Vedlinia’s arm was warm around his waist as they danced, elegant music flowing from the small band. She was the same height as him, at least now she in heels, moving with an easy delicacy, her long hair spinning out as he twirled her around before drawing her close. Her sword-hilt bumped into his stomach, something she refused to part with despite her elegant attire.

‘Well, for a travelling sell-sword and sorcerer, you certainly seem to have an impressive level of refinement.’ A few other couples were dancing, moving through the same proscribed steps, bodies moving in synchronicity. Only about half of those in attendance were dancing, the rest either watching, or making a determined assault on the buffet, although Ash was there as well, her own plate piled high. She growled at someone that reached past her towards a plate of chicken wings, scaring them off.

‘I do have a court, you know. While I may not spend much time there, when I am present, I have to deal with courtiers, precedence disputes and, yes, dances and balls.’

‘I have heard about some of the disputes. Apparently you had a hundred of your courtiers murdered once?’

‘Gossips to live to exaggerate! It was forty, and they were “executed”, not “murdered” – one of the privileges of rank is that there’s nicer words for everything. It was the easiest way to clear out the rot – most of them actively tried to kill me, which I feel needs punishment, while the rest of the court are happy to passively wish me dead, which I can accept.’ He wrapped an arm around Vedlinia’s back, tilting her backwards, her back arching enough for her hand to gracefully tap against the floor as she bent into the move. ‘All entirely legitimate for one in my position, I think you’ll find. Now, where do we go from here?’ He glanced over, where a priestess was talking to, or, more accurately, at, Ash, who was busily devouring food, grabbing more from the buffet and ignoring her. Hopefully she wouldn’t set anything on fire!

‘There’s an underground passageway from here that’s meant to lead to the vault, wherever that is. But it’s never been worth the risk before. We can’t leave yet, and we need to get the key first. Unless you want to smash through the defences and then fight through whatever guardians are down there?’

His sword thrummed, thirsting for blood, as he shook his head. ‘If we could try and do this quietly. Who has the key?’

She nodded at a priest, wearing a slimmed-down version of full regalia, without as much golden trim and flash but still overly pompous. ‘I’ll dance with him next. He’s not very guarded, and he won’t notice. But it might take a while until we can leave, I have people I have to talk to.’ There was a gaggle of unaccompanied women, drifting closer to Kinnevar as the music began to end. ‘You seem to have drawn quite a lot of attention.’ She squeezed one of his arms, feeling the muscle. ‘Can’t think why!’

‘Well, it is flattering to be noticed. And I’m sure no-one would associate the dashing bodyguard with Kinnevar, bloodstained ruler of Ultremar. But it is certainly nice to relax in such refined company, none of whom are trying to kill me. And may I compliment you on your dancing?’

‘Turns out that a lot of time dodging knives and slipping through the night unseen lends a certain amount of aptitude for dancing. And people tend to be off guard, so it’s an easy time to pickpocket keys, papers and the like. I wasn’t expecting you to be so light on your feet yourself.’ They parted, formally bowing at each other, before she whispered. ‘Dance with Mavreeni, she’s a ferocious gossip. And Hathata might be suitable for Ash, do you think?’

She nodded, at a short, petite woman, then a larger, more full-figured one, grazing at the buffet, Ash eyeing her up appreciatively.

‘I think so, yes - She certainly looks fond of treating herself! Get the key, and then we can leave.’

She smirked. ‘The great Kinnevar, in a hurry? You can enjoy yourself a little more, can you not?’

They bowed at each other again as the musicians readied themselves for the next song. ‘Of course, there is always time for pleasure, but I would rather be done so I can focus on the enjoyment and ensuring my partner is fully satisfied, rather than having to split my attention. Business before pleasure may be pedestrian, but ensures the job is done.’

She spun on her heel, making sure that her skirt and hair flicked out dramatically, striding her way to a new dance partner and gesturing them towards the dancefloor with authority. Before his choice could be made for him, Kinnevar approached Mavreeni, extending his own hand, which she gratefully took.

