Helena looked over the small rocky outcropping Alexis had led them to. "I'm surprised that the castle actually has a secret entrance. I would have figured that affectation was for the more fantastic realms."

"Any castle the Kaiser might stay at needs a secret exit," Alexis replied. The noblewoman had added a buff coat to her ensemble and added two full sized pistols to her collection. "But any exit is obviously also an entrance. Only the Kaiser himself has the key to it."

Grete tugged at her silver lined cloak nervously, her right hand never leaving her sword hilt. "So how are we to get in? I doubt you made a copy of that key."

Alexis looked at Helena. "I imagined a spell to open a lock would be simple."

Helena smiled as she pulled out her lock picks. "Simple, but unnecessary." Finally she'd get to use them.

"Simple solution," the kobold said. "We approve." The ten smaller blue flame spirits that had joined him seemed to bob in agreement.

"Why learn to pick locks?" Grete asked with a frown.

Helena shrugged. "It’s fun."

"I prefer pickpocketing," Kseniya said with a smile. The young witch stretched, then pulled on a pair of white leather gloves. "We should finish our own preparations though. At least if you want Lyudmila and me to be a surprise."

Helena nodded. "Right." Helena walked over to her friends, then placed her left hand in between them. Lyudmila placed her right hand on Helena's then Kseniya placed her hand on her sister's. Helena took a deep breath, then let her mind open up.

Normally when combining efforts with other magicians, one person had to set themselves up as a focus. Kseniya's ability made her a natural beacon for other mages. Helena's power easily flowed towards Kseniya, and from there back into herself.

Her mind seemed to move out of her body, allowing her to look down upon the three witches as a spectator. Looking around she saw pale forms of Lyudmila and Kseniya's consciousness as well. It seemed they were ready.

She reached out and with her hand summoned a magical circle. It didn't have any great purpose, only to exist and radiate her particular brand of magic.

Lyudmila moved next, carefully drawing her own runes and equations inside the circle. As she finished each section the symbols twisted and shifted, becoming more understandable to Helena's mind. Masking Lyudmila's magic with her own.

Kseniya's magic wasn't as orderly as her sister's. It felt more like a light rainstorm, drips of power forming an intricate pattern out of randomness. One that could turn into a downpour or clear away into a rainbow at any moment. Helena's circle rippled in tune with Kseniya's magic, concealing that too under its power.

Helena forced herself back to reality, and opened her eyes. Her friends seemed a little dazed, but that was expected given they'd subordinated their auras to her. "There. Now he'll only see me."

"Though he'll still see you're ready for battle," Kseniya said.

"Right. But that's not too different then how I am usually," Helena said walking towards the rock Alexis claimed hid the keyhole for the secret passage.

A brief inspection showed the crack of the hidden doorway, though Helena did have to give the makers some credit for not making it a straight line. She traced along the crack checking both sides for a lock. The right side held nothing, but the left side had another crack outside the door. Looking in, Helena's enhanced vision saw the gleam of the metal tumblers and she knew she'd found the right spot.

After that it was fairly simple. Locksmithing in this realm focused more on hiding the keyhole, as no one had found a way to make an unpickable lock. This one was fairly middle of the road, meaning Helena had to spend a full minute working the tumblers.

A solid click informed Helena of her success, and the door opened just a few centimeters. It took some work to finish opening it, but soon a passage leading into darkness appeared before them. It was barely her height, but it was four feet wide and the walls had been smoothed a little.

Helena put her lockpicks away. "Alright. Everyone ready?"

Alexis checked herself one more time. "I suppose so."

Grete drew her sword. "I have been ready for this for years."

"Prepared," the kobold leader said.

Lyudmila and Kseniya just nodded in tandem.

Helena strode in. "Then let's go."

Alexis grabbed a torch from a barrel just inside the passage. "This should lead to the quarters for a visiting chancellor. From there it should be just a simple run up the servant's stairs to the ball floor where my father holds court. He's sure to be there this time of day as well, even if there are no petitioners."

The shuffling march through the secret passage stretched on for what seemed like forever, but Helena knew that was just her nervousness. Eventually the tunnel opened up into a cellar area.

