"We need to attack," are the first words that come out of my mouth as soon as I enter Bennett's office the next morning. I didn't even bother knocking, but I think I should have, because his and Levi's heads both snap up from whatever work they're focused on the desk. They're both leaning over it, their two hands being used as support as they look down. The two brothers share a similar look to one another. Brows furrowed in confusion.
"I found one of their bases," I admit after hours of contemplating it. I had begged Evan not to tell Bennett about my excursion the night before, and it didn't take much convincing because he wouldn't willingly have a conversation with him unless it involved something incredibly important, and Bennett can't do anything about me leaving but urge me not to. Everyone knows I wouldn't listen. And I wouldn't have admitted it to avoid being lectured, but this is the only way I can think of that will effectively convince Bennett and Levi to attack.
"You what?" Levi is the first to speak. He looks up at his brother, a perplexed look crossing his features. Bennett meets his eyes before turning to me.
"You were supposed to stay in your room," he says, shaking his head.
As I step closer, I notice the map that sits on the desk before them. Everything that was previously there has been cleared to make enough room for the large piece of paper. The only thing other than that sitting on the desk are two black markers. The closer I get, the more I start to notice various marks on the map. Circles and arrows are the most common, but as my eyes dart around, I make note of writing in specific areas.
"You really expected me to stay in my room doing nothing?"
Bennett's lips part in effect to my response, but his brother speaks first. "Yes," he states simply. "We did." His expression is rather cold—emotionless and when he lets his guard down, they close for a split second before snapping back open. He's exhausted, no doubt. Staying up for days on end planning for an attack that didn't even happen takes a toll on a person. I look at Bennett, and his look tells me he agrees with Levi. His eyes are also fighting to stay open, though they have a sort of softness that never seems to leave his eyes. I don't think I've ever seen coldness in him. I doubt it even exists. But I can tell something has changed. He's concerned, tired, and determined all at the same time. I know for a fact he also hasn't slept in days.
"Well, you thought wrong about me," I tell both of them, rounding the table. I wedge myself between them. "I'm not going to sit back locked in my room while you save the world. I won't allow it."
Neither of them reply. Instead, Levi mumbles, "How did you even get past the guards at your door?" I don't think he expected me to hear him, but with my proximity and my extremely heightened hearing, I hear him perfectly.
"Window," I state smugly.
He stands up straight from his position over the desk, his brows furrowed. "You live on the fourth floor."
I do nothing but raise my hand and wiggle my fingers in his face, alluding to my powers. I had built an ice staircase from my window to the ground and then thawed it once I left to avoid anyone seeing it.
He shakes his head in disapproval, runs his hand through his hair, and chuckles in disbelief. "You think this is a game, but it's not!" he exclaims, fully turning his body to face me.
"I know that!" I say defensively. I point a finger at my chest. "I know this isn't a game. I just want to do everything I can to bring an end to this, and I'm not going to sit back and watch as you try and do it without me."
"Well maybe you should sit back," he counters. The exhaustion in his eyes has been completely replaced by anger. His irises darken, and he becomes someone I don't even recognize anymore. "Maybe we would be done with this by now if you would just listen whenever we tell you to do something." His words hit me so hard, he might as well have slapped me. I take a step back as he points his finger at me. "You need to realize that you're not in charge here." He points at his brother, then himself. "We are."
Bennett wedges himself in between the two of us, pushing me back and placing a hand on Levi's chest in defense. "Calm down, brother," he warns. Levi presses himself against his brother's hand, challenging him. "Watch yourself."
"No, Bennett!" he exclaims. Bennett pushes him back and he obeys his silent command. "We've been cutting her slack mistake after mistake because of what has been happening," he gestures toward me, talking about me as if I'm not right here. "But eventually, one of these mistakes is going to end up getting someone or – Goddess forbid – multiple people killed. We can't keep letting her do whatever she wants and making reckless decisions without telling anyone!"
I step out from behind Bennett. "You know that isn't my intention."
"It may not be your intention, but it doesn't mean it won't happen."
I don't know what to say anymore. Part of me knows he's right, but the prideful part won't admit it. "I don't do things on my own to purposefully defy you." A hand falls on my chest. "I do these things because I care about my friends and family, and frankly, you aren't going fast enough for me." Levi takes a step back, shocked by my words.
