Chapter 22

Her senses were going wild as she approached the royal bedroom, sword in hand and eyes cast into the darkness looking for any type of threat.

But the only thing she could sense was water trickling down the sides of the walls and the slippery slime beneath her boots which helped to conceal her presence but not her balance.

Turning to stand in front of the secret door which led to the royal chambers, Izzie took a moment to close her eyes, the image of her family forever burning behind her lids, she opened them up again with determination.

Pushing everything and everyone from her thoughts, she was surprised when she survived after killing Colt. She had always believed that she would die at his hands.

But maybe this was how she was supposed to die? By doing one good deed among many dark ones.

Isabelle refused to believe in fate; they each made their own in this world but she couldn't help but notice the irony that everything had led her to this point.

Letting her mind go blank, she tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword and pushed the ten inch thick secret door open and slipped out.

The stone scratched against the floor and it was useless to attempt a quiet entrance.

The moment she slipped out of the door, she felt her boots sink into the thick Persian rugs which littered the floor, and looked towards the bed, sword raised.

It was empty.

The bed sheets had been pulled back and there was an indent on the pillow where the Prince's head had been resting.

A shift in the air alerted her to someone's presence behind her. Turning swiftly, she barely missed the swing of a sword at her neck before she ducked and regained her balance.

It wasn't the Prince.

She'd been tricked.

Her lips curled back in anger, a scream ripping from her throat, as she kicked the man's sword from his hand and shoved him back against the wall; pressing her sword against his throat.

"Where's the prince!?" Izzie shouted but when he didn't respond quickly enough she kicked his knee out of joint.

The man let out a tortured scream, his body sagging to one side but she held him up with her sword under his chin, "Tell me now and I might consider sparing your life."

He just pulled his head back, teeth gritting against the pain, before he spat on her boot.

Izzie gazed at the slob of saliva running off the top of her boot and she let out a sigh, why did they always have to resist?

"This would be so much easier," Izzie told him as she lifted her saliva covered boot and pressed down on his dislocated knee, "if you just co-operated."

Leaning away from his screams, she watched the door open and another guard start to pour in from outside.

Lifting the dagger from her boot with her spare hand she grabbed it by the blade and sent it flying into the guards neck.

He crashed to the floor, blocking the door, gawping like a fish out of water as blood dribbled from his neck and stained the Persian rugs.

"Now," Izzie lifted her boot off the man's knee, his breathing heavy and laboured as his eyes watched the dying guard on the floor, "Let's start again. Where is the Prince?"

* * *

Thomas sat on his log and watched the others as they went about their business.

But this was different to their time before when they were tracking Colt and his followers; back then there had been laughter in the air and a sense of warmth between them.

Now the only sound was the air whistling around them as the fire crackled and the only thing between them now was a sense of loss.

They believed they had lost Isadora. Drystan most of all.

His eyes were void of all emotion and he went about tasks like a man without a soul; surely it would beneficial to tell him that Izzie was safe and no longer against them.

That in fact she had been with them since the beginning but now she was . . . Thomas blanked at the memory of what she said.

She was going back to the castle; maybe Drystan and the others could help her?

Jesus Christ had disciples to help him and Isadora had them.

Maybe this time no one had to be sacrificed.

Thomas nodded his head; yes he would tell Drystan. With Drystan and the others they could make it to the castle in time to help Isadora and save her from a life of purgatory for her actions.

"Where has that northern brute got to with our firewood?" Dermott sighed as he tried to feed the fire and keep them warm in the cold night.

"He's probably wandered to some local inn," Jared tried to bring some laughter into their lives but it just got swallowed up by the void of what Izzie had left in them.

Thomas looked across the fire at Drystan who was simply staring into the forest but Thomas could tell that he was thinking something.

Before anyone could ask, Drystan got to his feet, his brows furrowing in the middle of his forehead, "He's been gone too long," He dropped their food for the evening that he had been gutting and drew his sword.

The others immediately drew their weapons alongside him and Thomas knew that his chance to tell Drystan would soon vanish.

He would disappear into the forest and they wouldn't be able to save Isadora.

"Drystan," Thomas stood, his cloak keeping him warm, "I must tell you something,"

"Stay here," Drystan muttered, not looking at him, as he stepped over his log and headed towards the forest.

"I saw Isadora," Thomas shouted out frantically; he couldn't let Drystan leave, "Not an hour ago,"

Thomas had been expecting joy but the next moment his feet were being lifted off the floor and thrown against a tree.

Everything was a blur except for Drystan's face growling into his, "Why didn't you tell me!? Where did you see her!?"

"She asked me not to tell you," Thomas choked against his hold before the others were able to pull him off and Thomas crashed to the floor, "She made me promise but I thought you needed to know."

"Needed to know what?" Jared asked Thomas, his hand against Drystan's chest as he held him back, "What did Izzie tell you?"

"She's-" Thomas coughed as old injuries resurfaced, "She's going back into the castle to kill the Prince,"

"She'll be killed," Dermott gasped, "She'd never make it passed the guards."

"I think," Thomas shared a look with Drystan who seemed on the edge of insanity but at least the fire was back in his eyes, "She doesn't plan on coming back out alive."

"I have to go," Drystan spoke before Thomas could finish his sentence, reaching for his blade which he had been using to gut the supper with.

"You mean, we have to go," Jared corrected him as Dermott began to saddle the horses. Drystan nodded his head at Jared with thanks.

"What about Iagan?" Dermott asked on the off hand that they would leave him.

"That lying northern brute?" Jared chuckled, the others knowing that he was joking, "He's probably right by her side as we speak."

Thomas didn't know what to think or do but he knew he wasn't going to stay here alone so he got to his feet and pulled himself up into his saddle.

Drystan gave him a querying look but they didn't have the time to argue and in the next instant they were galloping away leaving the fire to burn out by itself.

* * *

"Now how hard was that?" Izzie stepped back and let the man drop to the floor, cradling his broken knee in his hands.

He glared up at Izzie as if she was the devil itself and she prayed he was right.

"You'll never get near him," The man spat at her feet once again, "You'll be cut down before you leave the castle!"

Izzie raised an eyebrow at his protectiveness of the prince before she crouched in front of him, her sword scraping the floor, "You don't owe this prince anything," She frowned at his loyalty, "He killed thousands of his people just to claim the throne,"

The mans eyes wavered and she could tell that he had always had doubts about the prince.

"I serve my king," The man sadly announced as he straightened his back and recited his charge, his eyes staring into the distance.

Izzie let out a sigh as she got back to her feet, "Soon," she interrupted him and he stared up at her, "You won't have a king to serve,"

His eyes flickered with recognition of what she planned to do before she lifted her boot and kicked him unconscious.

His body fell in a heap amongst the other five guards she had killed during his interrogation.

Pulling them all into the royal chamber she closed the door behind her and let them remain hidden to conceal her presence as much as possible.

Her mind thought to Iagan and what he must be feeling when he realised that she had lied to him and sent him to the kitchens but as she kept to the shadows and progressed through the castle she knew she couldn't think of such things.

She could only think of killing the prince.

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Sorry for the long wait but I hope this chapter makes up for everything! PLEASE comment and let me know what you think!??

Thank you!