Dareen was idly doodling in her notebook as everyone talked. Everything was moving...slowly. Someone would have to come up with a plan. Dareen wasn't feeling particularly optimistic about their position. They were in between a rock and a hard place.

"Alternatively, we could just kick this off old school. Try getting the support of the people, here, in Terreile. Nobody likes being, uh, genocided." She rubbed the back of her head, chuckling. "That's a lot of grunt work though, under extremely dangerous conditions. But it's a thought. With the support of the Black, and a Queen. People might listen." She shrugged.

"It's just a thought. I still think getting into Kaeleer is our best bet. Just not sure how." Dareen rubbed her chin. This was obviously uncharted territory.

Mikhail entered the room and gave some bad news. Bellinar was a traitor, and Faeril was missing. Dareen's eyes widened and she shrugged. She vanished her notebook and coughed.

"Uh. Oops." She said, in a bit of an understatement. Her heart rate began to elevate and she stood from her chair. "Whatever we're doing, we've gotta do it now." Dareen, tracker of Black Widows, set out into the garden. Flinging the door open she observed the scene.

"This is a real shit show." Dareen began looking for prints. "We have to catch up, we have to find her. If I don't- if we don't-"

Dareen grit her teeth and refocused. "Fuck me in the ass and call me a creepy farmer's horse... she can't have gotten far." She grumbled to herself.

"Why would Bellinar sell Faeril out? And who did he sell us out too?"

---

"Stop grinding your teeth, dear. You'll wear them out." Ahmar advised, his tone sickeningly sincere. He removed his boots from the table and slapped them down onto the floorboards, rising to his feet.

"Very well, then, Bellinar. I'm glad we've come to an agreement! I've men stationed around the Inn, looking for an opportunity to nab our prize. We'll rendezvous with them, and make our play. When you think Faeril is ready to be captured, just say the codeword." Ahmar rubbed his chin.

"And the codeword is...rendezvous. Just use that word again. Good word, solid word. I need four men. We'll travel lightly, quietly." Ahmar clapped his gloved hands together. Immediately a select group of soldiers stood to attention.

"Let's do it," "That'll be me," "Oh, absolutely," "Fuck yeah!" Four men stepped forward.

Ahmar turned to Bellinar, his smile gone. "You know what to do."

But it turned to be unnecessary. Because Ahmar's men always, always, managed to impress him.

Bahith, Ahmar's current second in command, was waiting for him. He and his two squadmates, dressed in black, their faces covered by hoods and cowls, had procured the Black Widow. They were travelling in the dark, along the outskirts of town, and Bahith had Faeril slung over his shoulder. Sight shields were up, and Bahith was projecting a shield that prevented Faeril from reaching out psycically. In order to prevent her from reaching out physically, he had gagged her with a rag. Meant for gagging people. Bahith grinned under his mask.

The six men of Ahmar and Bellinar, following the discrete path to the meeting place near the Inn, would come across Bahith and his crew travelling back to their temporary head quarters.

Ahmar blinked in surprised and jogged forward. "You didn't."

"We did." Bahith responded. "Without a hitch. Easy as pie, Ahmar."

Ahmar surpressed a laugh and slapped Bahith on the arm. He circled around back to Faeril's upper half, and held her face up by the chin. It was merely a practical gesture, so they could meet eye to eye. His face was uncovered, since he had nothing to hide. Across his handsome, stubbled face were the markings of the Crimson Sun, unmistakably similar to Dareen's.

Ahmar looked over Bahith's shoulder at Bellinar. If Bellinar wanted to avoid being seen by Faeril, he could just back away now. Or, he could just stay infront of Bahith and stay quiet, since she wouldn't be able to see him.

Ahmar made eyecontact with Faeril. "Greetings. My name is Ahmar. You've been captured, incase you hadn't noticed. Your friends certainly didn't." He pushed lightly on Bahith's shoulder, making sure they kept walking. One of the men was walking behind them with a palm leave, scrubbing and obsfuscating their tracks.

"Fret not, Widow. Your life is not yet forfeit. Unlike all the other Black Widows I've ever tracked down, I've incentive to keep you alive." His tone was professional, truthful, honest. Like he was a contractor describing to her the nature of a carpentry project.

"Don't get the wrong idea, though. I'll kill you if you kick up too much of a fuss. Besides, I've always thought witchblood flowers were beautiful. I've something of a green thumb when it comes to that particular plant." He said, rubbing his thumb against his index finger.

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Mikhail's sudden appearance was a stunned shock as the Dea Al Mon man was not prone to outbursts. Though his news was a shock to the group. Mikhail would see Gennar's face grow dark with fury. Denvar was not far behind his brother's fury and the Eyrien Warlord Prince was walking the killing edge as he snarled something that could only be a string of curses in his native language. The two sprung towards the door, more than intent on tearing the city apart to find their missing Black Widow and friend. It was Fatima's raised hand that stopped them however as the Hyaellian Queen spoke. Fatima had been shaken by the news, and not in the least for the slight guilt she felt knowing that Fatima most likely had been spirited away while getting herbs for the brew they had spoken on earlier.

