Untitled Unfinished Critique Welcome

[Trajedies]

Dante shouldered his book bag and hurried from class. He strode confidently towards the only elevator. The rest of the students were headed for the break room. When Dante was sure he was alone he pressed the button to summon the elevator and listened as it moved to his floor. As the doors opened Dante spotted a darkly clad girl his age in the darkest corner of the elevator, beckoning him inside sinisterly.
Dante gulped and stepped cautiously into the elevator. It wasn't until the doors finished closing that both of them burst into spontaneous laughter. "Oh my god! That was great. I actually felt as though you were going to take me to some mysterious new reality," Dante managed to get out through a series of chuckles.
The girl, Jesse, was Dante's long time friend. She leaned against the wall, recovering from her humor long enough to grin. "I am the best, aren't I," she said with mock conceit. She reimmersed herself in giggles as Dante looked on with amusement until the elevator began to move.
Both of them stopped and stood perfectly still. Moments later the doors opened and a rat-nosed professor poked his head in. "What are you two doing in here?" demanded the professor.
"We were riding the elevator to the floor we needed to get off on, which just so happened to be this one," explained Jesse.
"Well then, getting off the elevator will be no problem for you," suggested the professor haughtily.
"Well, you see, we would, but I just remembered that I left something very important behind. So if you will please excuse us."
"When I get on this elevator in fifteen minutes, I don't want to see either one of you on it. The elevator is a dangerous place to hang out on," with that the professor stormed off.
" You’d think if someone was going to call the elevator to the floor they were on they would actually use it," suggested Jesse as the elevator closed.
"I know," responded Dante. "I think that's the only fun thing he does all day is periodically check the elevator for stray students so he can lecture them."
"Oh be nice!" Jesse retorted, "He has to do that to warn students about the dangers of elevators."
"Hell yeah! There are all sorts of dangers in here," agreed Dante.
With that they began to chant in unison, "Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!"
They stopped as the elevator moved up to the second floor and opened to emit a boy with pale eyes and sandy hair, Ian, another long time friend. As soon as the doors closed, Dante pushed the button for floor 1r, or as the trio liked to call it, floor one and a half.
"Are we not hanging out in the elevator today?" asked Ian, looking confused.
"That professor with the squinty eyes now has tingly elevator senses, so we're going elsewhere for our lunch break," explained Jesse.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want to die by the hand of the dangerous elevator monster," Dante added. "Besides, I think it would be fun to go try on Halloween costumes at Ceiling-mart."
"Hells yeah!" agreed the other two as they exited the building and headed for Dante's black corvette. Jesse rode shotgun and Ian hopped into the back seat. Dante cranked up. The cd player began to blare at an extremely loud volume, causing the elevator dwellers to sing at the top of their lungs as they drove away.  

[Trajedies]

