FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

CHAPTER TEN

Yang-Wo's anxiety was nearly at a breaking point by the time night fell.

Though his attack on Adam had made him feel peaceful and serene, the feeling didn't last long, as he forgot the horse and focused on the task at hand: he was going to sneak down to the dungeons and plot to overthrow the most powerful nation in the world with his imprisoned parents and his royal traitor of a lover. It seemed as though a thousand things could go wrong.

As the cougar mulled this over--pondering all the ways they might fail and how to circumvent said failure--the loud clanking of the doors shocked him from his reverie. He realized it must be late, and when it was Melnamourn wearing his haughty expression and glaring about, he knew what was about to happen.

"Yang-Wo, Chessia, Velnuro," he called lazily, clearly bored.

The three of them jumped up immediately and moved toward the door. Of course, Yang-Wo was so anxious that though he was furthest, he made it there first. Calm down, Wo... he thought. If you seem nervous it only makes it look more suspicious!

As Melnamourn guided the three toward their master's chambers, Yang-Wo realized that it was already fairly late, and that the remaining royals would nearly certainly have retired to their own quarters by this point. He also figured that the night guard would be on watch, which took his feeling of ease and plummeted it right back into a gaping vortex of anxiety.

"Your slaves, Your Highness," Melnamourn presented snobbily.

"Thank you, Melnamourn, you may go," said Xeneth, and though Yang-Wo could not look at the wolf directly, his voice instantly soothed the cougar, calming his frantic nerves.

Once Melnamourn had taken his leave, Xeneth addressed his slaves. "The three of you have suffered a great deal at the paws of my country, and all of you have felt this pain the most recently of my slaves. I summoned you here to tell you that I am so very sorry for what my mother has done to your people, to your kingdoms, and to you. You may look at me," he added, noticing that their eyes remained downcast.

Yang-Wo was startled that Xeneth was taking this approach! He had assumed that Xeneth would call other slaves as a front, then set them to some mindless task while he and the wolf released his parents.

The cougar looked in his lover's eyes straightaway, and found the wolf's adoring gaze as heartwarmingly sweet as ever. He felt a thick lump in his throat as he realized the sacrifice that his love was making this night, and the danger they were all now in.

Velnuro and Chessia blinked a few times before they even moved, as if it took them a while to process what the Prince had been saying to them. Slowly, they both lifted their heads and looked Xeneth in the eyes, and for a shining moment, the way their posture improved, the way their shoulders went back, it was a room of royals, addressing each other as equals.

"I know it may seem like your situation is hopeless, and you may be confused as to why I'm apologizing, being the Crown Prince of this nation. I am here to tell you that it is not hopeless, and that I apologize because I never wanted this war. I have always been against it, and there was a time when my mother was, too. But now she only seeks to conquer, and I cannot condone her horrific schemes any longer. It is time that your nations were returned to you. I only hope that you see, in time, that I kept you as slaves to keep you alive, to keep you safe, and to keep you from the prisons. I apologize for the disrespect I was forced to show you, for the way I had to use you to save face. My only hope is that you will forget the past for tonight, forget any bad feelings you may have for me personally, and focus on saving your people and gaining your freedom."

There was a palpable silence in the room. The air felt thick and heavy, oppressive, as if it waited for a response before it would lift its weight from their shoulders.

"Friends, I implore you to listen to Xeneth," Yang-Wo spoke up, moving from his place in line to stand beside his love; he intertwined his paw with the Prince's. "He has nothing but love and respect for the other nations of this continent, and he has nothing but love and respect for all of us. We have secretly planned this night for a while now, hoping to free the continent from the Queen's rule. But we cannot do it alone."

Velnuro and Chessia both stared with wide eyes and gaping mouths, clearly overwhelmed. If they were surprised by Xeneth's apology, they were completely taken aback and struck dumb by Yang-Wo's involvement.

Finally, Chessia spoke. "I only care about the freedom of my people, of all of us. I want to fight for that till my last breath. Tell me what I am to do, and I will do it."

Velnuro only nodded, but his stoic expression said it all. He had a fire in his eyes that Yang-Wo and Xeneth had never seen before; the passionate fire of the fight.

Yang-Wo was greatly surprised once again! "Wow..." he said softly, and a huge sigh escaped his lungs. He leaned some of his weight on Xeneth, and the wolf--worried and confused--took him into his arms, staring at him concernedly.

"What's wrong my love? Are you alright?" he asked the cougar.