"You forget that we have people we care about too," he says, his voice completely changing. His features soften, juxtaposing his previous expression. He gestures toward the door before gesturing to me. "These are our people. We care about them, and whether you believe it or not, we care about you too." Bennett finally steps out from between us, feeling much more comfortable with the situation. He turns to me.
"We just want to do things as carefully as possible because we both care about people, and if we don't do things with caution, so many people could end up in the line of danger, and I know you don't want that. Neither do we," Bennett seems to somehow always find a way to ease my emotions.
But nevertheless, I sigh. Fighting is not what I came here for, and I'm tired of constantly doing it with everyone. A dreadful silence fills the room. Levi breaks it after too many long moments of staring down at the markings he and his brother have made on the map.
"We attack tonight," he states simply, no noticeable inflection in his voice.
"What?" Bennett asks as both of our heads turn toward Levi. "Are you crazy?"
"No," Levi replies. He side-eyes us. "I have a plan. All the soldiers were stationed all night ready for an attack that didn't even happen. We now can have a purpose for them." He turns to me, grabs one of the markers, and hands it to me. "Circle their base on the map," he instructs as if he wasn't just yelling at me.
Searching my mind, I try my best to remember where exactly their camp is. When I feel like I have a good idea, I uncap the pen and draw the circle. "You'll have to go through town to get there," I explain. I take the marker and draw a line through it. "I don't know if you want anyone to know—"
"They know," Bennett says. "Everyone was instructed to stay inside with the doors locked."
I would have thought that they would have evacuated all the civilians, but Levi must have read my mind because he says, "We didn't evacuate anyone because we know they won't hurt anyone. Their main target is us."
"Besides," Bennett adds. "You can't take over a kingdom without any subjects to rule over."
"So you're just worried about people specifically tied to the royal family?" I ask. Levi takes the marker out of my hand and draws other potential paths around town, but the town is so big, that it would take hours longer just to get around it than it would to go through it.
"Exactly," he says.
"But you just told me that you care about these people," I say, my brow rising. "I thought you were worried about people getting hurt."
"We are," he replies. "Obviously we'll still try and keep everyone protected, but what we're more worried about is what our people will be subjected to if the Destroyers win this war. A world with the Destroyers as rulers would be a world full of suffering for the people being ruled over."
"But they aren't going to win," I say. "So why are you so worried?"
Bennett sighs. "If only it were that simple." He shakes his head. "The Destroyers are getting stronger and smarter. Defeating them is becoming more of a challenge." He turns and begins walking away from the desk. His brother and I trail behind him as he begins to pace. His hands connect behind his back. "We don't know what could happen, as much as I wish we did."
My heart breaks knowing just how right he is.
"This is going to sound incredibly hypocritical to what I was just saying." Levi interrupts the silence that falls upon us once again. I turn around and face him. "But I have an idea." He waits for either one of us to respond, but Bennett continues pacing and I stay silent, waiting for him to voice his thoughts.
His eyes land on mine. For being one of the only identical features he shares with his brother, they look so different. Levi's eyes are weary about what they show. Emotions are a rare thing within them, but when they do show, they're strong. Meanwhile, his brother's are full of life – of hope. His eyes expose every emotion. Every thought. It's all there and he doesn't bother to try and hide it. I wonder why they're so similar, yet so different.
Levi sighs. Scratches the back of his neck. "I want you to go back to the base and see what else you can find out."
I almost laugh in shock. Bennett stops in his tracks and turns around. "What?" he asks.
"We were just fighting about this and now you want me to go back? You said you didn't want me doing things by myself."
"No," he defends. "I said I didn't want you doing things by yourself without telling anyone."
"You also said I make stupid decisions on my own," I counter, pointing a finger at him.
"You may make rash decisions, but you're not an idiot." He takes a step toward me. "You know how to take care of yourself."
"You're not actually thinking about sending her out there all by herself, are you?" Bennett asks. "Because if you are, she's not doing it."
A smirk falls upon Levi's lips. He stifles a chuckle. "She'll be fine, brother. I know how much you care about her, but you can't keep trying to protect her, especially when she's capable of doing it herself. Otherwise, you'll get yourself hurt." I don't know if he means emotionally or physically. Maybe he means both. Bennett doesn't say anything. His cheeks flush red.
"Fine," I interrupt him, not knowing how to react to his words. "I'll do it."
