Hump stared around the room anxiously. You just had to open your mouth, he thought to himself. The old man would have clapped him over the head for being such an idiot.

Whoever Bud was, he was important enough for royalty to stay at his estate. He had a right to speak. Hump had nothing, yet still he’d thought to offer his head up to the chopping block. One word from these people would ruin him. No guild in the kingdom would take him.

“And there it is,” Kassius said softly; there was something very sinister to his tone. He breathed deeply, as if soaking in the silence. Savouring it.

You should have kept your mouth shut! Hump screamed at himself.

“The cowardice of the Chosen,” Kassius continued. “One has to wonder just what you were chosen for.” He smirked, then turned to Hump. “Who are you boy?”

Hump gulped again. His heart was pounding so hard he wondered if someone might hear. “Hump, sir—Lord… Er, Prince Kassius. I’m a wizard.”

“A wizard?” Kassius said delightfully, turning back to the rest of the room. “Hah! The lot of you should be ashamed. A boy wizard with more courage than the Chosen few. Surely having such power gives you responsibility to protect the people of this kingdom.”

Only Lantheer dared to speak. “We can’t protect anyone if we’re dead.”

“Or alive, apparently,” Kassius chided. “Beaten by a bunch of stupid lizards.”

“Enough of this,” the sorcerer snapped. “I won’t stand here and be insulted. Not by anyone! Oswald, this council is going nowhere. If no feasible plan is proposed, I will take my leave. There’s a dungeon to clear after all.”

“You’ll go nowhere until we have made a decision,” Oswald said. “Not if you wish to remain within my encampment. I’ve given my word that we will help them, and while I am Overseer of this dungeon, my word is law.”

“Then surely you have some idea to offer,” Lantheer sneered.

Oswald sighed and massaged his brow. “What I’d like to do is gather up every Chosen in the encampment and force our way in.”

There was a pause. Hump was no tactician, but even he recognised that it wasn’t much of an idea.

“It could work,” Joslin offered. “With Chosen leading the attack, we might be able to make significant progress before they start collapsing tunnels.”

“Or until they kill the prisoners,” Lantheer added. “Then the whole operation would be for nothing anyway.”

“What if we attacked this way instead?” Vamir said. He stepped up to the table, ignoring the glances from the other leaders, and pointed at one of the kobold chambers near the surface and on the opposite side of the map.

“What would that accomplish?” Lantheer asked.

“A distraction,” Vamir said. He looked at Oswald. “Do you know what’s here?”

Oswald stared down at it. “It’s one of the entrances to the den. Heavily fortified, and heavily defended.”

“Perfect,” Vamir said. “This is where we should attack. If we make the kobolds think we are attempting to break into the rest of the den, it will force their defenders to the front line. In the meantime, a collection of parties sweeps through the tunnels at the rear where we found the villagers yesterday. Whatever defenders the kobolds have left behind will be spread too thin to defend all the tunnels at once. The only choice they would have is to pull back forces from the frontline, in which case we break through the defences there instead.”

“I take it you volunteer to be part of the rear attack team then?” Lantheer asked.

Vamir nodded. “Of course. My skills would be far better suited to that than a frontal assault.”

“It could work,” Oswald said, nodding. “We’d need parties that could function independently. Parties strong enough to handle any remaining kobolds alone, and with the capability to advance without succumbing to traps. Three parties would be able to cover the main points of entry identified by our scouts.”

“If we send our Chosen we may struggle with the frontal assault,” Joslin said.

“You don’t have to win,” Vamir said. “Just draw their attention and keep them occupied.”

“And what of the prisoners?” Joslin said. “The kobolds might choose to kill them when they realise they don’t have the forces to defend.”

“One doesn’t slaughter cattle unless there is no alternative,” Vamir said. “We just have to do enough damage before they have the chance. Though of course, there’s a lot of risk.”

“Unavoidable risk,” Oswald added. “The villagers are dead if we don’t get them out. We already have the kobolds on the back foot. Their numbers are dwindling, and this may very well be our chance to finish them off.”

“The men won’t do it,” Lantheer said. “Not for nothing. You’re talking war.”

“It’s hardly war.” Kassius laughed. “This is a skirmish at best. A skirmish with creatures too scared to face us in open combat, half our size, and equipped with wooden sticks.”

Lantheer’s cheek twitched. “Of course, Prince Kassius, however the men may not see it that way. They’re afraid. Have you ever seen someone step on a spike trap? They don’t kill. Not immediately. No, the kobolds cover them in rot, leaving the surgeons no choice but to remove the limb before infection sets in.”

Kassius frowned. “You paint a… disturbing image.”

“My apologies for being so brash,” Lantheer said, “but it should be disturbing.”

“Indeed,” Kassius said. He paced back and forth, arms clasped behind his back, liquid armour shimmering. “Very well. I shall offer a silver coin for every kobold slain.”

Hump balked. That was a lot of money. How many had he killed yesterday? At least ten, right? That alone was enough to make the trip more than worth it, even without the additional heartstones they’d recovered.

Lantheer glared at him. “You cannot be serious.”

“I’ll guarantee it myself,” Kassius said. “Do you think that might motivate them?”

Lantheer’s nostrils flared, Hump almost expected smoke to sprout from the fire-wielder.

“It is for the people to decide,” Oswald said. “As you said, they are not soldiers. They are here for wealth and glory, and it seems we have both to offer.

Lantheer frowned, then finally let out a reluctant sigh. “Their blood will be on your hands, Overseer. If this goes wrong, the guild will hear of it.”