The next dance was flattering and educational, the woman pressing a little closer to him than the dance steps dictated, while whispering rumours and gossip to him – all about people of which he knew nothing, but interesting information, nevertheless. After that, it was the usual indeterminate blur of partners, hard to tell apart, a flurry of petticoats, giggles, coy glances and rich scents, as Vedlinia went to work, charming and flattering her way through her partners. She was probably more dangerous here than on the battlefield, or at least with more power and influence.

After several more dances, Vedlinia started to make her apologies, taking a few circuits of the room with many hugs and delicate kisses, before they were finally able to make their exit. As they walked towards the front door, Vedlinia suddenly glanced around, before pushing a side-door open and darting through, Kinnevar and Ash following. From there, it was downwards into the basement, then through a (poorly concealed) hidden door, and they were in a warded sanctum. The power in the air made his skin prickle, like walking into a too-hot room, discomfort threatening to blossom into pain if it intensified. A golden rune was etched onto a metal door that glowed with a bright light, almost blinding.

It dimmed as Vedlinia approached, before blinking out. Some heavy metal device out of sight moved with a heavy clunk, Vedlinia pulling on it, without being able to make it move. Ash approached, helping her, the metal screeching against the rock floor, the door pulling open.

Ash, can you sense anything?

A gleam of fire came into her eyes as she sniffed the air, then frowned. ‘No, not here, no gold.’ She grumbled, before striding forward, heedless of any possible danger.

‘Be careful! It’s probably trapped.’ He waved his hand in the air, a platform of darkness appearing in front of him, hovering above the ground. Ash stepped onto it, Vedlinia following after a momentary pause, Kinnevar following. They had to huddle close together on the small platform, Vedlinia keeping one hand on her sword as she stared ahead into the gloom. He mentally commanded it to move forward, his vision magically penetrating the darkness – it was neatly-dressed stone, the mortar inlaid with powdered gemstones to try and defeat scrying attempts. Up ahead, he could see stone niches on the wall, humanoid figures carved from stone awaiting them. Likely guardian figures, but the key Vedlinia had acquired would hopefully let them get past without issue.

The disc moved forward, keeping them off the ground. There were a few suspiciously raised blocks on the way, probably the triggers to traps or alarms, but the disc hovered above them. Vedlinia moved closer, pressing close to him before softly casting a spell, energy forming around her eyes, the pupils sparking with a momentary flare.

‘A useful spell.’

‘I’ve learned a few extra skills here and there. Can you see in this?’

‘Oh yes, that was a simple trick. I sometimes forget that others struggle with such things.’

She pulled out a golden disc, gleaming with a slight light of its own. They moved past the statues, eyes flaring to life as they did so, staring at them with a cold glow, before blinking back out, the disc a token to let them pass. He resisted the urge to attack them, to destroy them now; it was probable that attacking one would activate the others. ‘Have you ever been down here before?’

‘No. I don’t need the reward that much! I hope you can deal with whatever else is down here, I don’t think a blade between the ribs will do for most of them.’

There was a puff of heat as Ash exhaled, a brief scorch of flame licking out, shedding firelight over the stone walls. She raised a hand, talons forming from her fingers, arm turning scaly. ‘I’ll rip them apart! I want that gold.’ She wiped dribble away from her mouth, eyes going dreamy and vacant for a moment.

The tunnel opened up into a huge open space, larger than he could see, a deep drop beneath them, a stone dome above, buttressed and reinforced. There was the prickling, burning sensation again, the burning sensation coming from above. He rested his hand on the blade, feeling strength surge through him, banishing the sensation. He could feel it writhing, trying to fight his control, wood breaking apart as a spike of metal protruded from the blade, reasserting its true shape.

Somewhere out there, in the darkness, he heard the chime of a bell, crystalline and clear, the metal of the sword somehow resonating and making a sound, far too loud in the darkness. The wood crunched and shattered, getting shredded from the inside.

He stopped the platform on the edge of the drop, looking around. There must be some way for people to get around without magical powers. He could ask Ash for a ride, but that always made her grumpy. He heard a metallic clang, and turned to see Vedlinia tapping on a ladder, bolted directly onto the wall and going downwards.

