Chương 45: Plan of Temptation

With a long a willful sigh, I placed my hands on the cool wooden table that sat before me. I couldn't help staring down at the pattern of the table, slowly following the curves of the wood. Despite the room being full of angry murmurs and untrust, I found my self calm. My nerves, for the first time in the last few weeks had returned to their calm state. I knew that in my heart, what I was about to say was the right thing to do. Regardless of how Lucius felt, regardless of what was going to be said, I would follow through on my idea I had formed while waiting for everyone to gather.

Sebastion and I had decided that I would let my self get caught by the enemy. We will play right into their hands with a back up plan. We still had the communication pieces given by Atticus a long time ago. We could use them to communicate to each other and relay information back and forth. If I where to sense myself falling into a seriously dangerous situation, then Sebastion would come and break me out. After all, we have spent most of our lives living amongst the assassins. They where predictable and easily fallible. Over coming them would be a piece of cake.

The problem now, was getting everyone on board with this plan. Drake and Nicklos would be one of the hardest people to convince because of personal feelings. Lucius already thought of me as a traitor and would protest every which way. Merrick and Lola have really been to busy with palace work and sneaking around that they haven't really had a chance to understand what has fully been going on. Atticus and my team would really be the only ones who would even consider the idea if it meant that we where successful. That's what I liked about Atticus. He acted more like a military commander with experience and was easier to convince. He wasn't swayed by feelings.

A hand rested upon mine and I looked up. Sebastion was looking down on me, his face a stoic shield. But being twins and being inseparable since birth, I knew he was trying to be supportive. No matter what happened in the end, we would always be their for each other. With a half-sided smile, I cleared my throat and the murmurs quieted down. Lucius's eyes, so full of resentment and hatred, stared at me quietly, waiting to object at anything I say. The rest where quiet, tentative. Sebastion removed his hand and I stood tall, poised as I use to when waiting for commands from Malfathicus.

"Sebastion and I have proposed a plan. I know for a fact some of you won't be on board with it, and some of you may even agree with it. But before I launch into details, I need you all to understand that with my background as the General of Drakos's men, I know better than anyone how they work. I also know the ins and outs of his Kingdom like the back of my hand. I know that to some of you, my reputation is abominable and to trust me with this next plan of attack would be objectionable. I am here to tell you that I don't really care. I need you all to keep an open mind, and any other ideas are welcome to this table. Sebastion, would you take it away." I said gesturing towards the now even more displeased and silent group. Drake and Nicklos shared the same suspicious glances as Sebastion cleared his throat before staring down at the others. His eyes slowly passing over each person before speaking.

"Aria and I have agreed that in order to get out desired answers, she is willing to be captured. We will use the magic ear pieces that Atticus gave us a long time ago to gather information. If Aria at any point in time feels like she is in any dangerous situation, I will step in and preform the necessary rescue op to get her back safely. Which is where Aria's team will come in handy. Jaden, if you where to "turn in" Aria back at the base, setting up a rescue operation would be easy. Not to mention restoring his faith and trust in you immensely. You would just have to smuggle me in undetected. Do you think you could do that?" Jaden opened his mouth to reply but was cut off as Drake stood abruptly from the table. His nostrils flared angrily with Sebastion's plan. We both shared an impassive look before nonchalantly watching Drake's anger erupt in flames.

"You really think that handing Aria over to the enemy we are suppose to be fighting in really wise? We have no idea what he has in store for her. What if he just kills her on the spot? What would you do then?" He spat angrily; his fingers splayed out on the table as he leaned against it. His face was turning a light red. I scoffed at him, a little offended that he thinks I would let myself just be caught so easily. After all, I think that I proved myself in my last encounter with him that I wasn't just someone to be murdered so easily.

"Even if he wanted to kill me outright, it would still pose as a challenge. If memory serves him right, I took down almost half of his men before he caught me the last time, I rose to oppose him. Especially with Sebastion there, he couldn't even dream of killing me. It's going to take more than just him to bring me down, powers or not." Although the temptation of sinking my blade into his chest was going to be hard to fight. I mean why not get rid of the problem while it's in front of you. End the rein of this tyrannical ruler for good.

