Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Expecting the Unexpected II
Eliza's sharp gaze locked onto the masked man as he fell silent mid-sentence, his body eerily still. His head tilted slightly, as though he were listening to something—or someone—Eliza couldn't hear. The only sound was the faint whisper of wind slipping through cracks in the building. A chill ran through her, though her expression remained unshaken.
Finally, the masked man opened his eyes, his tone regretful but laced with malice.
"I'm sorry, Eliza, but I can't give you your guardian."
Her eyes narrowed. "Why? We had a deal."
"You didn't keep your end of the bargain."
"What do you mean?" she demanded.
The masked man's lips twisted into a smug smile beneath the mask. "You didn't come alone. My men have captured your escort, and they'll do the same to you."
Before she could react, masked figures emerged from the shadows surrounding the building, weapons glinting in the dim light. They stepped forward, their movements predatory and deliberate.
Eliza sighed heavily and slid her dagger free, the blade whispering against the sheath. "I really don't have time for this."
The first man lunged, a jagged blade arcing toward her head. Eliza sidestepped smoothly, grabbing his wrist mid-swing and twisting sharply. The man screamed as his weapon clattered to the ground, and Eliza slammed an elbow into his jaw. He crumpled instantly.
Another rushed her from behind. Without turning, she dropped into a low spin, sweeping his legs out from under him. As he hit the ground, she rose fluidly and drove her heel into his chest, knocking the air from his lungs.
Two more closed in simultaneously, one swinging a mace while the other thrust a short spear. Eliza pivoted left, narrowly dodging the mace's crushing blow, the wind from it brushing her cheek. She caught the spear mid-thrust, wrenching it from the man's grip and driving the blunt end into his stomach. He doubled over, groaning. The mace-wielder charged again, but Eliza ducked under the wild swing, stepped into his guard, and delivered a vicious upward strike with the spear's shaft. Blood splattered as he staggered backward, his nose shattered.
For every man she downed, two more seemed to take their place. They swarmed her with practiced precision, their weapons coming from all directions. Eliza's breathing quickened as she parried a sword, ducked under a knife, and deflected a flying fist with her forearm. Her movements were a seamless flow—each strike, dodge, and counter deliberate, efficient. But their sheer numbers began to overwhelm her.
She delivered a spinning kick to one opponent's temple, sending him sprawling, but another immediately closed the gap, slashing a blade that grazed her arm. Eliza hissed in pain. Her movements began to slow as fatigue gnawed at her limbs.
"This is getting ridiculous," she muttered.
Realizing the odds were against her, she pivoted and broke into a sprint, darting through the gaps in the attackers. Blades swung and missed as she weaved through the chaos, her boots pounding against the cracked ground. One man dove for her, and she vaulted cleanly over his back, rolling to her feet before bursting into a full sprint down a narrow alley.
The masked men pursued her, their shouts echoing off the walls. Eliza's heart pounded as she ducked through shadowed passages, finally skidding to a halt in a crumbling alcove hidden beneath debris. She pressed her back against the wall, chest heaving as she caught her breath.
Closing her eyes, she whispered an incantation. The telepathy spell hummed to life.
"Ethan, are you good?"
The response came almost immediately, Ethan's voice laced with exertion. "I'm okay," he said, dodging the swing of an axe and slamming his fist into the attacker's forehead with bone-crunching force. "I'm just a little occupied at the moment."
"But you've not been captured, right?"
Ethan let out a breathless chuckle as he sliced through two attackers in a single, smooth stroke with his energy blade. "These people aren't strong enough to hold me."
Eliza smirked faintly. "For someone who wasn't able to beat shifters yesterday, you've grown rather cocky."
"Can we talk later? I'll meet you back at the castle."
"Okay, be safe."
"I will."
Ethan stepped back, his breathing steadying. He glanced at Gregory, who rubbed his freed wrists, trying to shake off the stiffness.
