going to make?" she asks.

"Not yet, they've only just started," Chris replies.

"Well," Shaelyn begins, "the best place to start would simply getting scouts out to map the route they are making and see what security they are putting into place," she tells them. Ren nods his head. "This is a punishment," she explains, "for what we did to the Jemson's. It is the crown's way of showing how much control they still have. That we've been having it easy all this time. They are trying to turn the people of this city against us. Starving them because of our actions. They'll also use this against Illyana so that when she returns, she has an angry, starving city who know that all of this is happening because she decided to participate in the True Trial," she explains.

"So what are you suggesting?" Ren asks.

"I'm saying we should wait a few days or even weeks. Let the food stores build, let all the guards get comfortable and into routine thinking that nothing is going to happen, then we hit. Right at the arena, taking as much food as we can overnight. We don't take it all, in fact, we try and leave as much as possible. If we're clever, they won't even notice..." she tells them. "Then, when the crown starts lowering the rations, trying to starve the people so they become desperate, we start handing out some of that food secretly. We are lucky in the fact that we have a lot of the most vulnerable here with us. However, there are still plenty out there. So, we give extra food to them first. The orphanages, the healing centres and those most in need. We show the people that we still care..." Ren leans on his elbows his hands coming up to his lips as he thinks. 

"How do you suggest we even get into the arena?" Yuri asks. Shaelyn smiles.

"I make a tunnel," she explains. Ren looks at her, his dark brown eyes finding hers. 

"You got really hurt last time you used your powers like that," he says.

"I have more control now," Shae continues. "Plus, I've been practising," she says. Her eyes go distant as she thinks of a plan. Ren sighs.

"It could work," he begins. Everyone nods their heads. "It needs fine-tuning though."

"Well, we have a few weeks until it gets full enough to be able to take food and not make a dent," Shaelyn replies.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Evie asks.

"What we've always done. Steal from nobles and assassinate allies of the crown," Em explains. Shae nods her head.