Charlotte was livid. How could Rick disregard his life so stupidly. How could he get caught? For years they'd grown up on the streets, orphans that were nothing more than dirt on the shoes of others. Well at least that's what was shouted at them. They had learnt the hard way to be stealthy, to be quick and have multiple escape routes and despite the fact that all these things had been beaten into them he'd still gotten caught. In a brothel no less. Damn him. Damn him, damn him, damn him.

Quietly she flittered through the shadows, following the progress of Rick and his guards. Obviously, things weren't quite going according to her plan and she wasn't happy about it. All the stress was starting to make her head pound and she added that to her list of 'things to shout at Rick about', after he'd been rescued of course.

If only she'd known that this would have been the outcome of her visit she would have been a little more prepared. She had a small pistol haltered against her thigh, despite preferring swords to the brutality of guns, and her thin bladed scimitar which she was very proud to have stolen off a burly looking man dressed in black. The blade was well made and perfectly balanced for her, it was quite possibly one of her most prised possessions and she guarded it with her life just as it did hers.

Move carefully she hid her footsteps in the din of the celebratory screeches at a hanging. In a prison this life demeaning she supposed it was the only entertainment these failed criminals would get. In reality she should have probably felt a kinship with those locked away within these wall. She was, after all, what you could call a criminal herself. But she didn't get caught. Well no strictly true, she'd been caught once or twice, but always she managed to slip away like a serval. Deadly but beautiful predator, rarely seen but always noticed. Despite the direness of the situation she chuckled under her breath. If Rick got wind of her minds comparison he'd never let her live it down...well if he didn't hang that was.

She was entirely aware that in her mind she was already desensitising herself to the situation and she hated it. It meant that she didn't truly believe she could save him, and the reality of the situation was she probably couldn't. The best thing that would come out of this was she died having killed that fat warden. A savage grin rippled across her features as she imagined chocking the life out of the repulsive man. Of course she'd probably just have to shoot him, but a girl could dream.

The death caravan, made up of a collection of guards and Rick arrived at the hangmans platform, their shadow following closely behind. Charlotte scanned the area, it was open and there was thousands of eyes trained on the small arena. She kept to the shadowed alcove, pressing her body so deeply into the brickwork that she could feel the shoddiness pressing against the skin of her back. It truly was a wonder that this thing hadn't toppled to the ground yet.

Luck was seemingly on her side as the majority of eyes were focused on the movement at the centre of the clearing and those that weren't wouldn't have been able to convince the guards that a woman was slinking about in the shadows.

Keen eyes narrowed on their prey. The fat warden remained oblivious to his sudden danger as he waddled his way up the steps to his 'box seat'. Behind him, looking as disgusted as any woman would in that mans presence followed the Carnahan woman. It was now or never, darting through the shadows, Charlotte snuck up that stair behind them. Her treads were faint and barely perceptible. She was like a ghost.

By the time she'd positioned herself behind the wardens chair, the man and Carnahan woman were in deep discussion.

"I would give you one hundred pounds to spare his life." Charlotte quirked a brow in the woman's direction. Obviously her brother had made some sort of impression.

"I would pay one hundred pounds just to see him hang." A hiss of air escaped her mouth, she sounded like a deadly Egyptian asp. Both the warden and Carnahan jumped, craning their necks to search of that they were certain were snakes, or a least one. Charlotte shrunk into the shadows, pressing her self into the wall until she felt one with the shoddy brickwork. No doubt the marks that were forming against her skin would stay present longer than it took her to escape this hell hole.

The shout of his men drew the attention of the warden back to the pre-hanging set up. The Carnahan woman on the other hand remained staring into the darkened shadows. There was no chance the woman had seen her, but none the less she seemed determined that there was something hiding in the shadows. Carnahan turned back and Charlie let out a silent breath.

"Two, two hundred pounds."

As the two in front of her returned to their argument, Charlotte to the chance to peek at Rick from her new heightened position. He was standing, forlorn, having seemingly already accepted his fate. The noose was strung about his neck like a necklace, a necklace of death. If she hadn't already of been heard Charlotte would have left out a half sob, but as it was she could afford to make anymore noises. Their suspicion was already raised, any more suspicious sounds and the guards would be upon them faster than you could yell-

"Three hundred pounds."

Not quite what she was going for but all the same, faster than that she'd probably be hanging next to him.