Alexis moved to the ladder and climbed up to the top before tossing her torch down to Helena. Helena snuffed the light in some sand. The kobolds were giving enough brightness as it was. Alexis fumbled around a bit with the hidden trap door, then pushed it open.

Helena waited until the noblewoman scrambled out before flying up out of the passage. The room she entered was well furnished, but obviously not in use. That was good. It was less likely a maid would wander in here. "How far to the stairs up?"

"Just around the corner," Alexis replied as Lyudmila flew up. "Left then left again. After the stairs go straight."

The group waited until Grete had pulled herself out of the passage, then Helena moved to the doorway. "Okay. Remember no one here has any reason to trust anyone other than Alexis, and she's technically banished, so don't explain. Just sleep them or walk by and say sorry."

"I know how to break and enter," Lyudmila replied.

Helena spared her friend a glare before opening the door and striding out.

Of course she nearly walked straight into a servant. The woman gasped and staggered back, trying to keep the laundry she was carrying from falling, "Who-"

"Stupid curse," Helena hissed as she splashed a potion in the woman's face. The maid blinked then slumped to the ground asleep. Helena pressed on, leaving the woman to rest.

The stairway actually was close, and Helena flew up it. There was no point in stealth. Fortunately the hallway above was deserted. Helena strode forward, and kicked open the door.

The room where Pfalzgraf Holdst Von Strausfen held court was fairly impressive. Obviously it was meant for the Kaiser when he stayed here. The Pfalzgraf, in a show of some humility, left the royal seat unoccupied, and was sitting to the side behind a large desk. The elderly man was tall, old muscles run down by age but not allowed to go to fat. His blue eyes were wide in surprise.

Two guards stood behind him, while a young blond man in a purple outfit that matched Alexis' was standing to his right. And of course, Nedvarious, the bearded magician that was the source of all this trouble stood before the desk.

Pfalzgraf Holdst recovered surprisingly quickly, given the situation. He stood and fixed the group with his gaze. "Alexis?! What is the meaning of this? What is going on?"

As if on cue Grete rushed forward. "Vengeance for Selzen," she cried.

Helena had been expecting this, but it was still irritating. She took some solace in the fact that Grete moved towards the wizard instead of the count.

In the end the results would have been the same. Nedvarious pulled out a small parchment and snapped out an word of power. Lightning tore through the air. Grete parried it, but the raw power forced her back.

"Sister? Are you mad?" the younger man asked in shock.

Nedvarious raised his staff into a guard position. "I fear that she has been misled by these evil witches. Possibly by the curse as well. I shall do my best to dispel their foul enchantment, but there shall be a battle first."

"Their foul enchantment?" Alexis yelled. "What about your foul enchantments? Enslaving our local spirits and placing death spells on your secret workers. And of course working to replace my father with an imposter!"

Nedvarious raised an eyebrow then looked at Helena. "So is that the lie you fed her? A simulacrum? Oh and of course her 'real father' is 'hidden away,' so you can present our noble lord to her after adding a few memories." The magician shook his head heavily. "How shameful. I thought better of you from our meeting but I see I was wrong."

"That's my line," Helena replied.

Pfalzgraf Holdst frowned. "My daughter, it seems you have been deceived. I am no imposter, though I can see no easy way to prove this." He looked at Nedvarious. "Is there some spell you can use to show my daughter the truth?"

The magician smiled slowly and pointed at Helena. "Why don't you try witch? The spell to get rid of a simulacrum is simple, and harmless to a human. Prove your words, Helena Aoede."

Helena closed her eyes as hope drained from her. She heard Lyudmila hissing in annoyance and Kseniya shifting nervously behind her. If Nedvarious was willing to let her cast that spell, there was no way the Pfalzgraf was actually a simulacrum.

Still she couldn't avoid the truth forever. She opened her eyes and glared at the mage. "Very well. I'll call your bluff."

She held her right hand up in the air and began summoning power to it. "Purest rain, untainted by the touch of man, I call upon you to purify the false creations of magic." Her hand began to shine with a blue light as the cleansing power flowed into it.

A flick of her left wrist and a snap of her fingers sent her true spell zipping along the hall. With everyone watching the power in her right hand, they only had time to gasp before the tiny curse bullet struck Pfalzgraf Holdst in the shoulder.

