Khalenhad paced back and forth, his steps kicking aside the straw that lined the floor of his cell. How long had he been down here? It'd felt like a week, but it was likely closer to three days. He'd spent the first day examining the cell. Scanning for a loose bar or corroded mortar but nothing. This place was deep below ground, not a single sign of light apart from a flickering torch at the end of the corridor, the flames weakly lapping at the shadows in a pitiful attempt to make the rest of the room visible.

There was no one else down here, not a single soul, innocent nor corrupt. This was a special place. Who for? He wasn't sure, though he could tell that the room was old, predating the empire most likely. There was some light scrawling on the wall, a tally stretching from ceiling to floor along one side of the room. Days were hard to count down here, so what ever they marked were either sleeps or meals. Neither were a good sign. Whatever this place was, its occupant had been forgotten long ago. He moved over to the clean wall, adding three marks of his own.

"Damned fool." A voice come from outside, something tapping along the floor they approached. "Assaulting the king." A bolt slid, followed by another three and it slowly swung open, Rose walking in. "What were you thinking?"

"He's working with the damned abominations." Khalenhad spat, his face twisting into a snarl.

There was a moment of silence. "Are you certain?"

He nodded. "I've read the old reports, the metal man. Either that or my blade is no longer capable of cutting the skin of the neck."

Another pause, and Rose started to chew her lip slightly. "Unexpected. More so that he didn't consult me. Concerning rather."

"Get me out of this damned cell." Khalenhad snapped. "We need to."

"We?" Rose interrupted. "I'm sorry but when you tried to strike Baleon you threw yourself under the carriage. I'm unsure whether you're to be hanged or if he'll do it in a more discrete way."

"Break me out then." He continued.

She shook her head. "I might be able to have someone killed in your place, but till then, you'll have to stay put." She finished, moving towards the door.

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?" She asked, him shaking his head before she left. "You will not die, at least not while I'm around."

There were three people stood around the table. The Huntsman was at one end, sharpening a blade, in this case a dagger. It was a habit he had developed over the past few weeks, needing to keep his hands busy. The second was The Cannibal, having swapped his armour for something lighter to wear, in this case a light shirt and dark trousers. While they fitted him physically, there was something wrong with the image, at least in the mind of the first man. The third was, most surprisingly, Drake. Having called the meeting in the first place.

"We should be pressing the advantage we have." The youngest stated, overlooking the map. "We should be striking out, not sitting around."

"We're not in charge." The Huntsman stated.

"No, but the boy has a point." The other stated.

Drake pointed to the map, in particular, the area surrounding their last conquest. "We're secure in the city, so it makes sense to continue pressing inland, or eve strike elsewhere. We can attack at any point, yet we sit around waiting for a party."

"I am also annoyed at the overlord spending more time playing dress up then fighting."

There was the sound of tutting as Lilith joined them. "My my, barely promoted and already plotting. How devious."

"This isn't plotting, this is being reasonable." The Cannibal stated, cracking his neck loudly.

"Oh no, I'm actually in agreement with you on this. Lo is a little too interested in theatrics, and a slow slog through the swamp doesn't fit that image."

"This is surprising." The Huntsman stated. "For once we're all in agreement."

"I wasn't finished." The succubus stated. "There's currently a large selection of nobles on their way to a party. I merely suggest we eliminate them on the road."

"Makes sense." Drake replied, grabbing a map the gave a closer view of the area. "It means the security at the masque will be higher.

Lilith moved next to him, putting her fingers on several points. "Here and here will be best. It's no longer a masque actually. It appears the prince is no longer lovesick, and says not being able to tell who is who is a security risk."

"Anything else?" The Huntsman asked, before putting his hand on the map as well. "Put the tunnel here. The undergrowth should provide cover."

"The estate will be on full alert for the most part. They have orders to check any woman for pointy ears or markings. "

"Anyway to sneak her or us inside before hand?" Drake asked.

Lilith shook her head. "Nearest well is outside the walls, and the gardens are far too open for us not to be spotted."

"Me and dad can take two by air. Four against a castle aren't numbers that I want."

"Have the alchemist and his brat seal the doors and open a gate in the room." The Cannibal stated.

"So, we have a plan then?" Drake asked.

"The beginning of one."

"So, what's our plan for if she does show up?" Drez asked, struggling to balance on his horse. The dwarf, Kira, and two lordlings had decided to ride ahead.

"I get the feeling it's more like when." Kira replied, also not used to riding a horse."

"Calling off the mask part was a good idea. Though I get the feeling that someone set it up on purpose as bait." Tristan began, glancing to the prince. He'd been surprisingly quiet since they'd left the capital about a week ago.

"Lo's a valuable piece, and wherever she goes the abominations show up as well." He answered back. "We take them out, we're just left with the minions."

"So, more than five dozen nobles in fancy dress, a sorceress, a set of monsters, and enough blades for everyone?" Drez chuckled. "I'm liking the sound of this."

"We need to make it so it doesn't turn into a brawl. We don't know what they're capable of so we focus on removing one target at a time." John continued. "The fours of us work as a team."

"I assume she is the biggest priority?" Kira asked.

A nod was the reply. "Drez, did you bring it?"

"Aye, I bought it." The dwarf replied. "Five shots as well."

Kira raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Something I picked up in Nordberg." Tristan replied. "Something Lo won't be able to block."

A/N Good news and bad news. The good news is that I will be focusing more on this over the summer months. The not so good news is that the first portion will be spent cleaning up early chapters as, after rereading them, I don't think some are up to scratch with spelling and grammar in a lot of places.