"Wait, please. I know you are concerned but we must handle this carefully without bringing Lady Alice's guards down on us." Not without a way out at least. Inclining her head towards Jandar, she gave the Red Jeweled Warlord a steady look. "Lord Jandar, please see if Priestess Orlenna has finished her task at the candles yet. If not we will need another way to lay low in the nearby area until she is finished." The order was sensible and she nodded in agreement. "Thom and Dunny will go-" The Sceltie snarled with distaste interrupting the Queen. *I will remain with the Lady.*

Thom's lips were thin and the boy looked pale as she shrugged. "Lady, let Dunny stay with you. He's good in a fight, no one suspects him." Fatima seemed to considered it for a moment. She was hesitant to put the boy or the Kindred in harm's way but Thom had spoken true. The presence of Kindred was rare and most thought them stories. The Sceltie would be as good as a hidden dagger. "I will go with Mikhail, the brothers, and Dareen-?" She paused at the woman had rushed out into the garden. Gathering her skirts, Fatima followed. Saetan was a ghost in the dark shadows as he watched the group begin to act. Roused by the noise, the Warlord Prince had descended from the stairway. Still weary from the ordeal he had suffered thought he would be hard put to admit to it.

It was Denvar who answered Dareen's question. "He was bringing back items beyond his spending ability." Twin to the traitor, Denvar looked like a man torn between death and dealing it out. "He was never able to refuse a game of chance."

Gennar nodded, his face dark and his voice gravely. "We suspected he was in debt but this..." His wings were unfurled as he snarled something that almost tore a roar of frustration from his throat. "He would never have sold out Faeril." Yet, they all knew what Mikhail claimed and neither brother looked like they doubted it.

Fatima looked to the Black Jeweled Warlord Prince who stood in the eaves of the inn. "Prince Saetan. Will you accompany us?" The wording was formal, and she hated that she asked him to join them. She wanted to get as far away from this dangerous man as possible, but... That danger could prove useful. Faeril was a member of her court and one of hers. She was not about to permit the woman to be taken and who knew what to be done to her!

Dareen would find the trail leading over a fence, a small scuffle in the alley that led towards the poorer side of town. Dunny growled. *I smell bad men. Should I bite them?* He looked at Dareen as he danced on his paws and his tail waved as a furry banner behind him.

Faeril to her credit had struggled. As it was, her hands were tightly wrapped in rags to keep her snake tooth from poisoning any of the men. One of them, however, was looking a bit ill as a blotch of purple spread up his arm. As Ahmar raised the Black Widow's head Faeril gave a deep growl in the back of her throat and her eyes promised death upon the man. Seeing Bellinar behind the mercenary, the Black Widow eyes briefly flicked to the Eyrien's guilty face and then back to Ahmar. A shiver ran down her spine at the mention of the sad, forlorn flowers. This man was Dareen's old commander, the tattoos explained thus. A man who had killed countless innocents and others of the Hourglass coven. Faeril wanted to struggle and press her Red against the shield and rip these rabid dogs' minds apart but she was too weak. Her red was too far drained from her struggle and she had been relying on the Blood Opal. Cursing, Faeril remained limp. Refusing to fight til she had the perfect moment to rip out this particular bastard's throat.

It was understandable that the group would be surprised by the news he had brought and Mikhail would even understand if they doubted him, especially his brothers, but after everything he saw and heard, it was certain that Bellinar had betrayed them.

"Not yet... Although seeing that Faeril is nowhere to be seen made me I wish had." Mikhail replied with anger on his voice as Jandar asked, still processing the words Mikhail had just said to them.

"He has been giving information about the group to a man called 'Ahmar'. It's safe to assume that much was revealed by Bellinar about us, seeing how close he was to Faeril..." he said with agitation and anger on his voice as Dareen asked why and to who did Bellinar sell them to. It was clear to anyone hearing him, the normally calm and cold Mikhail, of how angry that situation, being betrayed made him.

"According to what they were talking with each other, Bellinar was being paid for the information and the deal they had. While Ahmar, or better... his client, seems to have a... preference in taking Faeril alive, assassination wasn't out of the question if capturing her showed to be too difficult or impossible, being discussed multiple times in their conversation. It's still not certain if they have decided in taking her alive or not." he said, with a very serious tone, trying his best to control his emotions and temper.

"The motivation seems to be partially, if not completely, because of his gambling debts, which were mentioned by Ahmar himself." he finished, looking to the group with a serious expression. Even though his explanation was short, time wasn't something they had to spare right now, he could only hope such explanation would be enough to clear any doubts they might have regarding the veracity of his words.

While Jandar's words, asking Mikhail if he and the rest of the group could deal with that issue without him, made Mikhail suspicious of him, the second Jandar explained his plans, he immediately understood and agreed with him. Securing an escape route would help them greatly if they managed to take Faeril back... but that was only if they managed to get her back...

"The location is on a small bar on the edge of the town." Mikhail said to Jandar, nodding to him and agreeing with his words.

"There will be bloodshed once we arrive, so Fatima, the boy and the sceltie would definitely be safer with you." he said, with a cold tone and grim expression before he turned to Gennar and Denvar.

"Out of respect, I will give you both a chance to deal with Bellinar yourselves, otherwise I wont hesitate in killing him on sight." he said, his voice and expression making it clear that he wasn't bluffing or saying those words in vain.

When Fatima, Dunny and Thom started to discuss about who would go with Mikhail and the rest and who would stay though, Mikhail almost immediately looked, almost hissing at them.

"I will do this alone if I have to. We are not going there to talk. I am not going there to talk, I don't want anyone unnecessarily putting themselves on risk." Mikhail said with a serious, cold tone before he looked to the Eyrien brothers, Dareen and now, Dunny.

"We need to go now. If we lose Faeril now and Ahmar takes her away somewhere else, we won't be able to track them down again." he finished, impatient to get going as he looked to the rest of the group that would go with him.