As Dante and his friends pulled into the Ceiling-mart parking lot they emptied their pockets, counting out what little bit of change they had. They entered the garden section and approached the Halloween aisle. Jesse sighed as they neared the costumes.
"What is it?" asked Dante.
"I just wish my mom wasn't so close-minded is all," explained Jesse, "She doesn't believe in celebrating Halloween."
"That sucks," Ian added as they stepped into the aisle.
Before either of the guys could say another word Jesse squealed and practically pounced on one of the costumes and threw it on over her clothes. It was a pirate costume that could easily be confused with a peasant outfit. She was immediately in character, "Sir, why sir, couldst thou spareth any change for a poor beggar like myself?" Jesse then proceeded to drop to her knees and give Dante and Ian her most pitiful look.
Dante and Ian grinned at each other and searched for costumes of their own. Dante chose a different pirate outfit; this one looked more like a gypsy than a peasant and Ian ended up with a shirt reminiscent of the nobility class. They too jumped into character and they soon had a nice storyline going in which Ian accused Dante of stealing something valuable of his and promised a starving Jesse a hot meal if she helped catch the "evil gypsy sorcerer".
As they rounded the corner to run into the next aisle, they found themselves facing a thick forest. They stared for several minutes before turning back around. The store was nowhere in sight. Ian was the first to move, approaching and touching a tree as if expecting the store to reappear as soon as he did.
"Where are we?" asked Jesse, more so to voice her thoughts than to actually receive an answer. "And how did we get here?"
Dante looked from Jesse to Ian and answered, "We're standing on a path in the middle of a forest. The path seems to be well used. Either that or we're having a group hallucination. As to how we got here, I have no explanation for you."
Jesse and Ian look down at the path, having not noticed it before. "Well, should we follow the yellow brick road or what?" asked Jesse as they all looked around, taking in their surroundings. The guys just shrugged.
They were interrupted by the sound of hoof beats coming from somewhere just out of sight. Their gazes locked for a second before they clambered into the brush in unison and hid a short distance from the trail. Ian turned to the other two and whispered, "Why are we hiding?"
"Because we're in the middle of nowhere and we don’t know who's coming to call," explained Jesse quietly. A gray horse, the rider of which was wearing a black suit of armor came into view at that time. The knight was a female who held a rope, the other end of which was tied to a well-dressed man with dark hair who stumbled behind the horse. "See," whispered Jesse to her companions, "That chick on the horse looks like she's definitely up to no good."
"Water," begged the man with the dark hair hoarsely, "May I please have some water?" The rider looked back and stopped the horse. She got down, keeping hold of the rope tightly, and pulled a flask out of her saddlebags and threw it to her prisoner. The captive caught the flask and struggled to open it, his hands being bound, before taking a sip. He glared at the knight through slitted eyes as he drank. Out of nowhere the man threw the flask at his captor and yanked the rope out of her grasp. He then took off running.
"He's coming our way!" exclaimed Dante after a moment. The two boys hurried to move out of his path. It wasn't until they were pretty far off that they noticed that Jesse wasn't with them.
Jesse was too consumed with watching what was going on with the escape to notice that her friends were no longer with her, nor did she notice that the man was running directly for her hiding place in the brush. She stood up just as he was jumping over the bush. Inevitably they collided and were both sent flailing to the ground.
Feeling guilty, Jesse helped pull the fallen man to his feet. By that time the knight was in hot pursuit. Both Jesse and her new dark haired companion knew that running was no longer an option; they had to fight. The man grabbed the largest stick he could lift with his bound hands and held it out in front of him, awaiting his armored opponent. Jesse followed his lead, grabbing a stick and taking her place beside him. He gave her an odd look and shrugged it off with a glance at his opponent.
The knight pulled out her sword, "Who is this, Bertran? Is that one of your servants coming to help you escape? I must say I am surprised a woman was sent by your sexist father." she asked, taking a battle stance just out of reach of Bertran's weapon.
Jesse's eyes widened with fear and she gulped visibly as she eyed the sword. Her vision traveled from the sword to the stick in her hands and back again. Panicking, she threw the stick in the knight’s general direction and hid behind Bertran who rolled his eyes and shook his head.
The knight didn't flinch as she watched the stick fly at least twenty feet over her head. She turned back to Bertran just in time to dodge the small trunk he was wielding and slice through it cleanly, separating it into two chunks of useless wood. The knight smirked and began to walk threateningly towards Bertran who threw the remainder of the stick at the knight.
Bertran began to back away from his captor. Jesse stayed behind him, backing up with him. That was when she remembered that his hands were tied. Without thinking it through she stepped around him and began to reach for his hands as they continued to back away from the knight. The armored woman saw her opportunity and grabbed Jesse, flinging her over her shoulder as she snatched the rope.
Dante took a step forward, intent on rescuing his friend, but Ian held him back. "Now is not the time," he whispered as the knight reached her horse. She flung Jesse onto her steed and climbed up behind her without letting go of the rope.
The horse restarted its walk along the path. Ian and Dante followed from a distance, doing their best to stay hidden amongst the brush.  