Velnuro and Chessia showed no reaction to this question, but both of their minds were sent reeling by the revelation that Yang-Wo and Xeneth were in love.

"Yes, I'm fine... I'm just... this whole night has caused me great stress, and it surprised me utterly that my friends are so willing, no questions asked..."

"If we live through this night," Velnuro said, "there will be many questions, I can assure you, Yang-Wo. I've had the feeling for weeks that you were hiding something, but I never expected...this. However, I support your aims, and if you plan to do what I suspect, then to say that time is of the essence would be an egregious understatement." The violet dragon's amber gaze reenergized the cougar, and his words empowered him.

"Too right you are," Xeneth replied, breaking his embrace with the cougar. "Tonight must be executed flawlessly, or we will all surely die a most torturous death." He paused, allowing that statement to sink in. "Velnuro, you are to go back to the harem and recruit as many of the royals as you can to aid in our cause. My hope would be that they all will stand and fight, but I am not a fool. Some of them will not fight, thinking all hope was lost long ago, or otherwise will be untrusting, and I will not bear them a grudge. However, as for the ones who do wish to fight, you must gain their support, then find a way to get them from the harem up to the Queen's chambers without causing the entire guard to be alerted. There is a secret, narrow staircase hidden in the Conservatory behind the painting of King Ilsana III that leads straight to the Royal Chambers, which was built in case of emergency. Get the slaves through the Entrance Hall and to the Conservatory without sounding the alarm, and your path to the Queen will be clear."

Velnuro only nodded again, a firm expression setting in his features, his muscles tensing, readying themselves for action.

"Chessia," Xeneth continued, staring at the rabbit with determination, "I have learned much about you and your people. I know that if any nation were as much a danger as Beldai was to my mother's takeover, it was Aardenia. I know that there is a secret art taught among your people, and that the royals are trained in these techniques more ardently than anyone. I need you to use these talents to clear the path for Velnuro and the slaves. Can you take care of it?"

"It would be my pleasure," said Chessia ominously, cracking her knuckles loudly. "But, what will you and Yang-Wo be doing, Your Hi--" she stopped herself, took a breath, and said slowly instead, "Xeneth."

"Yang-Wo and I shall make our way to the prisons. We've agreed that the best weapon we have against my mother is the Elder herself. We shall release the other prisoners as well, and try to convince them to join our fight."

"How will you get them to the Queen?" Velnuro asked seriously.

"Once Chessia has secured your passage to the Conservatory, she will join us in the dungeons to clear a path for us. I know a route to the Royal Chambers that has very few guards. However, timing will be key," he explained seriously. Xeneth stared at them, Yang-Wo most of all, before continuing, "We must launch this assault on the Royal Quarters as one unit. Velnuro, you must wait inside the secret corridor with the other royals until you hear our approach. The guards to the chambers will be distracted by our attack, and will give you a chance to come from the opposite side and overwhelm them."

For the first time, Velnuro's black lips curled into a mischievous grin. "This could actually succeed!" he crowed. "And if it doesn't, I'd rather die a King than live as a slave."

"Well said!" Yang-Wo chimed in.

"Then let us be off," Xeneth said quickly, lifting his hood over his head. He grabbed a cloak for Yang-Wo that rested on the bed and draped it around the cougar's shoulders, tying it in the front for him and kissing him on the mouth warmly. "I love you," he said very quietly, taking the feline's face in his paws.

"I love you," Yang-Wo replied.

Xeneth spared a quick, affectionate gaze for the cougar, then turned. "Let us depart then. Chessia, take care of the guards outside the door, if you please."

"In fact, I do please," she replied with a slight grin. She crouched ever so slightly, clearly going into her stance, and Yang-Wo watched in fascination as she leapt silently against the wall beside the great doors; the cougar immediately saw what her great talent was, and his eyes were round with a mixture of fear and wonder.

The rabbit was suspended against the wall so silently because she had turned the stone to sand beneath her paws, and the sand was gripping her to the wall. She pressed one of her large ears against the stone surface, listening intently for sounds of movement on the other side, and to the astonishment of the three men watching her, quickly sank through the stone as if it were water, every inch of her body able to transform it from stone to sand to stone again in a few soundless moments.

About twenty seconds passed in silence, and the door creaked open. "All clear," Chessia whispered softly.

