Against my better judgement, I made the last chapter in Kathryn POV. That makes it seem she's as awesome as Judith. And she isn't. And I'm not sure I'm spelling Kathryn the same way as Hilari Bell, but that looked right so I ran with it. All I know is that they call her Kathy.

"Your squire is back in town." Jack told me. "And your sisters are with him."

I tried not to flinch. I'd hoped the second letter, in which I'd told him to escort our sisters to their respective homes and go his own way, had convinced my stubborn squire to follow my orders for once.

Before I could hear another loser vs. winner speech from my captor, the trapdoor opened. The silhouette of one of the guards was crouching in the square of light.

"There's a Lady Cecil here to see you. She wants to kill Michael herself."

Jack climbed up the ladder, and I was plunged into darkness once again.

'Tis not everyday two of your least favourite people argue over which one gets to kill you. Any sliver of hope I might've had went out the window. Actually, I wished it had gone out the window. Then I would have an escape route.

Fisk would find a way. He found a way to get me out of every other hellhole I'd been in. But even as I told myself that, I heard Cecil laughing.

"This is a pretty nice place for a criminal who's supposed to be on the run. Your employer must be into the big money if you can afford cherry wood railings and…" Her voice got fainter, and footsteps followed its path away from the trapdoor.

I climbed up the ladder and pressed my ear to the hatch. Someone was struggling with the locks they'd put on it after my near-escape, and my heart soared as I realized it was Fisk who was cursing it under his breath.

Judith's voice chimed in next. "Kathryn, help Fisk with the barrel. I'll take the crossbow."

"Take my knife too." Fisk said.

She moved quietly down the hall after the other people.

Another set of footsteps and a grinding noise told me Kathryn had gotten stronger—and older—in my long absence: she had moved the barrel. "Fisk, we don't have much time. Cecil can only hold them off for so long. Use the crowbar already!" She ordered.

I had two questions for them right now: Cecil was helping them? And crowbar?

A loud thunk and then the hatch opened.

"Fisk!"

"Come on, Michael." Fisk said, grabbing my forearm and pulling me up.

"Going somewhere?" Jack asked. He was holding Judith in a headlock as she cursed and kicked at him. "I don't think so?"

Kathryn stomped her foot. "Let her go!"

"I know we're all busy trying to kill each other," Fisk said, "But I thought girls only did that in ballads."

Judith stopped struggling for a moment. "Knight, Squire, Lady? This is a ballad." She said.

"Guards!" Jack called.

Cecil rounded the corner, breathing heavily. "Good luck with that, Jack. They're busy chasing imaginary intruders up the staircases."

"All of you, get out." Judith said. "I'll hold him off."

"Hostage and crossbow win every time. Drop the weapons and I'll let her go." Jack said, taking slow steps backwards towards the door.

Just as Fisk managed to get the dagger out of his boot, twelve guards rushed in.

"The thing about winners and losers, Fisk," Jack said as we were swarmed, "Is that we always win and you always lose."