[Trajedies]

It wasn't long before they came to a large town. The horse lumbered up the street to a castle where a stable boy and a group of guards waited. The armored woman handed the reigns to the stable boy. She handed the rope to the sentinels and dismounted. She held her hand up to Jesse. She sat there, not understanding. The black knight shook her hand slightly and looked at Jesse pointedly. "Let me help you down, Milady," said the knight as she took Jesse's hand. She helped her down and two of the guards took her arms firmly but gently, as if they were merely helping her stand.
"Lady Rowena, what should be done with the captives? We weren't prepared for two of them." asked one of the sentries.
Rowena answered him with a smile, "Throw them in the dungeon until the rooms are prepared." Bertran is shoved through a side door and Jesse is led through the same door. The stable boy led the horse around to the back of the castle. Rowena looked around, pleased to be home, and began her way up the steps.  

[Trajedies]

Back at the edge of the forest Dante and Ian waited, "We should go get her," stated Dante.
Ian shook his head, "Not yet. First off gypsies and noblemen don't mix, we’d look suspicious. It will be better to wait for nightfall. Besides, how do we know this isn't just some medieval show or something?"
"If it was a show they wouldn't have kidnapped her," retorted Dante, "And who does a show for no one in the middle of the woods. I'm going in. You can wait here if you like." Before Ian could stop him, Dante was out in the open.
Dante walked slowly through the town, looking around nervously. A large drunkard with missing teeth and extremely greasy hair stopped him just short of the castle. The drunkard smiled invitingly, "Hello, Love, where's a pretty thing like you off to? Why don't you come with me to somewhere a bit more private, eh?"
"I think you might be a little bit confused, Sir... Besides, I'm a little busy right now." Dante pulled away nervously, but the man's grip was tight.
"Aww, Sweetheart, don't be shy, and you so beautiful." The man gave him another slimy grin and pulled him close. Dante's eyes widened with disgust and he punched the drunkard as hard as he could with his free hand. The grin was immediately wiped away and replaced with a menacing glare, "Oh you'll pay for that one, you little vagabond."
The drunkard pulled away from him and held his arm up in the air, "Witch! Witch! I've caught a sorcerer!" Instantaneously a crowd of townsfolk surrounded them. Others grabbed Dante and his arms were bound behind his back before he was able to realize what was going on.
"Wait! Stop! You're all making a horrible mistake! I'm not a witch, I don't know the first thing about magic!" exclaimed Dante as he struggled frantically against the townsmen who were in the process of tying him to a stake that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Ian moved quickly from the tree line, trying to locate Dante amongst the throng. The crowd parted to reveal Dante, tied to a pole surrounded by burning straw. He broke into a run, stopping only when Rowena reached Dante and cut his bonds, catching him as he fell and half dragging half pulling him away from the flames.
Ian hurried back to the cover of the trees as Lady Rowena glared around at her people. "Why did ye stop us?" cried a peasant, breaking the silence, "He's a sorcerer and has been plaguing this town for years!"
"Then convict him in court as the law requires," declared Rowena; "We'll schedule it for an hour from now. I have some business to take care of."
Back at the edge of the forest Dante and Ian waited, "We should go get her," stated Dante.
Ian shook his head, "Not yet. First off gypsies and noblemen don't mix, we’d look suspicious. It will be better to wait for nightfall. Besides, how do we know this isn't just some medieval show or something?"
"If it was a show they wouldn't have kidnapped her," retorted Dante, "And who does a show for no one in the middle of the woods. I'm going in. You can wait here if you like." Before Ian could stop him, Dante was out in the open.
Dante walked slowly through the town, looking around nervously. A large drunkard with missing teeth and extremely greasy hair stopped him just short of the castle. The drunkard smiled invitingly, "Hello, Love, where's a pretty thing like you off to? Why don't you come with me to somewhere a bit more private, eh?"
