Talia's first response to hearing that terrible news was shock. But that shock quickly turned to an instinct to help her brother and she turned to leave the throne room to order her troop to get ready for departure.

She couldn't leave Dusan to die and especially not at the hands of Deathstroke.

The second she had seen Jason's stealthy move to take down Damian's bishop right after the check, she had realized that she was being too careless with Deathstroke.

She shouldn't have made a deal with him because he had steered the situation to the point where it would greatly disadvantage the League and the blame would all fall on Talia as she was the one who had approached him first.

It was sneak attack, one that she hadn't seen coming and could cost her everything.

However, her priority right then was to go to her brother's aid and help him fight off Deathstroke.

"Where are you going?" Ra's Al Ghul's stoic voice stopped her in her tracks and she turned to face her father.

She was surprised that he didn't look in the least bothered after hearing that his son was severely injured. Nor did he seem to be affected by the plight their other base was in.

"To Cape Town," she replied, "Dusan needs our help."

"No, he does not. He can handle himself. We have no need to go there."

She clenched her hands into fists, shocked to see that Ra's wasn't eager to help his son and daughter out at the secondary base.

"But Father, he's injured and Nyssa is inexperienced when it comes to battles. Deathstroke is not a trifle to be taken lightly."

Ra's shook his head, "I know full well what that mercenary is capable of. We might be walking into a trap if we go there. We should stay at our base and prepare for a counter attack lest his legion shows up here."

She couldn't believe her ears. "So you'll just leave Dusan to fend him off on his own?"

"Yes."

The door to the throne room opened and Damian stepped in, bowing his head in respect to his mother and grandfather. But he noticed the tension between them and realized they were having an argument.

He had heard people whispering outside that the secondary base was attacked by Deathstroke so he assumed the argument was related to that.

Neither of them asked him to leave so he came to stand beside his mother and felt her hand grip his shoulder.

He could sense the anger radiating off her and her grip on his shoulder was tight, trying to overcome the fact that her hands were slightly shaking.

"My brother needs my help. I will go nevertheless," she spoke up at last, looking Ra's straight in the eye.

"You will only take your troop then," Ra's replied, sweeping a look of disdain over the mother and child, "don't come to me later saying that you got tricked."

"Trap or not, I have to go to Dusan. I can't leave him to die," she turned to leave, "come Damian, we have to prepare our troop."

"The boy will stay here," her father's fierce voice reached her again and her lips pressed together in a thin line, wanting to lash out at him. "I will not allow you to throw my grandson in the same fire you're intentionally jumping in."

She let go of Damian's shoulder, her voice cracking slightly as she replied, "so be it."

"Ummi!" Damian called out, rushing after her as she left to go to the armory, "I want to come with you. I want to help Uncle Dusan too."

"You heard your grandfather, he didn't allow you to go," she remarked, "you will have to stay here."

Spotting Jason checking the swords, she left Damian to tell him about their urgent departure.

"Gather the troop and tell them to get their weapons ready as soon as possible. We leave within an hour, without any delay."

Jason nodded and left while Damian again felt a surge of jealousy. He wanted to go to battle alongside his mother too but Ra's hadn't given him the chance to do so.

***

Dusan was injured much worse than the messenger could convey to the Demon Head and his chosen heir.

His wounds were far worse to get treated by anything other than the Lazarus pit and the reserve of the healing waters they kept at the base was already under Deathstroke's control. Nyssa had forcefully put him to rest as he couldn't fight in that state but he knew without him, it would be very easy for Deathstroke to take over the base.

He just hoped that the messenger who had been sent to Nanda Parbat would reach in time and they would dispatch a troop or two to help.

He was bleeding out despite the bandages wrapped over him, the wounds received from Deathstroke's katanas had been too deep for him to sustain. But as he was lying there in the concealed basement, hearing the clashes of swords above him, his thoughts deviated to why Deathstroke would attack their base instead of Nanda Parbat.

It was no secret that Deathstroke opposed the League but for him to choose to strike Dusan and Nyssa instead of Ra's Al Ghul's fort seemed questionable.

And then he recalled Talia's last visit to Cape Town and her insistence to meet Deathstroke. He remembered she hadn't told him the truth about their meeting and made it seem as if Ra's wanted to make an ally out of the feared mercenary.

But if Ra's really wanted to be allies with him and Talia had managed to convince him like she had told him then why was he attacking them at the moment? He had no reason to unless someone had made a deal with him against the Al Ghuls.

Back then too he had felt something wasn't right about the entire ordeal. And at the moment, he felt the same instinctive warning that something treacherous was about to happen due to Talia herself.

The clashes of swords were drawing closer and he braced himself, holding his sword close to him in case the intruders came down there as well. But his mind deviated to a morbid thought.

His jaw clenched trying to suppress the pain as well as the stab of betrayal passing through his heart.

What if Talia had made an ally out of Deathstroke but only for her own gain? What if she was using the mercenary to become the Demon Head herself?

He didn't know whether his assumption was true or not but he was shaken by the very thought of it.

Talia going up against Ra's was something he had suspected ever since their father had started to question her and Veruna's relationship. But for Talia to betray him as well for the throne was something he couldn't accept.

She was his sister, he could die to keep her safe. But if he was just another pawn on her chessboard that she was willingly going to sacrifice for the final checkmate then that was far too heartless of her.

He hoped he was wrong about that suspicion. He hoped Talia really wasn't in cohorts with Deathstroke to gain her rank by force.

But as time was running out and the enemy was gaining more of an upper hand over them, he could no longer be sure.

A troop should have arrived from Nanda Parbat to help them by then. Because if they didn't, then Deathstroke would usurp the base and eventually kill Dusan and Nyssa.

There was very little time left and he was no longer sure who to trust and who to stay wary of.

***