It was night in Heaven's Peak. Oberon poured the thick yellow fluid down the princesses throat, hearing her make a slight coughing sound. The coughing soon became choking, so he gave a forceful jab at Emily's stomach, waking her up but clearing her airway.

He slowly wandered to a chair in the corner, leaning forward and putting his hands together.. "We are going to have our conversation again. This time without the lying."

"I honestly don't know anything." Emily insisted, still acting innocently. She started to feel light headed, the world started to blur slightly.

"What did they tell you?" Oberon demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Now the world started to spin. "Wha, what have you done?"

"Several nights ago you and a young women were seen leaving the castle. You then proceeded to The Commons. Yoy are to inform me of where you were taken afterwards."

Emily started spluttering, trying to gasp for air. Her lungs felt as if they were on fire, the burning started extending its way through her body. "Please. Stop it."

"Tell me where you were taken."

"Help. Me. Please." She reached a hand towards him, trying to grab the elf's wrist but her arms suddenly felt limp. For the first time in her life, she truly felt fear.

"Tell me." Oberon commanded again, his voice becoming even more sinister.

"There was a door, The Commons, alley next to Gordon and son bakery. Left, left, right, straight, left." She rolled onto her back and started crying. Her eyes were stinging and every muscle in her body began to coil up.

"Thank you." The elf said. "When you wake up, you won't remember." Was all Emily heard before she collapsed.

Oberon stepped backwards and walked outside, shifting the guards unconscious form slightly.

Lo looked away from the light at the end of the tunnel. The walk in the half-light produced by her leaving her eyes unaccustomed to the light. She took a deep breath as The Huntsman lead the way into a large cavern, filled with people. About twenty of them wore the iron masks Lo had seen him wear, while a much larger group had their faces visible. The unmasked people looked young, the youngest being fourteen with the oldest being somewhere near twenty five. She'd left Fengir outside, letting him run across the cold sand and warning him not to eat anyone.

"I'm going to talk to some that I know will side with us, be careful until I return." The Huntsman commanded before walking off, leaving Lo. By herself. In a room full of strangers. Most of them armed. And unlike her, not glowing.

She gave a nervous gulp before drawing her hood up and walking to a group that was gathered in one of the corners. It looked to be the closest to her own age. What surprised her most was how normal they looked. Non of them had weird monster faces. She had thought they were trying to hide something but now she wasn't sure.

It seemed that the children had abilities as well. Currently there was a boy with dark brown hair stood in the centre of the group. She watched as he took a deep breath and his skin's texture shifted to form scales and his entire body changed. His back became slightly hunched, his face twisted into a set dragonic features, and his hands and feet changed as well, morphing into talons the tore through his boots. Finishing off his new form was a set of leathery wings that ended in bony points. He gave the wings an experimental flap, taking him slightly off the ground, but bashing his head against the ceiling.

"Can you do anything apart from glowing, or is your power even worse than the rest of the freak show? " Lo slowly turned around, there was a girl stood behind her. She had dark, curly that stopped just below her shoulder and lightly bronzed skin. Her eyes were a dark green, and she had a single freckle below her left one.

Her clothes were well made, designed to attract attention, well one kind of attention attention judging by the neckline. A white low cut blouse paired with a black, leather half corset and dark blue trouser. The elf suddenly felt reminded of Heaven's Peak, when people had been staring at her. At first she liked the attention but then it had worn off.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Can you do anything else or is your power that stupid?" The girl sneered.

"I'm sorry" Lo hissed back, one hand falling to her hip as she prepared a fireball in the other. "But I don't see you doing anything. "

"I'm not one of these freaks."

"Neither am I." Lo almost shouted, quickly apologising when everyone looked at her.

The girl was about to say something back when thy both heard a snorting sound come from the circle. There was a second snort before there was rush of fire coming from the dragon-boy's mouth.

The girl was going to say something but they heard another shout. "Hey, gorgeous, hooded girl, I haven't taken your money yet."

Both of them looked to see a boy about the same age as the elf. He had messy blonde hair, with a fringe that stopped just above his blue eyes. He had a small group of people gathered around him, and a pile of coins to his side.

"You two in or out?" He asked.

Lo was going to walk away before the other girl went to the boy, and she didn't want to stand out. So she followed.

The boy tossed a couple of silver into the centre and began to deal a hand to each of them. The other girl added a pair of coins as well. The mage was at a loss. She didn't have any money.

"Erm."

"The necklace, what's it made of?" He asked, holding his hand out.

Lo drew her hood back before pulling the chain over her head, making sure to put her hair over her ears. "Silver."

"Is this real?" He questioned again. Tapping the green gem set in the front. Lo wasn't certain but nodded before catching the necklace as it was passed back. "You sure you want to bet that?"

The necklace held no sentimental value, it had been given to her by Lilith, as well as some clothes that weren't her mothers. After a few minuets of examining it more closely, Lo added it to the pile.

After that they each picked up their cards, apart from him. Instead he just added a few coins to the pile. Lo gave a quick glance at her own, a king and a queen. She found it ironic.

Instead of looking at his cards, the boy laid four more down. Two aces, a king, and a queen.

