The guards were not in their usual places on her way back to her room. Leyla thought it strange, even if they were changing shifts the corridors should not have been left unattended. Who had they put in charge after she left?

She was trying to tell herself that it was not her concern, when a shadow stepped into her path. Leyla took a step back, her hand going to the hilt of her sword when a sharp pain spread across the back of her head. She must have blacked out for a moment, because the next thing she knew, a cloth had been stuffed in her mouth and a scratchy sack covered her head as four sets of hands carried her away. She struggled against them, managing to release one of her feet and kick one of her accosters in the face. After almost getting dropped and a few more well placed kicks, she was dumped unceremoniously on the ground.

Ripping the sack from her head, Leyla recognising the dimly lit dungeon immediately.

"What took so long?" Princess Mira stood a few paces away, her angry eyes on the guards beside Leyla.

"Apologies my Queen," the one with the cleft chin replied. Queen. Of course! While Alec would be called the Crown Prince until the month was through, his wife was already given the title of 'Queen of Warriors'.

Leyla looked at each of the guards faces, surprised that she did not recognise any of them. One was holding his swelling jaw, another had a smear of blood under his nose, the third was watching his feet while the one with the cleft-chin, wore an inscrutable expression. The last Warrior was obviously the oldest of the lot, but even he looked barely sixteen. They were just newbies; new graduates who would have been used for menial work during an actual battle. Why would Mira send these guys to abduct her? Where was her actual guard?

"Your father must not know you are doing something so outrageous," Leyla guessed.

The Queen turned amused eyes at her. "Lady Alessa, do pardon my manners, I haven't welcomed you to your temporary home. This is the royal dungeon, although I'm sure that's not news to you, right?"

Leyla blinked, "I don't know what you mean, your Highness. Perhaps you aren't feeling well? We should call your maids..."

The girl let out peals of unamused laughter that made one of Leyla's young captors look away in distaste. "Are you really going to pretend with me, little orphan? Go ahead then, if it amuses you. I should allow you that much, since you wont live for much longer."

She knew! How? It didn't matter, that was neither here nor there. Escaping was the only concern. Leyla needed to find a way to get her hands on a weapon, and quickly. Four against one was no big trial on a good day, but the effects of both the Green King and Raphael's drugs were still in her system and would slow her reaction time.

"Your words make no sense and your actions...do you mean to start a war?" Leyla asked, rising to her feet. The guards straightened, alert now that she was on foot. Struggling against them had been a mistake, they were aware of her strength and less likely to lower their defences.

"Oh no, little orphan. You started the war, when you attacked our Crown Prince and then attacked his poor wife." Mira pressed her hands to her chest in mock fear, "I was so scared, Alec. She just went crazy and attacked me. I asked the guards to restrain her, but they were worried for my safety and one of them saw her raise a weapon..." She laughed again, but this time Leyla didn't wait silently for the ugly sound to end.

She turned to the guard on her left, "The Crown Prince will not believe her story. Whichever one of you kills me, will be punished. He will not want this war, and for it not to happen he will compensate for my life with all of your lives, because you stood by and let this deranged woman harm the Kingdom."

"Shut up!" The Queen stormed.

Seeing the uncertainty in the soldier's eyes, Leyla forged on. "Don't let me go, but you must notify the Crown Prince before this gets - " Her head flew to one side with the force of the Mira's slap.

"You little bitch! You are going to die. If they don't kill you, then I will!"

Leyla touched her cheek, then smiled at the enraged woman. The Queen was angry, but not angry enough not to have thought to move back to a safe distance after her slap. Leyla needed her to be angrier. Fury would make her do something stupid. "I doubt you have the guts," she goaded. "Your Queen talks tough, but she can't do anything on her own. Why don't you guys give her one of your daggers and see if she can actually stab me?"

The guards were surprised at her words, but the Queen was fuming, her face red as she raised an open palm to the warrior closest to her. "Give it. I'm going to kill her just to wipe that smirk off her face."

Leyla prepared herself. Mira had always been slow with weapons, but she was not angry enough to be completely irrational. She would most likely command the soldiers to hold Leyla still before she stabbed at her. Leyla needed to grab the knife the minute it left the guards hands. Once she had it, it was just a matter of taking the crazy girl hostage.

