The three left the suite and swept towards the throne room, pausing to see the fortifications that had been made to the giant doors that had allowed access to the castle.
Turning into the throne room, she found Alaric in full armour, his helmet adorned with horns.
"Varsas has called for peace talks. I will require you to all be there. We will be leaving in an hour. You will all be prepared," he growled and she looked around the room, seeing all the important faces.
The twins stood off to the side, their faces grim. Izziah was alone, looking nervous and tired. Aelen looked bored, Versalis, Epharis and she stood close together with various looks of nervousness and seriousness. Catherine had dressed in strong leather armour, her short brown hair tied back in a ponytail. Uzo was even standing nearby, his eyes on her with a little crease between his brows.
She turned away from him and focused on the king.
"I will require you all to gear up and return here as soon as possible," he said and when they nodded, the groups dispersed.
Saying goodbye to Versalis, she left Epharis and returned to her rooms beside Alaric's and pulled out a leather case from under her bed.
She set it on top of the bed and opened the clasps. Stripping down to nothing, she pulled out a pair of tiny undergarments that had been ordered specifically off the specifications of Nayishma's ladies.
Pulling them on, she wondered at the dainty size of them but found they didn't tend to bunch.
Next was a pair of skin tight black dragon leather pants and a pair of thigh high leather boots with a small heel, lacing it up from ankle to above her knee and folding down the leftover.
Inside the boots she slid in three throwing knives in each side. Pulling on a long sleeve, tight cotton top, she tucked it into her pants and finally the corset was pulled on, cinched tight around her.
Just under the back of the corset she tucked her pouch of poisons and elixirs, a string binding it around her waist. Two knives crossed against her lower back and a belt hung around her hips, laden down with her swords and a small pouch for a garrotte, a length of rope and several long needles.
Her armguards were made of hardened leather that slid two more knives up under them, and along the top was a series of needles in a neat row.
She pulled the hood out of the dwindling case and tucked it into the top of her shirt, a mask pulled up over her face and the hood pulled high to make it hard to grab her hair, braided and shoved down the back of her shirt.
Lastly, a strap went around both upper thighs with six of the tiny little blades she had crafted and she smiled at the sight of them, their blades padded with black dyed cotton.
Finally ready, she moved towards the mirror and turned, searching for bunching or fabric that sat incorrectly.
Satisfied, she headed for the door and opened it to Epharis. His eyes raked down her and he smiled slowly.
Her eyes swept him as well, lingering on the elaborate gold and black guard that protected his sword arm from collarbone to the base of his fingers.
His robes were long and black, undecorated with a belt around his hips for Anduril. His arms were covered by heavy gloves.
His long silver hair was loose, but it was unlikely that anyone would get close enough to grab it.
A finger guard protected the middle finger of his secondary hand and she was surprised to see he was holding a humanoid skull, the eyes glowing an evil green.
She didn't ask, instead she tugged down the mask that covered the lower half of her face and kissed him hard, giving the front of his robes a tug so they fell open just enough to show his muscular chest.
Neither of them spoke as they left her room, her fingers pulling up the mask once more.
The vampires approached from the opposite direction and Versalis gave her a feral grin as he saw her in her full battle attire.
He was wearing black from neck to toes, his armour light and simple with spikey angles. The guards over his hands extended past his fingers to make lethal looking claws.
The twins wore no armour, instead they had opted for black robe-like suit constructions. Kai's was made of a stiff fabric that curled up to around his ears in a sweep, the front buttoned tight and unadorned. Gloves covered his hands and his boots reached his thighs.
He moved with a feline grace that she could appreciate.
Jaia had opted for slightly more style, the hems striped with silver along with a striking detail around his sleeves.
He wore a white shirt underneath, adding class to the outfit. A symbol she had never seen before was stitched into the back of it and he wore a metal glove over his left hand, protecting his hand though she didn't know why. Both had a black belt with two swords, but she felt they looked unprotected.
***
Sweeping into the hall, they found the rest of the team already waiting, grim and unsmiling.
Izziah had opted for plate armour of dark blue, gold and silver that looked exceptionally light on him, his elbows and fingers ending in sharp points. His silver hair was shifting in the breeze of the open window and he looked lethal.
The king had been given more armour, large plates that doubled up the protection of his shins and there were gold coloured spikes in neat rows. His thighs were reinforced, as well as his shoulders and over his chest. His enormous sword rested against the throne and she noted that there was a wolf engraved into the reinforcements on his shoulders.
"Very good," he said in a deep voice and he rattled when he stood. Picking up the sword, he slid it into a sheath that ran across his back and he led the way out of the castle.
It was going to be about an hour walk and so they had opted for horses.
The horse Alaric got was a monstrous beast with black glossy coat and mean looking brown eyes. Its back was level with her head, and she wondered how it could possibly be that big.
It looked like it would happily bite her arm off and so she moved away, glaring at the beast.
Left as the only one without a horse, she watched as they mounted and she took a deep breath, stretching her arms. She was ready.
A snort behind her had her looking around and the horse was so very dead she was surprised it could move. Rotting flesh and eyes that glowed a toxic green had her looking past the disturbing head to see Epharis looking down at her.
He offered her his hand but she shook her head and his smile was smug at the knowledge of her strength and speed.
She noted the skull was hanging from his belt in a little net bag and she wondered again, but she would ask later.
The group set out, along with a regiment of guards in fine silver and blue armour, their horses huge and angry looking.
She let them go first and then went after them, her muscles aching at the lack of use.
She moved like wind, easily passing the horses and keeping pace with the king. He lifted two fingers and pointed forward. Grinning, she took off and circled, her lips parted to suck in air in search of any odour that would suggest outrunners.
She found the ambush within a few minutes and they didn't know what hit them.
Three men, the first one falling to his death from the tree he had been perched in. The second had his neck snapped and the third was met with a feral grin and a hard kiss. He fell, his lips turning a deep black as he hit the ground and the group slowed to see what had happened.
The last man was a dead giveaway of what had happened and so they moved on, knowing she was nearby.
She watched as Versalis searched the trees for her, his eyes snapping to any hint of a sound but by then, she was already three trees away. Leaping and bounding, or using branches to swing herself forward.
It was utter joy for her, able to move and run at full speed and she was buzzing from the soul she had ripped from the assassin.
As the group burst free of the trees, she flew alongside them, her hands finding the last branch and launching herself out into open air, unable to help but recall the moment she flew from the cliff.
The king glanced up, his eyes wild as he saw her and he bellowed his war cry.
Landing on her feet, she rolled and flung herself back onto her feet, not missing a beat as she kept up with the group and she saw the twins exchanging a look, but she ignored them.
She had never shown them just how fast and easily she could move, nor had she given herself the opportunity to push herself to the limits but now she did and she was in heaven.