"Are you sure?" Bennett asks. He eyes his brother from his peripheral vision, who has his arms crossed across his chest. "You don't have to. We can figure something else out."
"It's fine Bennett," I tell him. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine."
"Okay." He walks up to me, stopping centimeters away from me. His hands fall on my shoulders, and I tense at his proximity. "It's kind of hard not to worry about you," he says. "But I trust you. Just—" his eyes close for a brief moment and he sighs before opening them again. "Just please be safe."
"I'll be fine." I pull myself from his grip as I feel my cheeks start to burn. My eyes land on Levi, who is intently staring at the situation with an amused smirk on his face. "I'll leave right now," I say. Stepping around both of them, I make my way over to the door. Neither of the two brothers say another word as I leave the room and close the door behind me.
***
I have to keep a farther distance from the base than I did the previous night. It's the middle of the day, and so I have to keep myself more hidden than before. Even though there is little light making it through the large canopy of trees above me, it's enough to expose me to any one of the Destroyers that could be lurking around the forest.
Lucky for me. I've been observing for hours, and I have yet to see anyone. As I make my way around the perimeter of the base, I don't see any signs of life.
"Where the hell is everyone?" I mutter.
I'm about to say something else, but a sudden wave of loud voices catches me by surprise. Cheering can be heard in the distance. It's loud and determined—confident. I start to make my way towards the loudness, making sure to keep myself hidden. The noise goes quiet for a few seconds, then erupts once again. It happens multiple times and I question who could be making these noises and why. But it isn't until I come into the line of sight of the source of it that I realize what's happening.
There are hundreds of them.
Hundreds of Destroyer soldiers stand in a crowd. Someone – their commanding officer, I presume—stands on a platform at the front of his crowd of soldiers. He says something I can't make out, and the soldiers erupt in chaotic shouting.
I get closer and hide behind a tree directly behind them. No one sees me. They're all facing the other direction and are all too busy intently listening to their leader before them.
Their commanding officer looks incredibly young. His dark hair is short, evidence of its recent cut. His eyes are just as I would have imagined the commanding officer of the Destroyers would be – lifeless and cold. His bright irises lack life, and I get the urge to shiver just by looking at them. His demeanor in the way he stands looking over his soldiers is hard and tough. He looks dangerous. He is definitely someone I wouldn't want to come across in battle.
"Tonight, we will finally get what we've been spending hundreds of years trying to achieve!" He yells over the crowd. His voice projects over all the soldiers as they shout words of appraisal. "We will finally get what we deserve!"
"What?" I ask under my own breath, low enough for only me to hear.
"By tomorrow morning, we will have full control of the palace and the royal family." The soldiers standing in front of him grin from ear to ear. They look at each other, nudging the elbows of the person next to them with excitement. "And by the end of the week, I promise each one of you a position under me as my private and personal staff, whether it be my personal security or any position you desire." The soldiers inherently cheer at his vows. Anyone would cheer at the promise of power. Too bad they aren't making it anywhere close to that.
"But we must not get too excited, soldiers," their leader raises a hand, halting all the cheering and grabs their attention once again. "don't let this jar your concentration. Before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to make sure we are well prepared." His eyes scan the crowd, and they linger slightly in my direction. I pull myself farther behind the tree until my entire back makes contact with the cold, scratchy bark of the trunk
The commanding officer shouts his parting words. "Get some rest, Soldiers!" he shouts. "Tonight, we will change the course of history for good." Chatter erupts once again as the men move away from the platform. Some talk about the events set to unfold for tonight, while others talk about seemingly unimportant things.
A breath escapes my lungs as I turn myself around and take another peak around the tree. Their leader is gone already, and I watch the crowd of men dissipate into their camp.
"Looking for something, your majesty?" My sword is in my hand by the time I spin around. The man who was just standing on the platform speaking to all those soldiers stands right in front of me. If I really wanted to, the end of my sword could pierce him easily. But I have one thing to say to him first.
"You obviously saw me when you were standing up there," I say, ignoring his question. "You could've had your soldiers on me and ordered them to tear me apart. Why didn't you?" Both my hands remain on the hilt of my sword, gripping it tightly.
The man – who's incredible height I only now notice now that he's standing so close to me – chuckles. He slowly reaches over his shoulder for the hilt of his own sword strapped to his back. He pulls it back over his shoulder and holds it out in front of him, pointing the end right at my chest. "I like to fight my own battles," he says through a smirk. "And I don't need the help of my soldiers to tear you apart."