She held her breath, waiting for the moment to pounce, when the sound of footsteps stopped the exchange.

"My Queen, we have a problem." Yet another young recruit appeared at the top of the stairs. "We can't find the Prorex."

"You idiots!" Mira stamped her foot, then she narrowed her eyes on the guards around Leyla. "Beat her, then shove her into that cell until I return. I want her to bleed, got it?"

Large fists came at her before the Queen had reached the steps. Leyla evaded three, throwing several punches of her own, before one of the Warriors found his mark. His knuckles skimmed her jaw, but the pain was fierce and her mouth filled with the taste of blood. A heavy boot came at her from below. She caught it, but lost her footing, falling to her knees. At a disadvantage, she covered her head with her arms and curled up, protecting her most vulnerable areas.

"The Queen is gone," the leader of the four announced.

Leyla grimaced as another kick found her side.

"Stop already, do you want to kill her?"

The one who's nose she had blooded, snorted, "She wont die so easily. She's a fighter."

"Exactly why you should show some respect." Hands came under her arms and she was lifted to her feet. The oldest of the four, frowned down at her face, then nodded. "She is bleeding. We have done what we were told, let's put her in the cell."

Leyla played meek, letting them shove her towards the closest cell before swiping the dagger from one of their belts. She barely had the weapon in her hand, when something sharp dug into her back.

"Told you she was a fighter," the bloody-nosed Warrior behind her snorted.

"If you were half as smart as you are perceptive, you would realise the Queen is betraying the Crown Prince," Leyla said. The knife dropped from her hand, clattering on the stone floors as she walked into the cell. She turned, looking at all four men. "I pity you. Once she is caught, you will all be proclaimed traitors. The Roka birds will pick at your bones."

The leader of the four looked uncertain, and two of the others weren't too happy either. Bloody-nose narrowed his eyes. He had an obvious violent streak and was too busy enjoying himself to worry about consequences. "Keep your opinions to yourself, foreigner." He slammed the cell door shut, then locked it with relish. "We are Warriors. Warriors are not afraid of anything."

The minutes ticked by. Leyla crouched down, ignoring the bruises on her body as she played out one scenario after another in her mind. If she had a weapon, she would be able to fight them, but without it, it was impossible. Young as they were, they were trained Warriors who were over a head taller and much wider than her.

She scanned the dungeons over and over. Nothing but empty cells and a pair of chained cuffs hanging from the wall beside the staircase. The torture instruments were only brought out when prisoners were brought in which was rare. Out in No Lander territory, a fight was to the death and captives were taken to outposts or the cells beside the barracks. The dungeons in the castle were mostly used for short jail sentences for Warriors who broke the law and their emptiness was testament to how precisely Warriors followed their laws.

Leyla was starting to get desperate when a strange sound drew their attention to the staircase. Dum. Dum. Dum. Three small, brown balls coming rolling down the steps. The two closest guards noticed them too, and leaned down to pick them up as the balls rolled towards their feet.

"What is that?" The leader asked from near her cell door. He got no reply. Their eyes rolling back into their heads, two Warriors dropped the balls out of their hands as they fell to the ground like flies.

"What!?" The other two rushed forward just as Raphael appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Weaponless, he faced the Warriors with his fists raised and used the fastest series of punches she had ever seen. Before she could gather her wits about her, four men were lying unconscious on the ground and Raphael was grabbing the cell keys off of the leader of the lot.

"Is my memory faulty, or did you promise me that you would stop getting yourself into trouble?" Raphael admonished.

"It's not like I was trying to end up here!" Leyla protested, watching him pop the drugged balls carefully back into his pockets. Then he approached the cell door, looking from the bundle of keys to her face.

"I'm starting to think you have a thing for prison cells." He found the right key and gave her a crooked smile as he proceeded to unlock the door. "Remind me to show you the dungeons in the Land of Light."

"I'm afraid, that will not be possible."

Leyla looked to the stairs, her heart dropping at the sight of Queen Mira and the eight Warriors behind her.