With the realization of how quickly things were progressing, how very real this situation was, and how dangerous it was likely to be, Yang-Wo was feeling a bit overwhelmed. But he steeled himself and thought, You need to put away childish fears and start acting like the Elder. Your country and its people, your parents, your continent, your love...they're all hanging in the balance. And with those motivations in mind, the young man followed his incredible wolf companion through the doors and into the corridor.

When they passed the threshold, everything was very quiet. At this time of night, most everyone who resided in the castle slept soundly. Chessia gave a silent nod, and in another astounding feat of acrobatics, scaled the wall and began crawling along the ceiling, able to manipulate the dark stone to her will so easily that she moved as fast as running, yet more quietly than tiptoe.

Velnuro headed off after her, his wings ruffling behind him, as if he ached to be flying into this battle. And as Xeneth watched, he thought, I can't really understand why anyone would find these beings inferior to wolves. Their talent, skill, wit, beauty, and hearts have impressed me more than any wolf's has. Especially...

And as he turned to look at Yang-Wo, he found the cat's face more serious and determined than he'd seen it.

Lead the way, the younger man mouthed silently, and nodded to affirm his conviction.

Xeneth reached out and pulled Yang-Wo into a very tight embrace, holding him close for several long moments, trying desperately not to think that this might be the last time they held each other. Then he bent and kissed the cougar with all of the love and passion in his heart; just as he felt Yang-Wo's breath abate, he plunged them into darkness, their lips still locked. It was an intense experience, holding each other and kissing while the black pushed in from all sides, no air filling their lungs. It was as if their only connections to life were each other.

They appeared in a dark corner outside the doorway that would lead them down the stairs and to the metal prison, silent as the grave. Yang-Wo was sure that the citadel in Beldai had never once had the quality that this massive hall did, the gateway to the dungeons. It was as if everything in the room were frozen, it felt so unnaturally quiet and motionless. Not a breath of air from a window, not the buzz of an insect or the chirping of a bird from outside. Absolute stillness.

The two had discussed the way they would enter the prison. The two main ideas were for Xeneth to walk down there and throw his weight around, hoping the guards would be completely obedient, even as Xeneth asked them to aid in treason. The other idea was to attack them by surprise and knock them out. They'd agreed that the latter would be wiser, but they'd have to be as quiet about it as they could. While this end of the castle wasn't occupied by residents and the guards were mainly concentrated in the prison, there were still guards scattered somewhat nearby.

"Alright, I suppose I'll go take care of them," Xeneth whispered, looking into Yang-Wo's eyes.

"For luck," Yang-Wo whispered back, and he craned up and kissed Xeneth full on the mouth again--and then flew back instantly and pushed the Air Spirits as hard as he could, pleading with them for speed as he raced down the staircase toward the waiting enemy. He'd been so fast that they were in his sights before they'd even turned to look at them, and with a sweeping of his arms, muscles rippling from the effort, he guided his gale into a ferocious blast, sending all of the guards flying down the narrow corridor and slamming them resoundingly against the back wall with four sickening thuds.

As he panted and stared, still in disbelief over how smoothly and easily he was able to overpower the guards, Xeneth raced toward him, a look of horror on his face. "Yang!" he gasped, grabbing the cat's biceps, "You terrified me with that stunt!"

"I'm sorry my love," the cougar replied. "I was tired of feeling useless. I'm a Prince, and it's time I acted like it." Xeneth's expression was already changing from horror to skepticism, and Yang-Wo asked, "What is it?"

"You liked it!" Xeneth replied and grinned. "And here I thought you were this kind and gentle thing." And he laughed. And the cat couldn't help but laugh with him. He pushed Xeneth's shoulder playfully, the tiny reprieve from their mission making him forget his fears and just want to kiss the wolf.

"Wo? My dearest?" came a feeble voice. And Yang-Wo nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Mother! Elder!" the young cougar gasped in sheer relief and joy, rushing toward the sound. Two cells away from his wolf, he found Elder Nihara and ripped a lantern from the wall, holding it up to the grate in her door to see her.

She was a shadow of her former self. She'd grown thin, clearly not being fed enough. Without her attendants and servants to keep her groomed and polished, she looked disheveled and dirty, and her normally wise eyes were round with shock.

"Oh Wo!" she sobbed openly, clawing at the door desperately. "I thought I'd never see you again!" Even in the dim light from the lantern, Yang-Wo could see a sight he'd only seen once before: there were wave after wave of tears rushing down his mother's face. It brought him to tears as well.

"Mother, I am here!" the cougar answered weepily. "I've missed you everyday!"