"Shall we?" Ethan asked, his blade gleaming faintly in the dark.
Gregory smirked. "Let's…"
They charged together. Ethan led the assault, slashing wide arcs with his energy blade, its glow illuminating the darkened room like a beacon. The first man fell with a strangled cry, his weapon clattering to the floor. Gregory moved beside him, his fists quick and precise. He disarmed an attacker, flipping him onto his back with a grunt before landing a brutal knee strike to his ribs.
Ethan ducked under a swing and spun, his blade carving cleanly through the air. Two men fell simultaneously, their cries cut short. Another lunged at Gregory, who sidestepped effortlessly, grabbed the man's arm, and wrenched it backward until a sickening pop echoed through the room.
More attackers flooded in, but Ethan and Gregory moved like a well-oiled machine. Ethan's energy blade sang through the air, leaving glowing trails in its wake. Gregory fought with a raw, brutal efficiency—every punch, kick, and throw aimed to incapacitate.
Finally, the last man collapsed, groaning.
Gregory exhaled and glanced at Ethan with a tired smile. "Not bad."
Ethan grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."
They sprinted out of the building, the cool night air a sharp contrast to the oppressive heat inside.
Eliza's voice echoed in Ethan's mind. "Are you out?"
"Yes, I am."
"And Greg?"
"He's with me."
"I'll send coordinates to my location to your head now. Standby."
Ethan groaned. "I'd prefer it if you stayed out of my head, but sure, go ahead."
---
The trio reunited under a dense canopy of trees. Gregory smirked as he spotted Eliza crouched among the bushes.
"So, any particular reason why you're in the bushes, or do you just love the smell of leaves?"
"Shut up," Eliza muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Let's get back to the castle and plan our next move in the war against the shifters," she said.
Gregory grinned. "Oh, the war's still going on? I really hoped you would've won by now."
"Maybe we would've if you weren't too busy goofing around and actually helping us," Ethan snapped.
"Come on, you know I wouldn't make much of a difference in the fight."
"Enough!" Eliza's tone brooked no argument. "Let's just get back."
---
When they reached the castle, the sight before them froze them in place.
Weird flags—dark, unfamiliar symbols emblazoned on them—draped the walls. Shifters moved freely in and out of the castle gates, unchallenged.
Eliza stepped forward instinctively, her face pale. "What's going on?"
Ethan grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Can't you see? We can't go back there. The shifters must've used our absence to take over the castle. When we left, the castle was without its leader and that made it vulnerable. Even with you and I, our soldiers struggled to keep up. Without us, they must've been overwhelmed. We have to find somewhere else to stay."
Eliza's voice shook with frustration. "We can't just abandon the castle."
Ethan looked grim. "We couldn't take down the shifters with the help of our soldiers. I don't think we'll have better luck without them."
"We should never have left to save Gregory," Eliza whispered bitterly. "They wanted us to leave so they could take over and we did just that. I should've stayed behind to watch over my kingdom."
"It's not your fault. We can still fix this." Ethan said, turning to her. "So what do we do now?"
Eliza stared at the castle, her fists clenched. For the first time, her voice faltered.
"I don't know."
Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Shadows of Resistance
The forest loomed heavy with silence, its dense canopy blotting out the moonlight and plunging the world below into shadows. The crunch of leaves beneath their boots was the only sound as Eliza, Ethan, and Gregory trudged deeper into the woods. Each step carried the weight of their failure, the sting of their lost kingdom palpable in the cool, damp air.
At last, they stumbled upon a decrepit cabin nestled among the trees. Its walls leaned precariously, the wood blackened with age and moss creeping up its sides. Ethan pushed the door open with a creak, his hand hovering near the hilt of his blade.
"This will have to do," he said, scanning the dim interior. Dust motes danced in the weak moonlight filtering through cracks in the walls. The air smelled of damp earth and decay.
