Chapter 191: Surrender?

Lieyin laughed bitterly, watching the rider from the window. "He attacks people’s homes and then offers them mercy?"

The messenger ignored her. "General Sheng demands the surrender of the three exiled princesses. Meet his demands or have him tear down the entire fortress, it’s your choice."

Yexue immediately stepped forward. "No, we are not discussing any demands with him."

Qingyue lifted a hand, "let him speak. These people can barely call this place a home, it’s our job to protect what’s left of it." She looked at Lieyin who was ready to protest. "We brought this fight upon them, we should put a proper end to it."

The messenger continued. "You have lost the Eastern wall. The southern gate is already damaged, and your soldiers are exhausted. General Sheng does not wish to destroy Ashen Fortress, but he will do so if you refuse."

Qingyue looked around.

The fortress was already damaged, smoke rising from several buildings. The wounded were being carried through the courtyard while children were huddled inside. She could hear their frightened voices.

General Sheng was right about one thing. Her untrained soldiers were exhausted. It would be suicide to keep pushing them into battle.

Qingyue looked down at the messenger. "What happens if we surrender?"

"General Sheng will end the attack," he answered. "He will let the people live." He answered too quickly which made Qingyue’s jaw tighten.

How could she trust him to keep his word?

Lieyin stepped beside her. "You can’t seriously be considering this? We both know he has no plan to spare us. We’re dead meat the moment we throw in the towel."

Qingyue didn’t look at her. "I have to, or these people will suffer even more damage."

Lieyin’s voice almost cracked. "You don’t." Her expression was unusually pale. "He’s going to imprison us if we surrender. He could even be planning to execute."

Qingyue finally turned toward her sisters. "He’s going to kill everyone if we continue fighting." Silence settled over the space. "He’s willing to spare the people."

Ru Yi stood behind them, her fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeves. She knew exactly what Qingyue was thinking. She had watched her make the same choice countless times.

The first princess would always choose everyone else, even when it meant sacrificing herself...Especially when it meant sacrificing herself.

Ru Yi moved forward. "No. There has to be another way to stop more bloodshed that is not putting yourself at the mercy of the general." She shook her head. "I can’t let you do this."

Qingyue’s expression softened. "Ru Yi—"

"No." She looked at the other sisters, her voice trembling as she spoke again. "I can meet with him instead and find out the terms of this offer first."

Qingyue reached for her hand, Yexue quietly following the fluid movement. "I won’t let you meet him all by yourself. He’s a dangerous man."

Ru Yi stared down at their joined hands. The rings on their fingers caught the light filtering in through the window.

For one painful moment, she thought about telling them everything. What the fortune teller had told her, the nightmares...and above all, the shadow growing inside of her. But before she could make up her mind, another voice interrupted them.

"Perhaps, there’s another way."

Everyone turned to see Kael standing at the doorway. They’d forgotten about the guide in the chaos of the battle.

His dark clothes were streaked with dust, and there was blood along the edge of his sleeve. His expression was unreadable.

"What do you mean?" Qingyue asked, her hand slipping from Ru Yi’s as she turned fully to face him.

Kael didn’t answer immediately, instead his gaze settled on Ru Yi. Something about the intensity of it made Ru Yi’s stomach twist.

Kael had been watching her since the attack began. He had seen her notice the enemy banners before anyone else.

And now, after Han Shuying had announced that General Sheng had found what he was looking for, Kael seemed to be putting the pieces together. Pieces Ru Yi desperately wished he would leave as they were.

The messenger called for their attention outside the window. "General Sheng gives you one hour."

Qingyue nodded to him. "Tell him we will give him an answer soon."

The messenger bowed and turned his horse back towards the Eastern Castle.

Han Shuying sighed from where she stood. "There’s no need for you to surrender. General Sheng didn’t come to Ashen Fortress personally for you."

Lieyin’s brows furrowed. "What?"

Han Shuying’s lips parted, but before she could speak, a deep voice echoed from beyond the walls.

"You’ve spent enough time wondering, and it has left me rather afraid that you might never crack the puzzle."

Everyone froze.

General Sheng himself stepped through the door that Kael had just entered from. He stood strong in his dark armor, his posture relaxed despite all the destruction he had caused.

There was no excitement in his expression. No bloodlust. Only certainty, as though the outcome had already been decided.

In his hand was something none of them recognized.

A small black object.

It was no larger than a man’s palm, its surface smooth and almost metallic. Strange silver lines ran across it like cracks in glass, but beneath those cracks something seemed to move.

"What is that?" Qingyue asked, unable to take her eyes off it.

General Sheng smiled. "Just a little gift that your mother left behind. I only came to retrieve it, I apologize if I startled you earlier."

Qingyue’s face changed. "My mother?" She looked at Han Shuying for a brief moment.

General Sheng slowly lifted the object. "She was clever." His fingers closed around it. "But she made one mistake."

Then General Sheng’s gaze moved across the battlefield. Past Qingyue, past Yexue, and past Lieyin. Until it stopped directly on Ru Yi.

Ru Yi felt every hair on her body rise, her heart gave a violent beat. She could immediately feel the sultry cold touch of the shadow start to pool at her feet.

General Sheng smiled. "She believed she could hide the shadow from those who possess it." He nodded toward Ru Yi. "Seems like she was wrong."