Betrayal

**Natalie POV**

Princess Aileen was staring blankly at me, wearing nothing but a towel, her charm necklace…and Shiuku's black mark, climbing up her arm to her heart. The blood pumping through my veins burned acid with each beat, each second. I let myself fall for her devoted and caring facade… Deceived, again.
This research scattered about the floor was pure evil. From what I read, at least twenty of Shiuku's subordinates were tested on. They all died horribly. So many lives were murdered in the pursuit of this vile discovery. Sicker than that, she documented her victims' pain and suffering, not just the results. Their agony was typed out almost joyfully like toys being played with. Well, good for Princess Aileen. I guess in this dimension, her experiments became successful using the innocent men of Vernen…Was she planning on marking our group next? Izzy, Devon, and Trevor were consistently alone with her. I had to get away from here and to them fast!
"Sit. I was hoping to speak with you, although I intended to after Izzy. Well, perhaps starting with you will be beneficial, no?"
In every training session, I only ever landed two clean blows. Using my abilities was the only chance I had to win since, apparently, what I read wasn't enough to provoke my bloodlust. This plummeting realization was just like in the other dimension. Back in that hospital bed, I realized the scary fact that I wouldn't be able to kill Trevor for all the women he tortured. Or defend myself. Only now do I see Aileen was the same way. My best chance was to blast her back with my wind and barricade her with ground.
I raised my hand but nothing. Absolutely nothing happened. Crawling under my skin like hundreds of hairy, biting, tingling spiders were fear taking hold. Once more, I attempted to knock Aileen away. Not only was nothing working, but I was becoming detached from my elements, vulnerable and hollow. Like a regular human, not even my demonic propensities were kicking in. Unadulterated fear stabbed at me. Somehow I was being drained of my abilities.
Feigning like she was oblivious to the atmosphere, Aileen reached for my hand. I slapped it away, uncaring of our social statuses. We were in her wing, away from any guards, and she was naked. That should buy me a few minutes, right? Even if the distinguished princess chased me nude, yelling for her knights, or Father, I would retain my free will till the end.
Aileen's face and demeanor didn't alter at my smack, nor did she turn her back to dress. The ignorant acting princess knew. She made sure to leave me no opening to race for Trevor.
Aileen smiled sweetly, gesturing for me to take a seat. Fear turned to panic, churning inside my stomach, making me nauseous. There had to be something I could do, even at the risk of provoking the royal family. Being forced to obey another demented demon lord was a fate worse than public execution. Never again will Izzy and I be compelled by anyone!
To my shame, hearing Aileen talk again startled me. She seemed amused about whatever she was going to tell me. A knowing smirk broke across her face.
"When I first met Trevor's true love, I despised her with every fiber of my being. I couldn't understand how such a disgusting woman could be destined to him." Again with this? "Had my dear brother been smart and talked to me, I would have figured the problem out sooner. After observing for a while, I've noticed how close the two of you are. So now the only question is how to deal with this mess Prince Trevor has found himself in."
*Don't give her an opportunity; get out!*
Grabbing a vase, I threw it as hard as I could at Aileen. In the background, I heard a crash and a grunt. The sharp scent of blood almost stopped me in my tracks. Then the image of Shiuku dominating me sent me flying out of the room. I quickly detoured to grab Izzy, but she was no longer in Aileen's wing. Praying silently, I begged God my friend was outside with Trevor. If I was truly blessed, the rest of the group would already be at the training grounds, including my nephews. Devon would keep them safe, no matter how torn he might be over his wife's betrayal. I'd hate for her to use them against her family.
"Natalie! I'm ordering you to stop right now! You have no idea what a momentous mistake you're making!" Another crashing sound resonated from where Aileen had been standing. "Sister, come back, please!"
I charged out of her wing, ignoring the sounds behind me. Pulling at my heartstrings wasn't going to work, not this time. Any distance I could gain was crucial.
The further away from Aileen's chambers I got, the more I regained my connection to the elements. Soon wind gathered below my heels, propelling me faster through the halls.
At the bottom of the last set of stairs, I sharply turned left, anxiety nipping at my heels. The gate was just up ahead. Strangely, no guard was standing idly. While there was no body, an alarming amount of blood splashed under my short leather boots. Unlike in the late Queen's courtyard, whoever had killed the man was in a rush.
