“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

- Dr. Seuss

Vanessa stood before Kronenburg's Norngrad Fortress. This time she simply wore close-fitting leather armor. Her eyes shone like lanterns illuminating the drifting snow. Her vantage point was a street away and she was hiding behind a chimney. The densely build townscape made it easy to sneak close but her spell-augmented eyes could see the wards enclosing the building and making it impossible to simply use the astral plane to get inside or even just entering where it was not wanted.

Iseret pulled her own heavy cloak tighter. Her features showed hints of fatigue, she had been up and about since the grey of dawn and not slept a wink since then in spite of being quite active. She said softly barely audible over the humming of the wind. “I have contacted Kadira. She is still in the act of consolidating her resources but she has found a bit of blackmail material for several guards, we could try it this way?”

Vanessa spoke another spell without reacting.

“You are not to blame.” The wind took the words as soon as they left the snake-woman's mouth.

“I was so focused on getting the potions done. If I had been a bit more attentive I could have gotten them out.”

“And then Valeria would have been even more confused and the whole scene would really begin to resemble a crime. More than it already does.”

“I fear that the ploy with the stashed drugs is only a means to an end and that we have not seen what they really intend. We could simply brush it off at the moment with the backers we have.”

Iseret was silent. “I would really like to refute you but must concur. It is likely that they have planned for more. And when they have the clout to move the guard they might have even more means of playing with them inside the fortress.”

“I sent a rune sparrow to Maximilian. He should already be on his way. Sadly the princess is not as well known to me. This and the academy defenses would destabilize the construct sufficiently for it to be useless.”

Iseret squeezed Vanessa’s shoulder. “We could infiltrate the fortress but without any knowledge about the conditions or even the whereabouts of Alyssa and Alea we are very likely to trigger an alarm and even if we could we should not fight the guard in one of their headquarters, there can be no good result.”

“So we do nothing?” Vanessa’s voice shook a bit either with rage or another emotion.

Suddenly Iseret pulled her into the cloak with her. “We will get them out. Kadira is speaking to the ambassador as we sit here. Lieseleta is a princess- we are probably the worse option at the moment.”

The vampire tensed for a moment then relaxed into the slight warmth. “Just wait and see?”

“Yes.”

Shadows burst from a part of the building unfurling like a flower blooming as unnatural darkness swallowed a tower and parts of the western wing. Wards flared. Alarm bells rang. Shouts came from the building. The wind pulled the words apart “….the interrogation chambers...Mage-Guards!….wards failing...”

Vanessa spoke some words and a hulking form appeared behind her tilting its head in a jerky movement, like a praying mantis. “Enter my shadow and hold for my orders.” The towering shade struggled and runes flashed as it finally contracted and vanished into the small girl's shadow. Then she took a few steps and jumped over to the fortress wall a web of runes broke as she cut it with her claws.

Iseret gritted her teeth and looked about- her whole face brightened as she saw a coach arriving at reckless speed and a person jumping out of the still rolling vehicle. Even from a distance she recognized Maximilian and with a quick prayer lightened her body to jump down from the building hastening to his side. Mr. Brache followed his departing lord and both of them entered the courtyard of the fortress as Iseret smoothly joined them. Maximilian took one look at her and sighed while half-jogging towards the entrance. “You could have worn a less conspicuous outfit. Please report.”

Iseret was clothed in leather bands edged in metal crisscrossing her lithe form leaving few things to the imagination. Each band seemed to be magically flexible, adhering to but in no way hampering her. At her side, she had the khopesh and some daggers as well as several filled potion slots in the leather belt.

She bowed her head in apology and drew her grey cloak closer. “Milord. Alyssa and Alea were taken from the alchemist teacher’s shop ‘Natural Remedies’. It was a setup. The guard found contraband probably Bluestone on the premises. The action was swift and preplanned. They waited for exactly the right moment to catch the girls in their sweep. They took them about two hours ago. The guard is compromised. What happened just now- I have no idea.”

“I was in the midst of a discussion when the sparrow arrived. I informed the princess, tried to get a message to the magister, and then left as soon as I could. It still took so long.” He gritted his teeth. “But I did not think that they would dare harm them inside the guard-fortress!”

“Why not?” Iseret looked a bit confused.

“The influence needed to get the guard to cooperate…”

“You only need a few well-placed pawns.”

During their talk, they had reached the doors and entered. Inside pandaemonium reigned. Orders were shouted and guardsmen assembled. Some looked to be still half-asleep. A group led by a sergeant sporting a balding head with a fringe of dark grey-brown hair and an oft broken badly healed nose stood in their way.

“Who are you? Halt and identify yourself.” The large sergeant according to his insignia raised his shortsword and intercepted them as they entered. A mage with a bushy unkempt beard and disheveled hair raised his hands threateningly.

“Maximilian von Graufurt heir to the county of Graufurt. You unlawfully hold my sister Alea von Graufurt and my retainer Alyssa Miner.”

“The alarm has sounded we have no time to indulge your lordship. Leave and come back when we have this sorted out in the morning.”

“What is your name. I will have a need for it when I complain to the commander of the guard. He served with my uncle Demavar in the pacification action against the Wolfkin.”

The greying and slightly flabby sergeant gritted his teeth. “For your own safety, please leave.”