Vedlinia jumped off the platform, hair streaming for a moment before magical energy took hold of her, slowing her fall, the darkness swallowing her up. Ash jumped after her, body rippling as wings formed before she also vanished from view. Kinnevar looked at the ladder, hoping it wasn’t too rough. He took hold of it, giving it an experimental shake, then relaxed his grip, letting himself slide downwards, his gloves starting to shred, even as he tried to reinforce them. The stone flew past him, rivets in the metal scraping at his hands painfully as he shot downwards.

His feet slammed into the ground, shock of the impact running through his knees painfully. He carefully withdrew his hands from the metal, flexing his fingers, feeling blood running across his palms. Vedlinia and Ash were already there, looking as though they had been deep in conversation.

‘The mighty Kinnevar has to use a ladder? Had you asked, I could have carried you down – my magics may be slight, but are sufficient to that much, at least.’ Vedlinia sounded amused,

‘I prefer to save my powers for when they are most essential, rather than squandering them for trivial obstacles.’

‘Really? Lady Ash says that you rarely use more than a handful of spells. Although, I suppose it is rare for a magus to fight with a blade, as you do. A strange combination. Now, shall we continue? Or do you need to bandage your hands first?’

‘That won’t be necessary.’ He reached into his beltpouch and found a dab of healing lotion, the scratches healing up as he rubbed it in. ‘But thank you for the offer.’ He looked around – he had been expecting something grander, but this looked like little more than a cave, albeit a vast and tidy one. Which meant it was a hiding place, somehow. Now, the only question was whether it was hidden by a mechanical ruse, a magical one, or some combination of both.

He focused, his vision wavering, the black-and-grey darkness shifting to a mundane darkness, but now shot through with a web of lines, different colours mixed and pulsing, thick ropes and cables of magical power spun throughout the seemingly empty space. Vedlinia was also looking around, taking slow and careful steps. ‘There’s power here, I can sense it, but it’s too much to tell anything else. Any ideas?’

He looked more closely, the lines separating into coils and threads, slightly different colours woven together, representing all the gods of law. They combined into a complicated tapestry, shimmering in a kaleidoscope of colours. Ash stepped forward, fire sparking around her mouth until Kinnevar raised a hand.

‘No, this calls for subtly, rather than destruction.’ He drew his blade, the sheath falling apart entirely, longsword now covered with stubby spikes, metal appearing like a void to his eyes, an absence of light rather than simple black. He held it above his head, carefully avoiding the lines of power with it, stalking forward. There weren’t static, the lines shifting slightly in an unfelt wind. One of them brushed his leg, feeling heavy and solid, like a solid cable of metal. The sword stirred, weight shifting, reverting closer to full size.

He knelt next to one of the lines, sword still held high, and carefully touched it. His fingers sank slightly in before resistance intensified, the cable of power solid enough to grasp despite not being visible. Then he struck, bringing the blade down onto the cable, twisting it and holding the pommel over the severed line. It started to turn dark, the bright lights fading away, replaced by a deep black, only relieved by the occasional dot of light, gleaming as though vastly distant.

The darkness progressed along the chain, accelerating as it went, making a mental sigh of almost child-like glee. It accelerated as it went, getting faster and faster, the coil looping and spiralling around. Then it reached the nexus, the shimmering rainbow of colours darkening, like black oil had been poured over it. There was a sudden pressure above them as the empty air shimmered, the stone vanishing to reveal a circular stone platform, bound about with magical enchantments, a shimmering weave of magic hovering in the air.

Ash tried to scamper past, Kinnevar grabbing her by the scruff of the neck, lifting her off the floor. She squealed indignantly, trying to break free, mercifully not using her claws before going limp. ‘I can smell it! It’s through there!’ He lifted her higher, making sure she couldn’t break free.

‘We need to be careful, we don’t know what’s through there!’ He gave her a shake. ‘Vedlinia, could you investigate?’

She moved forward, cautiously stepping onto the platform. Runes started to glow, angular lines smoothly lighting up, a neatly defined helix of power coalescing in the air, a portal to somewhere else. Nothing else seemed to activate, no warding traps or guardians, even as Vedlinia carefully poked it with her sword. Kinnevar approached himself, before drawing his arm back and throwing Ash through, jumping after her, sword at the ready.