"I think you might be a little bit confused, Sir... Besides, I'm a little busy right now." Dante pulled away nervously, but the man's grip was tight.
"Aww, Sweetheart, don't be shy, and you so beautiful." The man gave him another slimy grin and pulled him close. Dante's eyes widened with disgust and he punched the drunkard as hard as he could with his free hand. The grin was immediately wiped away and replaced with a menacing glare, "Oh you'll pay for that one, you little vagabond."
The drunkard pulled away from him and held his arm up in the air, "Witch! Witch! I've caught a sorcerer!" Instantaneously a crowd of townsfolk surrounded them. Others grabbed Dante and his arms were bound behind his back before he was able to realize what was going on.
"Wait! Stop! You're all making a horrible mistake! I'm not a witch, I don't know the first thing about magic!" exclaimed Dante as he struggled frantically against the townsmen who were in the process of tying him to a stake that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Ian moved quickly from the tree line, trying to locate Dante amongst the throng. The crowd parted to reveal Dante, tied to a pole surrounded by burning straw. He broke into a run, stopping only when Rowena reached Dante and cut his bonds, catching him as he fell and half dragging half pulling him away from the flames.
Ian hurried back to the cover of the trees as Lady Rowena glared around at her people. "Why did ye stop us?" cried a peasant, breaking the silence, "He's a sorcerer and has been plaguing this town for years!"
"Then convict him in court as the law requires," declared Rowena; "We'll schedule it for an hour from now. I have some business to take care of."
Back at the edge of the forest Dante and Ian waited, "We should go get her," stated Dante.
Ian shook his head, "Not yet. First off gypsies and noblemen don't mix, we’d look suspicious. It will be better to wait for nightfall. Besides, how do we know this isn't just some medieval show or something?"
"If it was a show they wouldn't have kidnapped her," retorted Dante, "And who does a show for no one in the middle of the woods. I'm going in. You can wait here if you like." Before Ian could stop him, Dante was out in the open.
Dante walked slowly through the town, looking around nervously. A large drunkard with missing teeth and extremely greasy hair stopped him just short of the castle. The drunkard smiled invitingly, "Hello, Love, where's a pretty thing like you off to? Why don't you come with me to somewhere a bit more private, eh?"
"I think you might be a little bit confused, Sir... Besides, I'm a little busy right now." Dante pulled away nervously, but the man's grip was tight.
"Aww, Sweetheart, don't be shy, and you so beautiful." The man gave him another slimy grin and pulled him close. Dante's eyes widened with disgust and he punched the drunkard as hard as he could with his free hand. The grin was immediately wiped away and replaced with a menacing glare, "Oh you'll pay for that one, you little vagabond."
The drunkard pulled away from him and held his arm up in the air, "Witch! Witch! I've caught a sorcerer!" Instantaneously a crowd of townsfolk surrounded them. Others grabbed Dante and his arms were bound behind his back before he was able to realize what was going on.
"Wait! Stop! You're all making a horrible mistake! I'm not a witch, I don't know the first thing about magic!" exclaimed Dante as he struggled frantically against the townsmen who were in the process of tying him to a stake that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Ian moved quickly from the tree line, trying to locate Dante amongst the throng. The crowd parted to reveal Dante, tied to a pole surrounded by burning straw. He broke into a run, stopping only when Rowena reached Dante and cut his bonds, catching him as he fell and half dragging half pulling him away from the flames.
Ian hurried back to the cover of the trees as Lady Rowena glared around at her people. "Why did ye stop us?" cried a peasant, breaking the silence, "He's a sorcerer and has been plaguing this town for years!"
"Then convict him in court as the law requires," declared Rowena; "We'll schedule it for an hour from now. I have some business to take care of."  

[Trajedies]