"This is absurd? How do we know that you can be trusted. What if you are just a double agent making your final report before turning against us completely?" Lucius asked, skepticism evident in his voice as he spoke. I chuckled darkly. What he fails to realize, is that if I really wanted him dead, he would already have been. I was a highly trained assassin with the blood of a blood dragon coursing through my veins. That already gave me an advantage over him. Granted I don't know how to use my magic, but I sure as hell know how to use the other abilities that required my physical strength.

"I have returned to full health, and I am at the top of my game. If I really wanted you dead, you would already be. I have spent years honing my physical capabilities not knowing what I was. Now that I do, do you really think you would last more than a second if I were a double agent?" I sneered at him. Sebastion let a small smirk spread across his face as Lucius went pale. His silence was the answer I needed to know that he was done talking. Drake on the other hand, was still not convinced entirely of this plan. He pushed a nervous hand through his black silky hair, his dark blue eyes reflecting his unease.

It was silent now, everyone mulling over quietly the plan. I mean it was sound proof. Have the people know the layout of the Kingdom, plan for the best escape route, and make sure that there were still trusted people the execute said escape route. From what I understood from Jaden, I had many respected followers. All it would take was a little coaxing and persuading and I could even build up my own army from the inside. I could even enlist the help of my old war time buddy Captain Bregus who I have always entrusted my life too.

"Drake, I know you regard Miss Aria deeply, but you have to admit this is a well thought out plan. She had ensured that there are plenty involved that can form an escape if things go south. It is just an information gathering mission. As soon as they are down, they come back here, and we can formulate a plan based on their findings." Atticus spoke up, the silence breaking and shattering the cold air around us. He eyed his worried brother warily as Drake slowly slumped down in the chair, utter defeat written upon his face. I felt my heart twang with pain as I studied him.

I didn't want to leave him like this either, but what other choice did we have. We weren't going to find anything out unless we went straight to the source. I gave a heavy sigh before slowly walking around the table until I stood behind him. He was staring at the table, a blank slate as he struggled on the inside, fighting with his emotions. Slowly I wrapped my hands around his neck, nestling my head into the crook of his neck to offer my reassurance. I pecked his cheek softly, wanting him to understand how much I cherished him.

"If I didn't think I could do this Drake, I wouldn't have even thought of doing this. But putting everything aside, this is the right thing to do. I am sure that with my presence, Darko's will pull his army out from the Kingdom, and the Princess's life will no longer be in danger. You guys can move around more freely without the worry of getting caught or civilian's getting hurt. This is the best course of action. " With a deep, and defeated sigh, he reached his hand up and placed it gently against my arm. Even if he had been against this and willed me to stay, he knew that deep down I would find my ways of escaping him and going through with this plan. There was no winning even if he really wanted to.

Nicklos said nothing as he watched us interact with each other. The longing in his eyes evident as he said nothing. Jaden cleared his throat, awkwardly drawing attention to himself. Readjusting himself in his chair, he leaned against the table and placed his arms on the surface. His brows where furrowed together in displeasure at the display of affection. I smirked at his bitter appearance. Always the protective brother.

"I have known Aria for many years. I am confident in her work and in her results. Given how arrogant and cocky Drakos can be, I have no doubts that we can have this situation handled in less than a week. With our close relationship as well, me turning her in would make Drakos extremely thrilled. I am sure he would have no problems using me to make her miserable in terms of just being there. But you must know that he is going to ask me to prove my loyalty, are you sure you can handle that?" Jaden asked quietly. The air was still, tense even as he spoke. Sebastion and I tried suppressing our laughter, but in the end we both burst out, tears filling our eyes. I let go of Drake and found my way back to the front of the table and stood next to Sebastion. He was clutching at his chest as he continued to laugh.

"How could you possibly hurt me. Even Maya's punches have more bark than yours." I snickered as his face went red, and his lips turned out into a pout. Nicklos, who had been mostly docile through this conversation, also placed a silent fist to his mouth. But it couldn't be helped. His chuckles soon turned into coughs as he tried to reign in his amusement.

"When do you want to leave General?" Alliah asked, her face stoic as she cut through the amused bouts of laughter. Clearing my throat to disturb the bouts of laughter that still threatened to escape my lips, I leveled my gaze at her.

"We leave tomorrow."

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