ACE POV:
I just finished figuring out my escape plan when some women rounded me up with their magical spells.
I was being taken to become dinner for at least forty people.
We glanced at the hall from as above where everyone was seated.
The hall wasn't what I remembered.
They rearranged the room to form some sort of a bureaucratic panel seat.
Jane's mom was still in her odd form.
Probably the reason why she hadn't broken us out of here.
Well, the leader just has to fall for the bait, and I'm out of here as a free man.
They glanced at each other.
The women left in different directions at once strangely.
As strangely as it was, I decided not to worry myself about it.
I ran over my plans again.
"Not so different from me, are you?".
"Oh shit. Merlin you scared me" I whispered.
"Well, I'm your guardian. So technically, I can't leave you".
"You've got to leave. Someone's gonna see you. That'll ru...".
"...Ruin your plans. Yeah, I get it".
He was obviously not interested in my plans.
"You know that plan's gonna cost you your head".
"What do you know? Huh? Where were you when I made the idea?".
"Just stating the obvious".
"Well, get out of my head, o noble guardian" I chanted sarcastically.
He disappeared out of my sight.
Just then, the ladies returned immediately and we continued the journey.
When we got to the hall, I was marched straight to where I was to be tied again.
As we passed by, several witches growled at me, showing me their most nasty stare.
Ironically, I was amused by it.
I was tied up to the stakes again.
"Ouch. That hurt a lot".
"Don't worry dearie".
It was the woman on the biggest chair, probably their leader.
"Soon, you won't feel a thing".
She looked at claws she labelled fingernails and rubbed it slightly with her hands.
She swung her hand in my direction.
One of the nails flew towards me.
It transformed into a dart.
It headed straight for my throat.
'This wasn't part of the plan' I chided myself.
I didn't plan to get killed before I could put up a fight.
I closed my eyes, awaiting the final result.
I heard a vibrating sound very close to my right pinna.
I opened my eyes. It landed on the pole, driving almost half of itself into the poor wood.
I swallowed a hard spittle.
"Oh, lucky you. Who knows, maybe the next may nail the bullseye" she mocked.
I smiled falsely at her.
I put my plans into motion.
'Phase one' I said to myself.
"Hello, madam. We haven't actually met. Hi, I'm Ace, the pure-blood descendant".
"Hi, Ace. Nice to meet you. I'm your worst nightmare".
"Really funny" I said.
"You must be Sertha, Queen of the Blood Clan".
(Sertha is a title, not name, for Blood Queen)
"Indeed, young lad".
"I hear you have some scores to settle with one of us".
"Yeah. I just wanted to return a favour".
"A favour, you say?".
"Yeah. I heard he was your shadow now. I can't seem to find him anywhere".
"Come to think of it, where is he, by the way? I haven't seen him since the Dark Age".
"He's quite busy, you see".
"Nah, it's fine".
"I'll just deliver it later".
"Phase two!".
"I heard the favour involved a life".
She stopped dead in her tracks.
"It involved your sister".
She turned around and stared daggers.
It was definitely working as planned.
"What was her name again? Yeah, Qu...".
She teleported herself and appeared in front of me, squeezing my neck very tight.
"Don't mention her name or your head will divorce your neck now".
She was choking me.
Soon, she left me and was returning to her stool.
I caught my breath as quickly as I could.
It seemed like I opened an old wounds.
But, I still went on.
"Really? Just the way hers was?".
Soon, she swung her hands at me.
The nails flew at me at incredible velocity.
'Just as planned' I said.
'Just a little to the top'.
The darts came flying towards me and then...!