Jesse looked around her cell in awe, touching the walls with reverence, "This is amazing."
"This is a dungeon," stated Bertran, unable to help his amusement, "It's hardly worth all that praise."
"But it's so realistic!" Jesse turned to Bertran, smiling at him through the bars, "It's almost like I'm really in the Middle Ages!"
"Are you mad? You're speaking nonsense!" Bertran proclaimed.
"Of course not! What are you talking abou-" Jesse was interrupted by the entry of half a dozen guards. Both captives watched them. Bertran did so warily while Jesse looked on with amusement, as if waiting for them to burst into song and dance.
The guards unlocked and entered Jesse's cell and her amusement faded into confusion. She backed to the wall, fear replacing confusion as she noticed the chill in their eyes. She searched the cell quickly, looking for an escape from their evil grins.
When they were almost upon her she burst into action, ducking between two of them and dodging around a third before being grabbed by a pair of them.
"Get your bloody hands off of her or I'll-" Bertran screamed through the bars, his eyes filled with malice and anger the wise go a lifetime without provoking.
"You'll what? Have our heads chopped off? Wrong kingdom, Your Majesty," laughed the obvious leader of the group as Jesse was dragged, struggling, back against the wall, a guard on each arm.
One of the guards ripped off Jesse's pants and was reaching for her underwear when Jesse put all of her weight on her arms and pulled her knees to her chest. She summoned all of her strength and kicked the guard in the stomach as she yelled, "Get off of me, ********/> The guard backed up a few steps, shocked, before he narrowed his eyes, "Why you little wench!" Just as the guard reared back his fist for a punch Lady Rowena entered with a couple of guards.
"What in bloody hell is going on here!" The guards dropped Jesse and stood at attention. Jesse leaned back against the wall, energy spent. "The whole lot of you will be spending a week down here for attempting the unspeakable to a lady."
At that Jesse grinned, nearly to the point of laughing. Rowena motioned to her guards, one of which entered Jesse's cell and grabbed her arm. He gently led her from the cell. The other one went to Bertran's cell and unlocked it, let him out, but kept a good hold on him.
While this was going on Rowena made a point of collecting weapons and keys from the would be rapists and locked them in their cell. The remaining guards, having gathered up Bertran and Jesse keep their weapons out pointedly but no longer make an attempt to keep a hold on them.
After making sure the locks are secure, Lady Rowena turned and led the way out of the cell, motioning for her captives to follow her.
"Are you alright?" Bertran was looking anxiously at Jesse.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just kinda shaken up." answered Jesse, following her words up with a smile. Bertran returned her smile with a funny look and turned his attention to the rest of the proceedings.  

[Trajedies]

Ian stood at the edge of the forest, trying to figure out what he should do. The woman in the black armor had captured both of his friends. He had to figure out a way to get past the townspeople and into the castle without drawing any attention to himself. He would draw more attention in the clothes he was currently wearing than he would if he ran through the town naked, which, coincidentally, was his only other option. His best bet was to wait until nightfall and stick to the shadows, but he wasn't sure if he had the time for that.
Dante had almost been burnt at the stake and would most likely be put in that position again before nightfall. There was no way out of going during the day. He finally decided to steal someone’s clothes and began to look for an opportunity.  

[Trajedies]