Helena let the magic in her hand fade away as the room turned towards her. "What did you do Helena?" Alexis all but sobbed. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Alexis." Helena said. "I wanted it to be a simulacrum, because the other possibility was much worse."

She looked at Nedvarious. "That spell was a curse. A small one that would make a living person sneeze. But it had no effect. Because Pfalzgraf Holdst von Strausfen died of his wounds after that battle five years ago."

Nedvarious' frown grew deeper and deeper as Helena continued. "I should have realized it that first night, but that hedge witch's incompetence threw me off the trail. If you had developed such a perfect defense against curses, why create such a complex and confusing spell to defend the Pfalzgraf's heir? It makes no sense. But you didn't need to actually develop a ward against curses did you? Pfalzgraf von Strausfen can't be cursed, because he is dead."

"Dead?!" The Pfalzgraf slammed his hand into the table. "What new nonse-"

Nedvarious waved his hand, and the man's eyes went blank as he slumped back into the chair. "I guess I didn't overestimate you," he said with a long sigh. "Perhaps even the reverse."

"Not going to keep up the game?" Helena asked.

"He can't," Lyudmila said quietly. "Not when a vial of holy water can blow his cover. And you can be sure a man in as important a position as the Pfalzgraf would need to publicly disprove your accusation Helena, no matter how ludicrous it might sound."

"Except no one is going to remember your accusation," Nedvarious said, pointing his staff at where the guards and Alexis' brother were standing shocked. The two guardsmen collapsed immediately. But Alexis was the one staggered from the sleep spell. The charm that Helena had given her flared, and Alexis regained her footing.

Helena shook her head. "That stupid binding of yours is finally getting in your way I see."

"It may have been a mistake," he admitted.

She heard Kseniya mutter a quick spell and then suddenly Alexis's brother was standing in their midst. "Sorry, I just thought you might be safer here."

Grete shook her head. "Such madness. Such stupidity. I was fooled..."

"My father..." Alexis roused herself and managed a shaky step forward. "Why? Why do this to us? To steal my father's power?"

Nedvarious' frown dissipated into sorrow. "Power? This wasn't for power. Alexis. Philipp. Please understand, I did this because this land needs your father."

The magician's face turned to anger. "He was the greatest man to rule these lands for centuries. Perhaps one of the greatest nobles in all the Empire! A man who worked hard for his people. Who always fought for righteousness rather than petty ends. Holdst was my friend! I couldn't accept it. I will not accept it! His reign will not be cut short by the stray arrow of a paid mercenary dog!"

Grete readied her sword. "So you burnt my village down and enslaved the kobolds to keep him in undeath?"

"An unfortunate but necessary sacrifice. I'm sorry it came to this, but I will not let these witches kill your father." He slammed his staff into the ground and a mighty roar echoed from outside. "I promise it will all be better after I destroy them and wipe your memories of these horrible events."

Alexis wiped tears from her eyes. "This is not what father wanted!"

Her brother nodded grimly. "The job of nobility is to serve the people. This madness is a betrayal of all we stand for!"

"You'll understand later," the magician said quietly.

Helena strode forward, palming the angel stone she'd taken from the hedge witch. "I'm afraid for you there is no later."

Kseniya walked towards the windows. "If you surrender you might still be able to ask them for forgiveness."

Lyudmila leaned back against the wall. "And if not, we'll be happy to blast your twisted dreams to ashes."

"Really?" Nedvarious shook his head. "I can sense your friends are as formidable as yourself. But you are all still young. And this is both my domain, and my workshop. I am the equal of ten magicians here."

Talons the size of a man tore through the wall, leaving a massive hole. A blood red eye peered through it, as the dragon outside roared in hatred. Seconds later a side door behind the desk opened up and guards started pouring through.

Nedvarious slammed his staff into the ground again. "In the name of Pfalzgraf Holdst Von Strausfen, eliminate those brides of Satan, and rescue his heirs!"

Helena held her hands out before her, palms up. "Traitor magician Nedvarious, I am Helena Aoede, known as the Curse Gunner. Lament the miserable fate that caused you to draw my wrath!"