CHAPTER 35: THE FALL OF A BETRAYER

The silence in the chamber was suffocating, thick with the weight of unspoken words and unrelenting dread. Evelynn stood at the center, her gaze fixed upon the dim candlelight flickering against the stone walls, while Darius sat at the long wooden table, his fingers pressed together in deep contemplation. The recent revelations had cast a shadow over them all, and though they had fought off Kael's forces once again, their battle was far from over.

Selene leaned against the far wall, arms crossed tightly over her chest, her emerald eyes sharp with determination. "We have to act now," she said firmly, breaking the silence. "Lucien's betrayal has already cost us too much. If we delay, he will strike first."

Evelynn exhaled, rubbing her temples. "We don't have solid proof beyond the coded messages you found. Darius won't act without certainty."

Darius lifted his gaze, his expression grim. "You're right. Lucien is not just any soldier-he's my oldest friend, my most trusted advisor. Accusing him without undeniable proof will fracture what remains of our unity. If we turn on him too soon, it could spark division among our people when we need to be strongest."

Selene sighed, pushing off the wall. "Then we must catch him in the act."

Evelynn nodded slowly, her mind already racing with possibilities. "We lay a trap. We feed him false information-something critical, something Kael would want to know immediately. If that information reaches Kael, then we have our traitor."

Darius hesitated. "And if he doesn't take the bait?"

Selene smirked. "Then he's smarter than we thought. But I doubt he'll resist. He's played the long game, but his desperation will make him reckless. We just need to be patient."

Darius looked at Evelynn, something unreadable in his gaze. "And if it is him... what then?"

Evelynn met his stare, steel in her voice. "Then we end this."

The next evening, under the pretense of an emergency council meeting, Darius gathered his inner circle. The air was charged with tension as they sat around the great table, the glow of torches casting elongated shadows that flickered against the stone walls. Lucien was among them, his face unreadable as he listened to Darius speak.

"Kael is planning an ambush," Darius announced his tone even but laced with deception. "Scouts report movement along the western border. He's preparing for an attack within the next three days."

A murmur swept through the council, concern etched on their faces. Lucien leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "How reliable is this intelligence?"

"Reliable enough," Darius said, watching him closely. "We need to move quickly. I'm ordering reinforcements to the western front immediately."

Lucien nodded, his expression thoughtful. "A wise course of action. If Kael is moving in that direction, we must be prepared."

Evelynn stole a glance at Selene, who gave the slightest nod. The trap was set. Now, they only had to wait.

Night fell, and the castle stirred with the murmurs of those preparing for battle. Evelynn lingered in the corridors, her senses heightened. If Lucien was truly the traitor, he wouldn't waste time.

She didn't have to wait long.

A shadow moved swiftly through the halls, cloaked in darkness. Evelynn followed, keeping her footsteps silent as she tailed Lucien through the winding passages. He paused at the edge of the courtyard, glancing around before slipping into one of the side chambers. Evelynn pressed herself against the wall, listening intently.

The hushed scrape of a quill against parchment reached her ears, followed by the faint rustling of paper. A coded message, no doubt. Evelynn's breath caught as she heard the unmistakable sound of a wax seal being pressed shut. Her heart pounded. This was it.

Summoning every ounce of control, she stepped forward. "Going somewhere?"

Lucien froze. Slowly, he turned, his expression carefully schooled. "Evelynn. What are you doing here?"

She folded her arms, blocking the exit. "I could ask you the same."

For a moment, silence stretched between them, taut as a bowstring. Then, Lucien sighed, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "I was merely securing correspondence for our allies. Given the state of things, we need all the help we can get."

Evelynn arched an eyebrow. "And yet, you move in the shadows, sending messages in secrecy. Who are you truly writing to, Lucien?"

His jaw tightened. "Careful, Evelynn. Accusations like that can have consequences."

She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Only if they're false. But we both know they aren't."

Lucien's gaze darkened. "You don't understand."

"Then make me understand."

He hesitated, then exhaled sharply. "Darius is leading us to ruin. He's blinded by loyalty, unable to see that this war cannot be won through brute force alone. Kael is not our only enemy-the council itself is fractured, and divided. I did what I had to do to ensure our survival."

Evelynn felt a cold weight settle in her chest. "You betrayed us."

"I did what was necessary!" Lucien snapped. "You think Darius would ever listen? He's too caught up in honor and vengeance. But I had a plan. I was working to broker peace-true peace, not the bloodshed you and Darius seem so eager to embrace."

"By feeding our enemies information? By endangering our people?" Evelynn's voice was sharp, cutting through the night air.

Lucien's expression flickered with something regret, perhaps. "I never meant for it to go this far. But once I started... there was no way out. Kael has spies everywhere. If I had stopped, we all would have been executed in our sleep."

Evelynn's stomach twisted. "And yet, you continued. You let our people die for the illusion of control."

Lucien clenched his fists. "You think this war can be won by sheer force? Kael will never stop. But if we-"

"Enough." The voice that cut through the tension was cold and unyielding. Darius stepped from the shadows, his expression unreadable. He had heard everything.

Lucien's face paled. "Darius-"

"I trusted you," Darius said quietly. "I would have died for you. And all this time, you were the knife at my back."

Lucien's throat bobbed as he swallowed. "Darius, please. I did what I thought was right."

Darius drew his sword with deliberate slowness, the blade gleaming in the torchlight. "And I am doing what I must."

Lucien stepped back, his hands trembling. "You can't-"

"I can," Darius said, voice hollow. "And I will."

With a single motion, he drove the blade forward.

Lucien gasped, his body jerking as steel met flesh. He staggered, gripping the wound, blood spilling between his fingers. His knees buckled, and he collapsed, his breath coming in ragged, uneven gasps.

Evelynn swallowed against the lump in her throat, watching as Lucien's body stilled. The weight of his betrayal, of his death, settled over the chamber like a suffocating fog.

Darius exhaled, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword. "It's over."

But Evelynn knew better.

This was only the beginning.

To be continued...