"So, they called you 'Your Majesty'. Does that mean you're, you know, royalty?" Jesse asked Bertran through the locked door separating their adjoining rooms.
"Yes," replied Bertran, "I am the crown prince of Savnuk. Of course, that won't do either of us any good here in Esuer. It won't do my father any good either."
"I guess that means I didn't go back in time then. So we're in Esuer. I wish I knew why that's a problem."
"There you go talking nonsense again. It is odd, but you don't seem mad. Where are you from that you don't know why it's a problem for the Savnuk Prince to be held captive in the land of Esuer?" asked the prince.
Jesse stood up and looked around, contemplating. "I couldn't tell you how to get there from here, but I am from Lizella. I'm sorry if I sometimes sound crazy, but we speak differently there. We don't know much about this whole area, including both of the kingdoms of Savnuk and Esuer. Do you think you could fill me in?"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call Savnuk a 'kingdom'. I don't even have the slightest clue as to how their leader is chosen. All I know is it has nothing to do with a bloodline, like a true kingdom does. Our advisor back home says they find someone who fits a certain criteria and perform some sort of black magic on them. If they survive they are the new proclaimed leader and anyone who disobeys them is killed in the most horrible way imaginable. My kingdom won't stand for that kind of behavior, but we were content to keep to ourselves and simply keep our guard up. One day, there was an envoy come from their lands with a request for help with some conflict or other. We let them in and were prepared to listen, but it turned out that it was a surprise attack. We killed the whole lot of them and have been at war with the people of Esuer ever since," explained Bertran.
"Wow. So, what are you here for?" asked Jesse.
"Well, as the prince of Savnuk, I make a grand prize to hold onto. I am a hostage to get something out of my kingdom, or a valuable prisoner of war to be ransomed off at a later date. If you're wondering how I came to be here, I was captured during a battle, the leader of the Esuerians herself was my escort. I can only hope they don't use me as a sacrifice in some dark ritual." Bertran explained.
"Well, now you're just bragging." Jesse explored her room, looking inside of her wardrobe and under her bed for anything interesting. She was interrupted by heavy footsteps approaching from down the hall. She stopped and listened as they reached the doorway to her room.
She heard the key scraping the inside of the lock on the door. She gulped visibly and held her breath as she waited for whoever was out there to enter. When the door slammed open and several guards entered she gasped and backed away, tripping over the bed and backing away without getting back up. "You got our comrades landed in a cell. You shall pay for that one, Impudent Wretch," bellowed the nearest guard as they fell on her. She struggled but was unable to break away as they dragged her from the room. She screamed, "Bertran! Help me!"
There was a thump as Bertran threw his body at the door, but he was unable to break through. He ran to the doorway that led to the hall and shoved his face up against the bars of the door. One of the guards stayed behind as Jesse was dragged down the hall and out of sight by all of the others. "Where are they taking her?" He demanded of the only remaining sentinel.
"They're taking her to pay for her transgressions towards our fine leader." answered the guard, a smirk rising on his face.  

[Trajedies]

Dante looked around the courtroom nervously. All of the townsfolk seemed to have shown up. They were all talking amongst themselves, and shooting accusatory glances in his direction every few minutes. Dante gulped as Lady Rowena entered the room. She glared around at the crowded room but refused to look at Dante.
"Let's start with the culprits name." As she stated this she met Dante's gaze for the first time. Dante was filled with hope.
"Dante, ma'am. My name is Dante." Dante couldn't help but give Rowena a half grin as he answered her. There was no way she would have saved him if she were only going to condemn him in the courtroom.
"Doesn't Dante just sound like the name of a witch!" came the shrill cry of a darkly clad woman with gray, frizzy hair, a pointy hat, and a hairy wart on the end of her long, crooked nose. The rest of the assembly nodded to each other and muttered their agreement with this perfectly rational statement.
"Dante, will you admit you are a sorcerer?" asked Rowena.
"No. I was just looking for my friend.-" Dante tried to explain.
"Another witch no doubt!" yelled a man at the back of the crowd. Cheers of agreement met this.
Lady Rowena glared around at her subjects. "One more outburst from the lot of you and whomever could not hold their tongue shall lose it." At this there was silence. "What is the name of your friend and where can I find him so that he may back up your story?"
"Well, you see, Ma'am, you kind of captured her in the woods this morning. Her name is Jesse. That one guy you had captured or whatever ran into her in the woods," explained Dante.
"Then how did you end up being accused of witchcraft?"
"Well, I was walking to your castle to try and explain that my friend couldn't have been whoever you thought she was, when a drunk man tried to get me to have sex with him. I refused and he accused me of witchcraft." Dante took a breath as he finished.
"Does anyone else have any testimony?" asked Lady Rowena.
"Our fields were burned by magic fire a fortnight ago!"
"My children have had dreams of horrible demons!"
"He turned my friend into a toad!"
"My chickens are dying!"
"I will run a few tests in my castle before I execute him. I regret to inform you it will be a private burning so that none of you get contaminated by the smoke and become witches yourselves."
A rumble of agreement runs through the crowd as they disassemble. Dante looks down, crushed and trying to figure out a way out of dying. On their way out the peasants threw fruits and vegetables at him. A few of the braver children ran up and slapped at him. When all of the peasants had dispersed and they were alone Lady Rowena approached Dante. "Don't worry, that last bit was for show. If I don't appease them I could have a riot on my hands, plus, if I get rid of a witch they will stop seeing magic around every corner and in every disaster." Dante looked up at her, the despair felt earlier vanishing from his features. "Now let's get you cleaned up and then you have to tell me exactly who you and your friend are and what you are doing here in Esuer."  

