It was early morning- early enough that Venat had just begun to shed her light upon the sleeping city and its farmland outskirts, lighting the way for the small group as they crept along the castle walls.

Sarobie had gone over many basics of the Sékanic curse, one of the most relevant being that they did not sleep. This meant that they would not have any window of opportunity- they would be indoors, out of Venat’s light, with everyone conscious and on guard.

With the Fire of the Sky beaming, lighting up the gray stone walls outside of the castle, they were somewhat safer, so long as they avoided the attention of the guards on the walkways. It was easier said than done.

Sarobie led the entry. The other four members of the group were left to stand back and out of view while she slipped forward out of sight to the nestled servant’s entrance. Getting there for her was done with no problem, and so was getting open the door.

She picked the lock first, and then with a swift flick of a long dagger between the wall and the door, she nudged the bar out of place. She checked it first, and when it budged, she held still to signal the others that they could follow.

The kitchens were seldom in use now. Upon hearing this initially, Tya had wondered if that meant the so-called ‘cattle’ weren’t being fed, but upon entering, she noticed that the pantries at least were stocked full of sacks of rice and beans, and crates of stale bread. Hybrid servants still lurked within, doing the bidding of those above them out of fear or necessity. According to Lillia, it was unlikely that they’d be drained, but that didn’t rule it out entirely if they needed punishing.

Wishing only to provide for poverty stricken families, they set aside their morals and bowed to the mass murdering queen. Yet despite these facts, some still had enough of a conscience to supply those kept in the dungeons, especially when ordered by the lovely princess sealed away in her chambers like some helpless storybook damsel.

The group was able to enter the pantry in silence with Sarobie still in the lead, though it wasn’t long until Melody joined her side.

The door behind them allowed in enough light for Tya to see Melody’s actions, as well as their surroundings. Fine wooden tables, shelves, and glass-fronted cabinets were placed throughout, all of which were cleaned and polished but with nothing on or in them. To Tya, the room was easily big enough to store enough food for the entire city, though it wasn’t entirely true. Empty rooms tend to seem like they had a lot more space than they really do, especially to a woman that wasn’t accustomed to such large, enclosed spaces.

Melody stood before the group, slit amber eyes wide and alert, and the vulpine ears on her head standing straight through those unkempt curls of hers. After a moment of utter silence, Melody’s head tilted in the direction of the others.

“None outside the kitchen,” she whispered, her eyes going to Veselin specifically.

When he saw this, he tensed slightly, mouth opening, and Tya expected him to stutter, but to her surprise he didn’t. “Through there,” he pointed to an oak door, decorated with wrought iron borders and handles, on their left. “That’s the kitchen and we can get out to the rest of the castle through there.”

Melody took the lead.

The fox proceeded forward, reaching out to the door only to stop herself and look back at Sarobie. “You’re the quietest.”

“I hardly think that matters when opening doors,” Sarobie replied, a thick yet tame brow arched at the red-head. “Do it slow, and pull upward so it doesn’t scrape on the floor. There’s nothing we can do for the hinges aside from hope they won’t squeal.” There it was. Hope again.

Though Melody was wary, she nodded her head and did as told. There was the small whine of old hinges as she pushed the door open, but because she did it slowly the sound was dull. She pushed it open just enough that they could all slip through, and as she waited to be joined by the others she listened carefully to the sounds from beyond the kitchen.

Veselin made a loose motion toward the next door, this one on their right, but it wasn’t entirely needed. There were only two doors in the large kitchen, one of which they’d just come through.

No one made moves to go through it despite knowing it was necessary. Melody moved in, hands pressed to it, and head bowed. She continued to listen, and behind her the group moved throughout the kitchen.

Tya watched the three others, standing back with a hand set on the restricting leather over her stomach—she’d been sloppily fitted for more protective attire the night prior, and was put into it despite her arguing. She at least won, and was allowed to wear an absurd amount of layers, to her team’s dismay. Sarobie had said it was ‘impractical’ and that she was likely to get ‘caught on things’. Tya wanted to be warm.

