Nakaida looked frozen, unable to speak or react to Naidele's question. Finally she turned, as if coming out of a trance, and her face was ghostly pale. "I don't know..." she whispered, under her breath, but from her white face and trembling hands it was clear that she was desperately afraid that he had.

The rest of the evening passed in glum silence. Nakaida sat with her back to the wall, arms wrapped round her knees, staring numbly at nothing in particular. I promised. They didn't deserve to die for helping us. They didn't, and I promised they wouldn't...

Cutting through her fog of misery, however, Nakaida dimly heard sounds - suppressed sounds, but sounds nonetheless. "Does...does anyone hear something?" she croaked, voice hoarse from tears kept back. "Like...some sort of army..."

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(can we hear sounds too?)

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

((I don't know...I think you three are underground))

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((oh...i won't to post something, but since the others are hear, i can't think of anything...))

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

Gabilon bowed to his master as he caught his presence in his sight on the stairway. He was slightly suprised the way Okandor talked to him but he was never no matter what stood against his one and only beloved master. He responded to his master's master with a smirk. "You could not have expected me do any lesser, milord." His smile twisted into a pure grin as he saw his master's generousity. He checked the sack coin. "Thank you. milord for your generousity. I will do my best. Do not you worry about me. I am on my way to the friends of keepers"

Gabilon got up as his master passed by. He quickly reached where the keepers friends are kept with the accompany of guards. A guard approached, hit onto the bars with the back of his sword. "Oh, look! a bunch of people who are fool enough to stand against the will of Lord Okandor. Let's see what we have here. Three little cups of water and a stinky bread. Yummy" the guard said sarcastically. Gabilon raged at the guard at his nearby, he exclaimed. "Enough of your foolishness. Give me that" he took the bread from the guard's hands. "Get the hell outta this place. Because of people like you, my master are considered as an evil person." Guard left as he turned to the prisoners and extended the food toward them between bars. "I am sorry here is your food. This is what we give the prisoners sorry about the bad food. But if you could see my lord Okandor's goodness, I knew you would not try to resist him. I am Gabilon by the way".

(I am at the boys' dungeon)

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Will be going to London on March of the 30th

Orindil looked the man - Gabilon - warily up and down. He displayed his open incredulity at his words - Lord Okandar's goodness? A noise somewhere at the end of the aisle saved Orindil from answering. He caught the dancing flickers of torchlight and the clang of steel on steel.

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"Free the prisoners!" Andron cried, parrying and lunging with his current adversary. Sweeping his sword in a wide arc to keep the dark soldiers at bay, he leaped down onto the bottom stair and glanced back at his force.

The three dozen men he'd brought with him on this incursion fell into wedge formation, driving into the dungeons with alacrity.

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"Trust your lord?" Aeryn said. "What do you think we are, stupid?" He said, and then heard someone yell and he looked up, starled.

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

Nakaida got to her feet - those were noises! Faint shouts echoed along the dim, torchlit passageway, and after a moment of hesitation she called "Who's there?"

It couldn't be that fortune - or the Goddess - smiled upon them enough to have rebel forces attack now? Nakaida swallowed the fear that still rose inside her. If Okandar had been telling the truth...she clenched her teeth. She would kill him gladly. And if he had been lying? Something resembling a faint, pale shadow of a smile ghosted across her face. Likely they would kill him nonetheless.

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Khienro stopped his survey of the walls when people entered the room. He storted at this 'Galion's apparent faith in Okandar.

"And I suppose we are here simply because the dear, caring Okandar could not find the time to sup with his honored guests?" He said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

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You may (or may not) know me elsewhere as Elfpen

Aeryn grinned. "Aye...I think your pigs are treated better than us! How kind is your master, to sepurate us from our friends, hmm?"

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

((Bumping from the third page))

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Naidele came to her feet beside Nakaida. She walked over to the large wooden door and pressed her face against it, trying to hear better what was making the sounds. Maybe there was hope after all. Maybe someone had come to help them.

"Hey," she called out, hoping that someone could hear her, "We're in here. Someone let us out."

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I'm back!

The Revolution's sheer numbers overwhelmed the guards posted in the dungeons. They moved from cell to cell, breaking through each and arming the newly freed prisoners.

Orindil pressed against the bars of his cell. "Here!" he shouted over the din. He hastily backed away a moment later when something resembling a small battering ram impacted the bars. It retreated, then came again twice more. The bars gave way with grating groans.

They were free.

"The Keepers!" he continued shouting as he darted for his weapons. "Upstairs!"

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There was a resounding crash and something heavy fell against the other side of the heavy wooden door. Nakaida hesitated and gave it a push - and suddenly they were free, the lock broken.

Nakaida stepped out, and around the motionless body of their armored guard. Grim-faced, she snatched a torch from its sconce on the wall and looked behind her at her sisters. "Come on. Time to do what we came for."

Okandar couldn't be far away, and she intended to find him.

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Trailing behind their samaritans with the formidable battering ram, Orindil whipped out his bow and acted as rear guard, firing off arrows in quick succession. The assault from behind had quelled somewhat, but he held no doubts that soon their enemies would amass in force.

Neither were any attacks forthcoming from the front. Had Okandar deliberately held off all defenses simply to test them?

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Naidele followed Nakaida out of the cell. She was so grateful to be out of there. She hated being trapped. But her joy diminished somewhat when she reminded herself that there was still much much more to do. Okandar was still alive.

She wondered if Khienro, Aeryn, and Orindil had been freed or even if they were still alive. She could only hope and pray that they were.

She walked beside Nakaida down the long dark corridor. "Where do you think he could be?" she asked. Her head swiveled from side to side, as if she expected to see Okandar jump out of the shadows at any minute.

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I'm back!