[Trajedies]

All of the townspeople had gone up to the castle, giving Ian the perfect opportunity to sneak into one of their homes and find something to wear. He had found clothes that fit just as well as his own and had taken a weapon as well. After he was dressed and armed he looked for somewhere to stash his previous garments. It took him several minutes to find a fallen trunk with the inside rotted out. After he had his clothes hidden safely away he hurried towards the castle, hoping that he would get there in time.
Ian was almost to the castle steps when what appeared to be all of the townspeople emerged from the doorway. All of them spoke of the burning of the evil sorcerer caught earlier that day. None of them mentioned the fact that it had not yet occurred. Ian stopped dead in his tracks and nearly fell down from the shock. "Can Dante really be gone?" he whispered to himself. He looked around, searching for some excuse not to believe it. Even if Dante was gone he still had to go after Jesse.
He moved up the steps and knocked on the oversized door. A well-dressed page that looked him over and then raised his eyebrows expectantly answered the door. "I have urgent business with the Lord of the house." Ian said.
"What sort of business?" asked the page suspiciously, wrinkling his nose with distaste for just a moment before hiding it again.
"It's confidential. I am to speak of it to no one until I see the Lord of the house." Ian held his breath as he finished speaking.
"Please wait here while I go fetch him, sir." The page disappeared quickly and the door shut in Ian’s face.  

[Trajedies]

Bertran stood at the doorway to his cell, insulting his guard as best he could, "Come on you wretched knave, does picking on a lady make you feel more like a man? Are you too weak and pathetic to take on a real man?"
"Shut your trap, boy, or I'll make you eat your words." the guard spat out his words.
"All talk and no activity. It's a pity you're so weak and foolish you can't even fight an unarmed opponent." As Bertran made this last retort he got next to the door and out of sight and held the washbasin high above his head. The guard grumbled under his breath as he turned the key in it's lock. As soon as he entered the basin came crashing down on his head, sending him sprawling, unconscious on the ground.
Bertran smiled and removed the guards’ weapons and keys and armed himself with them. As he left the room he locked the door. He then made his way down the hall; turning down the same path the guards had dragged Jesse earlier.  

[Trajedies]

Ian had been waiting by the door for quite a while before it was opened again. A tall man who appeared severely malnourished opened it. The man was clothed in a very fine robe. He looked Ian up and down with a half grin painted on his face. "I am Lord Thorn. How may I be of assistance to you, my friend?" asked the obviously rich man.
Unsure of what protocols he might have needed to follow, Ian gave a slight bow before he answered, "I have come looking for my friend. A woman in dark armor captured her earlier today in the forest outside of town. She was a victim of mistaken identity I'm afraid." Thorn's eyes lit up as Ian mentioned the forest, but he moved quickly to hide it.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you will excuse the mix up. I would love to help you, but I'm afraid she disappeared earlier today. Not a soul has seen hide or tail of your sister in hours. I am fairly certain she has escaped back into the forest. Maybe you should go back and check again."
"She wasn't my sister, Sir. Thank you for the help. I greatly appreciate it."
"Oh I'm sorry, I assumed. I wish you the best in finding her. Godspeed." Thorn grinned as Ian nodded and turned to go. As soon as Ian was out of earshot Thorn snapped his fingers. A puff of black smoke popped beside him and when it dissipated a man in a black hooded cloak was kneeling in it's place.
"Follow him. Check him for the mark and return to me. If he is still alone bring him as well. Make sure you keep him alive though. Don't be afraid to use force. I don't care if he is completely broken as long as he is alive. If he has joined up with anyone before you are able to check him, just bring me back information on his whereabouts and I will find a way to get him inconspicuously. You have your orders, now, go." The man nodded and was gone in a flash.