“Not without my sister!”

Iseret and Mr. Brache readied themselves subtly.

“Get the captain.” The sergeant had had enough.

“But…!” The guardsman looked conflicted.

A cuff from the leather gauntlet of his superior cut off his complaint. Looking rebellious he walked quickly deeper into the building.

A group of guards accompanied the small mage-guard, she looked like she had freshly graduated and was still in her early twenties. Chestnut brown hair a pert nose and warm brown eyes made her the favorite of any patrol.

“Mage Claire. We should be cautious, it seemed to come from this direction.” A tall older guard said softly. The corridor was in the less used section of the fortress. Once thought necessary the interrogation rooms had fallen out of favor as the other guard stations expanded and it became normal to investigate the criminals on the spot. The glow lamps here had been extinguished through some means or other and everything was shadowed but for the glowing insignias and a single storm lamp that cast a narrow beam of light by means of several reflecting mirrors and bullseye glass.

The young woman held her wand with whitened knuckles but otherwise did not betray her anxiety. “We are the first and that means we have to continue. What if someone is hurt?”

The taller guard sported a full beard and still lush hairs on the top of his head making him seem more youthful than he was. Grimacing internally he cursed the other laggards that made him and the small miss the first to enter the potentially dangerous area. If someone were here at this time of night he heartily wished them to reap the results of their idiocy and not to drag down Claire too!

He forced a smile. “When we get injured too that does not help anyone and they would have to care for us too!”

Claire pursed her full lips and nodded, “That makes sense. Please be careful.” The last was addressed to the whole squad.

There was no noise other than a slight cracking from settling stone. Somewhere ahead a faint sobbing could be heard. It seemed to come from a reinforced door broken and twisted out of form from a great force and still held by some locking mechanism or other.

Dust fell from the ceiling and the sobbing continued. The guardsmen looked at each other and even the mage was apprehensive.

The taller guard cleared his throat. “Should we wait for reinforcements?”

“No. There is someone in need of help. We go in.” The woman swallowed nervously.

The group crept closer and reached the door.

Vanessa hung on the ceiling and regarded them gritting her teeth. “If they do anything to hurt Alyssa they will die.”

Asandria hung near her ‘We don’t want all our work to vanish only because our enemies managed to capture her. She has only defended herself. We just have to make sure the Blood-Dust does not vanish somehow. It is her best defense.’

Vanessa whispered, “Can you protect her?”

‘It will cost us if I do. So I would prefer not to.’

“I understand. I will try to get Maximilian.” Vanessa clenched her small fists then fell silent and added, “Is she hurt?”

‘Yes. But she will live. It’s nothing serious this time. The damage is mostly to the mind.’ Asandria looked a the twisted door and sighed, ‘At least I could protect the evidence from Alyssa’s rampage.’

Vanessa nodded and vanished into the shadows.

The guardsman kicked the door and after a few heavy hits, the whole damaged section bowed and broke. He pried loose the part containing the lock and opened the other. An old interrogation room was revealed to their gazes. A guard in blood-streaked clothes sat against the wall his legs and arms pressed against his body as he slowly rocked back and forth, tears, blood, and snot dripped from his face as he whimpered.

Two bodies were lying about haphazardly arms and legs and necks twisted into unnatural positions, white bone protruding from unnaturally pale, bloodless skin. Flesh had been bitten out of the bared arms and chest which looked like there had been something boring into the tissue. The faces were contorted in fear and agony. And they were quite dead.

The desk, the chairs, the glow globe everything was cracked and broken. The interrogation chair on the wall held a small white-haired girl. The shackles and parts of the wood were gone and the rest looked ancient and rotted. Blood streaked her beautiful face and cuts marred the visible portions of her skin. She sat without motion and did not even lift her head as the guardsmen entered the room. She looked like a ghost. A winged reptile the size of a larger dog sat on the back of the chair and regarded them warily deadly-looking stinger at the ready.

On the ground some ways to the side there was a small container containing bloodred crystal dust blinking in the light of the lantern and their insignia a glass cylinder was lying beside the vessel and some dust seemed to still be contained within.

Claire looked at all of that and paled. “Get the guardsman to the healers! I will look after the girl. Don’t touch the rest. This…” she faltered and forced bile back down her throat. Then took heart and stepped near. “Who are you? What happened here?” The last was nearly a plea. She kept a careful watch on the draconic-looking lizard.

The girl raised her head and the rest of her delicate face was revealed, dark runes shone just beneath her skin and her left eye was a lightless hole.

Gasping the mage took a step backward.

“Do you want to kill me too?” Alyssa’s voice was raspy.

“No!” Claire shook her head still appalled at the girl's visage before adding, “I don’t want to kill anyone. I am a mage-guard. Claire Trester is my name, what is yours?”

“A…” she coughed and began to shiver. “Alyssa Miner.”

“Ah, you were that girl they pulled in this evening. It was all over the fortress. They said you were at a bluestone…” she hesitated and then looked, really looked at the container with the red dust before her eyes widened. “Is this Blood-Dust?”

“I assume that is the case- some variant of Bluestone at least.” Alyssa looked at the other woman. “They wanted to force me to use it. It would have killed me.”

“So this…” Claire looked around. “...that was…" she swallowed, "...you?”

“Yes.”