"Allow me," Xeneth said quietly from behind. Yang-Wo turned to see that the wolf had stalked down the hall and gathered a set of keys from an unconscious guard, and was poised to release his mother. The cougar jumped out of the way, and within moments, he and his mother were embracing tighter than they ever had.

"Cricket?" Hensei's voice called, sounding as weakened as his wife's had.

"Father I'm here!" the cougar called happily, wiping his eyes and grabbing the keys from Xeneth's paw. He flew on a current of air down toward the end of the corridor, where his father's cell was situated, far from his mother's. How cruel to separate them like this, the young man thought as he unlocked the door and was greeted by a tearful Hensei, who gripped his son like he feared someone would steal him from his arms.

"My boy, I knew you'd survive, I just knew you would," he cried. "I knew no son of mine could ever succumb to something as silly as death!"

"I missed you too, Father," Yang-Wo laughed, wiping his eyes yet again.

"YOU!" shouted Nihara. She tried to blast Xeneth off his feet with air, but Xeneth blocked and evaded too quickly, encircling her in his arms and gripping her tightly, trapping her hands between them so she couldn't call the air.

"I am here to help you, Elder!" Xeneth gasped, barely able to hold the woman, despite her frail state.

"Mother, stop!" Yang-Wo yelled, instantly in a panic and flying back toward his mother and his lover. "Xeneth is on our side," he panted, placing his paw on her shoulder to calm her.

She stopped fighting the wolf and turned to stare at her son, looking confused. "I don't understand," she said simply, tiredly.

Xeneth slowly released her, and replied, "Then allow us to explain, Your Majesty. Forgive my rude restraint, I thought only of our mutual safety." And he knelt before her with his head bowed, a sign of deference that she clearly had not been anticipating, though her face remained mostly impassive and regal.

"Mother..." Yang-Wo began, suddenly feeling extremely anxious. "Father..." he added at Hensei's approach. There were other voices from the prisoners now, calling out what was going on, but they were ignored. Yang-Wo placed his creamy tan paw on Xeneth's shoulder, and the wolf rose beside him. "Xeneth has been trying to save as many royal prisoners as possible by creating a harem, where he's been pretending to need over thirty of his own private slaves."

They both nodded, but still had a strong air of skepticism, and despite their state of filth, were regaining their royal composure quickly.

"I did only the minimum required to maintain the appearance that this was my legitimate harem," Xeneth added. "Your son was one of the prisoners I sequestered."

"And... Well Xeneth tried to be indifferent and even callous toward me at first, again to maintain appearances..." Yang-Wo fumbled, unsure of how to approach the topic of their love. The fact that his parents had remained silent this long was a bit ominous, in his opinion.

"But then, I heard him sing," Xeneth continued for him, turning to look the young cougar in the eyes. Yang-Wo lifted his head and gazed back, and what passed between them had the Elder and her husband's eyes opening wide in surprised as they recognized those looks. "And from that moment, all I wanted from Yang-Wo was to know him, to understand him."

Yang-Wo turned back to his parents, who looked stony, and he rushed on, "So Xeneth began requesting me more and more often, dropping the façade, treating me as an equal and a friend, until...until we..."

There was a pause, until finally, Hensei said very softly, "Fell in love."

A long silence followed, where the four just stared at each other, and Yang-Wo felt his eyes tear up a bit again. "Yes," was all he said in response.

Elder Nihara looked as though she might have quite a bit to say on the subject, but the only words that left her lips were, "Go on."

"It was soon thereafter we realized that my mother wasn't going to stop her conquest, that she desired the entire continent, maybe more. We then decided that if things were ever to be right with the world again, we would have to stand up and fight to free this continent from Zanat-Ven rule, to overcome my mother and to give the nations back to their people and their rulers." Xeneth had a strong, confident air about him, even though he was slightly terrified of his lover's parents, for he knew that he'd lose their respect if it showed that he feared them.

"I am impressed," Nihara replied slowly, calmly. "I was under the impression that the whole Royal Family was bloodthirsty and intent on subjugation."

"I have hated this war, and my mother's obsession with dominance, since I can remember," Xeneth replied firmly. "I am ashamed to admit that I have never had the courage to contradict her. Until I fell in love with your son, and he showed me that without courage, there is no love, no peace. And so if I am to protect him, the man I hold most dear, I must have courage. I must do what is right by the people of this continent, and I must try to dethrone my mother."

