Maya cowered before Slaede, Graent, and Mara. "You know where Themyscira is?" Slaede stared at her skeptically while circling her. "And how, may I ask, were you able to do this when Raven, who is way better than you, could not?"
"I-I-I," Maya stuttered.
"Isn't obvious?" Graent sneered. "If Maya was able to find Themyscira so easily, this just proves Raven has been manipulating us. She's known where Themyscira has been all along."
"N-N-No," Maya tried to speak.
"Should have carved her face when you had the chance," Mara said.
Slaede folded his arms, his mouth in a straight line. Had Raven been playing him all along? The thought churned Slaede's stomach. I gave everything to her, and this is how she betrays me? "Gather the troops," Slaede said to his son. "Feed them. We ride at dawn."
Maya stood silently in Raven's room, biting her nails. After their initial conversation, Raven had told Maya to tell Slaede where Themyscira was. She was then supposed to tell Slaede that Raven had escaped her captors and was on her way. She'd told Slaede where Themyscira was, but Graent interrupted her before she could say tell them that Raven was on her way. She placed a hand on her bruised cheek. She had frozen in fear when Graent sneered at her. With a sigh, Maya looked out the window. The sun had just finished rising. I just hope I haven't ruined everything by keeping my mouth shut. Maya prayed Raven got here soon.
It wasn't exactly a feast, but it was not not a feast. Slaede knew the way to his soldiers' heart was their belly. Thus, the lavish meal. Looking around the open courtyard, Slaede took note of the League of Shadows members standing quietly in the shadows. He looked to his right, where Maya sat dutifully, stiffly, and quietly. Her face didn't show a single emotion. Turning to his left, he scowled at what he saw. Graent was all but forcing himself on one of the serving girls. Slaede rolled his eyes. He didn't mind what his son did or who he did it with, but "Have some decorum," Slaede muttered to himself. He turned his attention back to the fancy dinner, raising an eyebrow when one of his captains boldly strolled up the aisle, stopping a few meters from Slaede. He bowed on one knee respectfully. "Rise," Slaede commanded. The captain obeyed. "Speak," Slaede ordered.
"Sire," the captain spoke loud enough for the men to hear. Slaede tilted his head curiously, and even Graent ceased his groping. "The men and I were wondering – will the sorceress be joining us tonight?"
"The sorceress is right here," Slaede gestured to Maya.
The captain smirked. "She is not the sorceress of which I speak. She is merely a child. No, I speak of Raven."
Slaede frowned. It was an unspoken rule that Slaede was the only one allowed to call Raven by her name. He glared at the captain. "She is resting," he said through clenched teeth.
"Of course," the captain smirked, "or is it that she's no longer here?"
"Excuse me," Slaede glared.
"The sorceress hasn't been seen or heard from for days. Yet, we are supposed to blindly believe your words promising us victory? We are supposed to march on Themyscira on the word of this child," he looked at Maya in disgust. "We would like to hear directly from Raven herself."
Slaede slowly stood from his golden chair, his furor growing. "Is my word not enough?" he glowered at the captain.
The captain didn't back down. "It is not that we don't believe you, Your Majesty. It's that the sorceress, Raven, is a sort of…symbol…for good fortune."
"And?"
"Symbols are only useful when they are seen."
"This is so uncomfortable," Jhon whispered as he adjusted the top part of his bedlah.
"Stop fidgeting," Damyan whispered back, laying as a still as a statue.
"The things I do for family," Jason muttered, "do girls really wear these things? It's so uncomfortable," he adjusted his top too.
"Guys!" Viktor shouted from outside the carriage, "I can hear you! This will only work if you're quiet!"
"Easy for you to say," Jason whispered loudly, "you're not wearing a tiny shirt and skirt."
"Will you shut up!" Damyan whispered loudly.
"All of you be quiet! I'm crossing the bridge," Vicktor said.
"Here goes nothing." A few minutes later, Damyan heard Viktor say to a guard at the gate, "I have the women for King Slaede."
"The king didn't call for any women," a guard replied. Damyan watched the silhouette of another guard approach the covered wagon. The guard grabbed the curtain with his free hand.
Raven quickly adjusted her top as she dashed down the stairs, the task made more challenging by her unfamiliarity with the castle's layout. Sneaking in had proven difficult, never having been allowed to roam freely within its walls. After finding a hidden entrance and winding up in the kitchen, a place she'd never before visited, Raven had to acclimate to the iolite decorating the palace walls and the slightly toxic atmosphere, a stark contrast to the clean air she was accustomed to.
Despite the confusion of the kitchen staff upon her arrival, Raven pressed on, spending nearly an hour navigating the castle's corridors, avoiding guards, before finally stumbling upon a familiar hallway. Getting dressed without assistance had been a struggle, the intricate ties of her top proving a challenge for her limited powers, nearly causing her to ruin the garment. Now, standing before the giant doors leading to the courtyard where Slaede's soldiers were feasting, Raven whispered to herself, "Here goes nothing," before flinging the doors open.