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Chapter 39

“Noctom,” Reilena’s response was paused by shyness as they stood in the doorway of his room.
“Yes my dear,” his finger played along her cheek.
“You are…” a relentless girlish grin overcame her face; she was lost for words as she gazed into the dark eyes of the daemon.
He began to name a list of possibilities, “Charming, Romantic, Exquisite, unbelievable?”
Her eyes dazzled, “Yes, and much more as each day passes by.”
Noctom chuckled at her obvious dependence; he pulled her in close for a kiss but paused before they locked lips. “And as for you my dear, I find that I love you more and more with each moment we share together.”
The Reilena grew impatient with him; She was practically pouring her heart out over his looks that tantalized her over the light of the dim fire. “Please kiss me,” she whispered.
Noctom continued to tease her with his closeness. He combed his fingers though her fixed hair, his gaze burned through her very eyes. The prince possessed the shady look, that look of a man who knows his prize
“Noctom,” Her eyes danced dependently upon his next move, “kiss me, please,” she was practically begging.
He slid his fingers softly up her neck, enticing her with every moment she did not taste those lips. She pushed herself deeply within his warmth, compressing her chest into his torso.
“Reilena,” he smiled, she could not take this torture any longer, “I have to-” in an instant she caught the prince off guard, devouring his mouth in mid sentence. By this sudden action he had forgotten what he was going to say, while they were still caught in this passionate kiss, the Prince backed her over to his bed. It did not take long for them to collapse onto the sheets with Reilena’s feet still hovering over the floor. She pulled with all her strength to feel his body press into hers. His physical senses intensified. His large hands caressed every rich curve. He indulged in the kiss like a mad man. As he began to pull the corset strings lose there came a knock on the door.
“No, don’t leave,” Reilena pleaded as she held onto him for dear life.
Noctom had to push her away, “One moment,” he looked to Reilena with frustration, she was perfectly helpless on his bed with her hair slightly turning to a mess, his goal was finally met. “I will be back as quickly as I can, just…please, stay like that.” He said as he hasty fixed his hair. He gave her a kiss then ran out the door.
Reilena slowly sat up from her bed in momentary disappointment. She straightened the strands of her hair and thought of Noctom. “He will see me soon.” By this time she was use to talking out loud when now one was present. She smiled at the thought of when he would return, instantly she stood up and walked over to the mirror to see if she fixed her hair correctly. Reilena’s heart raced with love, after she was done fixing her locks, she grabbed the nearest rose in the garden of a room. As she gazed deeply in the mirror, she leisurely played with the soft rose petals, sliding them across her cheeks and lips.
As if she was reenacting a dance from the early part of the night, she began to spin in a romantic dream with her rose loosely in hand. Swirls of color blended as she watched them all rush by. She continued this girlish behavior until she was abruptly stopped by the red figure at the party.
Her heart skipped in disbelief as he grabbed her out of the spin. Instantly, she threw his hands off her. Reilena paused to regain her balance.
“I did not appreciate that, tonight, how you kept staring at me.”
The man behind the mask was still quiet. “Culture or not, it is rude and uncomforting to have that occur.”
He remained still and stood there in an angered awe.
Her eyes softened, “You can’t understand a word I say can you?”
“I can understand everything perfectly,” and with that said he removed his mask only to find the Reilena with a frozen expression of shock.
Slowly she backed up to the bed and fell when the mattress hit the soft side of her knees.
“We are going back to the woods.” He masked his anger as best as he could through this command.
With her frightened eyes she found the strength to mutter a no.
Her defiance almost made him lose control, “This is not your choice!”
“You are dead!” she screamed.
“And I stand before you now!” Deleo said in a sharp mocking tone
“You can not command me! I am the Reilena, I choose to do what I please and I please to choose here.”
He stooped down to her eye level trapping her hands under his as she sat upon the bed. “I’m taking you away from desert,” he practically spelled it out to her, “It is changing you.”
“This is my palace, I am the to be queen, you can not abduct me from my new home, my new life, my new husband. You can’t!”
He sighed in a huffing sort of way to relieve the stress and anger. She ripped her hands away from his grasp.
“I am not yours!” she screamed. Instantly she jumped up and stood high on the bed just so she could demonstrate her higher status. Reilena’s gaze lowered to his while her eyes dimmed in narrow disgust. “Murderous monster torture me no more!”
Deleo let these words die into silence; he knew he did not have much time. This was no longer a situation that was dependent on his love, though his heart hurt; he showed no signs to her. At this moment, retrieving the Reilena was strictly business.
The other two slowly came out to calm her; they had no time to handle a struggle. “Thea,” Frey softly spoke.
“Don’t call me that!” her outburst flushed her skin scarlet. “I am not her!”
Frey froze to the look in her stance that spoke of raging hate. “It is important that you come with us.”
“Don’t you ever call me that!” wildly she shrieked, if she did not look so healthy, one could mistake her for a Devine under the smoke. “I am not her!”
“You have changed worse than I thought,” Jouanpae solemnly spoke. The fire in Reilena’s eyes poisoned his heart as he trapped her attention.
Deleo caught eyes with Frey and Jouanpae. There was a pausing silence. Frey nodded while he located the mask around the back of his neck. Reilena felt the cold sweat ripple through her limbs. She knew what this meant; it had taken place before her very eyes. Lacking a mask of her own would do her no good; instead she did her second best alternative. As Deleo pulled his mask over his head, she shrieked and hollered while there was still breathable air to holler in.
As soon as Deleo held the seed between his thumb and forefinger, Reilena was instantly silenced. Slowly she sank back to the bed. “One more shriek, Thea, and we will take you limp.” His voice was dark and deep under the mask yet his eyes still burned like hers. “You have two choices, either you come quietly or we make you come quietly.” Gently he rolled the oval shaped seed between his fingertips, any more pressure and the capsule could shatter.
She could hear people shouting in the distance, all she had to do was buy time.
Her eyes quivered as they focused on the fateful object, she spoke as calmly as she could, “Deleo, I want to stay here…” she swallowed the hate filled fear lodged in her throat. “I found my place amongst these people.”
Only if they could come faster… “Deleo, Frey, I am happy here, Jouanpae, don’t you understand? I am happy.”
Frey crossed his arms, “Take in consideration that your happiness here will sweep horror across the world, many could die if you don’t come with us.”
Deleo laughed, “You make this sound like she has a choice in this matter.”
Reilena’s mouth could only drop in horror.
“Now are you going to come with us or do I have to put you to sleep?” Deleo clutched the seed tighter between his fingers.
“I will come if you put the seed away”
He consulted silently to the others while still holding his toxic seed in hand. Frey was unsure as was Jouanpae, but their dwindling time made them restless.
