367 No Going Back

Ailwin lean back in his seat and looked at every single person in front of him one by one. Then he thought about all the soldiers in his army depending on his leadership.

"I believe-"

"Wait!" Mika shouted out interrupting him before he could finish.

Getting up out of her seat, she moved around the room drawing charms on the walls, floors, ceiling and windows. She then told everyone to shut off all their devices and disabled the monitors and comms in the room.

After watching Mika's precautionary measures around the room, Ailwin felt more at ease than before.

"Most of you already have guessed the suspect behind our predicament...but just to be sure, I believe our opponent is King of Kaia Kingdom, Rychell Qinvyre…" Ailwin waited to let that information sink in.

The foe they needed to protect themselves against was the ruler of the land. There was a stillness in the room as everyone knows what it means to go up against a monarch.

Rebellion.

"Ailwin, you know I will follow you on whatever you will choose to do…" Braeden spoke, "….however, are you sure on your decision? There will be no going back after this."

"Braeden, for years I have chosen to stay out of and away from anything to do with the royal family...but, this….I can't allow him to continue doing what he has been doing…" Reminding them of the evidence of the King's wrongdoings.

The experiments being done to the citizens of their country, was one that left everyone's stomachs turning.

"Are we hundred percent sure the King is the one responsible for the experiments…?" Nylian asked everybody in the room.

"Even if he doesn't hold full blame on the atrocities that took place in Rowood, it doesn't excuse the fact that he set Ailwin and the Shadow Wolves up…" Mika announced.

"...but he's your father why would he want to kill you?" Hycis asked softly.

The room again went quiet.

There was no denying the fact that King Rychell sent the Shadow Wolves to Rowood on false pretenses.

"That doesn't mean that he was the one who tried the kill us…" Nylian reasoned, looking around the room "...Can we make a decision when it might be possible he didn't know…?"

Mika just shook her head.

How long will Kaia Kingdom turn a blind eye to the King's faults…

She knew they didn't have the luxury of time to waste on what if's, the honey trees are dying. Once they stop producing honey, the whole country will be in grave danger.

Mika felt like she was reliving the last months of her past life.

Due to a few individuals, the everyone is made to suffer.

Should I tell them what Drako and I found out? Will that help them to make a decision, or will it just scare them into denial…?

Mika looked up from her thoughts and met Ailwin's eyes.

He had been staring at her since the start of the discission. He knew she was holding back information from them.

When their eyes met, Ailwin could see the frustration and anger in her eyes. All the background conversations hushed as they peered at one another.

Through their wordless exchange, she could see hesitation in his eyes.

Why is he wavering?

"….The Honey trees…." Mika's voice was loud and clear as she spoke over everybody's voices.

"What about the honey trees?" Braeden said as he glanced over at her.

Mika broken the connection with Ailwin first. Closing her eyes to gain her composure, she turned to Braeden to answer his question.

"The Honey trees are dying…" She said again.

"Yes, we know that already. Why are you bringing this up in the discussion?"

"...because the King is possibly the one responsible for it…" One by one everyone's eyes looked towards Mika.

"Is this true…?" Ailwin asked.

"Yes-"

"Wait...didn't you guys say King Rychell send his men to look for Queen Analise's tree to help with this problem?" Braeden stated, reminding everyone of the now dead Adamar and his group.

Ailwin and Nylian had been filling him in on all that had happened at Rowood City while he was comatose.

Mika composed hersels, she needed to be careful on how she explains her hypothesis to the group. She didn't want to give out too much information, weary that they might start asking questions she wouldn't be able to answer.

"The time of the recorded incidents of the honey trees dying and when the experiments began are too much of a coincidence…If the King wanted to help, why is he doing thing secretly and not with the help of the Lords. Instead, he chooses to send a whole army to an isolated and deserted city for one tree."

Mika walk to the middle of the room.

"You and Ailwin have said it yourselves, this mission was suspicious from the start….the things the King is doing is obviously for a bigger goal in mind and he has been trampling over citizens of Kaia to get it." Looking towards Celaena and Ailwin, "We already lost two cities and Gods know how many citizens to these experiments... However, imagine what will happen when the honey trees all die because of these experiments. How many citizens will die then…?"

The thought of the honey trees dying was too much of an awful future to imagine.

"You don't know if that will happen...Mikaela" Nylian said quietly.

"Actually, I do." Mika said to the room of stunned faces.

The cave in the Steeps...I knew there was another reason she was there… Braeden's eyes lit up with understanding as he look at Mika then peeked at Ailwin.

"I have been investigating the Honey trees situation…."

"Why?" Ailwin asked.

"...because of my father's orchard. The trees there are only getting worst. Soon there will be nothing left for us Fae to rely on…. If you think the starvation and sickness at the boarder is bad, think about how it will be when the rest of the country becomes the same way…"