She watched as Sarobie crawled up onto a counter to begin pulling down cloth that covered the windows.

Veselin had to push aside a table, but Skye was able to reach the ones he went for just fine. The benefits of being the tallest in the group, she guessed. The windows were uncovered and Venat’s light poured in, illuminating the abandoned equipment within. A fireplace, in which a massive pot sat over charred wood. A pit in which a thick, flammable black substance awaited ignition so it could heat the thin slab of metal perched on top of it. On one side, there was a large structure with nothing more than a small arched window that was, at that moment, closed. Its top curved and melded into the wall, no doubt spouting out the other side to allow smoke to escape the castle. Along another side there were smaller pots lining the wall with pits beneath where fires would be lit. A basin in which water could come through, a table in the middle, an abundance of cutting utensils, and a plethora of other things strewn about, all of which Tya was interested in, but had no time to dwell on.

Cooking had always interested her. On the few occasions she had tried Food, she enjoyed it, even if the consequence of doing so was nasty and unpleasant. She sighed, turning her attention to the three that had begun to return to Melody.

With the Fire of the Sky filling in, they assumed they may be able to trap some of the so-called ‘leeches’. They weren’t sure if it would be effective, but it could at least annoy the Accursed, which would be a plus in their book. If they survived this, that was.

They moved forward, Melody using the same method to open this door in hopes of keeping it quiet. She peeked out from around the door itself, checking both ways and listening carefully down the dim halls. When she didn’t detect anything nearby, she stepped out and waved for the others to follow, which they complied with.

Stepping out into the halls, the group paused briefly, facing in the direction they thought they should go, but making no move to do so until Veselin confirmed they were right. They couldn’t really afford to get lost. Admittedly, they couldn’t even afford to linger directly in the middle of the open hallway, but again, they relied heavily upon hope.

With Veselin’s direction, Melody took off again, a hand behind her to hold in place a rosewood bow that was pulled over her head and across her chest. It bobbed as she walked, making a clicking noise against her arrows, but with her tight hold on the bow itself, everything was somewhat steadied. The scraping of her fabric quiver against her hardened leather bodice was still audible, as well as the click of her boots. To Tya’s surprise, she wasn’t the only one making noise.

Veselin’s own weapon clicked against the stone as they shuffled along, which had to have been uncomfortable for him, but he seemed to get along just fine.

As they moved, it seemed the noise wasn’t noticed by only Tya. Sarobie moved to his side and popped the pole from its latch on a belt over his chest. He flinched, startled by the sudden touch. Tya assumed he feared he was being attacked specifically, but he didn’t respond with hostility when he realized it was only Sarobie. He took the weapon from her hand when it was offered over, and turned forward again.

They continued down the hall, leaving a trail of opened curtains along the way. The Fire of the Sky’s lit their way until they reached the point that the hallway turned left. Their intended destination was straight ahead, but Melody had detected it before they even reached that point.

A small hand signal was passed back to the rest of the group, and their steps had slowed into a stop. Melody had started forward, but Sarobie grabbed her arm. The fox glanced at her, but without a word, she took a step back.

Sarobie moved forward without a sound, her entire being becoming somehow skewed in their eyes.

Tya shifted, closing her eyes tight. A hand moved up to rub her eyes, blinking rapidly before looking back. She’d noticed the others seeming unfazed by this, and because of it, she moved with her back to the wall. The hand on her eyes dropped to set against her chest, and she focused on the rattling and flickering against her skin. She realized that she hadn’t ever fully checked to be sure everything was in order, just gone off the fact that it didn’t feel abnormal while she was imprisoned in the dungeons. The feel seemed normal still, but she couldn’t help but worry her own vision was failing.

Because of her concentration on whether or not her shell was functioning, she failed to notice that Sarobie had melded into the shadow and begun forward toward a group of three.

As the Sindor neared, Melody slipped her bow over her head and grabbed an arrow, setting it in place and peeking around the corner. The bow raised, the arrow drew half way back, but Melody stilled.