"Two pairs."

"A straight." The other girls said, revealing her own cards. She reached for the money in the centre but stopped as the final player flipped over his. Two aces. He quickly swept the coins into the pile and picked up the jewellery, examining it precisely. Lo was surprised when he slid it back over to her.

"Looks better on you, and these look better in my pocket." He added, before stuffing as much money as he could into the various pouches on his trousers and bag next to him.

Lo felt someone tap her shoulder and looked to see The Huntsman, gesturing for her to follow. "I have gathered some others who are willing to join us, but they wish to see proof."

"Of what?"

"That it is the Overlord who's returned, and not an imposter."

"How can I prove that?"

"They want to see the wolf."

She paused for a minute. "Fine. Just let me lead them to her, he tends to be aggressive when I'm not around."

After a brief nod they split up, the abomination heading to a large group that had gathered in one of the far corners while she headed towards the exit tunnel. After a few minutes she came to the exit and whistled, causing Fengir to come bounding down one of the dunes.

"Hello boy." She chirped, giving him a scratch on the ear and watching his eye start to twitch in response. "Sit. Stay. Some people want to see you so no biting. Understand?" She knew he couldn't give an actual response but he tilted his head in an almost questioning way. After that she sat next to him, making a small ball of fire dance between her fingers to keep warm. That, and she was bored.

She'd started using her magic more and more. She wasn't dependant on it, she could still use a bow after all. But with Everlight, she'd realised how much power she had. Idly, she threw the small orb at the sand, watching as a small area turned to glass. She let out a giggle before doing it again, this time with a slightly bigger ball. She carried on until a whole dune began to glint in the moonlight.

"Impressive display." Lo hadn't heard the people come out, too absorbed in her own world.

The Huntsman had come out, followed by a few others. One of them stepped out from the others, wearing a mixture leather and chainmail and a pair of barbed metal whips hanging from his belt, his mask fashioned to be a boar's face.

"Hold the beast still."

Before Lo could reply several others had moved to her wolf, forcing him to the ground. She leg out a blast of lightning to try to stop them but another moved in his way and stopped it.

"He will not be harmed, he is not resisting. It is good." The newcomer said, placing his hand on Fengir's forehead. Both there eyes rolled back and then the beast fell asleep, rolling onto his side and letting off a deep throaty noise. "It is true."

"So, should we go in?" Lo asked.

"No, it might make it awkward." The Huntsman replied. Giving a quick gesture he headed inside followed by the others. She sat next to the sleeping wolf, almost lying over him. She looked to see the boy she'd gambled with earlier talking to a man who, uniquely, wasn't wearing his mask. From the looks of it they were having a small argument.

She took a small book from somewhere within her cloak, a thin time bound in dusty leather from the library. She'd found many books in there she'd never heard of, most of them contain knowledge that others had forgotten. After a few minutes she heard a huff and saw the man head onside while the other started to walk towards her.

"So," he began, slightly awkward, "what's your name?"

Lo just sat there in silence before he nudged him slightly.

"Come on."

No reply.

After a while he sighed and took one of his coins out of the bag. "Heads, you tell me, tales you don't." He tossed the piece of silver into the air, not noticing as she moved her hand. The coin froze in mid air, staying in place. After a second it started spinning, twisting and turning before shifting above the elf and dropping into her palm. The boy leaned and looked at what she'd caught.

"Heads." After a brief second she looked down before making a fist. Her companion was forced to look away as a searing light broke between her knuckles and she cast the remnants away. "What was that for?"

"Lo, my name's Lo."

"I'm Seb, but most people call me lucky."

"Shouldn't a nickname be shorter than your actual one."

"Shorter than Sebastian. Lo short for anything."

"No." Lo was tired, she couldn't be bothered with this. She just wanted to this over with.

"You normally this quiet?"

"No. Do you normally talk this much?"

"Normally, the other person talks back. Means I don't have to talk as much. So, you're not exactly one of us, are you."

That finally got her attention. "Why would you think that?" She asked, closing her book.

"Melisa told me."

"Who's that?"

"The other girl. Beautiful face; soft eyes; gifted chest."

"You could have left it at the first sentence."

"Sorry, I'd compliment you more, but you're wearing a cloak so I can't really see what's underneath."

"Do you want to know what's underneath?" Lo froze. Had she just said that. "Not like that" she added, frantically shaking her hands, " I mean, I don't wear clothes like this normally."

"What, silk dresses then?" Seb chuckled before noticing that she had started to noble on her lip. "Really? So, the Overlord pays well then."

"I don't know really. I was given them." She replied before seeing torchlight come from the tunnel. After a brief moment she watched as the group emerged. There was at least forty of them, about half wearing the masks marking them as the originals, but the rest were either her own age or above.

Lo gave a brief smile as The Huntsman returned to her side, and they began walking to the tunnel. Fengir had to be carried.

A/N Sorry it's take so long to get out a new chapter. Between exams, coursework, and plot bunnies that wouldn't go away till I'd written the basic ideas, then procrastinating. Hopefully the next chapter should be out sooner. TY for reading.