Perilous Waltz

[Davidizer13]

"I am Stephania, daughter of Anders of Slenvin," Stephania replied, not bothering to meet Erin's gaze, her eyes fixed on the ceiling as she worked through all the possibilities. There had to be some way out of here, and she would be the one to find it. Whatever happened, she was sure she didn't want to be working for Brann, and she would do anything to get out of that. For a brief moment she considered taking the servant on chamber pot duties hostage, but after that, then what?

A knock came at the door. "Lady Stephania?" A servant stepped in briefly, carrying her bag in one hand and a sword in the other. No luck there. "I was told to deliver this to you." She smiled as she accepted her pack. Lord Lachlan had come through after all - the whole of her luggage was there, and not a thread out of place. At least she could enjoy her imprisonment in even more finery. Unfortunately, her axe had been the only sharp object she had brought with her, and God knows where it was now.

"What are we going to do?" she asked Erin. "Do you truly think he will let us go gallivanting away freely on our way after a magical book?"

[silvanis2.0]

Brier gratefully accepted a bowl of porridge from Lenny. There were no spoons, so she used her fingers to scoop it out of the bowl once it had cooled.
"I did not get all of the details, but I do know that most of the people that they tested were nobles or knights. My brother was one... there was a peasant or two, two other knights, Erin and Orion... and a noble named Michael. Or was it Maxwell? It may have been Maxwell, I forget. There were others, I am sure, but I did not hear of them."
---
A cold female voice came from somewhere in the darkness near Maxwell.
"So there is a resourceful one in the bunch. Where, pray tell, do you think you are headed off to?"

[Wolfsong]

Christina gasped at the name. Maxwell?! But...no, it couldn't have been. Max wasn't supposed to be at the ball that night. It had to be a mistake. Someone else, surely.
Still...that would be just like Maxwell, sneaking out and going where he wasn't supposed to. "Probably to keep an eye on me," she thought. "Oh, I hope she was wrong..."
She nodded. "I'm sorry about your brother. What should we do from here?" she nibbled at the porridge. It didn't taste so bad after all. She beamed at Lenny. "This is very good."

Maxwell froze, then muttered a curse. He turned his head slightly so he could see the woman behind him. "Oh, no where in particular," he replied blithely. "I just thought I'd say goodbye to my sis before I left for heaven knows how long."
Suddenly, he sprung around, tackling her to the ground. She almost gouged out his eye at one point, but he thrust aside all gentlemanly ideals and hit back hard. This was a life-and-death situation, in his mind. He couldn't afford to play nice.
Once she was groggy enough, he took the piece of the sheet he still held in his hand and tied her with it, being sure to gag her. He stuffed her into a hedge, murmuring a somewhat sincere apology, and then ran.
"Skilled they are, I doubt that will hold her long. I must be far away before she recovers," he thought, angling slightly away from the stables, entering a small hut for the gatekeeper. There was a chimney in the corner, as he hoped. He quickly collected a bucket of soot and then made his way to the stables. He spotted one or two Sneaks on his way over, and was careful to avoid them. Once he was in the stable, he found his horse. Quickly, he rubbed his fiery hide down with soot till he was pitch black. Then he took a deep breath and began rubbing the stuff into his hair to try and diminish the golden glow. He sighed quietly, then led his horse out carefully.
"We're in for some fun," he murmured. He glanced around, then grabbed a pitchfork and the bucket. Thus armed, he climbed onto the horse and began, at first, walking slowly towards the gate. Tense, he rode carefully forward, ready and waiting for the attack he was sure would come.

OOC- hope that was okay.

[silvanis2.0]

OOC: Perfectly fine! ^w^

Lenny gave a grateful nod. Brier frowned slightly and looked at the barn doors.
"Forrester can handle himself, I am sure. I just wish he could have avoided all of this," she sighed, and then looked back to her companions, "I think the best plan of action would be to leave before daybreak and start our journey out of the city. The further away we can get from the castle, the better. My master will have his Sneaks combing the kingdom for us and I do not want to let them take any of you."
A small knock came at the door. Lenny picked up the pot that had been heating over the fire and went to the barn doors. Brier grasped the hilt of her sword.
"Who is it?" he called, lifting the pot over his head.
"Annabelle," came a small voice, "I saw smoke and I thought the master had come back. I am sorry for troubling you."
Lenny frowned and opened the door a crack. A small girl no more than seven years old stood at the door, trembling. Lenny opened the door wider to let her in.
"No, wait-" cried Brier.
It was too late. The little girl screamed as a lanky man in dirtied noble clothes strode silently in with an arm around her throat. He ran a hand through his closely cropped black hair and grinned at Brier.
"Aw, little fox. Too slow. Now, if you play real nice and come with me, I will be sure that your friends have only the nicest of cells when we get back to the castle."
Brier used her sword to stand before lifting it and pointing it at the Sneak.
"You will not touch them, Clancy. Go home and tell Brann that he will have to do better."
"Oh?" grinned Clancy, as she called him, and engaged a blade hidden in his sleeve, "You and I both know how well he would take that. But, if you cannot be reasoned with..."
He shoved the little girl at Lenny, knocking him off his feet, and charged at Christina. Brier threw herself at him.
---
Forrester managed to get some of the furniture back into its original position by the time he saw a dark dot slip across the grounds below. He smirked. "Well done, Maxwell."
---
It was not long before the gagged woman was free of her bonds. A handy dagger hidden in her boot could do that. She was nearly to the stables when she heard the slow clack of hooves on the cobblestones. Her quarry was already on the move. She gave a low whistle and her little grey mare was by her side in moments. Quickly, she pulled herself onto the horse's back and sped after the resourceful blighter. It would be her hide if he got away.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- "Resourceful blighter". I like that

Christina lept up, startled, when the person Brier called Clancy came in. She stood there, frozen, just holding her bowl of porridge, unsure of what she should do. When he suddenly rushed at her, the next action was instinctive. She shrieked, stumbled back, and threw her arm forward...the one wit the hand that happened to be holding the bowl of porridge. It flew out of her hand and hit the man, still steaming hot.
"I'm sorry!" Christina apologized automatically; she had been raised to be well-mannered after all. She drew her stiletto and scrambled to help Brier.

OOC- You can decide where the porridge landed.

Maxwell inched slowly towards the gate. Nothing, just shadows. That made him wonder just how safe it really was. What if it was a trap? He paused uncertainly.
Suddenly he heard a low whistling, and a horse's hooves on cobblestones. Grimacing, he shook his head. Right. It had seemed too easy. He kicked his horse and shot forward out the gate. He could make out the sound of the other horse; they were after him. He hefted the pitchfork slightly, then glanced back. He could just make out the shadow following him. He debated, then turned his horse's head and rode straight into the forest, away from his father's castle and all he was familiar with. "Better get used to it," he thought with a grim smile. "You're a wanted man now."
He glanced back. He'd managed to put some distance between himself and his pursuer. he grinned; time for a ruse. He managed to stick the pitchfork so it would look like someone was holding it and tied the bucket to his belt. Urging his horse on, he slowly brought his feet out of the stirrups, positioned in a crouch on the horse's back. He reached up, grabbed a branch, and swung into the tree. His horse kept right on going. Maxwell grinned and waited for his tracker.

OOC- pardon me for doing this again, but how much freedom of action do I have here?

[DecooPunk]

Erin sighed. "I highly doubt it."
---
Bertram leapt to his feet in shock when the man came into the barn. He drew his sword.