"So," Eleni Cooper said as she sipped her tea. "You've finally met Emily."

George smiled. "How do ye know her? And- how do ye know I met the lass?"

Mistress Cooper shrugged, and smiled herself. "Emily has gotten into many a fight in her short time as Rogue." She grinned. "I think she has an interest in you."

George shrugged this off. "If she does, then I have t' say I'm not that interested. Amazing, yes,she is- but, I just have a feelin'..."

Eleni out down her cup. "What kind of feeling? A premonition?"

George nodded. "A premonition that she's not- th' one."

A smile played around the woman's lips. "Well, then, George, who is?"

George gave a hearty laugh. "I don't know, Mother, but I hope I find her."

~*~



"Eron Zepher?" Rispah asked, giving Emily an eyebrow. "You really believe- Eron Zepher- is going to attempt to take over the Court?"



Emily shrugged. "Who's tah know? All heh told meh was that heh was serious- and heh is serious, don't give meh that look."

Rispah tried to contain a laugh. "Eron Zepher? Emily, you've fancied him for the longest time-"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Ah'm afraid that is totally irrelevant-"

"Oh really?" Rispah cleared her throat. " 'Ah'm gonna marry Eron Zepheh, it it's thah last thing Ah do...'"

Emily covered her friend's mouth with her hand. "Oh, please! Ah'm sure that would have beehn yah, Rispah!"

Rispah nodded. "Yeah, you're right... you like my cousin, instead."

Emily choked. "Uh!"

Rispah nodded. "Exactly."

~*~



Porry Redeye looked at Eron Zepher. "You- you mean?"

Eron nodded, stroking his chin. "Yes, I do. She wouldn't agree." He sighed. "I wonder how much she knows."

Porry raised an eyebrow. "Knows about-?"

"The plan, idiot!" Eron roared. "My plan- to take over the Rogue, then Tortall."

Porry laughed stupidly. "Then what are you going to do- take over-" he coughed, still laughing,"-the world?"

Eron nodded, contemplating the idea. "You know, that couldn't be too hard... after I seize the court..."

Porry dropped to the floor, over come with laughter. "You- king- of the- world?"

Eron jumped up, holding a dagger to Porry's now frozen throat. "Is there something amusing aboutthat idea, Redeye?"

Porry frantically shook his head, going cross eyed to stare at the dagger's razor sharp edge. "No- no, not funny at- you'd be a very good king, sir- pretty king, yes, yes, very pretty king-"

Eron kicked the bumbling man in the ribs. "Shut up, you worthless excuse for a man!" He slowly walked over to his desk, tapping his foot. "Yes, if nothing goes wrong, I can easily see how my plan could make me the most powerful man ever to exist..." He turned to his servant. "But you- you have a more than sufficient part in it." He bent down, to stare the man in the eyes. Porry was rocking on the floor, mumbling about a broken rib. "Are you ready to except the challenge?"

Porry nodded, wishing that he could kill the evil Eron Zepher- but that, of course, would be a thief's suicide. "Yes- Eron Zepher, I except."

Eron nodded, slyly smiling. "Good... yes... then you can get started tomorrow." He shot him one last glance. "And don't screw up."

~*~

"Uppeh cut, loweh cut, back, stab- why aren't yah paying any antention at ahll?" a mad Emily asked George.

He pointed to a figure walking up to the tavern's door, a person they had never seen before.

Emily excused herself, deciding that it would be in her best interest to see who this man was. Following him to the bar, she tapped him on the shoulder. "Hello, sir, Ah was juhst wondering-"

The man gave her a strong punch in the cut, and one to her throat. Emily, having trouble breathing, stumbled backwards, knocking into a nearby table. The man followed her, again punching her. She saw him coming, this time, and caught his arm, twisting it behind his back. With a free hand, she cut off his own air, until he fainted after a couple of minutes. Emily let him fall to the floor, turning to the closest person- a frail looking woman. She gestured to her. "Please- fine some way tah get him tah a freeh room." She gestured to the stocky man beside her. "Yah, too- help her." She hurried off, searching for the more alert members of her court.

~*~



She shot daggers in her stare while a novice healer cared to the man's arm. "Why didn't yah see this coming?" she asked venomously to the five men and women seated before her. "Ah tell yah tah beh especially keen tah any news yah here- tah tell meh all that yah know- and Ah get the lovely surprise of one of Zepeh's best." Rispah sighed.

"Emily, it's not as if we had a notion-"

"Wehll, why not?" Emily demanded. "Is it noht yahr job tah notify meh of everything like this-"

"But we didn't even know, ourselves!" piped in a lanky man.

"We're good, Emily- but no one can out wit Eron Zepher-"

"Yes, someone cahn!" Emily stressed. "And thaht is meh!" She paced the room, shkaing her head. "I send mah best- mah strongest- mah smartest-" she shrieked in rage, stomping. She turned to the group, the healer looking in fright at the Queen. "If this happens agahn- if yah are too careless in yahr work tah risk thah lives of all of us- then Ah will beh finding new people Ah can trust tah do thah job wehll."

~*~

"Touchy, touchy," muttered the lanky man, Scholar. "She's even worse than th' last one."

"Don't be saying that, Scholar," whispered Rispah.

"Not like 'tisn't true, lass!" bellowed Lightfingers. "I have neve' in me day seen a Rogue as temperamental as Emily Cla-"

"Yes, bu' we've also neve' seen such a strong one, either," Ercole added.

"Well, I know I could do better!" Marek piped, a cocky smile on his face. "Why, if I wasn't such a gentleman, I would take the spot o' Rogue and-"

Rispah snorted. "You, gentleman? And even funnier-" the other three were laughing as well- "you,Rogue? Oh, please, Marek, I hope I never see th' day when you rule the court."

Marek held his head high. "All you have to worry about, me deary, is perfecting your spy skills. Why, if we didn' have ye women messin' up in a man's business-"

Rispah pulled out her dagger, holding it to his throat with a smile. "Care t' say that again, me gentleman?"

Ercole pulled them apart. "Really, with the lass going in smoke ev'ry time we screw up, I would think ye two would stop flirting fer ten seconds, and both work on keepin' our jobs."

Lightfingers snorted, smiling as Rispah and Marek turned red. "I don't know where ye get th' idea pretty Em would replace us, lad!" He chuckled. "She's too soft!"

"Yeah, right," muttered Scholar, who had up to that point been silent. "Abou' as soft as a rock."