“I don’t trust her right now,” Frey shook his head, “but if she will come quietly by an absent seed, then by all means, put the seed back.”
“If there is one more scream though,” Jouanpae added, “then we will not hold it back.”
Suddenly Noctom rushed through the door of the room and saw the three of them surrounding the Reilena on the bed, one man he did not know the other two were quite familiar. “Reilena!”
“Noctom! Help me!” she screamed.
He pulled out his sword and dagger, “I never knew Deleo that you joined the Salgarin side. So this is where the infamous Jouanpae has been hiding, down with the washed up and ruined daemons. This is quite an interesting combination, now who are you sir, what crimes did you commit to join this outcast of a party.
Frey looked into the eyes of evil; he saw the darkness that eloped his irises hidden behind his cocksure lids. These surprisingly beautiful eyes sparked the deepest hate within Frey. “The crime I endured is only of your own, I kidnapped her to safety and took her in as my family after your murderous rampage commanded at her farm.”
Another stranger knew Noctom’s truth, intense hate flooded his heart to the one who told. Deleo possessed such a look of wronged righteousness it sickened the prince.
Noctom lunged out to Deleo, slashing at every chance he had, however Deleo was too quick. “You forced me to use this, Thea!” quickly he threw the pebble like seed to the ground near Reilena and everyone paused.
Noctom laughed as he was thrown off in disbelief, “So she forced you to use the speck!”
Instantly, Reilena took up the blanket to her face. However Noctom was not taking this seriously. It would not be long before it would spread through the room. She had to give up her consciousness in order to give him warning, if he fell victim to the sleep; there was no doubt that she would end up back in the woods with a dead husband. She removed the blanket and screamed to Noctom, “don’t breath the air, it is toxic!” it was almost an instant after she spoke she fell on the pillow of the bed.
With this realization, Noctom scrambled for his handkerchief while Deleo lunged at him. For the first time his step was off balance, his forceful strikes were limp and his guard was reduced to the sagging use of his sword.
“Where is this boastful arrogance now?” Deleo’s voice boomed underneath the metal mask. “Without your precious air you are reduced to a clumsy fool”
Noctom could not reply, his eyes only showed fear while he did his best to counter Deleo’s attacks. In fights Noctom was the one who played with his opponent, he was the predator in the fight, but now he was reduced to the prey. There was no doubt in his mind that Deleo was just toying with Noctom to feed his revenge. He could only hope that Deleo, the wronged son of Sancho, could find merci in his heart. By his mangled appearance that hope did not seem likely.
Noctom tripped and fell upon the floor; Deleo did not give him a break. The daemon pounced on the daemon in the attempt to end him once and for all. Each slash of the knife gave him an unusual pleasure, his hungering hate became more and more satisfying with every speck of blood. He did not care for the mess that splattered upon his face, or the blistering welts that formed within his hand. To know that Noctom suffered held more bliss than life itself, and it seemed that nothing else in that moment. Suddenly Noctom was able to escape out of the passionate furry, some how the prince found a way slash Deleo across the arm.
With all the movement his body endured, he struggled to get air out of the handkerchief. He was practically suffocating himself. This was prevalent through his swaggering movements and dimming eyes. He had never seen this side to Deleo; there was a fire in his strikes that could finish him off at any time. Where did he learn to use such force with such a speed? Each attack flowed like the dance of a raging flame. In each exhaling breath Deleo huffed through his teeth, there was a deathly hiss echoed behind the metal. This sound struck Noctom with such a terror. It was the breath of an uncontrollable assassin.
Noctom could take it no longer, his body was asking for too much oxygen and breathing though the piece of cloth could not satisfy him any longer. At the moment he removed the handkerchief from his mouth he was not conscious of the action. In fact he instantly put the cloth in front of his face to filter out the sleepy powder left in the air. To his surprise in that one moment where he faltered, he felt no depressant effect play on his senses. Slowly he removed the handkerchief from his mouth. He continued to watch Deleo in a humorous disbelief.
“Get another seed, Deleo.” Frey said as calmly as he could, “don’t try to be a hero in this fight.”
Deleo ignored Frey as he maintained his stance; “I’m going to destroy you for touching her like that!”
His laughter roared though the room, “Seems like your trick fell short.”
“Use another one Deleo,” Frey insisted.
“Now lets play fair,” he smoothly enquired, “man to man.”
“There are no more Frey!” Deleo could not get over their lost amount of seeds, why did the last one have to be a dud. Sharply, his attention focused again over to Noctom, “Don’t you dare preach to me about being fair.”
The prince had to turn his face away, his comment was too humorous for him to take in.
“The very corpse you own only runs with your foul and unjust blood!” Deleo hissed. The more Noctom laughed the more it angered Deleo, “perhaps I should show you how foul that blood is.
“The blood spattered upon your face looks as red and as fair as was Sancho’s when he collapsed in front of my father.”
“How dare you! Compare such an honorable man to yourself!”
In Noctom’s smile he saw the long protruding canines that characterized him as a daemon. Deleo ran his tongue over his, how could such a monster share such a similar uniqueness.
Noctom’s eyes softened as he took the sleeping Reilena into his gaze, “Look at her, isn’t she a sight to see. Can you believe she was completely wild one week ago? Now look at her, she even sleeps like a princess. It is surprising to see how quickly I have domesticated her to my own liking.” He put his finger up to his cheek in wonder, “when she first came here her traits were so animalistic, just like that one woman I killed a few years ago. Only this one here I have use for.” Slowly he walked over to the bed still intimidating Deleo with his snakelike movements. He sat on the bed beside the sleeping woman. “Looks almost innocent. No one would suspect that she was the key to the war.” Noctom began to run his soft hands though her hair, “we have grown very fond of each other, almost a divine connection like the love gods Taéyha and Ceérin. You picked out a good one this time Deleo. The more time she spends with me, the more she hates you. She is a smart one, and oh so playful. The fire in her brings out such a passion in me, I feel alive and full of power…You should feel her when she dances, not like the other stiff ones. Her gyrating hips dance my dance.” Deleo could only scream in disgust as he conjured up this image. “I can honestly say, Deleo, I love her.”
Deleo spit at his words, “You don’t know the meaning of love!”
“If you should somehow by all means win this fight, tell me honestly, what would you win? My death. But do take in consideration Deleo, how would she views you. I mean, look at you,” he laughed at Deleo’s pitiful completion composed of dirt and sunburn with sand deeply enlacing his wounds. “Do you think that she would go back to you when you look like that once she has been with me. What home do you own? Nothing as grand as this. You look foul and smell of the wild, is that appealing to her. And what is that last little thing that she brings up to me, oh yes…you killed her family!”
“That is not true! You are the one who ordered the command, I only took the life of the little boy!”