Eliza stepped inside, her gaze sweeping the room. It was a far cry from the castle's gilded halls, but it was shelter. She sank onto a rickety chair, her shoulders sagging under the weight of their defeat.
Gregory plopped down on a wooden crate, brushing cobwebs from his jacket. "Well, it's cozy. If you're into the whole haunted shack vibe."
Ethan shot him a glare. "Not the time, Greg."
"Just trying to lighten the mood, mate," Gregory muttered, raising his hands in mock surrender.
Eliza rubbed her temples, her voice soft but strained. "We need a plan. Sitting here wallowing won't fix anything."
Ethan leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. "First, we need information. The shifters didn't take the castle on a whim—they had inside help. We figure out who's behind this, we find their weakness."
Gregory leaned forward, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips. "I say we go back and sneak in. Scout out their defenses, maybe pick up a few secrets along the way."
Eliza shook her head. "It's too dangerous. If we're caught—"
"We're as good as dead anyway," Gregory cut in, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "Might as well go down swinging."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "We don't have the manpower to storm the castle, and sneaking in blind is a suicide mission. We need allies."
A voice cut through the tense air. "Allies, you say?"
The three of them sprang to their feet, weapons drawn. From the shadows at the back of the cabin, a man stepped forward. His amber eyes glinted in the dim light, and his wiry frame spoke of someone accustomed to surviving on little.
"Relax," the stranger said, raising his hands. "If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have let you make yourselves at home in my cabin."
"Your cabin?"
"Wait, you thought this cabin made itself? I know we're in a magical world but even that is a crazy thought."
Ethan's blade of energy didn't waver. "Who are you?"
"Name's Kael," he replied, leaning against the wall. "And before you start accusing me of treachery, I'm not with them. This place has been mine for years, long before your kingdom fell."
Gregory scoffed. "Convenient timing for a shifter to appear out of nowhere."
Kael chuckled humorlessly. "Believe me, if I'd known royalty was going to crash at my place, I'd have swept the floors." His expression sobered. "Look, I've been keeping my head down ever since they exiled me. But if you're serious about reclaiming your throne, I can help."
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Why would a shifter betray his own kind?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "They stopped being my kind the day they tried to execute me. Disagreeing with the leadership apparently counts as treason. When they realized I wouldn't stay silent, they banished me and told me never to return. So, believe me, I've got no love for them."
Eliza's gaze softened slightly, but her voice remained cautious. "And what do you want in return?"
Kael met her eyes steadily. "When you reclaim your kingdom—and you will—I want a place to live. Somewhere safe, where I don't have to look over my shoulder every second of the day."
Gregory snorted. "A shifter asking for sanctuary in an elf kingdom. That's rich."
Kael's expression hardened. "I'm offering you my knowledge of their patrols, their weak points, their leaders. You can either use it or die out here in the woods."
Ethan lowered his blade slightly, his brow furrowed. "How do we know we can trust you?"
"You don't," Kael admitted. "But I don't exactly have a glowing reputation with the shifters. If they find me, I'm dead. Helping you is my best shot at survival, same as yours."
The group exchanged uncertain glances. Eliza finally nodded, her tone resolute. "Fine. But if you betray us—"
"You won't live long enough to regret it," Ethan finished, his voice cold.
Kael smirked faintly. "Threats, really? I thought we were past that."
"Try betraying us first and you'll see that they're not just threats."
"Fair enough."
The cabin settled into a tense silence, each person lost in their thoughts. Eliza's mind raced with the possibilities Kael's knowledge could offer. But just as a spark of hope began to form, a low growl echoed from outside.
Ethan froze, his hand gripping his blade of pure energy. "We've got company. You called your brothers on us?"
"How was I supposed to call them? I don't have access to magic out here."
"What do we do?"
"Judging from the footsteps, there are at least seven troops there."
"Think we can take them?"
"Honestly speaking...
No."
The door started creaking open and they braced themselves for the inevitable.
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