The Elder seemed to size Xeneth up by staring into his eyes, judging him. Meanwhile, Hensei was looking at his son, who looked worried, but hopeful. When their eyes met, Hensei gave an enthusiastic little grin, and Yang-Wo felt such a warm sense of relief. He knew that his father was the one person he could trust to be very open about his feelings, and if Hensei was smiling encouragingly, that meant he had no problems with their relationship, or with their plan.

"I applaud your conviction, and I think I see your plan. You came to rescue us, possibly even some of the other prisoners, to aid in your takeover. However...I must tell you that just the one gust of wind I tried to blast you with has nearly exhausted me," Nihara explained, and she coughed. "I am very weak, as I'm sure we all are down here. They feed us and water us the bare minimum for survival. Just standing this long has me winded. I am afraid that I am in no state to challenge the Queen. She and I might have been evenly matched before my capture, but since... I am afraid we will be of little use to you, Prince."

As though telling the truth had freed her to show it, Elder Nihara began to slouch, her eyes a bit lidded, the woman appearing burdened by the mere weight of her own body.

Both Xeneth and Yang-Wo looked crestfallen. "Mother, please, there must be some way we can win..."

"Yang-Wo," she replied. "You have grown into a man since your capture. You have become courageous, you have found love, and you have fought to get here. I watched you for years at home, pining after your friend Tifo, so scared to tell him that you had feelings for him, scared to tell me, afraid that I might not approve."

With this statement, Yang-Wo's eyes widened, and he blushed perceptibly, taken completely aback by Nihara's candor.

"To be frank, I've known you were special since I birthed you so many years ago," she continued lovingly, staring into her son's eyes and reaching out a paw to caress his cheek. "I know how frightened you must've been this whole time, and how brave you had to be to even reveal all of this to me, despite the urgent circumstances. Yes, you fell in love with a wolf, and yes, he is a man. But though I've watched you two together for moments, I can feel the warmth radiating from this wolf Prince toward you, and from you toward him. And I want you to know that a love like the one the two of you share will always be something I support."

Again, tears welled in Yang-Wo's eyes, and he reached out and hugged his mother again. "I love you, Mother," he said simply.

"And I you, dear one," she answered.

"Here here!" Hensei boomed, or tried to boom as best he could in his current condition. He wrapped his arms around his wife and son and hugged them enthusiastically, then said, "C'mere, son!" and pulled Xeneth into a big hug as well, shocking the wolf, who sort of awkwardly patted the cougar man's back.

"But what shall we do?" Yang-Wo asked worriedly, realizing that this conversation was beginning to take too long. "How can we defeat the Queen?"

"Wo, you have more power than you know. You've mastered skills in weeks that it's taken other Elders years to learn. You've even invented techniques that your father and I haven't even dreamed of. You've always been a sweet, kind, gentle soul, and I have loved you dearly for it. But you're no longer my little cat, Wo. You're a man, and you--with the help of your lover--have the power to defeat the Queen." Nihara smiled knowingly, then looked at her husband, who nodded in agreement.

"Mother, with no disrespect, don't be ridiculous," Yang-Wo retorted severely. "I barely know a thing about water, I have yet to even learn anything about fire, and my meager abilities couldn't possibly compare to those of yours and Father's. There must be some other way."

"There is none," Hensei wheezed, and he began to lean against the wall. Yang-Wo felt his heart twinge as he realized that it was taking all of his parents' strength to stand and talk at this point. "Cricket, you're incredible, and it's time you believed it yourself. Go with your Prince and fight this fight. We will stay here, release the prisoners, and perhaps we can do something to help distract the guards of the castle so that they don't come rushing to the Queen's aid. We may be weak, but we are many. You must find your strength, my son. I know you have it in you to dispense with this evil."

Yang-Wo smiled at his father's words of encouragement, still greatly unsure, but bolstered by the man's confidence. When the young cougar turned to Xeneth, he saw pain in the wolf's eyes. "I know," he said softly. He knew he'd be hurt if he heard someone call his mother evil. "But the Queen must be stopped. We'll do all we can to spare her life."

"Now go," Nihara said. "Much time has passed, too much. Go, and may the Spirits be with you." She kissed Yang-Wo's forehead and held him close, while Hensei shook paws with Xeneth weakly. "Go," the Elder repeated, and to the surprise of all present, she pulled Xeneth's face down to her and kissed his forehead, and hugged him as well. "You guard my son with your life," she commanded fiercely.

"Till my last breath," the wolf answered, embracing her back.