He could only chuckle as he rose from the bed, “Deleo the point I am trying to make clear to you is that the Reilena doesn’t care for you anymore. Her place is not by your side, but as a queen in this palace.”
“I should cut your tongue out for preaching such vomit!” Deleo hissed
Noctom positioned himself properly, reaching out the tip of his sword and holding the dagger behind his back “Go ahead and try…”
In an instant the two clashed, with only the fires of the room to light their passionate fight; the shadows flickered wildly on the wall. Noctom’s fighting style always had reminded him of a serpent toying with a mouse. Most of the fight was as smooth as a dance, yet in one short moment all could be lost in his venomous strike.
He had to be the mongoose
The metal between their blades inflicted sparks with each collision. Deleo dodged every deadly strike Noctom had attempted. However Noctom saw each attack that Deleo had planed for him. They were in a perfect stalemate. The force in each blow was enough to knock any man off his feet yet they were quick enough to never leave themselves open to the other. It was fire against fire.
“I will have to give you credit Deleo, as an old friend, your fighting style has improved immensely.”
“And yours seems a bit lacking.” In an instant Deleo sliced off a small lock of Noctom’s hair, a tiny section that stuck out just enough for his sword to reach.
He smiled in a sort of horrified hatred, almost in skepticism. “You will die for that!” In an instant he thrust forward the sword in a forceful blow.
One more inch and Deleo would have had a sword through his pancreas. However this shock caught Deleo in a weak position and Noctom hit the sword from his hand. Defenseless to his power Deleo tripped and had no choice but to be trapped in a position of death. Noctom tossed Deleo’s chin up with the tip of his sword.
The smirk on his face could have made his own mother sick. “This is the last time Deleo, I’m tired of you coming back to life. And I am taking your woman too. Such a sad end, just like the trend of your family, they try to be noble, but in the end they die a very vain death.”
“My parents did not die in vain!” Deleo screamed.
The sword pressed deeper into the skin, with any more force, it could punctured the soft tissues. “No, we are still in power. They died in vain.” He gazed over to the Reilena, “but you are the most pathetic of them all, you could not even protect your woman. She is mine now, the daughter of Marr and Sene at my command.”
“What you don’t realize Noctom is that she will manipulate you more that you will to her. If I know her as she has been you can’t control her, only one man can ever remotely control the Reilena and that is not you. I have seen her, she is sweet if you are sweet, but if you hurt her, she will burn you.”
He laughed not believing the words this daemon was uttering, “Deleo I do read, you know, and I know the dangers of what I hold in my hands. But you must realize what I am also. Look at these presents, this is endless sweetness. As I said I domesticated her, with this pampered life and these riches. I own her.”
Instantly he was silenced. Noctom fell to the ground joined by a shattered porcelain vase. Suffocating roses surrounded his head. The water to keep the flowers alive spread out over the floor mixing with the prince’s blood.
“Look how quickly I domesticated him,” the gruff sound came out of Jouanpae’s beard. “So tired of hearing that pompous boy babble, do you know how long I have wanted to do that?”
Frey was partly stunned and partly impressed, however his overall mood was filled with absurdity. He could only laugh at this sight.
“Now, Deleo, throw your woman over your shoulder and let’s get out of here. We don’t have much time.”
“But what about Noctom?” Deleo asked as he quickly got up from the ground.
“What about him? He’s dead, if not a blow to the head, then a trip to the inferno would do him in.” Jouanpae looked at the puddle of blood pillowing his head. “Stab him if you wish.”
And Deleo did just that, he impaled Noctom through the stomach to the floor. As soon as they began climbing out the window, Jouanpae called for Deleo to come along before the guards came in. Yet the corpse of his enemy mesmerized him, he remained unsure. “I want to take out his heart to make sure he is dead.”
“Any other time Deleo, I would let you do your sick ritual, but really we need to go.” Frey tried to reason with him a bit more, “His skull is broken in and you have impaled him, of course he is dead, now lets go.”
Deleo agreed, he just thought the death would taste sweeter than this. However the Reilena was more important, instantly he threw her over his shoulder and began to climb down the rope they had fastened to the bed.
As soon as they left, Stella moseyed in at the scene of their crime. Quickly, she pulled out his sword and threw it to the ground. Over his impaled wound, she placed her hands one on top of the other.
“If destiny desires it, it shall be done.”

Out the window, the three climbed. Despite how high it truly was, the three kept their wits about them, putting aside their fears with prideful thoughts. To think that they have destroyed Noctom, let alone saved the future fate of the world would make anyone pumped with adrenaline. This was especially true for Deleo; he had avenged his fallen family, put a better candidate on the throne, and saved the love of his life, all in one night. His pride was bursting.
“I can’t do this Deleo,” Frey scrambled to hold on, he let his foot feel the side of the wall, “the ledge cuts in down here.”
Deleo could not make out anything over his ego, or perhaps his ego chose not to listen while it was on its drug like high.
“Did you not hear me! The palace cuts in you dim wit, why did we go this way?”
“We don’t want to just saunter out of Noctom’s room do we? The ledge is thick enough Frey I climbed it often when I was a kid. It is the best way.”
“That was when you were a kid!” Suddenly Frey shrieked as he lost his footing. In Jouanpae’s opinion this shriek replicated the sound of a bear woman interrupted by a visitor who forgot to knock.
With Frey;s lost grip to the wall, the rope they were on began to rock like a lonely pendulum outside the castle walls.
“Curse you!” Deleo held on for his life fore he knew if he should drop the fate of the world would fall with him. Thea was unconscious, The Reilena, asleep. However at this perilous moment she was only a necessary dead weight suspended over the far away sands of the desert. The tallest of trees could not reach this height, three times the height of these trees may possibly reach their possession, but even that would be a far estimation.
“Here, you take her” Deleo rolled the Reilena off his arm onto Jouanpae’s shoulder. Jouanpae never thought Thea as heavy but at this time, he had second thoughts. Just within the act of catching her, he lost his firm grip on the rope, lost his breath, not to mention the shock that overtook his composure when he received her. Quickly as the rope burned down his hand, he clutched tightly onto it and fought against the force Thea brought back onto him.
“What are you doing?” the weight killed Jouanpae as he dangled over the sands.
“In finding a new route,” after he pulled his weight up several times he found a window he turned back to the others holding his finger up to his lips. Gently he brushed aside the curtains and practically slid in along his belly.
“How old does he think I am!” Jouanpae laughed with sarcastic surprise. The sweat trickled down his temple as he gazed up at Deleo’s angled feet just making their way into the window. “This should be amusing,” he muttered to himself.
“We can’t possibly go in there, we will be seen!” Frey panicky looked down for another possible approach. “There has to be some other way around the building.”
