Chapter 1

The sound of the big cat brought a smile to the lips of the bent figure who made slow progress towards the gates of the huge black city. It was a Mecca of cosmopolitan splendor, one the figure was ill pressed to partake of. He could already smell the smoke of the massive cooking fires and hear the cries of the women out to hawk their wares.

"Halt!"

The figure stopped, keeping the cowl pulled tightly around his face He didn't even glance up when he saw the heavily booted feet of the gate guard come into his field of vision. He bowed his head even lower but kept his silence.

"What is your business in the city?"

The guard's tone was dismissive and haughty and the figure kept his head down, biting back the smile that wanted to cross his face. When he didn't answer right away, the guard got even more indignant and put his fingers on the cloaked figure's chest, giving him a small push.

"I'm speaking to you! You answer a gate guard's questions or you'll find yourself uncomfortably placed in the city's dungeon!"

"I'm sorry sir. I'm sorry. My son is mostly deaf and mute and he has a terrible habit of walking away from me in crowds like this. Please, sir." The rotund little man put his hand on the cloaked figure's arm, patting it gently and then taking it and putting it over his. "I will take better care of him. I promise." He took the staff he'd been carrying and put it into the hands of his son. With one more quick bobbing bow, he led the figure around the guard and through the gates.

"You never told him..."

The figure's voice was low and husky, a decided note of amusement causing the small man to stop and act as if he were going to turn around. "If you want me to..."

"No ... Come on, Jarvis. I..."

"Was making a joke, yes, I know. I just liked my punch line better." He put his arm around the taller, slender figure inside the voluminous robes. "Come on, boy. Remember, you're a deaf mute so stay quiet."

"This job isn't going to take too much longer, so you'd do well to remember that

Jarvis." He felt the paunchy older man laugh and barely restrained the curse that wanted to pass his lips. "Let's just get this done."

"You'll get no arguments from me."

They made their way through the high gates, the old man craning his neck to stare at the thick wooden supports and the guard walkway that looked over the outside of the gates. This city was protected and almost impenetrable. Or at least that's what its builders thought. He grinned knowing that Cassianna would throw one of her blackest fits when she realized that her prisoner had flown.

"Through there." He pointed through a stone arch that led to one of the more populated areas of town. There were more people walking, people that glanced at them curiously before dismissing them as not of their class or worthy of their time. They were stopped once, a guard that wore the black witch's colors proudly.

"Hold!"

The two stopped. "Oh my lord, what did you need from us, your poor servants?"

"What business do you have here?" The guard stepped closer his hand reaching out to touch the cowl that covered the slender figures head.

"My son has a disease, my lord. We are going to see Doctor Hammond. His office is close to the castle."

The guard dropped his hand though he didn't step back. "What sort of disease?"

Jarvis almost grunted when the younger man leant against him, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. The sounds coming from under the cowl was more laughter than cough. "It is of the wasting variety sir, we aren't sure which one but the doctor is leaning toward leprosy."

"Leprosy!" The guard stepped back, his face horrified. "Go quickly!"

"We will, kind sir. I thank you for your concern." Jarvis helped his companion as if the younger man was incredibly weak. They made their doddering way staying closer to the center of the cobbled street and weren't stopped again.

"I thank you for your concern..." the younger man snorted. "Oh Jarvis, you might have missed your calling. I think you should have gone on stage."

"I'd thought of it. Then I was told that I would be perfect for the female lead in the production that I tried out for and decided that it wasn't for me." He felt his companion shaking and knew it was laughter. "I'd watch yourself, I might find that this will be the last I'll work with you."

"I'm s-sorry. Jarvis, you've got to know..."

"It's through here."

They turned with a brief glance at the occupants of the street. The alley was dirty as if all of the city decided to dump their refuse there. Jarvis' face turned white and he curled his lip in disgust.

"I might not make it past this mission..." He gagged and then glared at his hooded companion. "This isn't funny."

"No, mom, it isn't." He flinched and glanced up, giving Jarvis a glimpse of green eyes and black bangs.

"I could be sitting in my corner at Paurick's enjoying a pint of his finest and a nicely cooked joint of meat right now. Instead you had to come and drag me out of there to do this." He gestured around again and then pushed his fist against his mouth as he gagged again. "That's it, Jade. This is the last one, if we make it out of this, we're done."

Jade said nothing, only stopped and pulled something out of his boot. He slid it into an ancient looking lock and fumbled with it a few times before the lock clicked and fell open. "Never fails..." He lifted the small piece of metal and then slid it back into his boot.

"You still have that stappen slimy piece of metal?" Jarvis rubbed at his forehead and then tugged on the tight wig he was wearing. "How you ever talked me into this I will never know."

His companion reached out and pulled on the older man's robes. "Complain later. Let's just find him and then get out of here."