Sarobie had silently stalked down the hall, halfway between both parties, when one of them drew back. His nose raised and glowing sea-green eyes narrowed, and the two others stood straighter in their spots with brows furrowed. One’s mouth hung open as if he wanted to speak, but refrained from doing so until the situation was made clear.

As Sarobie neared, one of the inflicted whipped her head in her direction. They were searching, and despite her being in the center of the hallway, he didn’t seem to see her, not at first. Burning eyes finally settled on the woman emitting a scent the Accursed could detect, and lips peeled back to display razor like fangs. A low growl preceded a hiss, but he didn’t have the chance to do more than make his cat-like warning sounds before a blade was shoved through his skull.

Sarobie left the dagger lodged in place as she slid back, taking a hard blow to the arm that sent her back a few steps. The bracers she wore kept her from irreparable damage, but there was no doubt that would bruise. She was just lucky that Sékan were known to be weaker in the day than at night.

Her cover was blown, and she shuffled back quick as one of the two remaining instinctively moved to strike her. In one swift movement a new weapon was unhooked from her hip while she swept below the unarmed strike. The crescent shaped blade sliced forward to split the abdomen of the remaining male. It wasn’t a fatal blow- not much would be against them, but it was enough to bring them pause. They didn’t die easy, but they did still feel pain, and thus he stumbled back with a pained hiss as he hurried to quell the bleeding.

The commotion finally prompted Melody out into the corridor where she fell naturally into a stance that accommodated the bow in her grasp. The whistle of an arrow tearing through the air was heard just before the sharp sound of impact as the foe nearest Sarobie was hit. The force was enough to make them stumble back just before collapse. The wounded man shifted back a step, both hands cradling his open stomach while he tried to assess the fact that they were overtaken in a matter of seconds.

Tya had stopped some way from the fight, knowing it was better she didn’t attempt any close range combat, even if her long range was lacking as well. Skye had continued on, but Veselin stuck to a wall not far, eyes locked on the action and that staff-like weapon readied.

The remaining Sékan kicked himself into motion, but before he could do much, Sarobie swiped her crescent knife up to slit their throat.

Their knees buckled and hands moved to their throat as blood poured over dark, ashen skin. This wound, much like the last, had begun to heal immediately, but it was evident it was still painful as well as severe.

Tya moved forward, Melody rushing past so she could join the others. Tya’s hands ignited, and upon seeing this the living enemy fell back with some panic. A choked cough doubled him forward, blood spilling from his lips as he bent, but he didn’t let either thing stop them from lunging toward one of the others and pulling the blade from their head.

No one in the group made a move to stop them, knowing well that it would take more time than they had to recover from such a fatal blow.

Tya’s hands rose, prepared to set them aflame, but Melody motioned for her to hold.

The fox stepped closer, leaning slightly to better look at the conscious Sékan. Softly, in her lightly accented voice, she asked “will you surrender?” The question was genuine, concern laced throughout. But even with that, the conscious one proceeded to refuse. He even went as far as to spit in her direction, a mix of blood and saliva landing on the floor just at her feet. It would have hit her, if she’d not been so roughly ripped back by Skye when he noticed it was about to happen.

Tya had actually forgotten until Skye reacted so harshly, that the Sékan had that acidic property. Remembering this, Tya’s eyes widened, but she noticed there was no smoke or deterioration of the stone as there had been when she witnessed it with those strange girls before.

“Why would we ever surrender to you?” He growled, his voice full and wet from the throat that still bled as fangs bared in her direction. Melody’s shoulders slumped, and she let out a breath, her head bowing just slightly.

“We’ve bested you in combat,” she told them, her gaze falling to the ground as she took a step back. “And we have the power to kill you.” She motioned to the ignited hands as she came to Tya’s side, and finally drew her eyes upward again. Melody’s eyes closed, and she shifted away from those they’d forced to the ground. She gave no sign for Tya to proceed, instead it was Sarobie that did so.