Jouanpae’s arms used muscles that laid dormant for years, “he’s already in there, might as well go along with him than to fight his stubbornness.” One arm overlapped the other as he climbed, one thought repetitively echoed in his mind as the sweat dripped down his chin, I wish she was awake to carry her own weight.
After a few steady strokes, Jouanpae reached the window, almost instantly Deleo took Thea under the arms and pulled her inside and gently rested her near the wall. He brushed her hair aside and checked her for any wounds she may have inquired.
“Any day now, Deleo I could use some help!” he became restless while he pushed to get himself into a better position. “I know you are concerned with the fates but…I’m about to plummet! And I am pretty sure I will take Frey on the way!”
Underneath Jouanpae’s voice, Frey let out a frightful scream outside that window, “Deleo get him in there now!”
Deleo jumped away from his dedication and instantly threw his arm out the window. His hand was quickly brought down by Jouanpae’s weight, Deleo’s leg pushed against the wall as he used all his strength just to get the general’s waist up to the window. Jouanpae forced his weight onto the window and came in as smoothly as his motions would let him. “that was horrible!”
Frey came in next, “it seems like the best way, in my opinion.”
How can you blatantly lie and like that,” Jouanpae snapped, “I heard you, you wailed like a woman.”
“Well at least there are no guards out there.”
“No guards...”Jouanpae sighed in a mocking sort of way, “Of Course there are no guards! Because it is dense to even think of going down that wall. I knew it was a whimsical idea, if I had have stuck to my own plan, I would have saved me my hands.”
“We were doing fine until the palace wall cut in, we need to go down a level or two and then go out the window again.”
“Absurd!” Jouanpae immediately followed, “I will never do that again. Besides I would rather die at the blade rather than falling from a senseless act.”
“It was not that bad!” Frey reasoned with not only Jouanpae but also his own fears. “Plus the entire palace will find out that Noctom is dead by the end of this very conversation, we will have hundreds looking for us inside the building. We don’t stand a chance!
“You’re not the one hulling the Reilena, I almost dropped her when Deleo passed her to me out there, we almost lost the very purpose of why we were here because of your air headed idea.”
“Hey!” Deleo’s voice silenced their bickering, while he waited by Reilena’s side he pointed to the center of the room. As they slowly turned their heads, they found that when they had came into the room; the Frey and Jouanpae had ignored the couple, who moments ago, were resting peacefully in bed. Admits their blind bickering they had forgot to check if the apartment for owners. The male’s back was pressed against the bed panel and the woman hid her mouth with the soft sheets. A scream was building up inside her, he could see it behind her glimmering eyes.
Frey reacted as fast as he could, before anyone could speak, Frey pulled the mask over his mouth, swiped out his dagger, and jumped on the bed and hovered over the two. He took advantage of the teardrop mask and its deathly sound of heavy breathing. The fire of the oil lamps flickered along the blade of his dagger and his intense blue eyes scorched the daemons who quivered under the sheets.
His breathing forcefully whisked though his mask, “Hold your woman’s tongue! Any sound to gain attention will only bring you death, however, if you cooperate, all will be fair. I have no desire to harm you, but I will not hesitate if you make it necessary.”
The man chose his words carefully, seeing that these people meant business. Though he knew they were stealing away the Reilena, he had no intention that night to play hero. The large lump in his throat impaired his speech. “l-look, we-wee mean nno trouble.”
The woman eagerly nodded with her husband, her voice failed her due to the fright. She recognized the man in the back guarding the Reilena; it was Deleo, the surviving son of Sancho. Deleo was a crazed daemon driven only by revenge, that’s what the rumors said, rumor, true or not, she was smart enough not anger a friend who had earned the respect of this wild daemon doing who knows what.
The man had enough courage to speak again “We will give you anything you want, just don’t harm my wife.”
Frey contemplated this offer, though he was at the moment a hero in his mind, the little thief screamed for greed inside him. His eyes wondered off on this thought seeing the dull chest at the far end of the room. Rustic looking chests in his experience offered many useful gifts inside, easily pawned for wines and food.
“Frey! Pay attention,” Jouanpae threw a nearby plant pot at him in order to knock him into the right sense.
Frey fell off the bed “What’s with you and throwing ceramic objects!”
“They are hard enough to make you rethink your options!” Jouanpae took out his long sword and aimed it at the man’s throat. “All we want is a little cooperation. We only mean business, nothing more.”
“What do you need to know?” the man answered.
“The fastest way out of the Adrayos with the least amount of guards,” Jouanpae demanded.
Frey quickly countered his request, “where on the outside of the building is it the easiest to get down, where is the least amount of complicated architecture.”
“Do you think that he will know that? I swear Frey…just the route of the guards and-”
“He would know that more than the schedule of the guards!” Frey argued
“What do think that these people climb the outside walls on a weekly basis, no!” Jouanpae was about to lose his temper. “Tell me, late at night what routes are the cleanest of guards.”
The man’s eyes darted from his confused wife to the two strangers who bickered amongst themselves.
“I would imagine that they would know at least where the plainest wall is on the castle, or at least one with the fewest cuts in the side.”
“Who does that, Frey! No one does that! Now hush!”
“I do!” Frey shouted
Jouanpae sighed, “of course…no one does that but you…you are odd like that. But they don’t know, I am sure of it. Now hush, and let the man speak!”
Frey and Jouanpae focused their attention suddenly to the confused man. He was lost for words. “um…i… go to the weast wing, east wing, then follow da, the main hall, down to the fifth door…”
His wife strangely gazed at him, she could only ask how he knew the path that the guards scarcely traveled by. Even Deleo popped his head up to look at this man, his description was more detailed than he expected. The sweat dripped from his already drenched hair.
“The part is dim and a guard only travels by there once every hour or two, once by the fifth door, don’t go in, just turn to the next corridor to your left, that will lead you to Levene. From there she can guide you. The most dangerous part would be getting to the east wing, but you should get by fairly easily just as long as General Jouanpae and Deleo don’t make themselves apparent and you some how hide the Reilena from sight.”
Just then someone fiddled with the lock on the door, the woman in the bed gasped in fear, not only would the guards find criminals in her room, they would also arrest her for associating herself with them. It was to her own advantage that they would not be caught.
Within an instant the door was opened and shut, to their surprise it was not a guard checking security or a maid running a mid night errand, no, instead it was the most unlikely of guests.
“Cynthia!” Frey whispered out of breath, “how did you find us?”
“Frey….” Her grin was almost sinister but curious and exhilarating, “a am a Devine, I not only know where you are in this palace, but the outcome of the whole night.”
“How will it turn out?”
“If I give you the information, I will have to reread the smoke, destiny has a way of reshaping itself once someone is told. It is the art to hold secrets, that is to be Devine.”