"And you think I complain..." He snorted and then followed his cohort through the small gate and then down a long passageway that was dirty and foul with the squeak of rats and the harsh squeal of bats. "Why can't we ever take a mission that sends us to the beaches of Isfawn? I've heard the sands are incredibly soft and the waters are an amazing shade of blue and warm from the sun. Oh, and the women..." He sighed heavily.

"I'll have you buried there if your constant grumbling gets us killed." They walked purposefully through the filth only stopping as they came to a thick, studded door. Jade slid close, bending to peer quickly through the small opening. "Charity is earning her pay."

"Then let's not give her overtime." Jarvis gestured toward the door that was unguarded due to Charity's sex appeal and voracious appetites and waited until Jade pulled out his sneak key. They went through the door and down the dark, dank corridor. "This one, Jade."

Jade glanced inside the barred window and then picked the lock and pulled back the bar that kept the cell door closed. There was a man hanging from chains across from them, his hair long and ratty, his nude body thin and covered in welts. His eyes were dull when he finally looked up. He showed little interest in them until Jarvis pulled loose the rope that had held his jerkin closed.

"You're going to need more than that skinny boy over there if you try it old man." His voice was raspy and hoarse and the man's lips split and began to bleed.

Jarvis pulled out another robe from under his jerkin. He started toward the gaunt prisoner, stopping to quickly bob a bow. "No, your highness. My friend and I are going to get you out of here. Jade, we could use a bit of your magic here."

The robed figure moved toward the chained man. "Your highness, this will only take a moment." The robe slid down and revealed slender arms and graceful hands. She pushed back her cowl, jade green eyes intent upon the metal shackles.

"You ... You're a girl?"

Lush lips curved into a smile, a pert, upturned nose wrinkled just the tiniest bit. "I am?" Her heart-shaped face tipped up and green eyes surrounded by thick lashes met his. "Well tardion hell, I guess I am. Jarvis, why didn't you tell me that I'm female?"

Jarvis sighed and shook his head even as he held onto King Dax of the Da'Nesh kingdom. Cassianna, the high sorceress of the outer borders had snuck into his kingdom and struck, capturing the castle with no fight, no loss of life except that which amused Cassianna.

It amused her a great deal.

Many innocents had been strung up, tortured and raped at Cassianna's word. She'd watched, played with and killed with little provocation. Man, woman or child, none were safe from her persecution.

Her perversion was something Dax had great personal knowledge of and something he was loath to remember. He kept his head lowered, staring at his rescuers through his stringy, matted hair. The woman was beautiful, but it was an off-handed sort of beauty, as if she cared little about her looks. It was a natural beauty with tawny skin and a light rash of freckles across her nose.

As he stared at her the feeling grew stronger, he knew he'd seen her somewhere before. It just escaped him of the where and the when. He heaved a sigh of relief as his wrist slipped from the first of the heavy iron shackles, though he was too weak to stand on his own and he was grateful for the older man's arm around his waist.

However, feeling the warmth of the robe over his shoulders, even though it stung the marks left from one of the many beatings he'd received was an even greater relief. When his second wrist slipped free, he almost fell, only to feel the girl hold him up. She was strong or he had lost more weight than he'd realized.

"Thank you."

"Think nothing of it, highness. Do you think you'll be strong enough to walk out of here on your own?"

Dax took a deep breath and stepped away from the supporting hands. For a moment, he worried that maybe he wasn't going to be, that his rescue would be foiled by weakness. Then he clenched his teeth and forced his body to take another step away. If he had to do this on will power alone, he would. "What of my people?"

Jade let her hands drop. "We are taking you to the Ra'Fen kingdom, highness. They have offered you succor and the help you will need to retake your lands.

He nodded and then pulled the robe even snugger around his shoulders, hissing as the material pulled open a few wounds that were partially healed. "Then let's leave this cursed place. When the castle is mine once more, I will have this..." He glanced around once more " ... destroyed."

Jade reached out, carefully raising the king's cowl and tugging on it to hide his face. "Jarvis will have hold of you, highness. I will be on point. If you feel weak or lose your balance, he will help you. I will keep the guards occupied so that you can leave the city safely. No matter what, sire, keep your head down and do not say a word.

"Y-yes." He took a deep breath, catching her scent. She smelled so clean, so fresh. He wanted to get closer. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. It had to be because he had been kept in this damn dungeon for so very long and away from the fairer sex. He'd been something of a ladies' man and he'd had his choice of companions to grace his bed. But as far as he could remember, this woman seemed to put the rest of them to shame. "I can do this."

"Yes, my liege, you can." Jarvis reached out and took Dax' arm. "We go out the door and to the left then we'll follow the passage and out through a gate. From there, it's just a short walk to the outside gate of the castle. In a small clearing we have horses waiting. You just have to stay on your feet until then."