Celeste's life is far from the enchanting fairy tale one might expect from a princess. Her father, a ruthless and self-absorbed king, leaves a trail of death and destruction in his wake. To seal alliances and maintain his power, he arranges for Cele...
I let the dagger twirl between my fingers as if it were weightless. My legs rest on the round wooden table strewn with papers.
'Is the back door always locked?' Novak asks me, pointing to the map of the castle we stole months ago.
'Always, if you even get there,' I reply.
'Then it's most convenient to take the side entrance by the water,' Alisha suggests, pointing to the entrance of the tunnels on the left side.
'That one's also closed from the outside,' Elien answers.
I swing my legs off the table, spin the dagger in my hand, and point with its tip to the front doors of the castle.
'The most practical option here is for me to take the front door. The chance of them refusing me is slim, and I can handle any guards who try to attack me,' I explain before pointing the dagger's tip to the right tower on the other map.
'At this time of year, there's always a tower window open. Elien can easily fit through it in bird form. Once he makes his way from the tower through the castle to the tunnels, he'll open the door for you here.' The dagger's point indicates the door at the left rear.
'That sounds like a good plan,' everyone agrees, and I lean back in my chair again.
'What are we going to do with the servants and guards?' Alisha asks.
'It depends on what they do. If they resist, they have a chance to surrender; if not, we'll lock them up.'
'It's time for drinks,' Novak sighs, getting up from his chair. He walks to the kitchen of the mountain cottage where we've been staying for an extra two nights now. The woman was more than happy when we extended our stay by three extra nights.
Once the panic and fear subsided, an immense exhaustion remained. The evening we returned to the cottage was a very short one.
The day that followed, Novak and I spent in bed, talking, sleeping, kissing, and in each other's arms. Alisha spent her day in the kitchen with Elien's help, who spent his day in bed and in the air, something that suited Alisha well since he could fetch all the groceries. It suited us well that Alisha spent her day in the kitchen because that meant we had muffins, sandwiches, cake, and stew all day long. The evening ended with all four of us having too much whiskey by the fireplace.
'What if they don't resist?' Alisha asks further as Novak sets the whiskey bottle in front of him on the table with four glasses.
'Then they have to surrender, something the servants will do faster than the guards,' I continue. Meanwhile, Novak pours the glasses full of drink, and Alisha gets up to fetch the remaining cheese pastries from the kitchen.
'And the Dawn?' Elien asks. I take the glass Novak offers me and take a sip before responding.
'That's a good question that I can't figure out. Ideally, I would like to have them all beheaded, but we need them to continue ruling with Diana and Galen since they can't do it alone. There are a few who can't continue living if we want to get rid of my father's regime.' Alisha sets the pastries on the table and sits back down. Novak has also sat down again.
'Do you want them executed or imprisoned?' Elien asks, with a clear preference audible in his voice.
'I want Mender, Vincent, and Dion to be executed for their involvement in the torture and executions. I want Gidion, Pelme, Sander, and Zies to be imprisoned.' Novak nods and writes it down on one of the papers before taking a big gulp of whiskey.
'Are you going to officially resign?' Alisha asks as Elien begins to stuff a cheese pastry into his mouth.
'No,' is my answer, based on what Elien and I discussed earlier.
'Why not?'
'Because that would mean we have no right to anything in that castle, including the money, documents, belongings, and titles. That would mean we couldn't appoint Diana as regent at all and that we have no say in the successor who would come if she were to die prematurely.' Everyone nods understandingly, takes a sip of whiskey or a bite of pastry.
'I don't want to be the spoilsport of this entire plan, but what if father isn't there when we arrive? What if he's hiding?' Elien asks with his mouth full. Sometimes I wonder if he remembered anything from the labels of the castle.
He does ask a good question, a question I've tried to push away several times.
My father must be in that castle when we arrive, he must. This nightmare must stop.
'He's there, he must be.'
'But what if he...'
'Elien, father is there, there's no other option,' I say with so much emotion that the house begins to tremble. The walls shake, the glasses rattle, and the lamps sway.
Surprised, we all look around, and when my attention shifts, the house stops moving.
It's clear that my new magic is much more powerful than what I had before. The energy that comes with it is something I still have to get used to. The constant flow of magic through my lifelines is constantly trying to find a way out, seizing the smallest opening. Control of my emotions is the only thing keeping it at a normal level right now.
A lot of magic and power require a lot of control.
'Okay. Let me sum it up: Celeste takes the front door and goes straight to the king. Meanwhile, she magically locks all doors and windows once everyone is inside. Elien takes the tower window, makes his way to the door on the left side where he lets me and Alisha in. Elien and I will look for Christiaan and hold him until Celeste is done with the king. Alisha will look for Diana and keep her busy. Meanwhile, the guards, servants, and Dawn members are held back by all the closed doors. Once Christiaan is dead, Elien and I will focus on that. Those who resist or are on the list will be executed. Celeste will handle the paperwork with Diana and Galen. Once that's done, we're out of that hellhole. Correct?'
Everyone agrees, and with that, the plan is set.
Tomorrow we embark on the endless journey back to the castle. While the plan may be laid out, we still have to get through the weeks of travel ahead.
When I fled the castle years ago, I never expected to be at this point, let alone foresee everything that has happened.
That long, endless road of pain and death will finally come to an end soon.
With that, we toast well into the night.
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