On the other side of the gate, I stopped to touch the wall while calling on my ground power. Finally, some lessons from childhood returned to me. Mother had taught me to stretch my own senses through the stone. A trick she often used on assignments. Closing my eyes, I focused on reading the energies of anyone lurking in the passageway. Two…Three…Five people were intruding, and all of them radiated hostility. They surrounded a timid wave. Vaguely, I felt one dissipating aura in their direction too. It had to belong to the dead guard. His life force fading.
The only people who would be here are our group and one guard back by the gate. Something wasn't right, and I didn't have the time to figure it out. We were in danger. *We got too comfortable with the assassin taking a backseat. He was patient, an assassin's most crucial quality, and got us.*
With a shiver up my neck and bile on my tongue, I sprinted forward. Seconds later, the first trespasser saw me. "You!"
The man was skinny, malnourished, and was slow to draw the shiny gun on his thigh. One quick spin kick brought him to his knees. The cloak over his head slipped back. Sure enough, up the side of his neck to his ear was a black triangular thorned line. He dug into a pocket for a smaller gun.
How much technology was smuggled into this dimension?! And what else besides firearms might have been…No, No, NO! I had to get to Trevor or Devon now!
The man started to sit up. As he got to his feet, I saw the despair in his eyes. He wasn't marked by his free will and was not a fighter. The citizens of Vernen didn't deserve this fate, but I had to get my friends before they became casualties.
"I'm sorry," I muttered sadly.
Aiming my elbow at his large Adam's apple, the man collided headfirst into the wall behind him. Before he could try to get up, I rammed my foot into his stomach. I'd hit him harder than I wanted to in my rush. There was blood from the impact, but that should only have knocked him out. Someone was waiting for him. The wedding ring on his finger proved that. He had a family to live for.
With lead weighing in my heart, I ran further down the path. At least four others had intercepted me. Each of them met a similar fate as the first man. Only one of them was large with bulking muscles. He was the sole person without a gun. The way he swung his heavy hammer effortlessly, he was probably a blacksmith in Vernen. It took me longer, and I hurt him worse than any of the others.
"I'm sorry. I'll call for help soon." I whispered.
Five down that just left the dimming aura and the nervous one. So close to the entrance of the training grounds. Based on what Trevor had said, he should be with Devon and Princess Lydia. Which would also mean my little nephews would be with him too. I had to trust Lydia wasn't the other person Recarad laughed about. I needed her to watch Shion and Kalum while I talked to their Dad and Uncle. They didn't deserve to hear about their Mother from a relative they'd only known a couple of weeks out of the blue.
I smelt the dead body before I saw it. Spoiled meat and feces. My feet skidded as I forced myself to stop. The deceased guard's hands were blue and ice cold to the touch. Oddly there were no cuts or drawn blood. Also, I saw no fingerprints or bruises around his neck, mouth, or nose. However, on his face were splotches of red and purple. The guard's air had been cut off but a wind elemental. Not entirely helpful. Both the assassin and his second accomplice were wind elementals... So who's blood was by the gate?
A hand touched the back of my neck while I was lost in thought. A wet, trembling hand. "Izzy! You're okay!"
"Natalie...did you talk with Princess Aileen already? How… did she take it?"
"I wasn't able to. I need to talk with the others before she gets down here. Do you know who's here already?"
Izzy grabbed my hand. "Yeah…Princess Lydia and Trevor are speaking privately away from the rest of the group…Sir Ellice and Devon were instructing the little princes."
Crap, I was right.
"Izzy, leave here now. Do not go to Aileen's chambers. She's got Shiuku's mark. She's one of the traitors!"
Grief fell over my friend's face as she gripped my hand tighter. "Devon and Princess Aileen said.. they figured out who the first traitor was…I was supposed to…speak with them…before training…"
"The assassin is making his move now, knowing how close we're getting." That's why the princess and assassin deployed all these men of Vernen.
"You're right." Izzy sniffled and pulled me by the hand closer to her.
"Izzy…Wha-"
An excruciating high voltage shock coursed through my body, stunning me. Then the second wave hit, and I fell on my stomach, my body spasming. Through blurred vision, I saw a similar skin-like band from Aileen's table fall beside me. Gradually, I twitched my head enough to foggily glance up. Above me, there it was again… Shiuku's mark.
Izzy bent over, placing the taser at my neck again. Just as another bolt shot me, I heard a loud explosion coming from in front of us. Tickles of her wind power joined with the smoke coming from under the courtyard's entrance, suffocating me as I lost consciousness.
"Please, remember me for the good I did."