Jouanpae rolled his eyes, never had been a believer in the Devine practice. “So how are we going to get Thea out of here.
Everyone in the room scratched their heads at the moment.
Frey threw out an impulsive answer, “We could have her go in some sort of trunk and…drag her.”
“That would not work,” Deleo quickly answered with disbelief, “she would injure her head that way or possibly suffocate inside.”
“Not to mention what would happen if we hit any stairs…” Jouanpae added.
“Well not exactly drag,” Frey fought seeing no other possible solution, “I mean we could carry it.”
“I’m not carrying anything, besides my sword, that I know will not be wounded if I drop it.” Jouanpae still recalled the heart-pounding incident with the Reilena outside the Adrayos walls. He did not want any blame to come upon his head due to his lacking strength, he was not as strong as he use to be.
“I will carry her,” Deleo quickly added without second thought, “ Jouanpae I’m sure you could handle her though, after all we were on a rope. However the Reilena is my responsibility.”
“A trunk it is,” Frey laughed. “We will prop it a bit and we should be good.”
“It is time for us to leave, if we want to make it without the guards.” She became suspicious of the two in the bed. “Do you honor your spirits?”
“Yes your highness, we do as you please, we honor the spirits over royalty. Our allegiance is with you,” The woman in the bed answered with loyalty.
“Then practice silence when they come. I will return your trunk on a later night. Dreams of Sene bless you tonight.”
The man spoke out to Deleo, “My allegiance does not stop at the spirits but stretches to your father, to Sancho. May justice see the unseen and wisdom spread to even the wise.”
Deleo recognized the saying, but he could not quite recognize its origins. “Where did you hear that?”
The man in the bed laughed to himself, “That’s what they say.”
“They?” he was as puzzled as an adult who forgot a favored child hood melody from so long ago.
“The Rebellion, Sancho’s Rebellion, you are his son, is it not recallable?”
Deleo now could see it all come back in vivid color, the touch of his bristled hair and his proud hold on his tiny shoulders, came back like a whirlwind of air. He could now feel the shoes he had to fill. He could hear his father’s deep voice and smell the very scent of not only him but also his sweet mother. Deleo saw the image of his mother and father walking together down the Adrayos halls to attend their weekly meetings. Then like a ripple it all faded away.
“Give us your extra pillows and blankets and help us line this trunk, don’t block her air paths, I do not need her to die on me again. Now lets go we haven’t much time.”

The hall was surprisingly dim and quiet, the only noise present besides their own footing were the soft chants of the monks. Memories attacked Deleo’s mind with each step, the last time he went down this hall he was very young and accompanied by Noctom. He could only hope that the Levene would never discover that he planted Noctom’s wicked tricks. Deleo felt shame when he remembered long ago at a dinner party he had loosened the legs on her chair, everyone laughed at her when she took a dive at the table. Or the time that they cut her hair to nothing while she was dosing off to a romance book she was reading while in the library. Then there was the time where they got a hold of her corset and shaved down a section of the string to half the diameter it needed to be. A few days later her dress ripped in several places right in front of everyone all due to the snapping of her corset. He hoped she would never know he was the culprit.
“Alright this is the fourth door, at the fifth door we turn left,” Frey told himself.
“What are you looking for?” the voice came from behind them. It was a guard, and a suspicious one at that.
“uh…we were delivering this trunk to Lady Levene,” Frey explained.
“Takes two at the most to carry a trunk.” The young guard would not let them off that easy.
“Well you know” Frey talked with his hands, “…one to open doors.”
The guard examined the trunk “you know your trunk is open, the lid is not clamped shut.”
Frey acted surprised, “oh really, yes you are right it is open, here let me just…”
The guard stopped him from locking it shut, “so what exactly is in here?”
“Objects classified only for Levene to know” he blocked the guard from opening the chest. “Look, I don’t even know I just picked it up for her.”
“Open the trunk, now.” The guard eyed the object, “I said open it!”
“No, no, no, I…it is classified and she will have my head if-”
“Then tell me where you got this.” The guard was impatient.
“Excuse me!” Stella had caught up just in the nick of time. “What is going on here?”
“Your highness, I have some suspicious people delivering a package to Levene. They have too many people delivering a single trunk and they will not reveal what is inside.”
Stella scowled at the guard. “How dare you, if Levene saw you at this moment now,” Stella shook her head in disgust. “Do you think it is so humorous to harass these people? We all know Levene is on the heavy side, but do not mock her like this. Most likely the trunk is full of large dresses custom made for her weight, you know how Levene is, why are you trying to peek in there, are you going to hold up the dress and laugh at its width. Shame, shame.” Stella grew a deep hate within her eyes, “perhaps it takes more people to carry the cloth for a bigger woman. May the spirits look lowly upon you.” She shooed him away from her sight. “Now carry the trunk to Lady Levene’s room.”
Even when they started walking the guard was not convinced, “Excuse me I need to look inside that trunk, just in case, I will not mock the lady, I am merely concerned for her safety.”
Suddenly there was a defining explosion on the other side of the castle, it rumbled the very ground below them. Stella screamed at the sheer shock. “What was that?”
“I will deal with you later.” On that note the guard sprinted to the other side of the castle to find the culprits for the attack.
Once he was out of sight, Stella laughed.
“What was that?” asked Jouanpae.
A cattish grin stretched across her face, her sapphire eyes pierced his soul, “A distraction in the west wing.”

The door creaked open and broke the silence of the room. Frey gazed inside and found a flat living area decorated with two chairs sitting across from a large love seat sofa. Behind that, a case of about five long stairs cut into the room. They rose to a low-lying bed different from the average canopy. Up there a voice sounded through the room, a voice of a deep woman, her harsh experiences of life laced her words. “Who comes into my chamber?”
“Milady, this is Stella with some guests you may find interest in.”
The only light the room held came from the long flowing opening that connected the balcony to the room. Beside her bed stood a young man’s shadow.
“Oh,” she still remained in bed unable to be amused, “and who may they be.”
“I have my old friend Frey I talked to you about,” Stella spoke with a prideful tone, “I have the famous general Jouanpae by his side, along with the surviving son of Sancho, who is holding the Reilena as we speak.”
“Light the torches, now.” At that the servant struck a match and tossed it into the closest torch. She sat up in her bed as she rubbed her eyes open, and ran her thick fingers through her hair. Her servant, who was after all not a man but a woman with large arms and a bulkier frame, took torch to torch, slowly but surly lit up the room. By being in that room they found that Levene had taken a likening to the color blue, fore her floors were decorated with a royal blue tile and the curtains resembled a sky blue. The sofa was white but little pictures of precious flowers were woven in with a cobalt thread. “It is not like me to aid those in need, but since we have such a famous crowd I must. Tell me, why do you come to me?”