“If it goes wrong and I live through it,” Oswald said. “I’ll tell them myself.”

“It’s decided then,” Kassius said cheerfully. “Very good. My men and I shall be part of the rear attack.”

Oswald took a moment to choose his words carefully. “My lord, I’m not sure that would be wise. The dangers—”

“Fortunately, Oswald, that is not for you to decide,” Kassius said. “I assure you; I have the skills to match a Chosen, and a paladin in my charge. We’ll get those prisoners out.”

Hump narrowed his eyes. So, Kassius might not be the pompous arsehole he’d first thought, or was this just a political ploy? He’d already mentioned that he was on his way to the capital to meet the king, and this would make for quite the tale.

The briefing moved on to talks of strategy and other more mundane topics. Timing of the attack would have to be perfect if they were to make full use of the distraction. Oswald would be overseeing the frontal assault personally. While Lantheer had the most firepower amongst them, and Joslin was practically unstoppable in a fight, there was no arguing with Oswald’s tactical sense. He had his position for good reason, after all, and he was unbiased. He could make the two rivals work together.

When the meeting finally concluded the leaders departed to make preparations, and Oswald had given them little time. If they were to save as many of the villagers as possible, they couldn’t wait, so Oswald had declared the attack would start at noon. That left a little under three hours before the largest assault of Bledsbury Dungeon was to begin.

As Hump left the command tent with his own party, Kassius called after them. “Robert! You’ll join me, won’t you? Help me get the dungeon core and you can ride with me yourself to meet the king. You’d be hailed as a hero upon your return to Blackthorne. Whatever business you left behind will simply be swept under the rug by news such as that.”

“As tempting an offer as that is, I’m afraid I’ve already agreed to follow Vamir’s lead,” Bud said. “His results speak for themself.”

“That they do. That they do.” Kassius turned to Hump. “What of you, wizard?”

Hump blinked. “Me?”

“Of course!” Kassius laughed. “Do you see any other wizards here? Who else would I mean? Well, I suppose I’ve dabbled in the art myself, though I always found myself more drawn to the blade.” He rested a hand upon the pommel of the blade at his hip, where a ruby the size of an eye glistened.

It took all of Hump’s training to keep his jaw from dropping on the spot. “You want me to join you?” he managed.

“Indeed,” Kassius said. “I know the struggle of being an ordinary amongst Chosen better than any. I have a soft spot for those that try to break free of the hand the gods dealt them. A wizard requires nurturing. And after the heroism you displayed just now, I think you deserve it.”

Hump stared at him for a second in silence, stunned. He’d never expected an offer like that, not if he’d worked all his life. To be the personal wizard of a prince was beyond even his wildest dreams. It almost sounded too good to be true. He glanced at Bud, but the knight gave no indication of his thoughts on the matter. When he met Celaine’s eyes, she scowled at him and looked away.

“Surely the decision is simple,” Kassius said. “I haven’t got all day.”

“You just caught me a little off guard, is all,” Hump said. “A few days ago I was wondering if I’d even find a party.”

“Then there’s no question,” Kassius said. “It’s decided.”

“I…” Hump floundered for words but couldn’t find them. How do you turn down royalty? Why would you? This was a man that could give him everything he had ever dreamed of: fame, riches, power. He would no longer be just a hedge wizard, but a wizard with a liege lord. A person that mattered.

But there had to be a reason Bud was so antagonistic toward him. The knight had never had a bad thing to say about anyone, however his dislike of the prince was palpable. It was difficult to trust anyone in this line of work, and he’d found someone that had his back. So if Bud had decided to forgo Kassius’ invitation… well, his gut told him something was off. It was all too good to be true.

When Hump turned back to Prince Kassius, he had made up his mind. He’d chosen his party already, at least for this dungeon. “Thank you—” Hump began.

“—Hump was instrumental to our success in the dungeon yesterday,” Vamir intervened. “As you’ll no doubt see when we reach the inner chambers once more.”

“Instrumental, was he?” Kassius asked.

Vamir nodded, then scratched his chin. “Honestly, I’d be rather perturbed if we lost Hump before this expedition, and I fear it may hinder us. Our parties will be working closely together, I’m sure, Prince Kassius. You’d be doing us a great service if you would postpone your offer until after the dungeon is cleared.”

“High praise for a wizard of such an age,” Kassius said, the corners of his lips twisting upward. “Now I’m even more interested. Very well. Hump, remain with your party and come seek me once we have the dungeon core in hand. The offer will stand, and I bid you make use of it while it does. I doubt I need to tell you this, but my resources would make all the difference to a wizard like you.”

“Thank you, milord,” Hump said. “Your offer is too generous.”

Kassius made a dismissive gesture. “Anyway, I must see to the preparation of my own. Good luck to you.”

They watched him leave to where his own tent had been erected. It towered over the ones around it, vibrant red and black stripes decorated the outside, and an overhang had been set up above the entrance.

“Well wasn’t that fun,” Celaine said once he was gone. “To think we were almost rid of you.” She turned to Vamir. “Why do we have to keep him?”

Vamir shrugged. “Wizards are handy. Saves us needing to carry a light.”

“Is that all I am to this party?” Hump said. “A glorified lantern.”

“Pretty much,” Vamir said.

“Except lanterns don’t complain all day,” Celaine said.

Hump sighed and looked to Bud for help.

“To be fair," Bud said, "you do get very shiny when you cast spells.”

“Alright Robert!” Hump snapped. “Good to see whose side you’re on.”

Bud grinned.