And with a last long look, Xeneth and Yang-Wo turned as one and raced through the long prison corridor and up the stairs on wings of air, stopping quietly and abruptly at the top, where seconds later, Chessia appeared through a stone wall.

"I have been waiting, we must go! Where is the Elder?" she asked, sounding a bit panicked.

"The Elder and the prisoners are too weak to fight the Queen and the Royal Guard," Yang-Wo replied firmly. "It is up to us to complete this mission and save this continent. My parents have promised to free the prisoners and to help distract the palace guards, meaning we should only have the Royal Guard and the Royal Family to deal with. Now lead the way Chessia, make haste!"

She and Xeneth both were somewhat taken aback by Yang-Wo's sudden tone of authority, but the rabbit girl must have decided that to argue would be wasting more time, and took off ahead. Xeneth pursed his lips as if to whistle, but no sound came out; he was blowing his voice into her ear on a current of air, giving her directions to the Royal Chambers from afar.

They ran after her quickly, and though Yang-Wo felt as though his heart was pounding loudly, as though his head was ringing with determination, terror, pride, and doubt, they traveled as if they were shadows, their steps lighter than air, their cloaks hardly even rustling in the unnatural stillness of the night.

The wolf and cougar heard a very quiet, muffled "Oof!" sound come from ahead, and just caught a glimpse of Chessia's milky-colored tail as she scampered off along the wall, the men jumping over the fallen guard and exchanging a quick smirk, both impressed at the rabbit girl's incredible talent.

They continued in this way for what seemed like a long time, longer than Yang-Wo remembered one trip within the castle taking. They rose up many staircases and traveled down several halls, never once having to lift a finger to protect themselves, as Chessia cleared their path for them. All the while, Yang-Wo thought to himself, I must have faith. Mother and Father believe I can stop the Queen, that I can save the continent from her greed. But when she unleashed her powers on me last, I was helpless, defenseless. How has any of that changed?

Yang-Wo tried not to torment himself, but the cougar didn't really see how he could win. But, he knew he must try, and a little voice in the back of his mind said, What's changed is she pushed me around, and I let her. She overpowered me because I feared her, and she took full advantage. And when Adam tried to threaten and control me, I let go of that fear, and put him in his rightful place at my feet.

Suddenly, a massive and ornate pair of doors was before them, so large and solitary that they could only lead to royalty. These were very similar to those that led to Xeneth's private chambers, and the two guards flanking them were absorbed partially into the solid wall of stone, both unconscious. As Yang-Wo stared at the gilded and bejeweled portal to his fate, he gave a determined sniff and thought, I am going to be Elder of Beldai. I am going to be with Xeneth. Because we will win this fight!

"Chessia, you're pretty incredible," Yang-Wo whispered the compliment to the rabbit girl, who swept one of her long ears back over her shoulder, along with some of her hair. "And a bit scary," he added.

She was breathing a bit heavy, but she looked far from weary. Her eyes blazed as she replied, "I intend to make the Queen regret forcing me to be Empress of Aardenia before my time."

The cougar nodded. "For the Yunka-Shu, my people. For Beldai, my home. I shall stop this evil, or die trying."

Xeneth turned to Yang-Wo and gazed into his eyes. "For this world to have light, we must end this reign of darkness. You are my light, Yang." The wolf's eyes held an intensity, a strength and determination and love that lifted the cougar's heart. "The secret passage entrance is through these doors, in the foyer, behind a tapestry. There should be a number of the Royal Guard here, protecting the doors to the Royal Chambers. The Guard are some of the most elite members of the Ulcouri Army, the strongest and fiercest of our warriors, but we should be able to overcome them by sheer numbers alone. However, my mother and step-father will be much more challenging."

Yang-Wo and Chessia had no words, they simply nodded.

And without futher ado, Xeneth held out his arms and called the Spirits to his aid, disengage the complex locks that sealed the doors. Several loud metal thunking and grinding sounds barraged their ears, and Yang-Wo braced himself, realizing that the element of surprise wasn't fully on their side with this abrasive announcement of their arrival.

The doors swung open in a nearly soundless, portentous manner. The chamber beyond was pitch black, as if the soft torchlight from the corridor wasn't penetrating through the open doors at all. They steeled themselves and stepped through.

"Welcome," greeted a venomous, raspy voice. And in an instant, the room was illuminated. General Dahlia stood in the center of the grand and sumptuous foyer, with all of the remaining generals behind her, and Princess Glaysia at her side, a deadly smirk across her muzzle. "I do so love catching traitors in the act."