“Tonight is a momentous night,” Stella explained, “the king has died.”
“I thought he had the smell of death on him, Lyss practically had all her insects eating away at him. Perhaps they finally ate at the core of his black heart.” Her voice still dragged due to her drowsiness.
“We need your help getting out of the palace,” Deleo stated sternly, “We also killed Noctom with the king.”
“Then that means Caedo gets the throne. Finally, a king with worth.” As soon as Levene moved to the side of the bed her servant ran over to her side and grabbed her hand. Levene had to rock back and forth a few times before she had the momentum to get out of the bed even with help. One by one, her strong servant led Levene down the few steps, then they came round to the sofa. There she slowly fell back into the love seat, filling up any available space on the piece of furniture. “Come and sit with me,” she looked over to her servant, “Dear, pull us an extra chair.”
Frey and Jouanpae took the seats available, Deleo remained standing with Stella.
“So you spoke of the Reilena, where is she at this moment?”
“She’s in that trunk,” Frey pointed behind him.
“Our fate is put away in a trunk! Get her out this instant, boy!”
“It was the only way we could smuggle her out of here so far.” Frey slowly lifted the limp Reilena out of the trunk where she remained curled up, a pillow fell out at her removal and a blanket fell limp over the side of the trunk. “We were told to go here.”
“By whom?” she asked.
“I don’t know some man,” he laid the Reilena out on the floor, “does it matter?”
“Must have been part of the rebellion, this is a big night for the rebellion. Has this death note made its way to my rebels’ ears?
“I will go out and find as many as I can if you wish it milady,” Stella suggested.
“I want everyone in the rebellion tonight to wear a small dot, a slash any thing on their left eye to show their respect for Lord Sancho. Now go and tell them the message of the death, give them their mark and tell them to spread the word.”
“Yes, of course.” Stella answered and she immediately left the room.
“Come here,” she caught eyes with her servant. Tell Durontae to stay in the queal stalls tonight, orders from Levene, he will prepare three queals for our guest and include one for himself, he will ride them through the desert tonight.”
“Yes, I will be on my way,” she answered with haste.
“You had the Reilena in a chest, what were you thinking?” her attitude still remained drousy.
“It was his idea.” Jouanpae pointed to Frey
“I didn’t hear any better, did I,” he immediately argued back, “in fact I didn’t hear you even give a suggestion!”
“Hush now!” she became impatient, “I have a long cloth you can hide her in, long rolled spreads I could stack in ruffles over your shoulder. Then you can hide the shape of the body as you carry her.”
“That could work.” Frey nodded in agreement to her plan, “let us see those extra cloths.”
“They are in that closet left of the table with the lilies on it,” Levene closed her eyes and remembered where they where in her mind, “on the second shelf folded, get them for me.”
“Well,” Jouanpae looked to Frey, “get them.”
Frey sighed, “I swear I can’t even sit for a second.”
“Just get the blankets.”
“So what happened to Noctom, it did not seem that he would die tonight, the air is not right for it.” She was puzzled, “However, death is an unexpected guest.”
“I clubbed him over the head with his rose vase and Deleo got him in the gut, straight though in the stomach.”
“Hmmm, somehow I believe it was before his time.”
“I believe the chight deserved it,” Jouanpae remembered the brat’s bragging.
“Its not about if he deserved it yet it just seems that death has arrived early.” She became impatient, “did you find the extra cloth yet?”
“Its right here,” Frey tugged at the everlasting fabric and slowly backed away. “How long is this thing?”
“Long enough to hide the Reilena, I would also suggest that you Jouanpae and Deleo take hats or hoods, your faces may be recalled easily, especially your hair and ears. Perhaps even cutting hair would help.”
At that Jouanpae scowled at Levene.
She laughed, “just a suggestion. Well looking at tonight’s situation…the back and secret stair cases are going to be guarded heavily, take the normal ramp for the best stealth.” Levene grew impatient, or at least nervous housing the three who killed the king, “The longer you wait the more guards you will encounter. You must hurry you haven’t all night.”
Frey rushed to wrap the Reilena while the other two composed an outfit out of whatever they could find in the closet. Before she knew it they looked like average civilians.
“The rebellion will guide you on your journey, may the spirits hold you in their embrace. Good bye Deleo, I hope to see you again in the future not as a criminal, but as a hero near the throne.”

Jouanpae carried the Reilena over his shoulder within the bustles of the cloth, he could only hope that no one would notice him as the general. Jouanpae was too stubborn to shave his beard but instead he used some of the cloth to wrap around his neck. He covered his head with a hat similar to Deleo’s but only his was to hide hair, rather than ears.
In Salgaria their halls were not as tall as this, instead they were much more round and quite shorter, much less dim. Of course everything in Salgaria had to be bright, in the night the lights would burn throughout the course of the darkness until the sun would peak over the horizon. A weary night traveler could always spot a Salgarin city from miles away. It was like a fallen star in the night. Though the city was bright it was always plain. After seeing this palace, he figured Salgaria was a good place for a man his age. The Adrayos was overwhelmingly large and complicated with its intricate hallways and steep staircases, not to mention its overwhelming darkness. These halls were so dark without torches; Jouanpae’s green eyes began to peer out from the shadows.
It wasn’t long before they found a light at the end of the tunnel outside the passageway, they found themselves at the core of the castle; they were on the spiraling ramp. Slowly, they sauntered down the path. Levene said that the tailors were on the first floor; all they had to do was make it to that floor and enter the queal stalls, then everything would be fine. While traveling down the floors, odd looks were passed upon them but the three just continued on by before anyone noticed their faces. A few stopped them in their tracks to ask what the cloth was going to be used for, no matter how many ways they explained it, once they mentioned Levene, they became embarrassed and ashamed of themselves for asking.
That worked on everyone except for one man, that very guard they encountered before came by more suspicious than ever. And this time, he brought a friend.
“I told you we would meet again,” The young guard said with a smirk.
“What do you want now,” Jouanpae turned with agitation, “can’t you see we are delivering a dress.”
“Oh I just was surprised I bumped into you three again.”
“You did not bump into us, you have been following us ever since we left the seventh floor,” Deleo wanted no interruptions and he knew this guy was trouble.
“Ho, ho, look at this observant one.” The two of them laughed, “look,” one guard mocked, “its our job to watch people like you. If you have nothing to hide then you are free to go, but it looks as if you have something you are nervous about. Were you related to the explosion in the west tower.”
“No.”
“Don’t lie,” the other guard laughed, “obviously he did it. He did not question anything. If you did not do it then you would be concerned and confused.”
“And maybe I have no empathy to your kind or idiocy to that nerve wrecking explosion. I gave you that answer because I don’t like accusations for crimes I did not commit.” Deleo was on his last straw, if the guard said one more word, he would have ripped his jawbone from his face.