The Sindor’s brown eyes turned onto Tya, and she gave a firm nod, which Tya acted on. Instead of those coiled flames she’d used before, her hands turned downward, palms toward the ground. The fire spilled onto the stone, streaming across as if tinder had been left in a neat trail leading directly to the subdued foes.

First their clothes were taken up, and the two behind the fully conscious one had no chance to fight before they were devoured by the heat. The one that had spoken kept those blazing eyes on Melody, and despite the clear signs of pain—bulging eyes, tensed body, shaking limbs, made no sound until their body hit the ground.

Melody did not turn back to look at the scene. When she reopened her eyes, they immediately directed toward Veselin, who stood clueless for a moment before quickly motioning in the direction needed.

Despite not looking upon the scene, she did acknowledge it, moving knowingly around the ash piled in the shape of three bodies, and continuing forward to the stairwells. She stopped at the large archway that would lead to their next destination, and looked back down the hallway, making a vague motion which only Skye seemed to catch onto at first.

He started back, pulling at the curtains, and the other two watched just long enough to realize that was what they had missed. They joined in lighting up the hallway, Tya having occupied herself by scuffing a boot in the fine ash of the Sékanic corpses. Such an odd reaction to flame, she thought. Oddly satisfying though.

Though Melody had been the first to go to the stairs, Sarobie took the lead when they all regrouped. Nisaki had said that, at the landing, there would be an entrance on either side of the stairs. One would lead onto the rampart while the other would proceed into the second tier of the castle.

Without the distraction Lillia had presented for her initial escape, it was likely that this area would be both guarded and filled with anyone not permitted to the third floor.

These stairs spiraled upward with a stop at each floor. This meant that they only needed to move with silence to proceed up the stairs without being noticed.

Again, far easier said than done.

Nisaki had made his way in and up long before they had. He couldn’t draw numerous guards from their posts like Lillia, who, in fact, was actually not supposed to have done that- part of why she had gotten in so much trouble when she did- but he could have a basic conversation.

Tya had begun to put together through the context clues surrounding the conversations, that Nisaki acted as something of a “double agent”. His position as Princess Lillia’s consort had prompted him into working under Valya so he could remain with her, and while he sympathized with the cause to an extent, he was very much in agreement that mass genocide with a side of kidnapping, seasoned with imprisonment, was probably a little bit of a bad thing.

He was welcomed in the castle, in other words. He had said that Lillia was under suspicion of rejecting her mother, but she had done a good enough job in constantly covering her tracks, playing dumb, and lying to keep it as just that; suspicion. With no proof, she was in no danger and only under close watch, which, at first, had put him in hot water.

But with such a smooth, friendly tone and some talks with Valya herself as well as secret entrances and exits, he managed to both gain the High Queen’s favor and relay information to the pathetic group they called a ‘resistance’.

The relevance of his part was to come to a peak at this particular situation. With such a close concentration of the Sekan to prevent entry to the upper floors, he was to strike up conversation to further distract them while the group passed on with what they hoped to be complete silence.

It was all meant to be timed out. A commotion of any sort would call the attention of the whole castle, and they did not want that, at least not until they reached the third floor. No risks that Valya would get the chance to run before they caught her.

Sarobie was left to wait halfway up the stairs, peering around the corner as if that would somehow help her hear the voices further up. At first, there was nothing, and after a moment or two, the jitter in the rogue’s leg began to worsen as a show of her impatience. But before she could react with any impulse, a gentle greeting was echoed down. Nisaki’s voice was distinct with its velvet tone and Emtirian hints. Even when he was being expressive, it still sounded so gentle, like he was unable to raise above a whisper.

Sarobie waited a few more seconds, her brown eyes dropping to lock on Melody.

The Fox's ears twitched, her eyes wide and alert with concentration as she listened to try and place the exact position of all their foes. The footsteps traveled from one side to the other, all voices coming from the same area, and Melody gave a single sharp nod to get Sarobie moving.

They waited for her signal once again. She made the way up in silence, checking to be sure Melody had been correct in her assertion, and when she found she had been, she waved them up, eyes locked on the backs of the small group listening to Nisaki's idle chatter.

