Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

That evening brought another clandestine meeting, this time in Master Dorian's private chambers, where we could review the updated intelligence Kael had provided. The seven members of our oath-bound group gathered around his strategy table, with maps of the castle and detailed diagrams of the proposed ritual sites spread before us.
"The timing changes everything," Master Dorian said grimly after I'd shared Kael's information about the cult's actual schedule. "If their working happens during the wedding night rather than the ceremony, then our counter-ritual needs to be completely reconsidered."
"How so?" Lady Lydia asked.
"Because the magical foundations we're planning to disrupt won't exist until after the marriage is legally completed. Attempting our work during the public ceremony would be like trying to cut ropes that haven't been tied yet."
Elena raised a practical concern. "But if we wait until the wedding night, won't we lose the advantage of having hundreds of witnesses present? It will be much easier for them to eliminate us if we're acting in private."
"That's assuming we're still planning to act as a group," I said, an idea beginning to form. "But what if we split our efforts?"
Captain Marcus leaned forward. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, we use the public ceremony as a distraction while the real disruption happens elsewhere. Most of us participate in the wedding as expected, but a smaller group positions themselves to interfere with the actual ritual when it begins." I traced patterns on the map as I spoke. "The cult will be expecting trouble during the public ceremony because that's when magical workings usually happen. They won't be as prepared for interference during what they think is a private ritual."
Matthias nodded slowly. "It could work. But who stays for the ceremony and who goes after the real target?"
"I have to be present for the wedding ceremony," I said. "The marriage can't be completed without me, and if it doesn't happen, then the cult's ritual becomes impossible anyway."
"Which means you can't be part of the group that disrupts the actual working," Prince Aldric observed.
"Not necessarily. The wedding ceremony and the private ritual are hours apart. If I can get away from the reception after the public ceremony, I might be able to reach the ritual site in time to interfere."
"That's assuming you survive the public ceremony," Lady Lydia said darkly. "Lord Cassius brought fifty guards with him. If he's planning to eliminate you during the wedding, you might not make it to the reception, let alone the private ritual."
"Which is why we need contingency plans," Master Dorian said. "Multiple approaches that can succeed even if primary plans fail."
I studied the maps spread before us, considering the layout of the castle and the various locations where magical workings could be performed. "Where exactly is the private ritual supposed to take place?"
"According to my source," I said, thinking of Kael, "it's planned for the old crypt beneath the chapel. It's isolated, warded against magical detection, and has the necessary symbolic connections to death and binding."
Captain Marcus examined the architectural drawings. "The crypt has three entrances—the main staircase from the chapel, a service tunnel from the castle kitchens, and an emergency exit that connects to the old siege tunnels."
"Three ways in means three ways to approach the problem," Elena observed. "We could position people at each entrance."
"Or we could use multiple entrances to coordinate a simultaneous attack," Matthias suggested.
I was beginning to see the shape of a plan that might work. "What if we combine both approaches? Some of us focus on surviving the public ceremony and gathering intelligence about the exact timing and participants. Others position themselves near the crypt to interfere with the ritual itself.
And a third group creates diversions elsewhere in the castle to draw attention away from the real action."
"That would require splitting our forces considerably," Master Dorian warned. "Seven people divided three ways means each group has limited backup if things go wrong."
"But it also means that even if two of the three groups fail, the third might still succeed,"
Prince Aldric pointed out.
Lady Lydia raised another concern. "What about communication between the groups? If we're operating in different parts of the castle simultaneously, how do we coordinate our actions?"
I touched the skull pendant I wore around my throat, feeling the familiar weight of my mother's gift. "I can use the skull communion to maintain contact with the spirits of anyone who dies during the operation. It's not ideal, but it's better than operating completely blind."
"You're talking about using the deaths of our allies as a communication method," Captain Marcus said bluntly.
"I'm talking about using every advantage available to us, including the magical abilities that make me uniquely suited for this mission," I replied. "If someone dies, their spirit can provide intelligence about what went wrong and what the other groups need to know."
The room was quiet as everyone absorbed the grim practicality of what I was proposing. We were planning an operation where the deaths of our allies would become tactical advantages.
"All right," Master Dorian said finally. "Let's assume we proceed with this approach. How do we divide our people and responsibilities?"
I considered each person around the table, evaluating their skills and the roles they'd be most effective in.
