Chapter 2

Kat was in a dark mood and the men around her during her afternoon shift at the Tavern were only making it worse with their comments and the constant touching of her butt as she passed by their tables.

She had her usual nightmare, almost the entire night, about the time that Elliot caught her coming out of the room with William and his two friends after their all nighter. The four of them had sex for almost a solid eight hours.

That time was supposed to be the last time she was ever with the Duke's son William. He was showing her what it felt like to be with multiple partners, like how he said the nobles did it, but they got caught right at the end as they were all coming out of the room after pulling that all nighter.

Kat relived the moment when her heart shattered as she saw the look in Elliot's eyes. It was at that moment she knew his love for her was over, even if she refused to believe it or accept it.

But being forced to relive that moment several times during the night put her in a surly mood, and she was ready to make someone pay for it.

Setting two mugs down on the table for a burly man and his friend she expected, and wasn't surprised, when as she bent over to put down the mugs he took that chance to rub her butt. Looking over at the stocky man, with the three day's growth on his face and bushy mustache, Kat rested her hands on the table. The man smiled and kept rubbing on her butt more now that he had better access to it.

Kat then smiled sweetly as he did this and she then casually tipped his drink over into his lap.

The man jumped up from his chair and immediately looked down at the soggy mess that was now his pants. It looked like his had pissed in his pants as the contents of his mug now ran down his pants leg.

Everyone in the Tavern noticed what she did and everyone started to laugh at the man, and as they did no one noticed a group of four entering just moments before this happened. The four were looking around and had quickly spotted what happened.

They now watched the source of the laughter as he got redder and redder from embarrassment. They also joined in to laugh.

The man, pissed at being the source of the joke, in the blink of an eye slapped Kat across the face with the back of his hand. It wasn't enough to knock Kat to the ground, even though the man out weighed her by almost 100 lbs., but it was enough to turn her head.

All laughter died out completely when this happened.

Kat looked back at the man defiantly, and the men close by could see the blood trickle out of the corner of her mouth as she wiped it with the back of her hand.

Moving though the crowd, a woman and the largest man of the group of four quickly reached the table where Kat stood staring at the man for striking her. The large man grabbed the burly man by the back of his shirt, lifted him clear of the floor, and then hit him once in his side very hard.

The burly man, first surprised by the fact that he was off the ground, was completely unprepared for the blow, but he knew from the pain that it clearly broke something inside of him.

Screaming out just once at the blow, the burly man hit the ground hard and looked up to see what had happened to him. He was going to make someone pay for that. He had been in enough fights over the seasons to not let this stop him.

But as he looked up from where he was sitting, it looked like he was staring up at a giant. The burly man quickly scrambled backwards until he hit the table behind him as he tried to get away from the other man.

The man standing above him had thick curly brown hair with a single silver forelock in it. His brown eyes seemed too smoldered as he looked down at the man. Something in this new man's look made the burly man on the ground now very afraid.

"Where I come from we don't hit women like that just because they don't want our attention," said the man softly in a dangerous voice that carried through out the tavern.

The man went to say something but the pain his side robbed him of his breath.

"Count your blessings I got here first. My wife would have killed you for what you did to her friend," said the man softly.

It was then that the man, looking around the table to see why his friend didn't come to his aid. He noticed that his friend couldn't help because there was a red haired woman holding a blade to his throat.

The friend had gone for his sword when Nathan hit the burly man but never managed to get it all the way out. Ariel was now holding the other man at bay as she watched her husband deal with the man on the ground. The look she was giving the man on the ground said she just wanted any excuse to kill either of them.

"I think it's about time you moved on, don't you?" asked Nathan softly.

Without a word the man tried to get up as best he could with the pain in his side slowing him down. Once he and his friend reached the doorway one of the two men, the shorter stocky one, then lifted a booted foot and kicked him in his butt.

The burly man sprawled face forward into the street. The roar of laughter could be heard as he and his friend raced off.

The crowd again quieted down and then concentrated on Nathan and Ariel as they stood before Kat.

"I could have handled that," said Kat quietly as she looked at both Nathan and Ariel

"No, you would have killed him later for what he did to you. Didn't we have a talk about this kind of retaliation once before?" asked Ariel seriously as she looked back at her.

There was a tense moment where nothing was said then Kat stepped up closer to Ariel.

"Yes I know. And your right, I just might have killed them both before I could stop myself. It good to see you Ariel," said Kat as she smiled and hugged Ariel.

"It's good to see you too," said Ariel smiling and returning the hug.

Kat then briefly hugged Nathan and then Rory as he stepped up.

Terrance hung back from the group as he still didn't feel comfortable touching Kat if he could help it. He still remembered the time she tried to kill him on a whim solely because she couldn't get at Nathan. She always made him uncomfortable.

Kat saw Terrance standing away from her outside of her reach and knew that he always felt uncomfortable her. She also felt uncomfortable around Terrance because she knew he was always thinking about her attempt on his life.

That made her cheeks burn as she realized she was considering doing it again to the man who struck her.

"So what brings you here?" asked Kat smiling as she changed the subject and cleaned off the table and chair the man and his friend was sitting in for her four friends.

"We're doing a job. Maybe later we can talk about it and see if you can possibly assist us," said Ariel smiling.

The group basically just hung out for a few hours until Kat was off her shift. They need information and starting with someone they knew was just as good as anything else.