Frey read this in Deleo’s movements, “look we are just trying to get to the tailor as fast as we can, Levene wants a new dress for the breakfast with the Reilena. She doesn’t like the one she has, you know how she gets. So right now we are at our wits end over this dress deal. Every moment is crucial to the tailor tonight so please, move out of the way or else.
“Oh, look at this one, hey I really think they are up to something.”
“This one looks familiar in a foul sort of way, but I can’t place his name. I don’t trust him.” his friend eyed the other, half way with peculiarity, half way with a grin. “You’re right. They must be hiding something, why don’t you let us have a look-see under that cloth.”
Jouanpae could stand this no longer, as the second guard came near the cloth, the general held the Reilena with an opposite hand and elbowed the peeping guard in the eyebrow with his burly right arm.
In the flash of second, the guard was sent fumbling backwards with his armor causing a clamoring clash onto the ground. The marble was splattered with red. The guard screamed bloody murder as he held his gushing wound. About he went flaying his arms and legs, as if he was physically fighting off his own pain.
Jouanpae forgot how sharp the elbows really were.
Frey tried desperately to keep his two friends from causing total mayhem. “So, so, sorry, he has a convulsion problem, he doesn’t like strangers. Did he hit him in the eye? I’m so sorry.”
The original guard was infuriated as he aided the friend by giving him a handkerchief for his wound, “The brow. Better thank your friend for his bad aim, if he would have hit the eye, you would all be dead.”
“Look we will just leave so we will not cause too much trouble. So sorry about the wound.” surprisingly the guard was so obsessed with his friend that he took no notice that they were leaving until they were several feet off. The guard would have stayed to help his friend for the rest of the night if one fault did not fall upon them at the moment.
“Well blind the spirits! That’s Jouanpae, the General Jouanpae! He disappeared from Salgaria years ago!” When the guard did gaze at the three traveling down the ramp, their luck had failed them. The cloth exposed a delicately limp hand hanging down the back of Jouanpae.
“Blind the spirits indeed! That’s a body he’s hauling!
Instantly the guard took out his curved sword and held it to the three. “Open the cloth, now!”
The three turned around slowly with their hands exposed. “Will this man never quit?” Deleo mumbled only for the other two to make out.
“Who did you kill, Jouanpae!” the guard shrieked in shock. He only suspected these civilians of theft, however it was pure murder from a Salgarin.
“Kill?”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” he screamed, “I knew you were suspicious from the start, I could smell it in your stench,” the cold sweat trickled down from the guard’s forehead. “Lets see the body!”
Jouanpae looked to Deleo in confusion, his word ruled his actions. The quickest consequences ran through his daemon brain in a split second. They could easily unwrap that cloth and show him the Reilena, but more than likely he would recognize who and what she was. Then the entire palace would be after him. The next option was to gas him with the seeds, however due to their lack of seeds, they ran out of this option back in Noctom’s room. They were only left with one alternative, that was to leave her hidden but that comes at the cost of a life
Deleo caught eyes with Jouanpae, “we need to silence him.”
Jouanpae eyes flashed with a fearful disbelief, “What?”
“Do you think you could take me down that quickly old man,” the guard laughed with arrogance, “My father was a guard and my mother was a Sendrah, don’t be too sure of yourselves, I have a the movement of a cat but the mind of a Devine. Best you show the body in the blanket if you want mercy.”
Deleo’s hair began to bristle up, two bodies in one night were already overdosing his taste for blood, but they had no choice but to kill him. The daemon knew this was dangerous to his health.
Jouanpae was ready as he drew out his old and reliable sword, in a way his excitement grew as he relived his warrior days. “Come at me then!”
At that the guard sprinted for his battle, the young one had his senses sharpened and adrenaline rushing through his veins. There was a sudden spark as the two swords collided; the guard was able to use as much force as Jouanpae leaving their weapons at a momentary stalemate. Again there was another clash, and another. With each collision the young guard became weaker as Jouanpae recalled his original strength. The guard tried to use speed but that made his attacks loose their force, Jouanpae parried them with ease as the time passed. The original Jouanpae transformed before their eyes, from being a sweet old man to a guru general. He could feel the justice within him as he fought; the pride boiled his heart with each strike. His movements were perfect until the end when he had fallen over his own feet.
The guard laughed as Jouanpae swung his sword side to side using only his arm. “Looks like the tables have turned Salgarin!” he used his weapon to knock the sword out of Jouanpae hands, it spun near the edge of the rail on the spiral ramp. “I warned you not to mess with me, now look where you are.”
Jouanpae saw Deleo make his move. He laughed, “You should look where you are, my friend.”
In that moment of confusion Deleo was able to snatch the guard from his towering stance and jab him in the back with his dagger. It punctured his lung. The sudden stab made him gasp in shock; Deleo swung around from his back and stuck him in the stomach. The guard’s pupils shrunk down as he stared into the golden eyes of death. Within an instant Deleo ripped back the guard’s helmet, held his blond hair and sliced the exposed throat. Once he made the guard a fountain he threw him aside, next he caught eyes with the other guard with the wounded brow. Deleo’s walk was heavy and deadly.
The guard could not take in the moment as his friend bled to death, His fate was soon also to be sealed. He tried to get away before he was grabbed but it was too late. The Daemon took the wounded guard up by his neck and pinned his gaze with his. “Keep quiet if you want to keep your life. Tell no one of this or else I will do away with you like your friend.”
He could only mutter in fear as he struggled to get Deleo’s strangling hold off him. The guard saw the daemon for what he was, a burning soul who had no conscience to kill as long as he had his way. Through the years the revenge buried its germinating roots deeply into his muscles, so deep that death could be his only cleanser. However Deleo found sympathy within his heart to spare this guard who interfered with his night. He tossed the guard aside. Before he could gather his composure to run, he scurried away in a crabwalk sort of way, franticly scuttling on his bear palms.
Frey was disturbed as the guard, but for different reasons. “What are we going to do with the body? The palace will be up in arms when they see a guard dead. We will have to wrap him up too.”
Deleo’s thirst for blood mixing with the thought of the Reilena sent him into a quiver. He could still feel the power in his veins but the good side of his heart beat too soft for that blood. “We are not going to put that scum inside the same blanket as Thea,” Deleo panicked.
“Well you should have thought of that before you killed him,” Frey raised his voice, “I can’t believe this.”
“What else was I suppose to do? Let the whole Sendrah Squad know, one guard or our lives, which is it!”
“I say we do what had to be done just hurry before we are seen.” Jouanpae rocked to get off his back and to get on his feet.
“I’ll take the body,” Caedo appeared, “Anything to help out Nasha’s son. I will take him down to the incinerator.”