"Prince Aldric and I have to be present for the public ceremony—there's no way around that. Lady Lydia should also be there as part of the official wedding party."
"That leaves four people for the other two groups," Elena observed.
"Master Dorian and Captain Marcus have the combat skills necessary to assault the crypt directly," I continued. "Elena and Matthias could create diversions elsewhere—Elena has access to the servant networks, and Matthias knows which noble guests are most likely to cause political chaos if properly motivated."
"And what about your mysterious source?" Lady Lydia asked. "The one who provided the intelligence about the timing change?"
I'd been hoping to avoid this particular complication, but the question was fair and the answer was relevant to our planning.
"Kael Shadowbane has offered to assist us. His skills would be useful for either the assault group or for creating diversions."
"The assassin who was hired to kill you," Captain Marcus said flatly.
"The former assassin whose contract was canceled three weeks ago," I corrected. "He's operating independently now, and his loyalty is to preventing the cult from succeeding."
"How certain are you of his loyalty?" Master Dorian asked.
"Certain enough to trust him with my life, which I'll be doing regardless of whether he's officially part of our plan or not."
Prince Aldric studied my face with uncomfortable perceptiveness. "This isn't just about tactical considerations, is it?"
"My personal feelings don't change the strategic value of having someone with his particular skills working with us rather than against us," I said, avoiding a direct answer.
"Your personal feelings might change how objectively you evaluate the risks of trusting him," Lady Lydia pointed out.
She wasn't wrong, but it was also irrelevant to our immediate situation. "The risks of not trusting him are greater than the risks of trusting him. If he wanted me dead, I would already be dead. If he wanted our mission to fail, there are a dozen ways he could sabotage us without revealing his involvement."
"And if he's playing a longer game that requires our mission to partially succeed before he betrays us?"
Matthias asked.
"Then we adapt to that betrayal when it happens," I said firmly. "But we don't sacrifice the mission's chances of success because we're afraid to accept help from someone with a complicated past."
Elena raised a different concern. "If we're including someone outside our oath-binding, how do we ensure operational security?"
"We don't tell him anything he doesn't need to know for his specific role," I replied. "And we plan for the possibility that he might betray us."
"That's not a very solid foundation for trust," Prince Aldric observed.
"No, it isn't. But it's the foundation we have, and it's better than trying to accomplish this mission without his skills."
Master Dorian spread his hands on the table, studying the maps and diagrams with professional focus.
"All right. Assuming we proceed with including Shadowbane in our planning, how do we structure the three groups?"
"Group One: Prince Aldric, Lady Lydia, and I at the public ceremony. Our job is to participate normally, while gathering intelligence and surviving any assassination attempts."
"Group Two: Master Dorian, Captain Marcus, and Kael are assaulting the crypt during the private ritual.
The job is to disrupt the magical working and eliminate as many cult members as possible."
"Group Three: Elena and Matthias creating diversions throughout the castle. Their job is to draw attention and resources away from both the ceremony and the crypt."
"And if Group Two fails to stop the ritual?" Elena asked.
"Then I break away from the reception and attempt to disrupt it myself using the skull communion abilities."
"That's assuming you survive the public ceremony and can get away from your wedding reception without being stopped," Lady Lydia said.
"Yes, it's assuming that. It's also assuming that Master Dorian and Captain Marcus can successfully assault a fortified position defended by experienced cultists, and that Elena and Matthias can create enough chaos to confuse enemies who've been planning this operation for years." I met each person's eyes in turn. "All of our assumptions might be wrong. But this is still our best chance of preventing something catastrophic."
Prince Aldric leaned back in his chair, considering the overall plan. "When do we implement this?"
"Tomorrow is the final day of preparation. The day after that is the wedding." I paused, feeling the weight of what we were committing to. "We have thirty-six hours to finalize our preparations, position ourselves, and then execute a plan that will either save both kingdoms or get us all killed."
"Those are still terrible odds," Captain Marcus observed.
"Yes, they are. But they're the only odds we have."
As the meeting broke up and everyone departed by different routes, I found myself alone with the maps and the weight of responsibility for seven lives and two kingdoms. In less than two days, we would discover whether courage and preparation were enough to overcome superior numbers and years of planning.
I touched my mother's skull pendant one more time, hoping that her spirit would be able to guide me through whatever was coming. Because if our plan failed, her bound soul would become part of the very magical working we were trying to prevent.