One of Ricks guards grasped the lever for the trap door.

"Five hundred pounds!"

Charlotte's eyes had been darting between the two people in front of her. She saw the warden lay a greasy pulpous hand on the Carnahan woman's leg and cringed with her in disgust.

"And what else?"

In truth Charlotte felt like blaming Carnahan on what happened next. Repulsed she slapped away the mans hand and as a consequence the rope snapped taught as Rick dropped through the trap door.

"NO!" Two female voices shouted clearly over the roaring cheers. Charlotte, launched herself towards the edge of the wardens box, ignoring his shout of outrage as in her hast she tumbled him to the floor.

"God Rick!" Her voice caught in her throat, he wasn't dead. He wasn't dead and he was staring into her eyes, pleading as his body jerked against the rope. Hell hath no fury such as a woman scorned, and Charlotte had been more then scorned. She'd been wronged, wrong deep in her soul. Her body was almost physically rippling with power as she turned to face the Warden who'd scrambled towards the wall.

"His neck did not break! Good! Now we watch him strangle to death."

Growling she grasped the fat where she assumed his neck was and pinned him against the wall.

Next to her the Carnahan woman had gasped in surprise but now seemed to be taking the opportunity for more bargaining.

"He knows the location to Hamunaptra."

Spitting the Warden struggled to face the Carnahan woman. "You lie." It came out in a strangled choked with plenty of spittle flying in all directions. It was so digusting that Charlie almost contemplated dropping him.

"I would never."

"Are you saying this filthy godless son of a pig..." She tightened he grip slightly, digger her nails into the sweat soaked skin, "...urck!...". A small hand pressed into her arm. It was the Carnahan woman, she gave a quick glance that said 'this is the only way to save him'. Grumbling under her breath Charlotte loosened her gip slightly. "...You are telling me he knows the way to the City of the Dead."

"Yes, if you cut him down I we will give you...ten percent."

"Fifty."

"Twenty."

"Forty."

This was taking too long, Rick was running out of time.

"Thirty."

Her grip tightened.

"Twenty five."

The Carnahan woman jumped excitedly. "Done."

Sensing that they'd won Charlotte dropped the warden like a rancid piece a meat, her lip curled with disgust as she wiped her hand against her trousers. Vile man.

There was some speedily shouted Arabic and Rick dropped to the floor gasping for breath. The deal, having been sealed by Ricks life, over the man turned his weasel eyes on her.

"Who the hell do you think you are woman. You should be whipped for your insolence."

Her witty come back of 'I'd like to see you try' was cut to the quick by the Carnahan woman.

"She'd my sister, she'd a bit...ummm...temperamental."

Charlotte tried not to look affronted by the woman's save and instead, with little motivation, morphed her featured into an sinister smile. "Anyway, docks at high noon, that's when we'll leave. Come on sister, lets go get our guide."

Allowing herself to be dragged away by the Carnahan woman she sent, what could be viewed as, childish glares back at the wardens fat folded form.

"Thank god that is over. I'm Evie and I'm going to assume it was your brother down there." The woman's voice, Evie, was light and airy and lilted with a British accent. Charlie hadn't noticed with the stress of the former situation but she had the demure pretty look going for her. But there was an obvious undercurrent of steel running through her veins. Possibly a woman she could get to like.

"Charlotte O'Connell." She stuck out her hand, the warden free one. Her other hand was still slippery with, well she wasn't entirely sure and in reality she didn't want to know. "Yeah unfortunately for him, he's my brother."

By this time the two women had reached the bottom of the stairs. Waiting was the other Carnahan. "This is unfortunately my brother, Jonathan."

Jonathan perked up as she approached and tried to smooth out his clothes. "Its an absolute pleas-"

"Jonathan this is Charlotte O'Connell." Suddenly his demeanour changed to that of a scatty cat. He eyed her warily.

"You're not going to punch me are you?" Charlotte quirked a brow.

"Why would I punch you?"

"Oh no reason, come on Evie, lets get out of here." Jonathan started dragging his sister away as the guards stared suspiciously in their direction.

"Remember, the docks...high noon!" Charlie waved the woman off in affirmation she'd heard her.

Now all she had to do was find her own brother.

~oOo~

So I'm coming back to this story. I want to apologise for the extreme amount of delay but I needed a break from writing due to some family issues. This chapter is a bit of a short one to help me get back into the writing. I hope you like it none the less.