I stared at the Ash Queen in disbelief – I hadn’t destroyed this realm; I only wanted to finish my task and return to Elias before the baby arrived. Yet her knowing look, like many others here, told me there was more going on than I realized.


    “It makes no sense. How the hell did I do this?<b>” </b>I asked, looking over the empty space around <ol><li><b>us</b><b>. </b></li></ol>


    “You did it when you killed the ck witch. Celestra. Have you been having strange dreamstely? Dreams that don’t belong to you?” She asked.


    “Dreams? While I’m asleep and awake.” I said.


    “There’s a reason for that. Arthur really hasn’t told you anything, has he? You don’t know why you’re here.” She said.


    “Why don’t you tell me? And then we’ll all be caught up.” I said.


    Suddenly we heard shouting and an energy st came flying at the Ash Queen. She disappeared in a cloud of smoke, before the energy ball could hit her and Arthur came running around the rocks with a lot of his warriors and our warriors.


    Elias suddenly unfroze and he looked around at everyone really confused.


    “What the f**k? How the hell did they get here?” He asked so I ran over to him.


    “It’s a long story.” I said.


    “Are you alright Lyra?” Arthur asked, racing over to me.


    “I’m fine. She didn’t hurt me.” I said.


    “Who?” Elias asked.


    “The Ash Queen. She froze you so we could talk.” I said.


    “She was here?<i>” </i>Elias yelled.


    “Yeah. But she didn’t hurt me.” I assured him.


    “What did she say to you?” Arthur asked.


    I know the Ash Queen can’t be trusted, but I’ve had a bad feeling about Arthur ever since I got here. I know that I can’t tell him the truth. He’ll just spin it to his own advantage and if there’s any truth to what she said, I need to find out.


    < CHAPTER 104


    <b>+25 </b>Points


    I wasn’t an i***t though. I know that she could have been lying out of her ass to drive a wedge between us. But that doesn’t change the feeling that I’ve had about Arthur. I knew that it was best just to keep it all to myself at the moment.


    “A bunch of mumble jumble. Like she was talking in riddles. I don’t really know what to make


    of it.” I said.


    “Let’s get back to the vige. What are you even doing here?” Arthur asked, holding my arm.


    “I needed toe and check something out.” I said.


    “This is where you killed them. You don’t need to be gued with those memories.” Arthur


    said.


    He started leading me away from the area with Elias standing back.


    He didn’t like that Arthur was getting so close to me and trying to take care of me the way that he was. But he stood back watching us with a wolf by his side.


    We returned to the vige, and I sat on the bed by the window while Arthur brought me food


    and drink.


    “Is everything alright?” he asked.


    “Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, though he studied me.


    “You seem distracted. Are you sure the Ash Queen didn’t say anything to you?”


    “Like what?” I asked, curiously.


    “I don’t know. Anything. She loves ying mind games. I don’t think she’s ever told the truth about anything in her life.” He said.


    “No. Probably not.” I said.


    We then heard a bit ofmotion outside so Arthur went to the door and I sat up to look out


    the window at the vige and Kronos was only just returning with the warriors.


    “What happened?” Elias asked, walking towards them.


    “We checked on the other survivors and the wolves that you sent to protect them. Everything is fine. I think there’s something interfering with your mind link connection. That’s why you’re having trouble getting through to them.” Kronos said.


    “What could be doing that?” Elias asked.


    “It could be a number of things.” Kronos said. So I got up and walked past Arthur and outside


    to where Elias was.


    “You mean magic. The Ash Queen is stopping us frommunicating?” I asked.


    “It is possible. Yes.” Kronos said.


    I looked at Luke by his side and he was looking around really strangely. He saw Arthur start <i>to </i>approach us and he bared his teeth slightly. Not much, but enough for me to notice.


    “What is it?<b>” </b>I mind linked Luke.


    “He’s lying to you.” Luke said.


    “I already had a feeling he was. What did you find out?” I asked.


    “The other camps are too far away. They’re not out of range. And they aren’t being blocked by magic.” Luke said.


    “Why is that a problem? That’s just where the survivors were.” I said.


    “No. One woman told me that they were forced to stay there. Kronos told all the survivors where they had to stay. Even if there are closer locations for them to set up camp.” Luke said.


    “Maybe he wanted them out of harm’s way.” I said.


    “No. He wanted them out of range so if anything happened to them, we wouldn’t know.” Luke


    said.


    Elias, Luke, and I mind–linked, keeping Arthur in the dark until we had proof of his intentions. We couldn’t let him know that we suspected anything. Not yet.


    “Maybe we can have a private meeting?” Arthur asked, ncing at Kronos and me.


    “Good idea,” I said, taking Elias‘ hand. Arthur seemed displeased but stad quiet.


    We moved to an empty part of the vige and sat in a circle by an unlit firepit.


    “I say we storm the castle.” Elias snapped, jaw tight. “We find it, we hit it from every side — no half–measures.”


    “Arthur, you promised we could break the cloak together.” I shot back, voice sharp. “You said the two of you could pull it off.”


    “They’ll see using and be ready.” Kronos growled. “We don’t even know how many are behind that veil. You’re talking blind charges.”


    “That’s exactly why everyone we brought ising with us.” Elias barked. “That’s why we


    CHAP


    04


    –


    dragged them into this. They’ll see how outnumbered they are there’s only so much room inside that stone. We make them regret thinking they could hide from us.”


    “You already lost men.” Kronos hissed, stepping forward. “How many more do you want to throw away for pride?”


    “I won’t sit here and do nothing.” Elias snapped, eyes shing. “We’re losing time. She already came after Lyra once. We want to go home to our son.” His voice broke, then hardened. “I won’t let them keep us here because I couldn’t act.”


    “That’s reckless.” Arthur said coldly. “Stupid and reckless.”


    “Why were you so desperate to go to the castle alone with Lyra?” Elias cut in, venom in every word. “But you refuse an army? Why does it have to be only you and her?”


    “Because an army announces war.” Arthur said, voice low and clipped. “If it’s just us, she’ll know we mean to parley – to settle this without ughter. You want to smash everything to bits before you even speak.”


    “You’d gamble diplomacy on a whisper and a smile?” Elias spat. “You’d risk us in the hope that she keeps her word?”


    “Better a careful n than a massacre.” Arthur said. “Better two men and a chance to end this without more names added to the ground.”


    Kronosughed, short and bitter. “You speak of chances while men bleed. Pick a side, Arthur


    coward or fool.”


    –


    Elias red at Arthur. “If you won’t lead, fine. But don’t stand in the way when the rest of us do what needs to be done.”


    “And if you tear the ce down and bring down the whole realm?” Arthur snapped. “Then you’ll have everyone’s blood on your hands.”


    Silence mmed into the clearing like a door. For a long moment none of them moved – only the hard, dangerous hum of people pushed to the edge that had snuck in to see what the yelling was about. <fnacef> Newest update provided by Find[F]ovel</fnacef>


    I sat there quietly watching the whole interaction between everyone and listening to their points as they spoke.


    Listening to everything that was being said, it made one thing even more clearer than before.


    Elias was the only person in this realm that I truly trusted.