"Are you sure?" I ask, giving him multiple seconds to rethink his choice. "You know what I am and what I can do, so what makes you so sure you can beat me?"
The man laughs again. He finds me very amusing. "The funny thing about what you just said is that your mother said a very similar thing before I killed her too."
My heart stops in my chest. My grip tightens on the sword. "What?"
His smirk widens into a cold smile. "It shocks me just how similar the two of you are even after being apart for—"
Before he even has a chance to finish his sentence, my sword comes up. It clashes with his, making an insanely loud sound as it pushes his sword away from me. The sound is so loud that I'm afraid his soldiers will hear and come to his rescue. I take the opportunity to let go of the sword with one hand and shoot flames in his direction. Swiftly, he moves out of the way and uses the sword to block my attack. The flames reflect off his blade and go flying into a tree branch. It instantly goes ablaze and quickly starts spreading.
I want to put it out before it spreads too much and alerts anyone, but before I can aim my hand towards it, the commander swings his sword at me. Mine clashes against his in a side swipe. The blow pushes me back and I hit the tree, a loud grunt leaving my lips as the bark scrapes my back. The commanding general swings again, aiming for my face but I bring mine up to block his. Our swords lock together, and he begins to press down on his, causing them to begin inching towards my face. Even with my enhanced strength, I have to push the swords back up by the flat part of my blade.
"Give up," he tells me. "You're losing." he presses down on the swords with even more of his strength.
I almost want to laugh in amusement, but instead, I let out a breath through my nose. "The only way I'll give up is when I'm dead," I spit, pushing back on our swords.
"You won't have to worry about that," he says through his teeth. "That was already the plan."
"You need me," I state confidently. "If you kill me, you have no more leverage on the king." With that, I give our blades one final, forceful push, which gives me enough room to swiftly get out from under them and shoot a ball of ice at the flames that engulf the branches. I back away, creating more space between us. Our proximity was claustrophobic. Our swords then come together once again when I swing at him.
"You're right," he says, sideswiping. I only barely manage to get out of the way. The edge of his blade grazes the side of my arm, instantly creating a cut. I hiss with how much it stings, but I can't let it devoid me of my concentration. "But that doesn't mean I can't rough you up a bit. You know – as a warning." He keeps his sword in one hand and swings, and I counter it by swinging mine to the side. They make contact and he brings his back, again, preparing for another swing.
"You won't even get a chance," I say. "You're not even going to make it back to your soldiers." He goes to attack but I don't give him a chance to strike. I swing mine, and he tries to move away, but I manage to cut through his dirty, ripped-up jeans, and into his leg.
He yelps in pain. The cut I made looks bigger than the one he made on my arm. I swing again, planning to finish him off, but he runs before I can bring my sword down again. My legs instantly begin to carry me towards him, but he runs into the camp and towards his soldiers, so I run in the opposite direction before they have a chance to come after me. Blood trickles down my arm from the cut he made on me, but the adrenaline relieves the pain.
I put my sword back into its sheath and run as fast as I can toward the palace in the royal pack. I'm not worried about him coming after me. He has a wound to tend to. But even though I've won this time, it doesn't mean this war has ended.
In fact, this is only the beginning.
___________________
Hey y'all!
I'm not even going to apologize for being gone for so long anymore. It's just expected at this point.
That being said, I'm happy to have found the time to write another chapter for you guys, and I am going to try to get another one out by the end of the year. No promises though, but I'm like 80% sure it will happen.
This book is wrapping up within the next 6-8 chapters, and I'm both excited and sad to announce that I will be stepping away from Wattpad after that. I'm so sad to announce this because it is where I started my writing journey years ago, but I truly believe I'm ready for bigger things. I'm currently working on a book behind the scenes that I plan on publishing traditionally by the end of my four years of college (hopefully, if all goes well, by the end of my junior year). This is the exciting part because it means I'm continuing my writing career, just off of Wattpad. I hope you guys will continue to stick around and follow my career after this series is over. I'm actually going to be documenting everything with this new book on my tiktok, which is the same user as my wattpad one. But for now, I will continue to update this book until it's done. So I'm not leaving just yet!
Anyways, I'll see y'all in the next chapter!