She didn't move, instead electing to usher them up one by one, pausing the next at even the slightest adjustment made.

In the time it took for these actions to unfold, Tya managed to once again lose interest. She was at the back of the line of them, still loitering in view of the corridor they'd just left. They didn't have time for this 'standing around' business, but that didn't occur to her either. Instead this unmistakably useful and willing teammate was lost in her judgements of the high queen’s residence. She hadn’t had the time during her first expedition throughout the castle halls, but now she was pretty much ‘on call’ to finish business. A fact which only made her wonder more why in the Dens they couldn’t just carry a torch.

Whatever. She was there, and in moments, this could be over, so she was going to continue to scrutinize their poor taste.

She would have guessed Sékan were regular beings, and therefore still cared to decorate. They weren’t animals, living in such a bland castle was boring, after all. Not that she had a place to talk, since she had taken up in a cave for twenty years of her life, and only just discovered the usage of Things. But that meant little to her.

Along with that, she’d taken the moment to judge just how small it was. In her books they’d described castles as magnificently large, lively structures that could easily house an entire community and was riddled with untouched rooms and secret passageways. Of course, she could easily attribute the silence and torpid state of it all to the fact that the current residence weren’t exactly what one would call ‘friendly’, but she couldn’t help but wonder where they got the notion that castles were massive, if this was it. It was large, yes, she’d already taken note of that—much bigger than the average home, but it certainly wasn’t nearly as stories had described.

Melody went up the stairs first. No one was to pass her- they were meant to stay on the stairs just at the curve of the corridor so one of the quieter ones could scout ahead without notice.

They were unable to say anything. Only signal. Melody gave no signal not to come, but her expression said something was wrong.

As Tya found her way up, Sarobie just behind her, she could understand why she was reluctant. With her attention pulled from her surroundings, she didn’t notice the sudden stiffness of her own steps. It wasn’t until she fell forward, grabbing instinctively onto Veselin, that she realized her control had loosened. He whipped around and took hold of her to keep her up, then helped her straighten, his brow knitting together in confusion as he did. If she was paying more attention, she would have realized this wasn’t because of her sudden clumsiness, more because of the fact that she was so light.

That was given no attention though, and her mind was forced off the entirely irrelevant subject of the castle’s size and décor.

She straightened, falling aside with Sarobie's indication so the Sindor could get up to Skye and Melody. The stairwell was plenty wide enough for all of them to walk side by side, so it was of little matter, but Tya leaned to the wall regardless.

She inhaled deeply and shivered as the fire coursed through her. The burst of oxygen fueled it, allowing it to properly reach throughout her limbs so she may move again. Even with this, she stayed still, and Veselin drew back just a bit, a hand still gripping her wrist.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but before the words could form, Sarobie whispered “they’ve done something” from a few steps ahead. They were around one curve, out of the view of the guards Nisaki was still chatting with, but that hadn't stopped Veselin from being particularly worried about both the whispers and the movement Tya had made in her fall. He hadn't released for this reason, and she found she didn't quite mind. Odd to be touched by another person, and she kind of liked it, even if it was simple and dull to her shell. Especially at that moment.

Her core rattled, the fire pushing back.

She was panicked…

Why?

The wrist Veselin had held was pulled away. Before he could withdraw, her hand found his, squeezing weakly in hopes of finding comfort in that grasp. Her free one raised to rest at the center of her chest. The second time it had behaved strangely… had she truly not noticed the damage before now? Was this situation exacerbating whatever injury she had left unchecked?

Melody and Skye stopped, their backs to the walls on opposite sides of the stairs. Skye took another step up, and through parted lips a wary breath became visible.

“They’ve got magic,” he said quietly back to the rest.

Without a word, they started upward again. Veselin helped Tya up a stair or two, watching to be sure she was alright as she did. When he felt she was, he released her, much to her dismay.

No. Her body wasn't injured... Something much worse than an injury lay in wait at the top of the stairs, and it was suffocating her core.