Right as Kat got off work, Terrance and Rory excused themselves to start walking around town. Rory knew that Terrance needed a break from Kat so he went along to keep his friend company.

Kat was sad to see Terrance walk out of the Tavern without looking back or saying goodbye to her and the others like Rory did, but she made her self not dwell on it. It was just another problem in a long list that she created for herself. She wasn't quite sure how to fix it.

Nathan and Ariel decided to go walking with her to minimize who might overhear them.

On their way out of the tavern, Kat mentioned she was taking off the next two days as well to be with her friends. The owner didn't look happy with her declaration, but at the same time she was a big draw for his customers and he didn't want to upset her. He just grunted at the news.

Now walking in the streets at sunset, and talking quickly, Nathan and Ariel quickly brought Kat up to speed.

"I've heard rumors at times of attractive people going missing or bodies of people turning up just outside of towns. Mostly it happened far more often in other towns than this one. Actually I can't ever remember it happening here while I've been here.

"I've always tried to work in the seedier Taverns and Inns. The people there are freer with their tongues and I hear lots of things from time to time. Besides, after all the changes my life took, because of my poor decisions, I've decided that I had my fill of the rich and the Nobles," said Kat sadly.

Ariel put her arm around Kat and hugged her as they walked. Nathan knew what she was talking about, but wisely played dumb as they walked on.

"Have you heard any rumors around where those people may have gone missing more than anywhere else?" asked Nathan

"No, but I was once told to stay away from a noble, an Earl "something or other". It was Earl ... Pendleton. That's it, the Earl Pendleton. The rumors back here in the poor district says that he's into something weird, but no one will talk any more about it. I was warned off of accepting any invitations to any parties that he might offer to take me to at the castle. No, actually I was really warned off of letting him see me at all.

"The rumors often say that only a few people who aren't nobles return from those parties. But to be honest I've heard that not many go now a day who aren't Nobles. They say the ones who do attend and return seem to start going there a lot and are very closed mouth about what they do there. I've also heard that those who don't return are either never seen again, or they turn up dead.

"But either way they say that the Earl, or any of the other Nobles who took as a guest one of the regular people, can always prove that they had nothing to do with someone's disappearance or death," said Kat.

"Hmm, really sounds like something we need to look into," said Ariel.

"Really? Aren't you worried that something may happen to you? Aren't you scared to just walk into danger like that?" asked Kat looking at them strangely.

Even though Kat had ventured into various hazards to help people, she never went looking for trouble. She didn't have to, because it always found her quite easily.

"Of course we are, but who will help those without the power to help themselves if we don't? Why wouldn't we try if we could to help them? If people are disappearing around the castle maybe we need to stop it so that they don't have to live in fear," said Nathan.

"If I had your kind of power I wouldn't be scared either," said Kat quietly.

"Kat you don't have to only kill from the bed. Did you forget how you put me and all my power down on the ground not once but twice? I'm not all powerful and I can be bested, but I still get up and try time after time and that's all that matters in the end," said Nathan smiling.

Kat smiled as well.

She had forgotten that while she was scared of Ariel she had managed to stop a Battlemage on two separate occasions. The only thing she needed to be careful of was how much power she needed to expend to subdue her target.

"So when do we start?" asked Kat.

"Whoa, what do you mean we?" asked Ariel smiling.

"Well the king is having his weekly party tonight so you're in luck. And you have no idea where to go to meet him to get an invite. Also Nathan can't come with us because the tavern won't let in anyone who's not a Noble. But they will let in unescorted ladies if we want to just stroll in.

"So that means if you go in there by yourself then it's just you by yourself without any backup. Not to mention that you're also my friend, and I won't let you go into danger by yourself without trying to help," said Kat smiling.

"Ok, first we see your Earl and get invited to tonight's party before we can do anything else. Then we'll see how to proceed once we're there," said Ariel smiling.

"Ok, but Ariel we need to play like we're friends new in town once we get inside. You won't be able to tell them you are married if we want to get into the castle to look around. I've heard rumors about that not ending well for one of the couples, usually the males. And it may be easier to look around inside the castle if they believe we're unescorted," said Kat

"That means the guys and I will be stuck scouting the grounds around the castle once you get inside. All you'll need to do is whistle and we'll come running. Be careful and don't kill anyone. If you don't call we'll meet back at our room at midnight," said Nathan smiling.

Ariel smiled and lightly kissed his lips. Nathan quickly went off in search of Terrance and Rory. The girls went off in search of a dress shop to work on the next part of Ariel's plan.

It didn't take the girls long to find their target drinking in one of the most upscale Tavern's in the city. In fact the guards at the door had strict instructions who to let in and who not to.

Ariel and Kat had no problem getting past the doormen. In fact they both held the doors for them and watched as Ariel and Kat walked into the upscale Tavern that night.

Kat and Ariel had quickly found a store that hadn't closed yet in the upscale area of town to prepare. Even though it wasn't fully Dusk yet, Kat an Ariel quickly made their choices in dresses, changed into them, swung by Ariel and Nathan's room to drop off their old clothes, and then made their way to the Tavern Kat said was rumored that Earl Pendleton would frequent before parties at the castle.

Ariel felt naked without her blades, but she also knew this wasn't the time to be carrying them if she needed information. She and Nathan would meet up later tonight and share what information they found out separately, and then they would make further plans.