“Thank you, general, I shall.”
She rose from her chair, her fingers trailing over the map that covered most of the table. How to begin? Glancing around the room, her eyes settled on Lily, a question in them. The girl gave her a slight nod, clearly understanding where Josselyn needed to go with this. Josselyn held out her arm and pushed up the sleeve of her green tunic in order to reveal the black, claw marks there.
“As you're all aware, I've had these marks since birth.” She paused, glancing first at the general and then at Alex. “I have only recently, however, discovered their true meaning.” She moved around the table toward the center of the room. “I'm going to share their secrets with you now, but I must warn you, it'll be rather startling. I ask that you not draw your weapons, as you will be completely safe, I assure you.”
She looked to the general, her brows raised as she waited for his response.
“Most intriguing, Your Highness.” The general removed his sword from where it hung by his side and slid it onto the table beside her. “You have my word.”
She turned toward Alex, next, and he returned her stare for a moment, his expression unreadable before he, too, dipped his head in agreement. “Of course, Your Highness. I would trust you with my life.”
A dull ache squeezed her heart at those words, but she shook it off, needing to focus on what she was about to do.
Kella... can you hear me?
There was silence for a moment before Kella's low voice filled her head. “I'm here.”
I'm going to need you to come out, but not to fight. The people here are my allies. Can you do that?
“I'll behave, if that's what you're asking.”
Josselyn huffed out a laugh, which made the others in the room look at her as if she had two heads. She smiled weakly. Great, now they thought she was crazy. Might as well show them just how messed up she really was.
Alright, Kella, let's do this.
Josselyn took a deep breath in as heat began to pool in her belly, making its way up toward her chest. Her marks pricked with heat, as well, but the torturous pain from the first time didn't return. Dark shadows began to pour out of her chest, and she saw the general take a step backwards, swearing under his breath. They swirled together, solidifying, until Kella stood before her, her head raised with an almost regal air as she regarded the others within the room.
“This is Kella, my celestial beast, passed down through the women in my family from the original Shendri warrior, Fiona.”
She placed her hand on the cat's head, scratching her behind the ears. Kella purred as she pressed into Josselyn's hand.
“We share an energy source, so I can't keep her out for extended periods of time without passing out, but when she is out, she's a fierce warrior.” She glanced at Alex, who, surprisingly, seemed to be taking the whole thing in stride. “As Alex can attest, having seen her fight firsthand the night we fled the castle.
“Okay... so you have some kind of magical hellcat that lives inside you and turns into a ferocious warrior when you release her?” The general scrubbed a hand over his pale face. “I have to say, I didn't see that coming.” He crossed his arms over his chest, keeping a wary eye on Kella who'd settled onto the floor beside Josselyn's feet. “So how does she tie in with what you've planned? And what exactly are you planning?”
Josselyn bent down, pressing her forehead to Kella's.
“You can return now, love.”
The large cat immediately dissolved into shadows, pouring back into the princess's chest. Straightening, Josselyn clasped her hands behind her back before addressing the general's questions.
“In order to prevent an outright attack on the city's walls, someone needs to infiltrate the capital and open the gates from the inside. That will allow our army access to the Antoski and minimize any civilian interference.”
The general nodded. “An ideal situation, but rather difficult to pull off. A large contingent of soldiers wouldn't be able to sneak into the city undetected.”
“No, but one person could, especially if they had a way to scout ahead.” Josselyn could see Alex's face begin to darken, as he realized what she was about to propose. Steeling herself for the backlash that was sure to come, she continued.
“Tonight, once the sun goes down, I'll slip inside the castle grounds via my family's escape tunnel, make my way through the capital, and open the gates. If all goes well, I'll be able to get fairly close to them before I'm detected. Once I'm there, I'll release Kella to protect me while I'm getting the gate open. The soldiers won't be expecting a giant hellcat to suddenly appear out of nowhere, and their confusion will buy us some time until the army can charge through the gates and join us.”
She chanced a glance over at Alex, who looked absolutely livid. If it weren't for all of his training as a soldier, she was certain he'd be laying into her right now. As it was, it looked as if he might explode at any moment. Shifting her gaze, she saw the general looked only mildly less thunderstruck.
“You want me to send the crown princess, and only living heir to the throne, into the capital by herself? Are you insane?”
She planted her feet, her hands akimbo as she stared the general down. “First off, I won't be alone, I'll have Kella. Second, I have one additional layer of protection in the form of a scout.”
The general gave her a skeptical look. “You said you were planning to go in alone. Just who would this scout be, then? And what good are they if they aren't even going over the wall?”
Lily cleared her throat, and the general glanced at her as if only now realizing she was in the tent with them.
“That would be me, sir.”
And without waiting for him to launch into another tirade,