Cold shock shook Jouanpae, “Perhaps it would help if you could find the Reilena.”
“What!” Deleo’s eyes searched franticly, “Where is she!”
“She’s gone, cloth and everything!”
There was a moment of disbelief they only had turned around for a second and she was gone, the silence of the confusion seemed as if it had lasted half an hour even though in reality it was about as long as a ten worded conversation.
“But no one came by at all!” Deleo was still thunderstruck.
“What are we going to do!” the panic took every ounce of breath Frey had.
“I didn’t see anything, nothing at all!” Deleo soon grew full of rage. “How could you two be so irresponsible, I take care of two guards and you let the Reilena go away? I do everything around here and you let the our soul purpose for being here get kidnapped away again!”
Frey avoided his eyes. He had no excuse, he was just so mesmerized by Deleo in action, that he forgot to watch the dormant Thea.
“I can’t believe this!” he slapped his hands against his legs due to the stressful situation; franticly he ran his hands through his hair. Pacing back and forth he repetitively mumbled to himself, “Just slipped away…”
“Time to start looking!” Jouanpae ordered, Frey you go down that staircase, I will continue to go up and Deleo can go down those are the only three paths, the culprit has got to be on one of them.”

“Great idea,” Frey hopped down the staircase and made a sharp turn around the handle to the next flight. “Lets have Frey explore the part of the palace he doesn’t know! First a few deaths and now this, I don’t know how much I can handle in one night.”
A guard came walking up the staircase, with his watchful eyes, he skimmed over Frey’s character to see if he was up to anything. Frey glanced him a smile and nodded a hello. The guard returned the nod and moved on with a mutter of “g’evening.”
And that was that, “Now why was it so hard to get past those two. Oh the trouble we will be in.”
The stairs were very dark as he went from floor to floor; the only light to illuminate these dim staircases was a pathetic candle struggling to grow. Only one was placed at the ending of each flight turning to the next. He depended on the light from the archways of the core room, but that only appeared every four flights.
Perhaps it was more lit in the day by a hidden window at the top of the stairs, Frey wondered as he peered up through the opening in the flights as he hugged the edge railing. It seemed endless, whichever way one chose to look in that vertical room.
Suddenly as if by some miracle, he saw a shadow move in front of that dim candlelight. Within that instant he chased after the shadow that had no physical body. He broke the candle stick by yanking it out of the cove in the wall, part of it dangled by the unburned wick as he ran down the stairs. “Hey you!” but the shadow did not appear to run too fast from him, in fact it sauntered on buy without taking note to him, within that shadow was a person held in a long cloth. This spectrum had the Reilena.
Frey could do nothing while this creature held tight onto the Reilena. He could only chase it as it went down the steps, “Listen to me foul beast that is my sister in the cloth you are holding, unhand her before the Spirit of Ogen sees your injustice.”
The odd phantom creature reached its hand behind Frey and continued to walk on without listening.
“Have you no concept of family, the spirits will curse you if you keep this up.” He rushed down the stairs and began to become lightheaded. “What would Nakiyah think, please you must returned her to me. Do you not know of the pain of a broken family.” By this time he was about to float on those stairs. The spectrum became more visible as the minutes passed; this phantom had a feminine figure about her, dark hair curled slightly past her breasts. Her skin was as pail as virgin sand on a moon lit beach, and her eyes were dilated and dark contrasting the whiteness of her skin. In fact this phantom was no beast but an extraordinary beauty. She smiled with her hand on his shoulder and together they walked as if they were tiptoeing on air.
Frey knew this feeling, only it was much stronger than Caedo’s forming into the shadow. He could see the solid objects around him burn from the blackness, as if they were being corroded by acid and falling up to the ceiling.
She spoke with a softness smother than velvet; “I am taking your sweet sister down to meet Durontae in the queal stalls. This is taken care of, honey, now go and aid your friends that are in trouble, before you have no friends at all.”
Suddenly she let go. All there was to see was the darkness that engulfed the room before. Without thinking he ran up the steps aiming to the very door he started at. The stairs pushed upon his legs with each step he ascended, soon his joints would collapse at the shear extent of this workout. It wasn’t long before he came to the archway of the core room and found them slightly down the way.
He ran to where Jouanpae and Deleo fought off four guards, two for each. As Frey dashed to aid his friends, Deleo took out a guard and knocked him clear on his feet. Without mercy, he ended his life with a quick thrust through throat. Frey saw Jouanpae kept off a few at a time with his heavy sword and powerful movements. Quickly, Frey attacked one of Jouanpae’s guards as if he was fighting in the woods over a carriage holding treasures inside. The young man took a leap onto a guard’s back and stabbed him in the neck where the armor failed to protect. Within an instant they were down a guard, hopefully they could get by without having the Sendrah called in. As Frey and Jouanpae worked together on their last guard, Deleo’s blood boiled with a sadistic pleasure. His hands became one with the daggers, he became one with speed and dexterity, he became one with his controlled force. The guard suffered wounds in places the armor forgot to cover. Under the arm Deleo struck and soon after he swung around to a slit in his lower back. With that stab he kept him in a hold. As the guard remained a paralyzed prisoner to the pain, he kept him in that position for a moment, until again he slit another neck.
With three on one guard there was not much of a fight, besides the guard becoming like Swiss cheese, they were virtually untouched except for a few minor scratches. After each body, they became less and less concerned about the guard’s individual life and where to hide the body. They fled the scene as quickly as they could without looking suspicious. They walked down and decided to take the stairs and occasionally the ramp to the next floor. On the way, Frey told them the location of the Reilena.
“So you are sure that she is safely put into the queal stalls?” Deleo whispered as he ran down the dim steps.
“We don’t really have much of a choice, this woman was a woman of shadow, she had the Reilena in her clutches. Unless she willingly gave her up to me, she will stay in that shadow. She was sweet and gentle, I think we can trust her.”
Jouanpae had a hard time keeping up with the two; he used Deleo’s shoulder as a crutch while he went down the steps. “It is usually the most beautiful that will deceive.” Suddenly Jouanpae silenced himself due to movement coming down from above.
An archway opened up to the ramp, they decided to avoid the staircase for the moment just in to be safe, as soon as they exited the doorway they briskly walked along the path that smoothly spiraled down a few floors. Just then a Sendrah guard popped his head out from that dark archway, “there they are!” At that the three began to run as a pack of Sendrah darted after the criminals. Jouanpae didn’t know how much he could put on his legs after this whole journey, now he was expected to run! He hobbled along as quickly as his weight would allow him.
“Legs don’t fail me now!” he huffed, “Why in Lyss’s name did you let that one guard go! Now we are exposed!”
To make matters worse more security arrived; on the other end of the ramp a large group of guards also fou